"This thing is huge!" Jiang Ye cursed in astonishment.
He had been at it for half an hour, cutting out a door-sized section of outer skin from the whale's belly. This offered a clearer view of its internal organs. Each organ was larger than a pig's, colored green, purple, red, and white, all coated in a sticky fluid. The most recognizable was the heart; though shriveled, it was still large enough to fit several people. The blood vessels on its walls were as thick as pythons.
A pungent, fishy odor, mixed with the smell of grease, assailed him, making it quite unbearable.
Jiang Ye's expression throughout was one of utter disgust.
His body hadn't fully recovered, and he was already panting. So, he decided to pause the dissection, sell a piece of meat to gauge its price, and take a break.
He hoisted the cut whale skin and headed for the cargo hold.
He tossed the whale skin into the trading bay and went to the captain's cabin to check the screen.
The scan results were already out:
[Item: Unknown Whale Meat]
[Item Description: This is truly a rather greasy whale. The meat contains many heavy metals and cannot be consumed. However, it is also rich in medicinal substances and is an excellent raw material for pharmaceutical production.]
[Estimated Price: 120,000 Yuan]
Jiang Ye clicked sell, and his account balance became 5,247,000 Yuan.
He was pleased. The piece of skin looked large, but it was actually only a small portion of the entire whale. The skin alone was worth at least 1.5 million Yuan, and the internal organs and bones were yet to be priced.
This catch was incredibly worthwhile!
Night had fallen, but Jiang Ye wasn't tired. Grabbing his samurai sword and pickaxe, he stood on the sticky deck and continued to break down the whale carcass.
The whale meat was tougher than expected. Cutting it felt less like slicing meat and more like demolishing a building.
Jiang Ye started with the outer skin, cutting the whale's belly skin into pieces the size of manhole covers and tossing them onto the deck.
A howl echoed from beneath the fishing boat, followed by a chorus of howls.
Jiang Ye turned to look. All the wild wolves were looking up at him expectantly, tails wagging furiously, wanting a piece of meat.
Such a massive whale, and they could only look but not eat; they were starving.
Jiang Ye took out a sack from his pocket, scooped some meat scraps into it, and soon had half a sackful.
With a heave, he threw the sack onto the shore.
The wild wolves immediately pounced, scrambling for the scraps, letting out a series of yips and howls.
Jiang Ye continued his hard work, cutting the whale meat.
He worked straight through until eleven-thirty at night, completely exhausted.
Only 30% of the entire whale had been processed, and it was all outer skin.
He sent all the cut whale meat to the cargo hold, tossed it into the trading bay, and sold it.
He made a total of 885,000 Yuan.
His various passive income streams had clearly kicked in as well, as his personal account balance had quietly climbed to 8,172,000 Yuan.
Jiang Ye counted on his fingers. After deducting the cost of the whale meat, his passive income for the day was a clean 2.04 million Yuan, about the same as the previous two days.
An income of over two million a day was something he wouldn't have dared to imagine before.
He recalled when he first arrived on this planet, he would be happy about a few dozen Yuan worth of ore. Truly, poverty limits one's ambitions.
Wearily, he entered the bathroom in the cabin, turned on the hot water, and washed himself all over.
Returning to the base, he sat before the console and opened the [Galaxy Mall].
He selected [Road Printer Vehicle] and placed an order!
With five million spent, his account balance was 4,172,000 Yuan.
Right after placing the order, a private message arrived.
Isabelle: Hello, I am courier Isabelle. I've detected you just placed an order for a Road Printer Vehicle. Is it to be delivered to your base?
Jiang Ye: That's right.
Isabelle: The estimated delivery time is tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. Please wait at your base to receive it.
Jiang Ye: No, make it tomorrow evening.
Isabelle: You wish to delay the delivery time? May I ask why?
Jiang Ye: To upgrade my base to level 16, I need to drive the base vehicle out for five hundred kilometers. I plan to set off early tomorrow and return by night. So, delivery in the evening would allow it to reach me. If delivered during the day, it would only reach the wilderness.
Isabelle: Understood. We will delay the delivery for you. The estimated arrival time is tomorrow evening at eight o'clock. Please wait at your base for signing.
Jiang Ye: Okay, thank you for your trouble.
After the chat, he got up, exhausted, and went upstairs to sleep.
He slept until five in the morning when a loud wolf howl outside his vehicle woke him up.
The wild wolves were sitting outside the vehicle, enthusiastically in chorus. Their howls were melodious, varied, and piercingly sharp.
Jiang Ye sat up with a frown, pulled open the window, and exclaimed, "Big brothers! Big sisters! Why do you have to howl every morning! Don't wolves usually howl at the moon at night? Who has wolves acting like alarm clocks in the morning!"
The wolf pack quieted down and wagged their tails at Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye went downstairs and opened the [Livestock Assistant], throwing out a large pile of chickens to feed the wolves.
Then, he opened the [Base Upgrade] on the console.
A prompt appeared:
[Your base vehicle has advanced 0 kilometers. Upgrade in 500 kilometers.]
Jiang Ye got into the driver's seat and stomped on the accelerator.
The tires dug deeply into the ground, like a beast crouching before a pounce, and then the vehicle shot forward, speeding away.
The wolves, who had been eating chicken, dropped their food and anxiously chased after him.
Jiang Ye braked and got out of the vehicle.
"Don't chase! I'll be back tonight. Stay here honestly! Guard the vehicle for me!"
Jiang Ye pointed at the excavator and the ore transport vehicle parked in the distance.
The wild wolves looked confused, not understanding what their master was saying.
Jiang Ye thought for a moment, walked over, and directly bent down to pick up a wolf.
The wolf he picked up was ecstatic, sticking out its tongue to lick Jiang Ye's face, covering it with chicken blood.
"Don't lick! It's dirty! You damn dog!" Jiang Ye said with disgust.
He carried the wolf to the excavator and put it down.
"Wait here, understand?" Jiang Ye patted the excavator.
The wolf pack blinked, trying to comprehend Jiang Ye's meaning.
Some wolves attempted to sit down, looking up at Jiang Ye for his reaction.
"Yes, yes, yes! Sit here and wait for me! Good boy!" Jiang Ye smiled.
All the wolves sat down obediently.
Jiang Ye got back into the base vehicle and drove away.
This time, the wolf pack did not follow. They sat obediently in their spots, watching the base vehicle depart.
"So clever," Jiang Ye mused.
The weather today was average, overcast, with a pale white sky covering the four directions, as if it might rain at any moment.
The ground was relatively flat with few obstacles. Jiang Ye didn't even bother to grip the steering wheel, just pressing the accelerator and charging forward.
His speed remained a steady 60 kilometers per hour. At this pace, he would cover five hundred kilometers in eight and a half hours. Moreover, the jolting wasn't severe, making the ride relatively comfortable.
One hour, two hours, three hours...
60 kilometers, 120 kilometers, 180 kilometers...
Suddenly, a round object appeared on the horizon.
Jiang Ye squinted, turned the steering wheel, and drove towards it.
As he got closer, he finally got a clear view.
The round object was none other than a primitive base.
He had encountered a wild colony officer!
Jiang Ye decided to go and meet the other party.
If they were friendly, he would make a friend. If they were not friendly, he would teach them friendliness with his six-barreled rapid-fire cannon.