Wasteland Development Diary

Two and a half days later, Red Kestrel sent a message.

——The negotiation with two agricultural machines is settled, and their combined salary will be 2 Light Seeds per month.

Words continued to materialize on the remote control's screen.

——Recursive City hasn't changed much; after I returned, I updated my identity and registration proof first. After syncing the time, I confirmed that I had been in hibernation for 22 years, and due to the prolonged disconnect, my rescue team license had been canceled, but my citizenship in Recursive City is still valid."

——I searched for some agricultural machines in the exchange market; most of them only accept employment from well-regarded big cities and are not willing to work with individuals or unknown groups.

——The reason lies in the fact that agricultural machines have had unpleasant experiences working with many groups. Employers often delay pay, breach contracts, refuse to provide farming materials, demand overly dangerous tasks, and even force agricultural machines into combat."

——They only trust large cities with cooperation agreements with Recursive City, or groups with years of good reputation in the farming industry.

Zhou Yi found it a bit tough to handle.

In the era of the Wasteland covered by the Dead Sea, unreasonable employers are a recurring problem.

He swiped the screen to continue reading.

——In the end, after multiple negotiations, I found the Agricultural Machinery Brothers, Tie Ma and Tong Niu. I have worked with them before, and they are willing to come over.

——However, they are some of the few agricultural machines who have clashed with their employers on many occasions, resulting in numerous complaints and negative reviews.

——They maintain their rights through combat and are unwilling to settle for less or be oppressed.

Zhou Yi felt this was no issue at all.

A bit of a tough personality is fine, as long as they are competent in their job.

Red Kestrel added some details.

——In terms of opening farms and cultivating crops, their abilities are fairly acknowledged. They might be difficult to get along with, and once hired, the contract must last at least a year. Do you think that's acceptable?"

Zhou Yi had no problem with it; the sooner they came, the better.

——Then I will sign a labor contract agreement with them as a guarantor. We are expected to arrive before midnight tomorrow.

A digital clock appeared in the upper right corner of the screen.

It was currently 2 p.m., meaning there were 30 hours left.

Zhou Yi remembered something else and spoke to the remote control, "Paying with Light Seeds is fine, but they evaporate quickly after the Guangna Species dies, so it's not practical to have them come one by one to collect. Do you have a special tool for collection?"

——Yes.

Red Kestrel explained.

——Many electromechanical lives come equipped with a 'Guangna Box,' used to store and stabilize Light Seeds for a long time. I have two. In Recursive City, the common currency is the Light Seed. Tie Ma and Tong Niu must have them as well.

Zhou Yi was relieved.

The Guangna Box is essentially the wallet of electromechanical life.

The technology of the cities built by electromechanical life is undoubtedly more advanced than that of the New Human City.

...

Since its establishment, the company's two human employees continued to operate nocturnally.

During the day, they rested in the dormitory, and at night they became active.

Ajin brought back a large amount of branches and dry grass from the Oasis Side. He stuffed these materials into his box-shaped room and spread stones throughout the shipping container courtyard to create a stone floor, effectively reducing the flying sand and dust around him.

He requested two box-style rooms to serve as warehouses, one to store branches and dry grass, and the other to hold air-dried feces—including animal droppings found outside and the feces of the staff.

Ajin took this very seriously: "Chairman, dried feces are valuable goods around here. If you want to grow mushrooms and other plants, the feces will help them grow better and bigger. In Mao Valley Town, you can exchange feces for mushrooms."

"Dried feces have no smell and can be used as firewood when there's a shortage of wood."

"Also, a portion of the sand rat and lizard feces can be used as medicine that can treat stomach pains and stop bleeding."

"If feces are left outside, insects will eat them, so it's important not to waste them."

Using feces as natural organic fertilizer is indeed crucial.

So Zhou Yi went with him.

Another employee, Gong Zheng, took inventory of the company's current supplies and made paper records.

He cut the stored meat and hung it with ropes to air dry, rendered the fat into lard, and stored it all in a box-shaped room. He then reported these matters in detail to Zhou Yi, acting as the company's warehouse manager.

With Zhou Yi's permission, Gong Zheng, with the protection of the samurai crab, traded the dried meat and Zhou Yi's old clothes unwanted by him for goods with the people in the town.

Through bartering, he obtained a large stock of dried mushrooms, mushroom spores, and salt from saline-alkali land, piquing the locals' curiosity and greatly reducing their wariness and fear.

Through barter, Gong Zheng filled the warehouse with branches, wood, hay, and dung; some had to be left in the open space in the yard.

Because materials were more abundant than ever before, Ajin focused on improving the company's office decoration.

He made a flexible ladder from branches, which made it convenient to go up and down floors, and he made a soft carpet from hay, which prevented loud footsteps inside the house and further reduced indoor heat loss.

In addition, Ajin used rhombic stones, rocks, and wood to make lamp posts that encircled the company. At night, the office building now shone brightly, maintaining high visibility both inside and out.

These changes pleased Zhou Yi, the chairman.

...

The next morning at 9:15, the Red Kestrel returned.

A quadrotor drone appeared overhead.

"Mission completed."

"Behind me are the brothers Tie Ma and Tong Niu."

Zhou Yi shifted his gaze from the sky back to the ground.

Under the bright sunlight, two heavy tractors, one following the other and painted in black and red, slowly drove in.

"You're the employer?"

The voice came from a vehicle about 5 meters long and 3 meters tall. It had huge rubber wheels, an extremely high chassis, a completely sealed silver metal cab, and it was towing a silver container.

Painted in red on its shell were the words "Eastern Red."

The only issue was, there was a machine gun mounted on the front of this agricultural vehicle.

Is this really for farming?

Zhou Yi was a bit puzzled, but he responded first, "Yes, I'm the chairman of the Wasteland Development Company, welcome."

"I am Tie Ma from the Dongfang Red Family, and this is my brother Tong Niu. We both have more than 30 years of farming experience. As long as you don't interfere or disrupt our standard procedures, we can raise good crops," said the leading vehicle in introduction.

It emphasized, "But you must pay our wages, not one less."

Zhou Yi said with a smile, "Of course, don't worry about that."

He turned his attention to the other agricultural machine.

Tong Niu was bigger than Tie Ma, and the container it was pulling was also larger.

Unlike its elder brother, Tong Niu was fitted with two large-caliber guns on the roof, and four suspected rocket launchers were mounted on its left and right sides. It remained silent, its presence even more imposing than its sibling's.

When Zhou Yi looked over, the massive body of Tong Niu suddenly shifted slightly as if it were about to turn around and leave.

This caught him off guard, "What's going on?"

"My brother is afraid of dealing with people, introverted, and not good with words," said Tie Ma. "It's not used to talking with strangers; we communicate through an internal channel."

Zhou Yi's head began to ache.

Socially anxious agricultural machinery armed with such heavy firepower.

He wondered if their temperament was stable.

Nevertheless, Zhou Yi voiced his confusion: "If you are agricultural machines, why are you equipped with this kind of firepower?"

Tie Ma replied nonchalantly, "Carrying the necessary self-defense weapons, of course, is to ensure the employer fulfills our cooperation agreement and speaks to us calmly. Nowadays, who goes out to work without carrying weapons?"

Zhou Yi was taken aback, then nodded, "Fair point, indeed."