Jiang Ye's eyes widened.
He had stumbled upon a massive score!
A single head was worth twelve thousand yuan!
Even a wanted poster for a criminal, unless they were utterly heinous, wouldn't fetch such a price for their head, even if they were only nine-tenths evil!
He quickly sold the remaining limbs of the dangerous black wild ox, each fetching a five-figure sum.
His personal account skyrocketed to 1,257,000 yuan.
The day's quota was completed ahead of schedule.
However, he couldn't afford to be lazy.
Jiang Ye turned and exited the base, unloaded the ore, and piloted the rotorcraft shakily into the air, heading for the impoverished water borax mine.
The next three days were remarkably similar.
He woke up on time, fed and milked the cows, and then took the rotorcraft to mine. He brought back sacks of ore, one after another, and sold them at the trading post.
In the evenings, he prepared a hearty dinner, and while eating, he collected payments: money from those who genuinely couldn't open bottle caps, money from citizens of Cao County, and money from chicken farmers.
Finally, he browsed the chat channels, complaining about the hardships of life with others, before finally falling asleep contentedly.
On the morning of the fourth day, after selling another sack of impoverished water borax ore, Jiang Ye's personal account finally reached 4 million yuan!
Coincidentally, the exact balance was 4,000,001 yuan.
He clicked on the function panel and selected "Upgrade Base!"
Four million yuan vanished instantly, leaving him with one yuan in his account.
Jiang Ye smiled at the 1 yuan balance, feeling a sense of nostalgia for the days when he was poor.
The roof of the base vehicle suddenly made a creaking sound.
It was a crisp, pleasant sound, like metal and glass colliding.
Jiang Ye pushed open the door and looked up, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
Another layer had appeared on the roof!
It had transformed from a single-story bus into a double-decker bus!
He opened the door and entered the base again, where a staircase leading to the second floor had appeared.
Climbing the stairs, Jiang Ye was astonished.
The second floor wasn't empty; instead, it was filled with furniture:
A large massage chair!
A spacious double bed!
A stove and a cupboard for dishes. Opening the cupboard, he found more than a dozen plates and bowls inside! No more eating hunched over the pot!
There was also a faucet!
Jiang Ye went over and tried to turn the faucet, but it wouldn't open.
A nearby display screen lit up:
[This water supply system stores water by collecting moisture from the air.]
[The greater the external air humidity, the faster the water is stored.]
[Current water storage is 0L, please use it later.]
Jiang Ye was delighted. Air condensation meant he wouldn't have to worry about drinking water anymore.
He then tried to turn on the stove.
A small, azure flame shot out.
The stove's display screen lit up again:
[The stove uses the base vehicle's energy. Please recharge in time.]
[Biogas tanks can also be used. Install them in the interface below the stove.]
Jiang Ye nodded inwardly. Recharging was simple, and he had plenty of biogas tanks. The cow shed had produced over twenty tanks of biogas in the past few days.
The single-story mini-base had finally become a double-story mini-base. This upgrade was quite satisfactory.
He went downstairs and returned to the base panel.
Lines of notifications awaited his attention:
[Congratulations! Your base level has been upgraded to Level 10.]
[Every 10 levels, there will be a significant improvement.]
[This upgrade includes:]
[Addition of a second-floor base and various furniture.]
[The base's maximum speed has been increased to 100 mph.]
[Base defense power +80%.]
[The Galactic Mall has added 3 new items.]
Jiang Ye immediately opened the Galactic Mall.
The three newly added items were all expensive, oversized pieces of equipment.
Most importantly, they were all related to mining!
[Item: Excavator]
[Item Description: Single-person operation, easy to use, uses aviation fuel, two-year warranty, the ultimate choice for breaking mountains and building bridges, essential equipment for true men!]
[Price: 2,600,000 yuan]
Jiang Ye's hair almost stood on end.
An excavator!
Who wouldn't love that!
No more digging with a small shovel, grunting and sweating!
Mining efficiency would increase by dozens of times!
[Item: Reconnaissance Robot]
[Item Description: Intelligent mini-robot commonly used in colonies, all-terrain autonomous, agile, powerful functions, real-time data transmission, capable of detecting flora and fauna, air composition, ore deposits, etc. Recommended for bulk purchase to form a reconnaissance network.]
[Price: 50,000 yuan]
Jiang Ye blinked.
This thing looked very advanced, and most importantly, it could detect ore deposits.
He could find them using his sense of smell, but it still required a lot of running around.
Having a robot run errands for him would be much more comfortable.
Even if it wasn't used for prospecting, it would be practical for guarding the base!
[Item: Ore Transport Vehicle]
[Item Description: Oversized transport vehicle with tires one meter eighty in diameter, capable of easily crushing small cars. However, be warned: it is very fuel-intensive, and aviation fuel is recommended.]
[Price: 2,000,000 yuan]
Jiang Ye blinked again.
This thing was also a good item!
A giant vehicle that could easily crush small cars, even if not for transporting ore, it would be good for running over people, or rather, beasts!
Although the items unlocked in the mall this time were good,
Looking at his 1 yuan account balance, he still had to work hard!
Jiang Ye slung his rifle over his shoulder and went out with his shovel and pickaxe.
As soon as he opened the base door, a chill swept over him.
Outside, the planet was a vast expanse of white ice.
The north wind had been howling for the past few days, and the temperature had dropped to a new low, nearing minus forty degrees Celsius!
Most colony commanders were so frozen they could only huddle in their bases and complain in the chat channels.
Although Jiang Ye could still go out to work, his rotorcraft was equipped with a stove and a bag of coal. He had to light the stove when mining, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to move after a while due to the cold.
As he sat in the pilot's seat of the rotorcraft and wiped the steering wheel with his sleeve, he was about to step on the accelerator.
Suddenly, he stopped, looking forward with suspicion.
A small black dot was flying from the clouds.
It was moving very fast, with a sharp whistling sound like a fighter jet!
Jiang Ye's expression turned tense, and he directly picked up his Kai Xi assault rifle, aiming at the black dot.
The black dot grew closer, not passing by, but heading directly for the base! In about ten seconds, it flew over the base at a distance of tens of meters, whistling as it slowed down, and finally landed steadily on the snow.
Jiang Ye, holding his rifle, got out of the rotorcraft and cautiously approached.
At this distance, he could see clearly: it was a black aircraft shaped very much like a sports car, with a beautiful streamlined design, black windows all around, and a glossy surface.
The side door of the aircraft suddenly opened, also in a sports car-like upward swing.
A man in a black coat emerged and stood in the snow.
He had an East Asian face, short hair, sunglasses, and a cold expression. He looked like someone who had stepped out of "The Matrix" or an East Asian version of James Bond.
Jiang Ye kept his gun pointed at him and shouted, "Who's there!"
The man raised his hands, smiled, and said, "I am Li Yangcheng, a Grade 1 officer of the Mercenary Association and Executive Vice President of the Beichen Mercenary Company! You must be Mr. Jiang Ye, correct?"
Jiang Ye still held his gun: "Looking for me?"
Li Yangcheng: "Indeed!"
"What is it?"
"It's not very polite to chat in the snow in this cold, is it? I have come to discuss a five-million-yuan order with you and to forge a true friendship. Why would you point a gun at five million yuan and a friend?" Li Yangcheng smiled fearlessly, clearly having been pointed at with guns countless times before. "I can show you my credentials. I am a legal citizen of the Galactic Empire, and my records are on file with the military! I have not brought any weapons, only the sincerity of cooperation!"
Jiang Ye's expression was suspicious, his finger still on the trigger. After a long consideration, he finally nodded and slowly walked over, saying, "Don't lower your hands!"