Your team has entered the top ten rankings.
Rewards issued: Small Camp Fortress, Rocket Launcher Vehicle Factory, Tardigrade Farm authorization.
Jiang Ye excitedly slapped his thigh. The top ten had such great benefits!
The previous ranking reward was just a meager amount of merit points, not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth. It seemed this place also followed the Pareto principle, or even the 90/10 rule, where a tiny minority of teams enjoyed the majority of resources.
First, he selected the location for the camp fortress on the screen.
It was a satellite aerial view. He dragged and dropped the placement. Jiang Ye chose an open space to the north and clicked confirm.
After confirmation, detailed information popped up:
Small Camp Fortress: A multi-functional building integrating living, information, and military zones. It covers an area of 8,000 square meters with a construction area of 48,000 square meters. It includes a spawning room for 300 people, an information integration system, and four close-in weapon systems. It can withstand medium and small caliber firepower, toxic environments, high radiation environments, earthquakes, and floods up to ten meters deep.
Jiang Ye was quite satisfied. Although it was called a small camp fortress, it didn't feel small at all.
Next, he placed the rocket launcher vehicle factory in the center of the camp, leaving a wide road in front of the factory entrance.
The rocket launcher model was the same as Jiang Ye's planet. The only difference was that the factory here could only produce two rocket launcher vehicles per day, and it cost money to produce them, 500,000 each.
The price was acceptable, even lower than the cost price. It was likely subsidized by military funds. Jiang Ye decided to produce dozens or hundreds of them to form a decent mobile firepower force, which could be used for expansion or defense.
The last reward: Tardigrade Farm authorization.
The first two rewards were ready-made buildings, but the last one only provided construction authorization.
Jiang Ye lightly tapped the screen, bringing up the relevant information. There were only two points:
Tardigrade: Adult tardigrades are about the size of a thumb, resembling water bears. When the environment is extremely harsh, they form cocoons and enter dormancy, appearing dead. When the environment improves, they regain vitality. Their dormant state can last for about 300 years, and their lifespan can reach 1,000 years, hence the name "tardigrade." Tardigrades are rich in protein and minerals, feed on almost all organic matter, and periodically absorb time crystals, storing them within their bodies. Consuming tardigrades can counteract the damage from time weapons and slightly slow down human aging. They are a type of insect with high market demand.
Tardigrade Farm: Each farm occupies about 500 square meters, a fully enclosed, temperature-controlled greenhouse containing 100 breeding ponds. Each pond can house 10 tardigrades simultaneously. Production occurs once a week, with a profit of 1 merit point per tardigrade. The feed is decomposed organic matter and animal feces, which can be connected to public restrooms to utilize their waste for feed.
Jiang Ye was dumbfounded. The bug seemed incredibly powerful, capable of living for thousands of years and even slowing down aging when consumed by humans. But it grew by eating... poop?
Tardigrade farms were definitely a goldmine. Each farm could earn 1,000 merit points a week, which was much faster than fighting monsters.
He clicked to place an order, and the price popped up:
Purchase 1 Tardigrade Farm: 20 million yuan.
Purchase 10 Tardigrade Farms: 100 million yuan, and receive a cultivation consultant to provide guidance throughout the tardigrade farming production.
Jiang Ye unhesitatingly chose the second option and increased the quantity to 5, buying 50 farms in one go!
Then, he just had to wait.
Jiang Ye dozed off and was soon awakened by earthquake-like sounds.
He looked out the window. Hundreds of construction ships had surrounded the camp, and thousands of construction robots were scurrying around. The earthquake-like sounds were them breaking ground! As the soft, wet topsoil was dug up, dry soil from below kicked up yellow dust. The window was filled with swirling dust, thicker than volcanic eruption smoke.
"Bang bang bang!" The door was knocked.
"Come in!" Jiang Ye said.
The door was pushed open forcefully, and a huge shadow blocked the entrance, obscuring almost all the light. Jiang Ye saw a pair of enormous shoes, pillar-like legs, and a bear-like torso. The visitor was only wearing shorts and a basketball tank top. He couldn't see the head because his height far exceeded the door.
The giant outside slowly bent over, lowered his head, and entered through the door, then stood up straight in the room.
At least two meters twenty in height, Jiang Ye had to crane his neck until it felt like it would break before he could see the man's face. It was a very ordinary East Asian male face, with a resolute expression, like a hunter or a warrior.
"Hello, Mr. Jiang. My name is Ji Jingwu. I am a cultivation consultant sent by the Tardigrade Company, and I will be providing a two-week service for your tardigrade farms." Ji Jingwu's voice was as deep as a bear's.
"Hello, Consultant Ji!" Jiang Ye tried to extend his hand for a handshake, but the man stood rigidly, looking straight ahead, completely unable to see Jiang Ye's hand below. Jiang Ye awkwardly withdrew his hand.
"Shall I find you a place to stay first?" Jiang Ye asked.
"No need. Thank you for your kindness, but I always stay in my small spaceship." Ji Jingwu remained standing with a straight face. "My bed and personal belongings are custom-made; I would be uncomfortable if they were changed."
"Alright, as long as you have a place to stay. With your height, regular rooms would indeed be awkward." Jiang Ye suddenly remembered something. "Aren't you wearing an exoskeleton? The air on this planet is not breathable directly."
"No need. I am a bio-modified human and can adapt to the air here." Ji Jingwu paused. "The farms will be completed in a few hours. Please select 50 farmhands to be responsible for the daily operations of each farm. I will teach them how to do it."
"That's easy. I'll pick the people now."
Jiang Ye clicked on the screen, selected soldiers, and sent messages. While he was doing this, Ji Jingwu stood motionless, like a statue, looking straight ahead, more like a robot than a robot.
"Please, sit down!" Jiang Ye suddenly remembered. "Feel free to sit."
"No need." "No need" seemed to be Ji Jingwu's catchphrase; he remained standing.
Jiang Ye felt a bit of a headache. This Ji Jingwu had a very strange personality, and every word he spoke felt awkward. However, he still needed him to teach the tardigrade cultivation knowledge, and they had to get along as much as possible for the next two weeks.
To avoid the atmosphere becoming too awkward, Jiang Ye asked questions while selecting soldiers:
"Are tardigrades some kind of four-dimensional creatures? Why can they store time?"
"They are 3.5-dimensional," Ji Jingwu replied briefly, offering no explanation, and continued to stand there blankly.
"How are tardigrades eaten? Do they taste good?" Jiang Ye tried to make conversation.
"Eaten raw, they taste very bad because they are raised in dung piles and have a fishy, foul odor, like eating excrement." Ji Jingwu said. "But people love them because they can slow down aging. Dried tardigrades in supermarkets are sold by the gram and are equivalent in price to gold."