Jiang Ye selected two photos and sent them to Isabelle.
There was a long silence on the other end, and then a message finally came.
Isabelle: I don't recognize this either. I just asked a girlfriend of mine, she's an officer in the Air Force Rapid Response Unit, named Li Nannan. She said she'll contact you later. This matter is quite serious. Just keep an eye on the chat channel.
Jiang Ye: Okay, I feel relieved knowing the military is handling it. Thanks a lot.
Isabelle: You're welcome. But I need to give you a heads-up. My friend Li Nannan has a really sharp tongue, a fierce temper, and is a bit arrogant, but she's actually a good person at heart. Just be prepared.
Jiang Ye: Alright, I have a good temper.
Jiang Ye sat in front of the console and waited for a full hour without receiving any private messages.
Waiting like this wasn't an option, so he decided to do some work.
He hadn't eaten fresh fruits and vegetables in a long time, and he didn't have many canned ones left. He needed to start a vegetable garden. Farming was in his genes, and the surrounding area was fertile black soil wasteland; it felt wrong not to cultivate it.
He went out of the base and looked around. The area near the beach was all gravel, unsuitable for direct planting. He had to clear away all the stones.
The fog was still thick, blanketing the entire beach in a ghostly white. He wondered if the fog was accidental or caused by those water ghosts.
The excavator was parked by the reef, idle for a long time.
Jiang Ye got into the excavator and started working skillfully.
He dug the bucket into the ground, reversed, and all the large stones were pried away, revealing the black mud and sand underneath.
Jiang Ye got out of the vehicle and examined the cleared land. It was damp and gave off a faint salty smell, clearly eroded by seawater.
Could crops grow in such salty land?
Normal seeds definitely wouldn't work, but miracle seeds had low soil requirements and might be salt-tolerant.
Jiang Ye returned to the base and bought a can of miracle seeds.
He opened the can, grabbed a handful of seeds, and sprinkled them directly onto the cleared soil.
He stood by, waiting silently.
In less than a minute, the seeds had all taken root and sprouted small yellow-green shoots.
The soil was moist, so there was no need for watering. An hour later, many stems and leaves had grown.
Jiang Ye was relieved; they could indeed grow. And planting here required no watering, making it very convenient!
He got into the excavator's cabin and continued clearing the planting area.
Using the excavator's bucket to drag across the rocky beach, his efficiency was surprisingly high. In half an hour, he had cleared a planting area the size of two basketball courts. This area was more than enough for Jiang Ye's own consumption. As for selling vegetables, the profit was too low, and he couldn't be bothered.
He returned to the base, bought a few more cans of seeds, and too lazy to dig holes and sow them one by one, he simply grabbed a handful and scattered them in the dirt, hoping for the best!
The seeds were all cooperative, taking root, sprouting, and growing rapidly.
Jiang Ye returned to the base and glanced at the chat channel.
Still no messages.
He felt a bit hungry, opened a can of meat, ate it all, and then went out to check the planting area.
The first batch of seeds he had sown had grown to thigh height, with lush foliage.
A peculiar phenomenon occurred: a layer of white crystals exuded from the leaves of the green crops.
Jiang Ye reached out and pinched some, then tasted it on his tongue.
It was extremely salty.
The salt from the soil was coming out through the leaves.
Jiang Ye had a thought: couldn't he extract salt using the crops?
He returned to the base and took out an empty can. The can was made of glass, perfect for a large salt container.
He went to the planting area and used his hands to scrape the leaves, gathering the fine salt granules on the leaves into the can.
Soon, he had accumulated half a can of salt.
Now he could add salt when cooking!
Jiang Ye had a heavy palate; without something spicy or salty, he always felt unsatisfied. This would improve his dining experience by a notch.
Carrying half a can of white salt, he returned to the base and put it into the trading post.
[Item: Fine Salt]
[Item Description: Food-grade salt, with trace amounts of plant components, extracted from plant leaves?]
[Estimated Value: 40 yuan]
The price was ordinary, not worth selling.
Jiang Ye abandoned the idea of making money by selling salt; it seemed he could only consume it himself.
There were still no messages in the chat channel, and Jiang Ye frowned. Had the female officer forgotten about it?
He opened Isabelle's chat window, hesitated for a moment, then closed it.
Jiang Ye decided to wait patiently. If there were no messages tomorrow, he would ask Isabelle again.
He opened the Galaxy Mall and bought 10 more bullet chains for the six-barreled rapid-fire cannons and 3 sea mines. He made eight trips, moving them all onto the fishing boat.
To prevent the sea mines from detonating due to bumps, Jiang Ye also packed some fine sand in sacks and placed them around the sea mines.
He worked for a full hour, getting so tired he was gasping for breath.
Returning to the base, there were already messages in the chat channel.
Li Nannan: Jiang Ye, right? Add me as a friend.
[Li Nannan requests to add you as a friend]
Li Nannan: Hurry up, what are you dawdling for?
Li Nannan: If you see this, accept it quickly. I won't wait too long.
Jiang Ye quickly clicked to accept.
Jiang Ye: Hello.
Li Nannan: Hello what? I've been waiting for half an hour! It's about time you came back from the dead! I thought you'd died young!
Jiang Ye: I'm sorry, I was busy just now and didn't see the message.
Li Nannan: Right, you're busy. You're handling state affairs, you're overworked, and I have nothing to do, right?
Jiang Ye's face turned green. Why was this girl so unfriendly? Did she grow up eating gunpowder?
Li Nannan: I can't be bothered to argue with you. Send me photos of that water ghost you mentioned.
Jiang Ye obediently sent photos, transmitting over a dozen.
After a minute's wait, another message arrived.
Li Nannan: This thing isn't in the database. It's likely an unknown species. Tell me in detail everything you saw, and I'll make a judgment. Don't make things up, don't exaggerate. This isn't like drinking and bragging in a bar; this is a very serious matter. Treat it as if you're giving a statement to the police.
Jiang Ye suppressed his anger and typed quickly, explaining the entire situation, from beginning to end, without holding anything back.
He also emphasized that he hadn't sold or disposed of the water ghost's corpse; it was still in the fishing boat's cargo hold.
Li Nannan: Send me your base coordinates.
Jiang Ye sent the coordinates.
Li Nannan: I'll come to find you tomorrow. Don't leave the base. I'm telling you upfront: if I can't find you when I get there, I'll blow up your base. This matter is quite serious. Based on what you've described, this type of water ghost is likely social, possibly an unknown alien species, or even an alien civilization. The fact that the trading post couldn't scan it means this water ghost is most likely an unknown life form, and we might be heading for war. So, you need to take this seriously and not treat it as a game.
Jiang Ye thought to himself, "I am taking it seriously! Those things almost killed me, how could I not?"
But he still suppressed his anger and typed, "Understood. I'll be waiting for you at the base."
The exchange ended. In just a few sentences, Jiang Ye's impression of Li Nannan was extremely poor.
She had a terrible temper and a foul mouth, practically a bandit.
If she was still so foul-mouthed when they met tomorrow, he would definitely have a word with her. Even a clay figurine has some spirit!