The video feed immediately appeared on the screen.
But the distance was too close, and there wasn't enough time to turn before it hit directly.
The deafening roar caused a massive crater to erupt on the beach, sand and dust rained down from the air, and the seawater was visibly rippled by the shock.
Emmy's body was completely pulverized, only vague blackish chunks of rotten flesh could be seen scattered around the crater.
Jiang Ye was satisfied; a single rocket would usually obliterate a person, leaving nothing whole.
Boarding the boat, they set sail back.
Just as night fell, the fishing boat entered the dock.
Jiang Ye had already eaten canned food on the boat, so he headed straight back to the base vehicle.
He opened the base panel to check his passive income.
Today's various passive income streams added up to a staggering 4.98 million!
Tian Rao alone had brought him a huge sum of 1.82 million!
Jiang Ye was very surprised. He left the base vehicle and ambled over to Tian Rao's house.
A base vehicle was parked in the dark yard, its interior lights on.
Through the window, he could see her busy at work, wearing a light goose-yellow sleepshirt. Beside her was a mountain of colorful clothes.
Jiang Ye walked to the door and knocked.
A moment later, the door opened, revealing a pistol first, its muzzle gleaming.
"Oh! Brother Jiang!" Tian Rao was startled. She placed the pistol aside and invited him in, "Please, come in, come in!"
Jiang Ye boarded the vehicle and closed the door.
The base vehicle was filled with clothes, covering almost every visible inch: piles of shirts and skirts on the floor, a large bundle of pants on the table, and white sneakers and black boots lined up on the windowsill. Taking a sniff, the air was filled with the scent of new clothes.
"Since you came, you haven't visited. Are you very busy?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Welcome, welcome! Not too busy, just about twenty-odd orders an hour," Tian Rao said, smiling a little shyly. She poured water from a glass jar and handed it to him, saying in a soft voice, "Brother, have some water. Sit anywhere."
"Thank you." Jiang Ye took the water jar, looked around, and sat down beside a pile of boots. The soles of the brand-new boots gave off a rubbery smell.
"Wait a moment, I still have three orders to finish," Tian Rao said, returning to the base panel to continue her work.
As the weather grew warmer, a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. She was dressed lightly, her goose-yellow top exceptionally loose, like a child wearing adult clothes. Her slender arms and legs stuck out. Jiang Ye couldn't see what she was wearing on her lower half; it was a typical "bottoms missing" look.
"There have been many orders from the town these past two days," Tian Rao glanced at Jiang Ye and then clicked on the panel, busy again. "People in town are gradually getting richer, and everyone knows someone. They probably want to dress a bit more presentably. Many people have spent several thousand on new clothes."
"Yes, when I first arrived, they all looked like beggars. Now, they're gradually dressing more presentably," Jiang Ye nodded. "I used to live by myself and didn't care, but now that I live in town, I have to dress appropriately."
"And the weather is getting hotter, so everyone is buying summer clothes," Tian Rao said. Her voice was very soft and gentle. "That's why I've been earning a bit more these past two days. I estimate my daily income will drop in about a week."
"It's fine. I'm planning to expand the town in a while," Jiang Ye said. "If more people come to live here and see that the early residents are all dressed so well, they'll definitely buy new clothes for themselves."
Tian Rao finally placed several pairs of pants into the trading bay and sold them. She let out a long sigh, "Finished, all done!"
She turned to look at Jiang Ye, her face suddenly flushing a little. "Can you help me with something?"
"What?"
"I want to take some photos to promote the clothes," Tian Rao explained. "The photos I show customers now are just of the clothes themselves, so many people are reluctant to buy. If I could have some sample pictures taken with a model, I think they would sell better."
Jiang Ye blinked. "You want me to be the model?"
"Yes," she said softly, embarrassed, but her eyes were expectant.
Jiang Ye hadn't expected this.
"It doesn't have to show my face, just the body," Tian Rao quickly explained, then lowered her voice. "You have a good physique."
Jiang Ye looked into her eyes, which were as lively as a young deer's. After a few seconds of hesitation, he relented. "How can I refuse when such a cute girl asks me to take photos?"
For the next hour, he changed into over twenty outfits, from summer wear to winter clothes, from down jackets and coats to beach shorts.
Tian Rao, holding a Polaroid camera, kept clicking the shutter, guiding Jiang Ye to pose.
Jiang Ye felt quite embarrassed, being shirtless in front of a female photographer. Although it was for a normal shoot, she kept blushing, which made it a bit awkward.
"Okay, we're done," Tian Rao said, organizing the photos in her hand, which were as thick as a brick.
Jiang Ye put on his clothes. "Shall I head back then?"
"We still need to shoot women's clothing," Tian Rao said, blinking.
"Me in women's clothing?" Jiang Ye was shocked.
"What are you talking about!" Tian Rao burst out laughing. "Of course, I'll wear the clothes, and you'll take pictures of me."
Jiang Ye chuckled awkwardly and took the Polaroid camera.
Tian Rao reached for her sleepshirt, pulled it up, and tossed it aside.
Jiang Ye's eyes widened. She was only wearing black underwear underneath, her waist slender, her legs fair, and her skin as delicate as white porcelain.
Tian Rao rummaged through the piles of clothes, picking out over a dozen women's outfits, from ladies' coats to white t-shirts, from sun hats to sheer sleepshirts.
Jiang Ye suddenly sat down. "Can I sit while I take pictures for you?"
Tian Rao turned back, blinking. "Why?"
Jiang Ye's face turned red. "I stood for an hour, I'm a bit tired."
Tian Rao nodded. "Sure."
They shot for another hour.
Tian Rao was an excellent model, with a strong sense of the camera. With a slight pose, she looked incredibly beautiful. She was also a natural clothes hanger; whatever she wore looked particularly high-end.
Jiang Ye composed himself and took pictures one by one.
Finally, it was time for the last outfit, a sheer sleepshirt.
"This needs to be shot on the bed," Tian Rao said, looking at him with innocent eyes. "I'll lie down, and you can shoot from the bedside, looking down."
"Okay," Jiang Ye said, bending down to stand up.
Tian Rao changed into the sheer sleepshirt, which was completely see-through, revealing her skin and underwear clearly. She lay down, stretched her long legs to hold the quilt, and looked up at Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye's face had turned red all the way to his ears. Forcing himself to stay calm, he knelt on one leg by the bed, holding the Polaroid camera.
*Click!*
A photo was printed.
Tian Rao picked it up and looked at it, nodding slightly.
She reached out and patted the quilt beside her. "You lie here, and shoot downwards, like a boyfriend's perspective."
Jiang Ye, dizzy, lay down, face to face with her.
There was a peculiar scent about her, a bit like milk, but not quite.
Tian Rao brushed her hair aside, revealing her fair, delicate profile.
Jiang Ye, as if possessed, reached out and touched her cheek. It felt incredibly smooth.
Tian Rao stared at him motionlessly, gently tilting her face upwards, as if to say he could kiss her.
A long silence ensued.
Neither of them spoke, their eyes locked.
Jiang Ye couldn't resist. He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
It was 1:30 AM.
Jiang Ye put on his clothes, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
"Shall I go back?" Tian Rao asked, sitting up in bed, covered by the quilt, her face flushed, her shoulders bare.
"Yes, I'll go back," Jiang Ye said, rubbing his head. "Ouch, I'm dizzy."
Tian Rao smiled, watching him quietly, her expression still pure and innocent.
"I actually just came to see you, I didn't mean anything else. I didn't expect it to turn out like this," Jiang Ye said, feeling very embarrassed and guilty. "That..."
"It's okay," Tian Rao said softly, her voice lethally gentle. "Brother, whenever you want to come, just come. Use the front door."
Hearing her words, a surge of blood rushed to Jiang Ye's head, like taking a shot of strong liquor. Sweat broke out on his forehead again.
He turned and walked out, his gaze fixed on the ground.
Before closing the door, he finally lifted his face, met Tian Rao's gaze, nodded gently, and said, "Okay."
At 6:30 AM, the fishing boat set sail.
In the rest cabin, the ten workers were still there. Shao Wan, dressed in black, sat by the window holding an assault rifle, his face hidden by sunglasses, looking imposing.
Over the past few days, these men had been going out to sea, forming a regular mining crew. Without prior notice, they would gather by 5:30 AM and line up in front of the dock.
In the captain's cabin, Jiang Ye leaned against the wall, yawning as he looked at the sonar screen.
The fishing boat was on autopilot; he only needed to watch out for large animals.
Fortunately, the journey was smooth, with no sea monsters or water spirits. At nine o'clock, the boat docked on time.
The workers disembarked one by one, carrying shovels and pickaxes, following the routine as they headed to the Shan Shi mining area.
One worker didn't carry a shovel. He got into the excavator, started it expertly, drove it off the boat, and began digging with the bucket.
Jiang Ye had granted the mining crew access to the excavator, with each worker allowed one hour of use on a rotating basis.
Shao Wan also went down, carrying his rifle, keeping watch by the sea and scanning the desolate plains in the distance.
Jiang Ye stood at the bow of the boat for a few minutes. Seeing the workers toiling diligently, he smiled with satisfaction and returned to the captain's cabin.
He clicked on the screen, activated the fishing boat, and set course northward!
He had recently changed his work strategy. He no longer did the grunt work of mining himself, leaving it to his subordinates.
His own specialty was finding ore.
By finding more ore and bringing in more people to mine it, he could increase his income exponentially!
The fishing boat sailed north along the shallow sea, occasionally turning to avoid reefs. White wakes trailed behind the vessel.
This boat was equipped with advanced technology and had navigated without issue, avoiding numerous reefs.
Jiang Ye stood at the bow, leisurely taking deep breaths.
For now, he could only smell the salty sea air.
One nautical mile.
Three nautical miles.
Five nautical miles.
Ten nautical miles.
Even at this distance, there was no scent of ore.
However, Jiang Ye was patient. The fishing boat was fast, and this distance was nothing.
Fifteen nautical miles.
Eighteen nautical miles.
Twenty nautical miles!
Finally, Jiang Ye, who had been squinting, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, like a veteran hearing a gunshot, or a shark smelling blood!
Jiang Ye increased the frequency of his breathing.
At last, a clear scent entered his nostrils.
This time, the scent was complex and layered.
The top notes were small citrus and grapefruit, the middle notes were cinnamon and butter, and the base notes were straw and geranium. In truth, Jiang Ye couldn't distinguish the smells; they were too jumbled, impossible to differentiate.
The scent gradually intensified, and the fishing boat docked.
Jiang Ye disembarked, carrying his shovel, and walked onto the shore.
The coastline in this area was no longer sandy but rugged and rocky. Large, crimson stone pillars stood like a forest, resembling the Devil's City in Xinjiang.
Jiang Ye deliberately sniffed the stone pillars, as their red color was similar to ore. But he detected nothing. It seemed the main prize was on land.