Hearing about Bubble Fish, Zhou Yi thought of the "mountain of feces" code.

These creatures' excrement is sent to the surface through bubbles and can create floating islands.

They spew bubbles all around the Dead Sea, concealing themselves within, making it difficult for Hunters like the expert predators to distinguish.

Zhou Yi asked Xie Xun to summon Xie Si.

Xie Si was a bit shorter than Xie Xun, wearing a red construction hard hat and a reflective vest over his straw armor, giving off the air of a civil engineer.

Zhou Yi sized him up, "Are you dressed like this for reflectiveness?"

Xie Si adjusted his hat with his claws, "Yes, Chairman. Both this hat and the clothes on my body can reflect light when illuminated, making me visible from a distance on the sea floor of the Dead Sea. I found them here, quite useful."

"Bubble Fish are very sensitive to light, and with me wearing these things, they can find me."

Zhou Yi asked, "Can you summon them?"

"It's not so much summoning, more like being able to get their help."

Xie Si fiddled with his safety hat with both hands, appearing a bit nervous, "I was trained on the Breeding Platform, and I used to help there for a while."

"After returning to the Scavenger Team, in my spare time, I encountered the Bubble Fish and tried feeding them with White Shells, which they also like to eat. I would use a brush to clear the debris stuck on their scales. They can squeeze it out themselves normally, but it takes a long time and can be uncomfortable."

"After becoming familiar with them, I discovered they really like shiny things, so I put on this outfit and fixed some rhombic stones on my backpack, making it sparkle. They became very close to me."

This Scavenger Team member said, "Bubble Fish are different from Bone Fish; they are actually intelligent. Seeing that we Scavengers had many items that were difficult to transport, they would spontaneously spit out bubbles that could encase our items, making them float instantly. Then they would push the bubbles to help us bring them back."

Then Xie Si entered the Dead Sea to demonstrate on site.

Reaching a sea floor location far from the shore, Xie Si took out a bunch of rhombic stones from his backpack and piled them into a circle, like a summoning array, then stood in the middle of it.

In the misty haze of the Dead Sea, death lights flickered, and under the light of the rhombic stones, Xie Si's reflective gear appeared particularly bright.

Before long, two fish-like creatures came swimming over, circling Xie Si in familiarity.

Zhou Yi observed the Bubble Fish from a distance.

Bubble Fish had scales and the shape of fish, with fins and tails, a bit larger than a palm, and belonged to the small Guangna Species.

Their bodies emitted a mesmerizing sheen, like gasoline under the sunlight.

Zhou Yi saw Xie Si feed each of the two Bubble Fish a White Shell.

They spit out bubbles to strike the shells, bursting the bubbles, and the weak force cracked open the shells, and then they ate the meat inside.

Next, Xie Si patted a stone about half a man's height.

The Bubble Fish swam around the stone, and one of them spit out a bubble. This bubble was fully reflective and transparent, swelling as if being blown up like a balloon.

Once big enough, the Bubble Fish gave a gentle blow, and the bubble enveloped the entire stone, then slowly floated up, very light.

Xie Si then took out a rhombic lamp and pointed it forward to lead the way.

With a gentle nudge from the Bubble Fish, the bubble floated forward at a steady pace.

Xie Si said, "Chairman, it's like this, our transport capacity has increased a lot. Bubble Fish are our partners in the Dead Sea."

"Now we can carry a lot of things home at a time, all thanks to their help. They might not look like much, but they are very capable."

Zhou Yi nodded his head.

The various life forms of the Wasteland World actually all have deep potential for exploration and development.

"You did well, Xie Si, get along with them, and we should enhance our cooperation. Do you need any help with anything?"

Xie Si scratched his shell with his claw, "Chairman, I need more shells to feed them."

"No problem, I'll let Zheng Tao know to allocate some extra quota for you."

"That would be great! Thank you, Chairman!"

"You have found us a good cooperative group, what reward would you like?"

Zhou Yi said, "Anything you want, just ask."

The other hesitated for a moment, "Can... can it be beer?"

"Yes."

Zhou Yi smiled, "Later, go find Gong Zheng, and collect a case of beer from him. But remember not to drink too much, and don't drink while working."

"Okay, all right! I will definitely heed your advice!"

Xie Si swayed happily from side to side.

Zhou Yi then turned to the team leader, Xie Xun, "The Scavenger Team has been established and operated for a while now. During this period, you have explored the city ruins and found many valuable metals and common supplies, good job."

"As an independently operated department of the company, it's time for you to officially set salaries. All members of the Scavenger Team will receive the same salary as Tie Ma and Tong Niu, 1 Light Seed per month, and Ajin is the same."

Xie Xun's eyes lit up instantly. "Yes, Chairman! We will do our utmost to continue harvesting the various resources from the sea floor!"

...

The growth of the samurai crab community was visibly rapid.

As the most intelligent among them, the Weapon Master, the Scavenger Team showed a very positive momentum. They began to spontaneously imitate and learn, and committed themselves to explorative practice.

Apart from communicating by tapping on their shells, the Weapon Masters were now no different from humans in other aspects.

The only problem was that most samurai crabs evolved into Hammerhead Soldiers and Double Swordsmen, and the probability of transforming into Weapon Masters was still very low.

As for the Hammerhead Soldiers and Double Swordsmen, they remained unchanged, as their autonomous capabilities were weaker and still required Zhou Yi to issue commands.

He shifted his attention back to the express center and the Big Buddha.

Now, the former had become the company's top money-making industry, with a strong growth trajectory.

The latter became an attraction for various life forms—currently more for the local residents of Sand Port. They often visited the Big Buddha sitting quietly on the coast for reverence and enjoyment, walking around the glowing Big Buddha; it seemed as though the Leshan Buddha had once again become a famous historical and cultural landmark that attracted tourists.

One day, while Zhou Yi was eating watermelon and flipping through the comic "Doraemon," Red Kestrel suddenly broadcasted a breaking news.

"Coral Port has completed its data update; the company has reached an A in industry ratings, officially obtaining a credit line of 100,000 Light Seeds, ready to receive this low-interest loan at any time. Coral Port has already sent an invitation, hoping to collaborate with us in this field, and they will also provide corresponding complete supporting services."

Zhou Yi immediately perked up, "The express industry has finally been upgraded!"

"No, Zhou, it's the company's food industry that has been rated A this time."

"Food?"

Zhou Yi was somewhat surprised. "Are dried sweet potatoes and fried chicken that strong?"

He swiped his finger across the remote control screen and entered the company page.

The company now had a dynamic ring chart.

Its center displayed a comprehensive credit rating of B.

The ring chart was composed of four parts.

The first part was the 38.5% "Service Collaboration," the second was the 27.1% "Small Package Delivery," the third was the 21.1% "Environment," and the final part was "Food," occupying 13.3%.

Each of these four parts had their explanations and ratings.

The credit rating was the result of combining the weights of these parts.

"Service Collaboration" specifically referred to the level of cooperation with Mechanical City. Zhou Yi previously integrated into the credit system based on this item, which was rated B.

For "Small Package Delivery," there was only "Wasteland Express," also rated B.

"Environment" was a more complicated comprehensive assessment, including stability, safety, and biodiversity, among other factors, rated C.

"Food," however, was rated A.

The details included dried sweet potatoes, watermelons, and fried melon seeds, but together they only accounted for 1.1%—98.9% of the weight was taken by a product called Jade Soup.

Each food item had an accompanying evaluation.

Dried sweet potatoes and fried melon seeds were rated—regular food.

Watermelon was rated—good fruit.

But the description of Jade Soup was entirely different.

—An affordably priced, high-quality, new-style food, convenient for storage and energy replenishment, with a strong regional character; it is an outstanding crystallization of human intelligence...

It alone elevated the company's "Food" to an A rating.

Zhou Yi looked baffled: "What is Jade Soup?"

Red Kestrel knew nothing either.

Zhou Yi summoned the agricultural consultant Zheng Tao.

"Jade Soup is a local food that has just become popular."

Zheng Tao said with a smile, "It is made by a young man named Qin Shu in Building 3, who grinds various ingredients into powder, then mixes it with hot water, and adds a bit of mushroom or bone to make it taste delicious. I've tasted it, and it's more flavorful than chicken head soup and chicken bone soup, plus it warms up quickly, although it still can't compare to the foods from the Divine Era."

"Recently, Jade Soup has been extremely popular, and I heard it has even sold well over in Coral Port; it's in high demand now."

Zhou Yi frowned.

To garner an A rating just by grinding powder into soup?

It seemed not that simple.

Mechanical City was not easy to deceive; they had a complex verification process and an Identification system.

Jade Soup must have some special aspect.

Zhou Yi immediately said, "Take me to meet the inventor."

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