After discovering the Half-Fish Monster near Yunling Lake, Zhu Xiong immediately increased manpower. Xia Ning and Gu Shaojie, along with four others contracted with the Giant Macrophage Dog, were all sent out for patrol.
Then he and Gan Xinglei were in charge of digging ditches to divert water. Perhaps because a previous ambush attempt had failed, the Half-Fish Monster did not appear for the time being, so the ditch digging went relatively smoothly this time.
By evening, they had nearly finished diverting the canal to a slope several dozen meters away. All they needed to do was to break the barrier between the canal and Yunling Lake and dig a pond at the other end of the canal to form a new reservoir.
After that, a bit of sedimentation could be arranged, which would temporarily meet their needs.
In the evening, they still ate in Building 10. After a simple dinner, Su Han called over Zhu Xiong and his group.
"Has the tally of those who want to fight been finalized?"
Su Han looked at Yan Meiyu and spoke about the matter of inquiring into the formation of a combat squad that morning.
Yan Meiyu replied, "I've generally asked around. Except for Huihui, Zhao Hui, Yan Qiumei, and Old Zhao, who are older, there are 15 able to participate in the fight, including the four of us."
Fifteen people was not a small number since their entire team had previously only had twenty people.
"Wait, Sister Kailing and I can also join the fight."
Bai Qilan's voice came through, drawing everyone's attention to her. She spoke calmly, "Shouldn't those involved in gathering resources contribute more? Moreover, I want to study the ecology of those monsters."
Ye Kailing joining the fight was normal; she was a retired soldier and had received professional bodyguard training, her combat ability probably even higher than that of Zhu Xiong.
The proactive participation of Bai Qilan surprised Su Han and the others; after all, given her current role, there was no need for her to participate in combat.
"You can join subsequent battles, but right now, it's more important that you extract blood and spinal fluid from the Half-Fish Monster."
Su Han rejected Bai Qilan's suggestion. Bai Qilan was not discouraged and responded, "I know, I mean in the future since different monsters might have different uses."
"16 people, split into three groups—one group of five, guarding the two villas; the second group led by Old Zhu and Old Gan with seven people; and the last group I will lead with four people. Tomorrow, we'll split up and clear the villa area, searching for resources and hunting monsters."
Hunting monsters?
Bai Qilan looked at Su Han in surprise, especially since he specifically mentioned hunting monsters, which seemed a bit unusual.
However, since no one else raised any objections, she naturally didn't say more.
Yan Meiyu pinched him, and Gan Xinglei immediately forced a smile, "Cough cough, I mean, the utilization rate is really high."
Yan Meiyu rolled her eyes dramatically, but Su Han didn't mind at all. Monsters wouldn't cry, so what's wrong with a high utilization rate?
When Bai Qilan was understanding the situation, he was inspired.
Fusion of monster materials was a one-off deal; once fused, they were gone, but that wasn't the case with blood extraction.
Theoretically, the blood and tissues of a powerful monster, as conversion material, have a relatively high conversion rate. If one could continuously extract blood, then the efficiency would increase significantly compared to using meat corpses, not to mention that if kept, they could serve as reserves for fusion materials.
This method that killed several birds with one stone was naturally something Su Han would not overlook, which is also why searching for resources had been prioritized today.
"I support Su Han's method."
The first one to agree was not Zhu Xiong and his group, but Bai Qilan. She raised her fair hand and said in the same tone, "Although monsters are a bit dangerous, I believe they also have value for utilization. It would be best to breed them and use them to the greatest extent, studying their ecology. To some extent, the Angel Envoy is closely related to monsters in aspects other than 'Contract'.
Understanding them thoroughly can also help in enhancing ourselves. Of course, there's a big premise: we must be able to ensure our own safety, otherwise it's better to give up."
"I agree."
With Su Han and Bai Qilan both voicing their opinions, Yan Meiyu also figured out the key point and expressed her agreement.
Zhu Xiong said, "I have no objections. If we are to capture them, we shouldn't just target the fish monsters. If we encounter any special types during the process of cleaning up the villa area and can handle them, capturing them is also feasible."
Gan Xinglei added, "I think so too."
"Then let's all prepare, and be careful tomorrow."
The next morning, according to Su Han's arrangements, after breakfast, the group's division was announced.
Yan Meiyu was responsible for staying behind at the villa, along with Xia Ning and Bai Xiao'e, who were in charge of protecting the villa and coordinating with Bai Qilan to extract blood and spinal tissue from the Half-Fish Monster.
Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei formed one team and, accompanied by several young and strong men, drove a modified van, tasked with searching villas numbered 1-15.
Similarly, Su Han and his group also drove another van, headed towards the second half of the villas, tasked with clearing villas numbered 16-30 while also checking for any special changes on the Yunling Mountain side.
The Lamp Tree's crystals, two in total, one large given to Zhu Xiong's group, and the one just picked, slightly bigger than a lychee, was kept by Su Han.
The two vehicles slowly drove into the fog, following the planned schedule, and started the clearing work.