The surprise on Han Yuxin’s face was fleeting.
She immediately asked,
"Should we send people to search for them now?"
"That group isn’t very strong, just a few Tier One Awakeners..."
Lin Feng considered for a few seconds, then shook his head.
"Forget it. We can go this afternoon if we have time. We need to take care of our main business first."
Neither the three mystics Han Yuxin mentioned—the ones who might have a Prophet of Prophecy—nor Liu Yueqi in the northern town could affect the greater outcome of the battle for Wu City.
And prioritizing the bigger picture meant dealing with the main business first.
The gene modification plan for the seventy-two Battle Group members was, at present, more important than anything else.
They had already been delayed here for about half an hour for Han Yuxin’s demonstration. It was time to get ready to leave.
Lin Feng walked up to her and gave his instructions.
"Take the Fine Steel we’ve collected to the steel mill in the south of the city. Also, the five Tiger Spine Zerg corpses we brought—cut off their Tier Two Giant Mandibles and send them along too. Have the workers there work overtime to produce a large batch of Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Swords as quickly as possible. We’ll pick them up on our way out."
"Also, the daily consumption of these tens of thousands of people isn’t low, and the fish in the Great River aren’t inexhaustible. Jin City can only be considered a temporary base. Once the daily fishing yield starts to decline, you need to prepare to relocate."
"Before that happens, scavenge all available supplies from Jin City and its surrounding counties and towns. Stockpiling food needs to be put on the agenda right now."
The Great River’s abundant fishing resources were the result of the long-term fishing ban enforced by the Federation before the apocalypse. In the past, the schools of fish by the river were so dense they formed dark masses, and top predators like culter and yellowcheek would frequently cause the water to explode as they hunted.
But no matter how many fish there were, they couldn’t withstand rampant human overfishing. A single trawler could cast its massive net and haul them all in at once.
One hundred thousand survivors meant one hundred thousand mouths to feed. Even at just one kilogram of fish per person per day, that amounted to a hundred tons. The Great River alone couldn’t sustain that for long, and transporting fish back and forth from Taihu Lake would consume even more fuel.
Furthermore, the number of Support Soldiers and Warriors would skyrocket in the future. Awakeners, in particular, ate four to five times as much as ordinary people. Just ten thousand Warriors would require dozens of tons of fish daily, and their consumption would be even greater when in a combat state.
Feeding the civilians in the future wouldn’t be the problem; the key was how to feed the tens of thousands of Awakeners.
Fortunately, he didn’t need to consider things so far ahead for now.
So naturally, Lin Feng didn’t mention it.
Han Yuxin nodded.
"Understood. One last thing—the special task you assigned yesterday won’t be ready until tomorrow."
Lin Feng frowned. That was something he had brought up on the spur of the moment after dealing with the Zhang Liying issue yesterday.
To pile up a thousand tons of fish in a factory.
This was to build the Biological Nest Lin Feng had planned, which would be used to incubate the Membrane Wings of the Cyan-winged Zergs and Wind-winged Zergs, ultimately cultivating a batch of flying Warriors.
A thousand tons of fish—even if all the Support Soldiers and survivors went out to the lake and the river, it would still take them two or three days to catch that much.
The current stockpile of dried fish was only about a hundred tons.
"Don’t worry about that. Just take us there first."
After a moment’s thought, Lin Feng decided to handle this matter first.
Fish spoiled easily. After spoiling, the surge in microorganisms would needlessly consume the meat’s nutrients. Therefore, he would first use a portion of the fish to synthesize the Biological Nest. Then, he would just need to wait for it to absorb the subsequent deliveries of meat and develop into its complete form on its own.
Soon, under Han Yuxin’s guidance, Lin Feng and Ling Yi arrived at their destination: a large warehouse complex at the Riverfront Pier on the Great River.
This was the largest port in all of Jiangnan Province, with a daily cargo throughput of over three hundred thousand tons. The logistics and transit warehouses before them each covered an area of more than 20,000 square meters.
Stockpiling a thousand tons of fish would be a piece of cake.
A few old stone boats found in the rivers of nearby towns, as well as some inland waterway cleaning boats, had been repurposed as temporary fishing vessels and were now docked at the shore.
Right now, several hundred Support Soldiers were bustling with activity, engaged in fishing operations.
As regular troops, they received fuel supplies and could return fully loaded from every trip, catching several tons of large fish with just a few casts of their nets.
The drying process was also underway on the pier’s main square.
The warehouse where the fish was being stored slowly opened, and a thick, foul, fishy stench rushed out, so strong that Lin Feng and Han Yuxin held their breath. It even made their eyes water.
Lin Feng suppressed the churning in his stomach and looked at Ling Yi.
"You go on your own. Just set up the program in advance. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
But Ling Yi, as if nothing was wrong, swaggered right inside.
In reality, for the Zerg Race, the more foul-smelling something was, the more delicious it was. They had a preference for rotten matter because it was easier to digest.
Although Ling Yi merely had a human appearance, her internal organs and thought processes were still those of a High-tier Zerg Race member.
Before long, Ling Yi, who had disappeared from their sight, slowly emerged from the darkness.
Her listless fatigue from before was gone, replaced by a radiant glow and vibrant energy.
Lin Feng knew at a glance that this one had definitely used the fish resources in the warehouse to line her own pockets.
"It’s done. From now on, you just need to keep piling fish inside, and it will grow on its own. Just remember to tell those workers not to stay in there for too long."
Ling Yi patted down her clothes, dispersing the fishy smell clinging to them.
Lin Feng nodded and ordered the teary-eyed Han Yuxin to pass on the instructions.
After leaving, the latter wore a gloomy expression. Her meticulous grooming had been completely ruined by the putrid, fishy stench.
After settling the matter of the biological factory, the parked convoy set out once again, heading for Old Mountain Nature Park on the other side of the river.