Wasteland Development Diary.

Chapter 689 The Chicken Theft Incident
After adjusting his size, Yagami lay down on the beach chair.

She stretched and yawned. "I'm exhausted. Atmospheric modification is really hard work. Although it's mainly done by the supervisors, I still have to keep an eye on the employees. Especially that new employee, Basil..."

Yagami suddenly changed the subject: "Have a drink with me, something strong, something that smells better."

Zhou Yi poured himself a glass of baijiu and took a sip.

Yagami twitched his nose, revealing a look of relief.

Zhou Yi rarely drinks baijiu (Chinese liquor), finding it too spicy. When he does drink it, the image of "bitter liquor enters the throat and the heart aches" automatically pops into his mind.

However, in order to satisfy his friend's quirks, he is also trying to change.

"What happened to Basil?"

Night God said, "He wants to apply to enter the New World. They are essentially convicts who cannot leave the Gem Transformers, and going out is not an option, so this is the only way they can think of."

Zhou Yi turned his head and asked, "What's your decision?"

"I think it's okay."

Night God closed his eyes and said softly, "Being too closed off is not good for their work. The new world has a special mechanism, with Little Chongqing as the world administrator, and electromechanical life forms operating and correcting things behind the scenes. Allowing them to go in for a vacation and relaxation, and to start another kind of life, is also a kind of relaxation and hope for them."

"What do you think?"

Zhou Yi said, "I have no objection."

"Then it's settled."

Yagami smiled and said, "Our company is also officially establishing a five-day work week with two days off, which is a cause for celebration. Outside of work hours, they can go on vacation there."

"Don't stop, keep drinking, keep going."

She ran her finger to her nose and said, "The pleasant scent has faded."

So Zhou Yi could only gulp down two mouthfuls.

The night is long.

The two chatted about this and that.

Everyone enjoyed the rare midsummer night holiday, temporarily forgetting their missions and responsibilities amidst alcohol and the sound of the waves, just like two ordinary men and women, simply soaking in this beautiful night.

Until the sun rises above the horizon.

Night God has vanished, just like the moon and the night.

Zhou Yi, on the other hand, was feeling a little dizzy from drinking.

This feeling reminded him of his distant university days.

On the Lantern Festival, she thoughtfully offered me a cup of warm honey water.

Zhou Yi gulped down two large mouthfuls.

"I'm back."

"Yes."

……

In the summer of the ninth year, the coastal cities emerged as the undisputed winners.

Once the fear of the Dead Sea subsided, people's natural affinity for aquatic environments was no longer suppressed.

Both the eastern and western continents have undergone tremendous changes in recent years. New productive forces and new living environments are constantly emerging, and rulers in various regions have enjoyed the benefits of rapid development. Residents' incomes have also risen accordingly, creating the objective conditions for consumption.

Take Beike City as an example.

The tourism, real estate, and catering industries experienced a surge in growth during the summer.

According to quarterly data provided by Bedouin.

In the five months of summer, Beike City sold more than 4 properties, of which more than 94% were purchased by out-of-town buyers, and even 61% of them were from the Western Continent.

In terms of tourism, the total number of tourists received reached 414.21 million. Considering that the world's population is only 3 million, this number is already quite staggering.

The total tourism revenue was 6.22 light-years. While this can't compare to the exorbitant profits of mining on Mars, considering that a small city's annual income is only 5-8 light-years, this return is quite good. More importantly, it has also boosted many related industries and solved employment and job problems for a considerable number of people.

The catering industry saw a 323% increase in daily customer traffic, with barbecue, beer, seafood, and pastries being the main categories sold. In terms of average spending per person, full meals increased by 15.7% year-on-year, while snacks and fast food increased by 11.2%.

People have money in their pockets, they have fun, and they spend generously on food and drinks.

The main reason is the rapid economic growth, coupled with a safer and more convenient environment, and the reduced per capita cost after infrastructure was improved.

A few years ago, people in various places were still generally drinking mushroom soup, and seafood and tourism were simply things that only existed in dreams.

But new problems have arisen.

Some people, seizing every opportunity, started to make money through shady means.

First, there are the classic examples of overcharging merchants. Shop owners frequently sell food at exorbitant prices, using boasting, misleading, and fraudulent methods to make many out-of-town tourists suffer.

Some small workshops also began to sell inferior food, beverages, tea, alcohol, and cigarettes. People in this era were not bad at being careful, had never seen high-quality counterfeits, and were often deceived because they were greedy for cheap prices.

Furthermore, the rise of scalpers has led to the proliferation of tourist tickets. These scalpers resell airship tickets and shuttle bus tickets everywhere, deliberately hoarding large quantities of tickets, making it impossible for genuine tourists to buy them or board the vehicles.

They tamper with the goods and resell them at high prices, making a fortune in the process.

Although Bedouin responded swiftly, dispatching the public security department to conduct a thorough investigation and crackdown, resulting in the imprisonment of a number of people, it seems that this kind of thing will continue to exist for a long time due to the interests involved, only constantly evolving in form.

Zhou Yi didn't seem to care about this.

These troubles only arise when life gets better.

If there are problems, just try to solve them.

……

Summer has passed and autumn has arrived, and it's graduation season again at Mushroom Forest Elementary School.

Zhou Yi attended the entire event.

The ceremony is now officially being handled by the Entertainment Division, with Qian Su sending her capable assistant, Xiao Tao, to plan the entire event.

The graduates, dressed in blue and white academic gowns, entered one by one along the red carpet. The entire process was filmed by a camera and broadcast live to the public via a projection screen.

Sitting in the audience were Zhou Yi and a group of the company's core members, as well as the students' parents and relatives.

Xiao Tao, dressed in a formal gown, was beautiful, elegant, and radiant. She gave a simple and appropriate opening speech, and then guided the graduates to the stage one by one.

As the principal, Zhou Yi moved the tassels on their hats from right to left, a local custom known as the tassel-turning ceremony.

This year's graduates total 177.

What impressed Zhou Yi the most was not the five top graduates who were recommended to the Dragon Palace, but a student from the Sea Human group who was among the top ten outstanding graduates in the second tier.

It's called Eggboy, it's small, and its research topic is chicken eggs.

Zhou Yi had specifically read its paper.

The title is "On the Feasibility of Merging and Chimerating White-feathered Chicken Eggs with Other Species".

White-feathered chicken is the core industry of Jitou Town and a specialty of Shagang.

This paper, however, is not about how to increase egg production and flavor. Instead, it explores how to use eggs to integrate with other microorganisms to breed chickens with special abilities from birth, thus creating a new type of poultry with powerful functions in the future.

Simply put, it's an artificial biological fighting chicken.

The text cites examples of cave dwellers and basalt cells, bone fish and mantle bacteria, and even Emerald City and its inhabitants.

Specific experimental methods include gene editing and introduction technology, the original soup environment, and the deciphering of hydrogen-based life.

Zhou Yi was shocked by this.

He asked Vice Principal Sun Chonglai, "Are the students at Mushroom Forest Elementary School all doing such high-end things now?"

“Principal, not all are like that. Egg Boy is also the only student so far to do such a big project.”

The company's most senior member, Bone Man, said, "Egg was personally selected by Hydrogen Flow to succeed Beta as the hydrogen-based life observer, mainly to conduct experiments and tests in the field of hydrogen-based life."

"In this process, it chose eggs as the experimental medium. Because the hatching of eggs into chicks is itself a natural process of life development. By observing and deciphering this hatching process, it is possible to test the effects of hydrogen flow on other biological species..."

"However, with the surge in interest in mantle bacteria, Eggbam also joined this part of the testing. They discovered that mantle bacteria can indeed achieve partial chimerism, integrating into the chick's body. However, this experiment has not yet been successful; the longest chimeric chick produced only lived for 73 hours. It is still under ongoing research." This is an ongoing research project, so it cannot bring Eggbam any further credit.

Its only success so far is in creating the chimeric white-feathered chicken with variegated feathers [Jade No. 2], which is merely a fusion of some basic microorganisms domesticated by the cave people.

The biggest advantage of this chicken is its delicious taste; the meat is tender and juicy, and whether roasted or stewed, it has a strong meaty aroma and a firm texture.

Because of their delicious taste, chicken thefts occurred in the school laboratory, causing Eggboy's hard-earned chickens to disappear one after another.

Unable to tolerate it any longer, it finally reported the incident to the security department with the help of the school.

After investigation, security officers arrested three criminals, including two students and a school janitor. Their motive for stealing chickens was simple: they were delicious and couldn't resist having another meal.

The school punished the two students by making them repeat a year, while the school janitor was dismissed and will never be rehired.

Due to the aforementioned circumstances, Danzai ultimately graduated as one of the top ten outstanding graduates, without receiving a recommendation for admission to a prestigious university.

Zhou Yi asked curiously, "Is that chicken really that delicious?"

“Principal, that is indeed a rare delicacy.”

Sun Chonglai explained, "Several Emerald No. 2 chickens died at the time, and Taotie Gong took one. He then gave it the evaluation of being a top-quality ingredient. It is indeed tastier than most chickens on the market, but more so because it is so rare, no one has ever eaten it before, so the rumors became more and more outrageous..."

Zhou Yi was also somewhat helpless.

This item is valued for its rarity, and everyone is focusing on how the story gets more and more outrageous as it's passed down.

Taotie Gong's sense of smell for food is indeed top-notch; it even spotted the experimental chickens in the elementary school.

"However, since Emerald No. 2 is a good edible variety, let's cultivate more of it."

Zhou Yi said, "Now that everyone can eat meat, the quality of the meat also needs to be improved."

"You're right, that's underway. The main issue is that the Emerald No. 2 chicken has a long growth cycle and is slow to reach market weight. There are still some objective challenges to overcome in converting it into a pure broiler chicken. We are currently working with the Ministry of Agriculture on this."

Sun Chonglai nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Yi asked, "Is Danzi employed now?"

"It's in the Mud Tree Civilization Department. Shu Yu Mei really likes Egg Boy and has always been its mentor."

That's good.

Shuyu Meike is one of the few remaining scientists among the Mud Tree Man.

Sun Chonglai added, "Current research on the special cultivation of eggs is already combining cave people and mantle bacteria, but it is still in the experimental stage and needs time to verify and correct."

Zhou Yi nodded: "If you have a good idea, you should act on it immediately. Even if you fail in the end, the process itself can bring you a lot of gains."

Sun Chonglai sat upright and said, "It is precisely because you, Principal, advocate an attitude of not being afraid of failure and accepting failure that Mushroom Forest Elementary School has formed its current excellent academic atmosphere. Whether students are currently enrolled or have graduated, they are not afraid of new things, dare to question existing traditions and common sense, and explore new technologies and new theories."

"This is the most precious spirit of our school, which no other school can achieve."

Zhou Yi chuckled: "The key is that our primary school has enough funding, so you can build whatever you want."

Sun Chonglai chuckled: "Of course, the unlimited budget you provided, Principal, is also an essential condition."

The skeleton then said solemnly, "I am not flattering you. Having money is one thing, but not interfering with everyone's interests and research is another. This is perhaps more valuable than money."

"You are the ones who deserve the most credit for our school becoming what it is today; I was just a figurehead."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Actually, my understanding of education is very rough. Children mainly learn by imitation and accumulate basic knowledge. The important thing is adults. We adults need to set a good example for them. We are not afraid of failure and can persevere in overcoming difficulties. I believe that they will be influenced and encouraged to some extent."

"What you call simplicity and directness is the essence of education: leading by example."

Sun Chonglai sighed, "This is easier said than done. We always ask our students and children to be honest and truthful, but we often lie ourselves. We can only try our best to restrain and correct ourselves..."

Zhou Yi didn't seem to care, and patted the skeleton on the shoulder: "Just do your best. Old Sun, you've done very well. Don't strive for perfection; we're not perfect to begin with. Just do your best."

"That's what you said."

……

After leaving the graduation ceremony, Zhou Yi traveled all the way to the Mud Tree Civilization Department.

This is the department he visits the least.

He would even occasionally visit the Ministry of Civil Aviation to check on Gong Zheng's situation.

However, the Mud Tree Civilization Department is like a shadow among many departments.

Nige always comes to meetings, but he leaves as soon as they're over.

There was neither good news nor bad news from over there, and Zhou Yi never urged or pressured him.

Upon hearing about Danzi's situation, Zhou Yi impulsively rushed to Building 11 in Yalong Bay.

This place has now become the office of the Mud Tree Civilization Department. The exterior walls of the high-rise building are covered with ivy and green vines, which looks like an extra layer of plant sun protection, making it unique in the Emerald City series.

A white granite slab stands outside the building, with vines entwined around it in bloom, the white flowers forming the words "Mud Tree Civilization Department".

Once inside, Zhou Yi couldn't help but look around.

The building is filled with vines and tree roots, which intertwine and make the whole building look like a plant kingdom.

A green vine stood by the entrance, and its voice, broadcast through a nearby loudspeaker, greeted, "Hello, Chairman!"

"you are?"

"I am Ye Qing."

It turned out to be the tree spirit Ye Qing.

This person was also one of the first to be brought into the company from the Tree Monster Territory, responsible for cultivating the Pan Tree. Later, when the Mud Tree Civilization Department was established, he was also one of the founding members.

"Where is Nige?"

"The minister is upstairs, Chairman. I'll take you up."

So Ye Qing put on an electric walkie-talkie and moved nimbly around on the ground.

Along the way, Zhou Yi saw that each room was filled with various plant samples and indoor planting racks, and it seemed that most of the rooms had been turned into indoor hydroponics laboratories.

Through the huge glass door, you can clearly see how the plants are growing inside.

The department's employees are electromechanical lifeforms of various sizes, including skeletal beings, sea creatures, tree spirits, and humans.

Unlike other departments, the pace here seemed much more relaxed, and most of the staff looked at each other with ease. They were all checking the growth status in different laboratories, and as they passed by, they greeted Zhou Yi with "Hello, Chairman."

This sense of relaxation is related to mud.

Although it is an explorer, it has a relaxed attitude that nothing is a big deal.

In Nige's words, the time when his mentality collapsed the most was not when he was besieged by the tyrants and had to escape, nor when he was alone on a foreign Earth, but when he dug in the soil for a long time and found that Blackthorn had been driven away—yes, that was Zhou Yi's doing.

Aside from that, Nige always felt that nothing was truly important except for life and death. He believed in being positive, relaxing his shoulders every day, and not being too tense.

Zhou Yi saw Ni Ge on the third floor.

The mud tree man and his department employees were playing the game "Dead Sea Battle" on the projection wall, waving their gloves and remote controls.

"Would arresting me be of any use??"

"Three against one and still got killed! Do they even know how to play?"

"Speak! Speak!"

Nig is currently dancing and having a blast.

Zhou Yi looked on with a black line on his face.

Oh shit.

The Mud Tree Civilization Department needs a thorough overhaul!
How can we possibly revive the Mud Tree Civilization if we're just slacking off and playing games all day?

It seemed as if some kind of murderous aura was being sensed, or perhaps the surroundings were too quiet.

Nige turned around and trembled when he saw Zhou Yi: "Chairman, you've come... Please let me explain, it's not what you see..."

Zhou Yi said coldly, "Come here for a moment, I want to hear your explanation."

(End of this chapter)