Make money by hiding in the interstellar battlefield!

During Jian Sheng's recovery, Lin Zhizhi was constantly on edge. She took care of everything for him, from his food and clothing to his personal hygiene, even things like washing his body. After all, they had made a serious grudge against the Fujiwara family this time, and whether they could live peacefully in Seven Rings City in the future was uncertain.

She was worried about Jian Sheng's safety and always stayed by his side.

During his time in bed, Jiansheng noticed a clear change in Lin Zhizhi. The carefree girl who used to laugh without a care in the world now often spaced out by herself, a hint of sorrow always lingering between her brows.

"Zhizhi, I'll have Paul find a professional nurse tomorrow." Jiansheng leaned against the headboard, his voice still a little hoarse. "You don't need to worry about me anymore."

"Brother, why?" Lin Zhizhi was wringing a towel in her hands. She paused when she heard this, her big eyes full of confusion.

"Men and women are different." Jian Sheng looked away, her ears burning slightly. "It's too inconvenient for a young lady like you to take care of these trivial things for me every day."

"What's inconvenient about it?" Lin Zhizhi tossed the towel into the basin, splashing water that soaked her trouser legs. "You've seen me shower before, why didn't you say it was inconvenient then?"

"You're seventeen already!" Jian Sheng emphasized, sounding helpless and exasperated. "You need to know your place and understand the boundaries between men and women."

"Boundaries? What boundaries?" Lin Zhizhi asked, her neck stiff with confusion.

Jian Sheng rubbed his temples, completely losing his temper: "Fine, I can't reason with you. Anyway, starting tomorrow, don't interfere in my affairs."

"Fine, I won't do it!" Lin Zhizhi turned around angrily, her shoulders slumped slightly.

Jian Sheng watched her retreating figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions. This girl was indeed an orphan, but what kind of environment had she grown up in that she had no concept of even the most basic separation between men and women?

On the very day that he was able to get out of bed and move around, his residence welcomed an unexpected visitor—Thorne.

Jian Sheng glanced at the man in the silver-patterned suit standing at the door, a smirk playing on his lips, his tone laced with sarcasm: "A rare guest indeed, Young Master Thorne. What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Why can't I come?" So raised an eyebrow, pushed the door open and came in, his noble aura instantly filling the small room.

"Ha, that's true." Jian Sheng sneered. "In Seven Rings City, you, Thorne Thorne, can go wherever you want!"

Thorne, oblivious to the barb in his words, took it as mere pleasantry and cut to the chase: "Now that you've been expelled from the Windsor family and offended the Fujiwara family, you have no place in Seven Rings City. Would you be interested in joining our Thorne family?"

"Join you? Be cannon fodder again, and risk my life for your family?" Jian Sheng leaned against the wall. "I have no interest in such a stupid thing."

"My promise, Thorne's, is as good as gold." His tone was unwavering and resolute. "What I can give you is far more than what the Windsor family can offer."

"Thank you for your kind offer." Jian Sheng shook his head slightly, "But I don't plan on being anyone's lackey for the time being."

Thorne wasn't annoyed; instead, he smiled and said, "I don't like to force people. By the way, I know Paul is pulling strings to get your Libra and Meerkat out of the mech school's scrap yard."

Jian Sheng's eyes suddenly narrowed.

"But according to the mecha school's scrapping regulations, he doesn't have that authority at all," Thorne said slowly. "I can help you with this. Not only can I get both mechas back, but I can also completely repair and upgrade them."

Jian Sheng's heart sank, and he stared at him warily: "What are the conditions?"

Thorne raised an eyebrow and uttered two words: "Give me the money."

Jian Sheng was stunned, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had thought the other party would take the opportunity to impose a bunch of harsh conditions, but unexpectedly, they only wanted money. In this way, he wouldn't owe them a favor—things that can be solved with money are always better than owing someone a huge favor.

"Since you're here, why don't you stay for a simple meal?" Jian Sheng stepped aside, making way for the restaurant.

Thorne readily agreed. Despite his title of young master, he wasn't particular about food. At noon, the three of them sat around a small table and ate some simple home-style dishes. At the table, Jian Sheng finally voiced his doubts.

"Last time we were on a mission, when we were escaping back from the beast tide, we passed by several outer fortresses." Jian Sheng put down his chopsticks, his tone grave. "The way those intelligent beasts fought was strange. It didn't seem like a simple siege and reinforcement attack; it was more like... they were deliberately gathering intelligence."

"Your judgment is correct." Thorne's smile vanished, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness. "According to comprehensive analysis by the higher-ups, the intelligent beasts' objective over the past year has been very clear—to capture humans alive and plunder their weapons, equipment, and technical data. This time, they spared no expense in dividing and surrounding the fortress. From the very beginning, they never intended to break through our defenses; they simply wanted to take all the people and things inside the fortress away."

"Does this mean..." Jian Sheng's throat was dry, "that the intelligent beasts are studying us?"

"It's entirely possible." Thorne nodded, his voice low. "Just as we established the Star Beast Research Institute to study their habits and weaknesses, they, as a highly intelligent race, could also study humans in return."

"Once they've thoroughly studied our weapons, tactics, and even our physiological characteristics..." Jian Sheng's fingertips trembled slightly, "will Seven Rings City be able to withstand the next beast tide?"

"Therefore, the nine major families and the church have reached a consensus." Thorne's tone was somewhat heavy. "We can no longer develop conservatively as before. We must complete our industrial system and improve our overall combat strength before the intelligent beasts completely figure out our strength."

He paused, then continued, "The biggest problem for Seven Ring City right now is its population. Seventy years ago, the genetically engineered population we brought from the mothership was only a few thousand. Today, it has grown to three million, which is already quite fast. But in recent years, the gap between rich and poor has widened, and with a large number of men dying in the beast tide, the birth rate has plummeted, making the population problem increasingly serious."

"So, management launched the Southern Valley development plan?" Jian Sheng keenly grasped the key point.

"That's right." Thorne nodded. "This time the scale is huge. The nine major families and the church are jointly funding the establishment of the Blue Star Living Area in the southern valley—no longer that oppressive fortress-like environment, but a place truly suitable for human habitation. As long as newlyweds promise to have more than two children, they will be directly rewarded with a property."

"What about families who already have children?" Lin Zhizhi couldn't help but interject.

"Not included in the reward program." Thorne shrugged. "Since you've already had children, there's no need for further encouragement. However, the maternity allowance has been increased. A reward of 30,000 blue gold coins is given for each child, and mothers who have three children will receive a formal job opportunity in the inner city. Similarly, city civil servants are required to have two more children within three years, or they will be dismissed. Additionally, a 15% single tax will be levied on unmarried individuals over 20. Giving birth to children with C-level or higher talent will also receive a separate reward of 50,000—with no upper limit. However, this is a long-term issue."

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming urgent: "But what's pressing is the development of the northern forest region. We need to establish a core fortress there to prevent being divided and surrounded by intelligent beasts again when the next beast tide comes. At the same time, we also need to expand the scale of mineral exploration and development—a thermal power plant is about to be built in Seven Rings City."

"Coal-fired power?" Jian Sheng was somewhat surprised. "Didn't we always rely on hydroelectric power?"

"The rivers in the southern valley have limited power generation capacity, which is simply not enough to support the needs of industrial upgrading," Thorne explained. "The coal-fired power plant is located in the northern forest area, about 200 kilometers away from the Seventh Ring City. But the problem is that the defense pressure on the power plant is too great."

He looked at Jiansheng, a hint of expectation in his eyes: "Therefore, the management has decided to combine the central fortress and the thermal power plant into one, using the power plant as the core, and push the outer expansion area of ​​the Seventh Ring City forward by more than 100 kilometers. Now is the time to need talent, Jiansheng, I really need someone like you. You can name your price and resources."

Jian Sheng remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "I cannot agree to the proposal to join the family. However... we can cooperate."

Thorne smiled and didn't press the matter further: "Alright, let's cooperate then. Contact me anytime if you need anything in the future."

After Thorne left, Jian Sheng immediately sent someone to contact Paul. The next morning, Paul rushed back to Seven Rings City, looking travel-worn.

"Paul, did you take that bag of sludge I gave you last time to have it tested?" Jian Sheng got straight to the point.

"The tests are in!" Paul exclaimed excitedly, pulling a report from his bag. "Jiansheng, it's bauxite! The purity is frighteningly high; it's a strategic mineral that Seven Rings City desperately needs! However..."

He then changed the subject, his tone turning somber: "Developing bauxite is far too difficult. Refining and electrolytic aluminum both require massive amounts of electricity, which the current power supply capacity of Seventh Ring City simply cannot support."

"This batch of bauxite has a purity of over 60%." Jian Sheng's eyes were sharp. "If the purity wasn't this high, I wouldn't even consider developing it. And then there's the electricity issue..."

He paused, recalling what Thorne had said yesterday: "George Thorne came by and said that Seven Rings City is going to build a thermal power plant in the north. Try to find out how far the bauxite mine is from the power plant. We can build a bauxite refinery next to the power plant, and at the same time build a large military fortress near the mine."

Jian Sheng patted him on the shoulder: "Calculate how much the entire project will cost."

Paul's eyes lit up, but quickly dimmed again: "I won a sum of money gambling on mechs on the black market last time, and with my previous savings, I have about 450 million available now. But the problem is that the bauxite mine may be located outside the 7th Ring City's radiation range, and the government may not be willing to help us build infrastructure and military fortresses, let alone send city defense troops."

He sighed and continued, "Moreover, the large mines used to be invested in by the nine major families, and we were responsible for their management. Now that we're breaking away from them and developing independently, we're bound to encounter all sorts of hidden hurdles. If the nine major families want to trip us up, we'll find it impossible to move an inch. Not to mention, this amount of funds is far from enough!"

"I have over 30 million here." Jian Sheng took out a card and placed it on the table. "You calculate the costs first, and we'll figure out a way to solve the funding problem later."

"Actually, the simplest way..." Paul hesitated before speaking, "is to transfer the bauxite development rights to one of the nine major families, and we only take a share. This way, we can avoid risks and make a sure profit."

"No." Jian Sheng's tone was resolute, a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes. "I don't want to have anything to do with those families anymore, and I don't want to be controlled by them anymore. If we're going to do something, we'll be our own masters."

The next day, Paul got to work. He hired a top-tier expedition team outside the city as guides and also invited two senior mineral researchers to accompany him—the discovery of minerals in Seven Rings City had a strict certification process; exploration certification had to be completed before ownership could be determined. Paul was very experienced in these matters, and Jian Sheng trusted him completely.

At the same time, Jian Sheng found Ken and told him something important.

"After this beast tide, many people are holding onto general-level blue beast crystals." Jian Sheng leaned back on the sofa, his fingertips lightly tapping the table. "The official exchange rate is too low; there are definitely many people willing to sell on the black market. Go and collect them for me—remember, collect as many as you can, don't be afraid to spend money. If you need more funds, come to me anytime."

On the other hand, George Thorne kept his word. Within a few days, he sent someone to inform them that the mechs were under repair and might take two months. Although both mechs were military products of the Windsor family, their technology originated from the mothership's technological reserves, and parts and upgrade plans were interchangeable in Seven Rings City. Furthermore, the military industries of the nine major families inherently required cross-operation, so the repair process encountered no obstacles. In the end, Thorne only symbolically charged eight million blue gold coins for the repairs.

Jian Sheng knew perfectly well that, given the extent of the damage to both mechs, the repair cost for a single one would far exceed eight million. This money seemed more like Thorne's way of currying favor with him.

Two weeks later, Jian Sheng's body had basically recovered, but he could clearly feel that the damage to his brain had not completely healed. This damage was long-term, and the aftereffects would appear from time to time—recently, he would have nosebleeds for no reason, his legs would suddenly go weak and he would fall while walking, and sometimes he would have to urinate so urgently that he couldn't hold it in for even a second.

"We must gather a ton of general-grade crystals as soon as possible." Jian Sheng stared out the window, his eyes sharp as knives. "Only by using the crystals to upgrade my physique and repair my physical damage can I survive. I don't want to live another day like this!"

He turned to Lin Zhizhi, who was packing her things, and said, "Zhizhi, come with me to the Southern Valley today."

"Okay, bro!" Lin Zhizhi immediately agreed, turned around and ran out. "You wait for me at home, I'll go rent a car and bring weapons and equipment! We don't have any mechs to protect ourselves right now, so we need to prepare some weapons for self-defense!"

Half a day later, the two men and a white mongoose, carrying backpacks and several long guns and short cannons, boarded a tram bound for the southern valley.

On the way, Lin Zhizhi couldn't help but lean against the car window, asking curiously, "Brother, why are we going to the Southern Valley? Isn't it still under development? There are construction sites everywhere, what's fun about it?"

"Make money." Jian Sheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze deep. "This development of the Southern Valley is the biggest opportunity for Seven Ring City in the next ten years. If we seize it, we can completely turn our lives around."

He paused, looking at the scenery rushing past the window, his voice low and powerful: "Look at the Seventh Ring City now, doesn't it look like a giant mosquito coil? Layer upon layer of city walls divide people into different classes, industrial pollution shrouds the entire city, and class divisions are colder than steel. This kind of place is simply not suitable for human beings to live and develop in the long term."

Lin Zhizhi's "ten thousand whys" mode instantly kicked in: "Brother, what does developing the Southern Valley have to do with us making money? Why do we have to make so much money? If we have money, can we buy new mechs? Can we also...?"

Throughout the journey, Jiansheng patiently answered Lin Zhizhi's incessant questions, making the originally tedious trip come alive.

When the car drove out of the city wall of the South Seventh Ring Road, Jiansheng and Lin Zhizhi were both stunned.