The silent scientists finally achieved results.
After dissecting dozens of beast tide creatures and consuming over ten tons of electronic parasites, the scientists discovered a commonality. The neurons in the brains of all beast tide animals responsible for smell were more developed, and the tails of the electronic parasites were always attached near the olfactory brain.
The scientists believed that the beast tides of Meteorite Star primarily attacked humans by scent. If soldiers' scents could be masked, it might be possible to enter the beast tides without being attacked.
The scientists also conducted simple live experiments. They sprayed a special potion on a few soldiers and then threw a basket of ink clams at them. The ink clams, indeed, did not attack the humans but scattered in confusion, preliminarily confirming that this hypothesis was feasible.
Consequently, a detailed scientific research report appeared on Jiang Ye's desk. The scientists dispatched by the military seemed to pay particular attention to formality. The cover of the research report was gilded, and the inside was colorful with illustrations and text, resembling some money-grabbing hardcover book, only missing a payment barcode on the back.
Jiang Ye was quite satisfied after reading the report. Although this scientific achievement was not particularly cutting-edge, something that even elementary school students could figure out, it was indeed practical.
Especially, on the last page of the research report, a page titled "Odorant Formula" was inserted like a small advertisement.
The so-called odorant, to put it plainly, was perfume.
It was said that by mixing some of this perfume according to the formula and sprinkling it on soldiers, one could mask human scent and blend into the environment. Thus, the soldiers could charge into the beast tides as if entering a beast-free zone, achieving an effect akin to an invisible person, and would not be attacked at all.
Jiang Ye immediately made a phone call, ordering the military factory to rush the production of perfume according to the formula and provide it to the frontline troops for experimentation.
The military factory was quite efficient. Twenty-four hours later, the first batch of troops received the perfume.
Normal perfumes are usually packaged in exquisite glass bottles, small and delicate, exuding an air of luxury. However, the perfume distributed to the troops was packed in large plastic canisters, looking like pesticide, one liter per canister, and a large area could be sprayed with a single squeeze.
A sample of the same perfume was also sent to Jiang Ye's desk.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng tried the perfume by the window in the middle of the night.
Jiang Ye first sprayed a little on the glass, and the couple leaned in like animals to smell it.
"What do you smell?" Jiang Ye asked.
"The scent is very faint, like the smell of earth after rain, and some other complex scents," Cen Yemeng replied.
Jiang Ye also thought it smelled like earth, feeling full of doubt. Could it be that this perfume was just filtered from clear water poured into a flower pot?
Cen Yemeng sprayed some perfume on Jiang Ye.
"Hey!" Cen Yemeng's eyes suddenly lit up. "You know, I feel like you've just… disappeared."
"Don't joke around," Jiang Ye said.
Without another word, Cen Yemeng sprayed some on herself.
Jiang Ye was quickly stunned, his expression astonished.
He felt the same way; Cen Yemeng had disappeared.
This feeling was inexplicable. Even though he could clearly see a living person in front of him, close enough to smell each other's breath, and could even kiss her by leaning forward, her presence had become extremely weak. It was as if she had transformed from a person into a wall, a tree, a rock – anything that one would absolutely not pay attention to.
Jiang Ye was shocked. It turned out that not all those scientists were elementary school level; some of them were quite capable.
The couple both went to take a bath, using no shampoo or body wash, only plain water, to thoroughly wash off the perfume.
Next, Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng sat by the windowsill, sniffing each other like animals, from head to toe, back and forth.
"I only now realize you have a scent," Jiang Ye said. "It's very pleasant."
"I also think you smell good," Cen Yemeng nodded. "Very familiar. When you hold me to sleep, I smell this scent just before falling asleep and just as I'm waking up."
In the latter half of the night, the troops submitted their reports.
The perfume did indeed work.
The photos at the beginning of the report were very convincing.
Some soldiers stood with their guns amidst vast fields of wild beasts.
Those beasts were very confused, circling the soldiers. Their eyesight told them there were humans there, but their olfactory instincts prevented them from attacking.
Jiang Ye recalled playing Grand Theft Auto in his childhood with cheats enabled. There was a cheat called "ignored by all enemies," which had this exact effect. Enemies in the game would stare collectively at you, but their guns wouldn't fire.
The officers in the report were all quite excited, praising the research team profusely. They stated that this perfume completely changed the combat format, allowing soldiers to no longer have to huddle fearfully in trains to move back and forth, but could fearlessly venture deep into land for combat.
Jiang Ye immediately ordered the military factory to rush the production of new equipment.
The number of military factories on Meteorite Star was not large, so this order was taken up by the military factories on Hal Star. The money in Jiang Ye's account was transferred to Cen Yemeng's account through several channels, effectively moving from one pocket to the other.
The new equipment primarily consisted of single-soldier exoskeletons, but with a perfume tank added to the back, similar to the back tanks used for spraying pesticide in rural areas of old. If soldiers found the surrounding beasts' gazes becoming unfriendly while walking, they could take some perfume from the tank and spray it all over themselves to extend their "invisibility" time.
Senior officers also became busy, adjusting combat plans.
It took only half a morning to formulate a completely new combat plan, which was faster than cooking a meal.
Jiang Ye was very satisfied. Having a mature military system was indeed reassuring. When he first led troops, everything was troublesome and required his personal involvement. Now, many officers in the army were full of experience. Not to mention battle-hardened, they had fought in over a dozen battles and were all skilled veterans. It was like new players joining a freshly opened server from older, established servers; they knew exactly what to do for leveling up or clearing dungeons, understanding everything with just a glance.
Considering that the beast tides on Meteorite Star might change again, Jiang Ye felt the time was pressing and could not afford further delays, so he decisively decided to reinforce the troops.
Two hundred thousand!
The additional two hundred thousand personnel were still split fifty-fifty. Fifty percent came from Jiang Ye's old unit, and fifty percent from Cen Yemeng's new unit. The veterans would earn military merits, and the new recruits would gain experience, a win-win situation.
Several pressures also contributed to Jiang Ye's decision to reinforce the troops.
Bai Xiaobai had been persistently calling Jiang Ye, claiming that the currently controlled area of Meteorite Star was too small for her company to send many people to handle the corpses.
Officers from various units were also constantly requesting to fight, begging Jiang Ye to allow them to participate in the battle. After all, Meteorite Star posed little danger and was a good opportunity to earn military merits. Who wouldn't want to come? If they missed Meteorite Star, how long would they have to wait for the next great opportunity? They might even be retired by then!
Li Nannan had also called to inquire about the progress, hoping that this matter could be resolved more quickly and not drag on for too long. Any matter that lingered too long was prone to unforeseen changes, especially since Meteorite Star was a piece of fat meat, and wolves would eventually find their way to it by scent.
Feng Zhishuang, however, did not rush. Instead, he submitted the economic development plan for Meteorite Star, appending the projected income from Meteorite Star at the end, implying that once Meteorite Star was fully occupied, it would be a source of immense wealth.
In addition to the pressure from his subordinates and superiors, Jiang Ye himself was also anxious, making the troop reinforcement a natural course of action.