Chapter 101: Nirvana Manor

Chapter 101: Nirvana Manor

The date was quickly set, and Ren Yuefei personally brought his team over. The helicopter landed on the newly built helipad at Nanshan Herb Garden.

As soon as he got off, he was full of praise: "This is impressive. I have several detention centers, but they're all currently used to hold prisoners. Now it looks like there's still potential to be fully tapped."

Zhou Yun, Qin Mu, Zhu Zhuan, Qin Sheng, and Shen Lan came to greet him, smiling: "What brings you here in person?" Zhou Yun then introduced Shen Lan to Ren Yuefei.

Ren Yuefei shook hands with Shen Lan and laughed: "I heard from the guards how amazing your place is. This time, when I said I wanted to select people, they all eagerly volunteered. I came to see for myself, to learn from your experience, and to see what charm Dr. Zhou has that attracts so many people."

Zhou Yun smiled: "Have your guards been thoroughly vetted? We can't afford another incident like the one in the Jiuyi Mountains..."

Ren Yuefei chuckled: "Don't bring up old wounds, rest assured, we've already done a thorough cleanup. These are the most steadfast of the steadfast now."

Zhou Yun led Ren Yuefei to the conference room, where almost all the key members were present: "Actually, it's not a problem. That area is extremely remote, teeming with wild animals, and the flight there consumes a lot of fuel. If you really want it, it's yours. I can just find another place to plant."

Ren Yuefei laughed: "I understand, the core is Dr. Zhou. Without Dr. Zhou, that place would just be a hollow estate."

Zhou Yun: "..." He was telling the truth, not boasting, but General Ren was already starting to flatter him.

He sat down, pondered for a moment, and then lightly coughed: "What I'm saying is that talent is the cornerstone. It's human ingenuity that drives progress. Trust the people you hire, and don't hire those you can't trust. The brothers from Jing Nan are also our brothers. We are all building a new stronghold together. To unite, we must first remove the barriers and prejudices in people's hearts."

He turned to look at Qin Mu and Shen Lan: "I'm from Danlin City. We also have people from Beiming and Cangshan, and now we have people from Jing Nan. I hope we can all be companions without suspicion. If there are any misunderstandings, let's clear them up in advance. If there's any unhappiness, speak directly. Let's not make distinctions between psychics and regular doctors. Let's judge by ability and achievements. Once we become partners, we can trust each other with our backs."

Master Xinhai praised first: "Dr. Zhou's words are wise. Lately, you've truly treated us from Cangshan as if we were family. A doctor's compassion knows no bounds, and all lives are equal. Dr. Zhou treats us with sincerity, and we will naturally give our all."

Qin Sheng and Qin Mu whispered to each other: "Dr. Zhou used to tell us it was all about mutual benefit. Now it's good, even those who fell from the sky or were picked up by the roadside are companions."

Qin Mu lowered his voice: "Keep it down. If he hadn't said that back then, we wouldn't have believed him either. Besides, although he's too nice for his own good, he's lucky. He always meets good people. Don't expose the leader when he's giving motivational speeches. Learn from Zhu Zhu."

Zhu Zhuan was writing furiously with a moved expression, as if recording some profound truth.

Qin Sheng: "..." Always meets good people??? Brother, can you look in the mirror?

Qin Sheng whispered back: "Without Dr. Zhou, just look around this room—most of these people seem like renegades. It's the post-apocalyptic world, after all. Zhu Zhu is probably the only one who's stayed true to his principles. Even the master seems untrustworthy, as if he might abandon his prayers and resort to violence at any time."

Qin Mu: "..." Even he, with his weak sense of moral order, couldn't refute that.

Shen Lan suddenly chuckled beside them.

Everyone turned to glare at them.

Qin Mu quickly raised his hand to declare: "I immediately connected with Brother Shen, and Xiao Yi is only the second shadow-type I've encountered. I feel a natural affinity! As for General Ren, needless to say, he's a friend of Captain Guan and Dr. Zhou, so of course, he's my friend too!"

Shen Lan coolly said: "There's no shame in seeking advantages. I believe aligning with the strong enables us to maximize our gains and live with dignity. Currently, Dr. Zhou and Captain Guan are the strongest I've seen, so I willingly follow Dr. Zhou's lead."

Zhou Yun smiled: "It's through our collective efforts that we grow stronger."

Ren Yuefei praised: "That's absolutely true. Dr. Zhou saved me, but I can't exploit public resources for personal benefit. The well-being of hundreds of thousands at Jing Nan Base is my responsibility. Last winter was harsh. I'm involved in this construction project for the base's benefit, driven by a sense of duty. Whether for benefits or for the base, our goals are aligned. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity. As for the future, time will tell!"

Zhou Yun, feeling uncomfortable under everyone's gaze, signaled to Zhu Zhuan: "Zhu Zhuan, please explain the current plan for Nirvana Manor to everyone. Please feel free to ask questions or share your thoughts."

Zhu Zhuan skillfully set up the projector, opened the presentation, and displayed several photos of Nirvana Manor, then showed the panoramic view: "Let me explain to everyone."

"Our planting plan is divided into four main areas: the grain area, the herb area, the cash crop area, and the vegetable, fruit, and ornamental area. We need to consider various factors such as extreme weather and ecological characteristics in the post-apocalyptic world, food self-sufficiency, economic benefits, energy utilization, management, logistics costs, and human resource allocation."

"For grain crops, we currently plan to select high-yield rice varieties suitable for tropical climates and new mutated wheat varieties."

"For herbs, Dr. Zhou provided the plan. He's an expert, and the plan is already quite comprehensive, taking into account the current business sales needs of Green Bird Pharmaceuticals. We will add several valuable tropical herbs like cinchona, agarwood, cinnamon, and gastrodia. We also hope everyone can actively provide and keep an eye out for mutated herbs. We will set up cultivation greenhouses there to cultivate mutated herbs in large quantities."

Ren Yuefei said, "I brought some mutated Paris polyphylla (a type of herb) this time, all for Dr. Zhou. I also brought some unique mutated herbs from Jing Nan."

Zhou Yun nodded in thanks.

Zhu Zhuan continued, "The cash crop area will plant rubber trees, pepper, oil palm, agave, sisal, date palms, sugarcane, and other tropical cash crops. Besides meeting our current sugar and alcohol production industries, we also consider the future industrial development needs of major bases, with a focus on economic returns."

"Besides utilizing the existing solar photovoltaic facilities at the manor for power generation, we plan to dig a moat around the manor and build small hydropower facilities. We will plant kudzu, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and cassava along both sides of the river. We’ll need to hire hydropower experts to design the system thoroughly. Currently, it's just an idea. Based on the nearby river flow and the locations of several waterfalls, there is sufficient water power. Theoretically, using the river's drop to build small hydropower facilities to provide stable electricity for irrigation is feasible."

"The horticulture zone will focus on planting mutated fruits. We will mainly choose vegetables that are high-yield, drought-tolerant, and easy to grow, such as radishes, cucumbers, pumpkins, taro, peppers, beans, and water spinach, which can be stored through the winter. Additionally, some tropical fruits like longan, lychee, bananas, pineapples, papayas, and durians, which are already planted at the manor, will be retained."

"The ornamental flower section will primarily rely on greenhouse cultivation, aiming to plant rare flowers and mutated plants such as orchids, bird-of-paradise, hibiscus, lotuses, and ferns."

"We will establish a small-scale poultry and livestock farming area, selecting species that adapt well to the climate, are easy to raise, and have high economic benefits. Currently, we have mutated black goats, which are resistant to humidity and heat, highly adaptable, and disease-resistant, making them a good choice. We also plan to raise meat rabbits, small pigs, chickens, and ducks, which grow quickly and have high reproductive rates and meat production. A small number of draft animals like oxen, donkeys, and horses will be domesticated for farming. Feed will mainly consist of kitchen scraps from the manor, as well as cassava, sweet potatoes, corn, and vegetables. Additionally, we will plant some forage grasses like elephant grass and king grass nearby as supplementary feed."

"If we have sufficient staff, we can also conduct initial processing and packaging of goat milk, goat meat, rabbit meat, and pork."

"Additionally, we will raise a group of dogs to guard the manor, selecting large, brave, and fiercely loyal breeds, including hunting dogs, to enhance the manor's security and deterrence against mutated beasts from the primitive forest. We will also install electric fences around the crop fields."

"We will use the excavated river to establish an irrigation network, combining small hydropower stations and solar water pumps to achieve water-efficient irrigation. We’ll need to bring in experts in relevant fields to design and set up the system. Currently, this is just a rough idea based on existing technical conditions."

"The organizational structure of the manor has been preliminarily drafted. It is suggested that Shen Lan be responsible for the overall operation and strategic planning of the manor, overseeing the operations of all departments. The departments will be divided into Agriculture, Herbal Medicine, Livestock, Logistics, and Security. Personnel and specific divisions of labor will be arranged based on the participants' resumes and abilities once they are confirmed."

Zhu Zhuan spoke fluently and enthusiastically, pulling the presentation to the last page with the organizational chart, and then clicked to the next page, "Thank you for listening! Goodbye!"

"That's all for my introduction. Thank you, everyone! Please feel free to ask questions or provide additional comments."

Ren Yuefei said, "The manor's plan is quite extensive and will require a lot of manpower. With the current personnel, it might not be enough. I can try to recruit some professional engineers, but we will likely need to strengthen the planting workforce."

Zhou Yun said, "The current plan is to assemble a core management team to lead the development efforts. Once the preparations are done, we will prioritize planting and production. Other aspects like hydropower construction, livestock farming, and herbal processing will be gradually improved."

Ren Yuefei said, "I have a group of psychic inmates and prisoners at my prison who can also be sent over for production. However, keeping the psychics under control is a major challenge."

"I originally planned to remove all their Crystal Cores, but once the Crystal Core is extracted, psychics may gradually weaken and die. However, if we don't extract them, being far from headquarters, I’m concerned about potential uprisings. There's no effective way to control them, and we can't resort to using drugs without limits."

He seemed to remember something and looked apologetically at Shen Lan, "Sorry."

Shen Lan smiled, "It's nothing. Back then, we knew those things would cause endless harm if they spread, so we were determined to destroy them together. Now that they're all destroyed, even if we could find and cultivate mutated poppies, it would be difficult to grow them in large quantities. Their effects would only be slightly stronger than ordinary poppies and wouldn't allow complete mental control over psychics like Li Xiong could."

Zhou Yun turned and gave some instructions. After a while, someone brought over a set of shadow-hemp inmate uniforms. Zhou Yun handed them to Ren Yuefei to inspect, "These are our self-made shadow-hemp inmate uniforms designed for psychics. The uniforms come with matching socks, gloves, and hemp shoes. Except for shadow-type psychics, other psychics cannot use their abilities while wearing them. The uniforms are equipped with restraint rings that can be used with restraint belts, handcuffs, shackles, and shock collars. Once locked, the prisoners cannot remove the uniforms or gloves, effectively restraining psychic inmates."

Ren Yuefei took the inmate uniform, and as soon as he touched it, his expression changed slightly. He indeed felt a strong shadow energy. He tried to use some metal-based powers, but they were immediately neutralized by the shadow energy on the uniform. He exclaimed, "This is... shadow hemp?"

Zhou Yun smiled, "Yes, we ordered it from Mobei City. We've already purchased a second batch and signed a twenty-year supply agreement with Mobei City."

Ren Yuefei immediately instructed his adjutant, "Call the trade department later and have them sign a twenty-year shadow-hemp supply agreement with Mobei City as well, using Green Bird Pharmaceuticals' price as a reference."

Zhou Yun couldn't help but laugh, "Once this product hits the market, the price of shadow hemp will definitely rise immediately, so we're currently only using it ourselves. If you still have psychic inmates, confirm the exact number, and we'll send the inmate uniforms with you this time. Next time, we'll directly transport the prisoners."

Ren Yuefei's spirits lifted, "This simplifies things significantly! Jing Nan can provide three thousand serious criminals to participate in planting and farming work, including about a hundred psychics."

Zhu Zhuan nodded, "Our pioneer team going over this time will not only arrange the preliminary work for production and planting but also coordinate food and lodging. The priority will be setting up prison facilities and preparing for prisoner management. The supervisory staff will need to be trained."

Ren Yuefei said, "That's fine. The personnel I've selected this time include experts who can assist you."

Zhu Zhuan noticed that Ren Yuefei carefully used the word "assist," clearly showing respect for Dr. Zhou's opinions, which reassured him. Previously, when Zhou Yun mentioned bringing personnel from Jing Nan to assist in building Nirvana Manor, he had been quite anxious.

Of course, Shen Lan and the others didn't care. With their psychic abilities, they didn't worry because they were strong. If someone didn't listen, they could just use force. As an ordinary person, Zhu Zhuan relied heavily on established rules and moral norms, but the apocalypse didn't follow those rules—strength was everything. He was very worried that without psychic abilities, his lack of prestige and capability would not only embarrass him but also undermine Dr. Zhou's authority, which was a common issue in cross-departmental collaborations.

This plan had actually been discussed and refined many times before. This presentation was mainly for Ren Yuefei. Since Jing Nan had no objections, it was approved. They then discussed the specific division of labor, priority tasks after moving in, the exact timing for the pioneer management team to move in, and the scheduling of production dates, seedling supply, energy arrangements, and hydropower design. The overall plan was finalized the next day, and the core personnel set off for Nirvana Manor. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, they would organize the transportation of workers, prisoners, seedlings, and seeds.

Zhou Yun accompanied Yao Huan, Qin Mu, and Ren Yuefei to visit once, and they returned the same day, since they were all overwhelmed with responsibilities.

Zhou Yun promptly arranged for three thousand shadow ducks, all of which grew healthy and plump. Qin Mu then took the ducks and set off again for Zhenbei Base, partly to deliver the second batch of disaster relief supplies, and partly to follow up on various agreements signed with Zhenbei Base and other bases regarding the distribution of medicines and products.

Only then did Zhou Yun find time to call Guan Yuanfeng: "The shadow ducks have been sent to you, and Qin Mu is expected to arrive tonight."

Guan Yuanfeng laughed: "Are they effective?"

Zhou Yun replied: "We've conducted tests on them. When placed in rice fields, they eliminate all pests within ten minutes, even consuming snails and leeches. There's also an unforeseen benefit. Zhao Yi, the child who was implanted with the shadow crystal core of a zombie king, can actually see outside within a certain range by touching these shadow ducks. He came to the lab a few days ago and discovered this while playing with the ducks that had the crystal cores implanted. We suspect that as his psychic abilities grow stronger, he might be able to control these shadow ducks."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded: "Let's keep this under wraps. I'll help you promote the shadow ducks and secure some contracts."

Zhou Yun nodded: "We plan to exchange more orders for energy with Xining Base. The construction at Nirvana Manor has officially started, and everyone is very busy, consuming a significant amount of aviation fuel."

Guan Yuanfeng said: "Meteorologists predict a typhoon may hit the south, according to online reports. Be careful and try to avoid flying as much as possible."

Zhou Yun replied: "There were a few thunderstorms a few days ago, but they've passed. I'll take precautions. I also had Qin Mu bring over some mooncakes, and the workers at the herb garden made five hundred boxes to take over as a token of appreciation for your disaster relief team. You can arrange their distribution."

Guan Yuanfeng was deeply moved, with a thousand words in his heart, but could only offer some pale words of thanks, feeling at a loss for words.

Zhou Yun, however, didn't mind at all and simply asked: "Has the temperature dropped over there? I saw online that it seems to have cooled down."

Guan Yuanfeng replied: "Yes, the special forces have already started wearing mutated silk cotton jackets. Support teams from various bases are quite impressed. Qin Mu should already be accepting orders again."

Zhou Yun laughed: "Don't give those jackets to others again."

Guan Yuanfeng said: "I won't. The ones you made for me, I won't give away."

Zhou Yun was satisfied: "Good. You continue with your work. My teacher asked me to submit the experimental analysis report on the shadow ducks as soon as possible. I'll run some more data this afternoon."

Guan Yuanfeng reluctantly said: "Alright, stay safe. If the typhoon comes, don't go out to sea or take any flights."

Zhou Yun replied: "Understood. You do the same."

After hanging up, Guan Yuanfeng realized he forgot to mention the matters with the Alliance Government and the Psychic Research Institute to Zhou Yun. The accountability for the psychic ability activation vaccine ultimately led to a series of officials and researchers being dismissed or demoted by the Alliance Government, leaving the health department that approved the vaccine disgraced and losing prestige... However, he knew Zhou Yun didn't care about these things. He was disturbed, worried about his safety, so he casually wrote an article that stirred up a storm from thousands of miles away, but paid no attention to the aftermath.

The political power struggles and intrigue within the Alliance Government, the military, and the Psychic Research Institute were, to Zhou Yun in distant Danlin City, perhaps less important than a duck or a medicinal herb.

And he, entangled in these petty schemes and deeply mired in the vortex of fame and fortune, was also gradually drifting away from Zhou Yun's life circle.