Chapter 30

Chapter 30

After ending the live stream, Yun Wan looked at her account, which had just received 10 million credits, plus the 10 million credits from Professor Luo, totaling 20 million credits.

This amount was enough to pay off the massive debt she had incurred from buying the planet, but she had no intention of doing so.

Debt doesn't bother her! Moreover, there's still some time before the planet's assessment, so the debt isn't an issue right now; planet development is the bigger issue.

Previously, she had seen that a decent planetary shield would cost 50 million credits, and she was still more than halfway short. It was currently out of her reach. However, she could now afford the visitor system and the raptor repelling device, which cost about 240,000 credits, a drop in the bucket compared to the planetary shield.

Since she couldn't afford the planetary shield, Yun Wan decided to look for alternatives, such as combat robots.

Currently, Shennong Star is not highly developed, and four or five combat robots would barely ensure the planet's safety.

Yun Wan browsed Starnet and found a wide variety of combat robots with significant price differences and varying energy sources.

Currently, she lacks high-grade energy sources, and the only available energy source on Shennong Star is blue crystal ore. Due to energy limitations, she could only buy four low-end combat robots.

Just as she was about to proceed, she spotted a military robot, entirely black with a unique design capable of transforming into multiple attack modes, and she instantly fell in love with it.

Looking at the price and energy source again, 1 million credits, obsidian energy, it seemed within her budget.

She needed at least one powerful combatant for emergencies! Mainly, the term 'low-end' sounded unreliable, and she was worried that low-end combat robots could be easily destroyed.

Anyway, planetary defense is Shennong Star's weak point, and if she's reluctant to spend money, and someone invades, it would be a double whammy!

The total cost for the robots and obsidian energy was 5 million credits, with 3 million going toward energy.

She wanted to stockpile more energy for emergencies, as energy doesn't expire.

Now that she had ample funds, she didn't forget the learning brain she promised Yun Ge. The child is still self-studying! She wasn't sure if he really understood, but he reads books with great interest every day.

After all the purchases, there were 14.7 million credits left in the account.

Glancing at the planetary shield and her balance, Yun Wan felt full of energy.

Make money, make money, make money!

But relying only on farming and selling vegetables, it's tough to accumulate that much capital quickly.

Initially, she wanted to enter the high-end market, but Ji Lian sent a message saying the cooperation had changed and advised her to be careful.

?

The Ji Clan definitely wants to mooch off her crops!

Letting the tiger return to the mountain last time was her being too soft!

But if she had to choose again, she still wouldn't choose to kill, and would let that man run away again.

Yun Wan was very annoyed by her oversight.

She had been working hard on Shennong Star from the start and didn't know much about the interstellar scene, naively thinking that a big company like the Ji Clan was trustworthy, without personally checking their reputation, which put her in danger.

On the other hand, having a treasure is a crime. She should have improved the planet's defense facilities from the beginning, but a clever woman can't make a meal without rice.

She's anxious too, but her anxiety won't magically generate funds for construction!

As for the trouble brought by Ji Lian, she doesn't blame him, as he genuinely wanted to help at first, but human hearts are unpredictable, who would have thought to encounter such a company and such people!

In her opinion, the Ji Clan's business has grown so large that attracting top talent is crucial for long-term growth. Grabbing anything good they see, they must have offended many people, and they're bound to crash eventually.

Some people may not have a background, but the more they lose, the more they’re willing to go all out.

Yun Wan is not optimistic about the future development of the Ji Clan, and fortunately, she did not cooperate with them.

If she were in that position, she’d rather invest in technology or offer incentives for partnerships, creating a win-win scenario and even dominating the market. What's wrong with that?

Of course, the Ji Clan has now gained a monopoly by suppressing similar products, but monopolies naturally make people uneasy, and their shady tactics will only fuel more resentment.

When grievances accumulate, a small spark can ignite a wildfire.

Unfortunately, people in power often overlook this, or perhaps their previous successes have made them take it for granted that they can continue to prosper.

Yun Wan pouted, not bothering with the future of the Ji Clan. For now, she’s still stuck living in their shadow, as things on Shennong Star are far worse.

It's possible that Shennong Star could vanish before the Ji Clan falls.

Yun Wan picked up the planet development map and looked it over repeatedly. No matter how she looked at it, there was only one way out: to kickstart a food culture right away.

Only in this way can Shennong Star attract substantial investment and a large number of tourists, and the economy will take off on its own.

Currently, her ingredients are limited: sweet potatoes, cabbage, Spirit Rice, radishes, and Spirit Peppers are all vegetarian, and there’s hardly anything that can stand out as a gourmet dish.

There are two items with potential: sweet potatoes and radishes.

Sweet potatoes are the raw material for noodles. Once she figures out how to make noodles, she can introduce sour and spicy noodles, a bold flavor that’s impossible to resist. As for radishes, although they are plain on their own, they can be made into Spicy Dried Radish, a tasty side dish that’s hard to say no to! It can be paired with Spirit Rice and sold together.

The idea sounds great, but reality’s a different story.

Yun Wan doesn't know how to make noodles. It might require high temperatures or something else, so this’ll take some serious thought.

Spicy Dried Radish, however, is not difficult. She’s got all the seasonings on hand and can start making it tomorrow, using the five large radishes harvested from the old vegetable patch.

With a plan in place, Yun Wan felt more at ease, feeling hopeful yet daunted by the future.

Just as she was about to browse Starnet to relax, she suddenly heard a familiar "meow."

Well, Starnet suddenly didn’t seem so appealing.

Yun Wan closed Starnet and searched around the safe house, finally finding the cat crouching outside the glass window, its fur all tangled and matted, as if it had just rummaged through a trash bin.

At that moment, it was looking pitifully inside, its tail wagging obediently, like a poor little stray, hungry and freezing outside, tugging at the heartstrings.

She quickly opened the window, brought the cat inside, and weighed it in her hands, muttering, "So you finally decided to come back! You've been away for days and starved yourself lighter! Now you see how good you’ve got it with me, huh?"

Placing the cat on the sofa, she gave its obedient head a good rub, then tapped Miao Miao's little nose, "Let me tell you, on this planet, who else can keep a cat in six sweet potatoes a day besides me?"

"I’m not exaggerating, but in the whole galaxy, I’m the only one who can give you unlimited sweet potatoes!"

"So, next time, don't run away! It's dangerous outside. Be careful of being snatched by wild beasts and never coming back! If that happens, I'll get a new cat, live in your spot, eat your sweet potatoes, and see if you regret it..."

Yun Wan was still rambling, but Miao Miao knew the female wasn't angry. She stared at the female's hovering finger for a while, then tilted her head, her soft fur brushing against the female's hand.

As if a hidden switch had been pressed, the female stopped her chatter, opened her palm, and gently cupped the cat's head, giving it a light scratch.

Miao Miao rolled over in comfort, her four pink paws waving unconsciously, her head resting in the female's palm, and she twisted her body, rubbing and cooing.

"Since you’re being so sweet, I’ll let it slide this time!"

Miao Miao made it back safely, and Yun Wan was a cat person once more. Neither of them noticed that two mysterious figures had appeared outside the glass window, watching them interact.

*

Ah Huang and Se Se had sneaked out after Miao Miao. Being beastfolk, they had sharp noses and followed the scent of Miao Miao lingering on the grass and leaves.

This path seemed to be one Miao Miao often took, as there were no signs of The Swarm along the way, and they made it through without trouble. However, when they reached the vicinity of the human's house, Ah Huang vanished into thin air.

!

Se Se panicked, scurrying around in a frenzy, trying to find Ah Huang.

"Ah Huang, what’s going on? Where did you go?"

Then, Ah Huang's voice echoed back.

"I don’t know either, but I feel like I’m not far from you."

Ah Huang was safe and sound, and Se Se let out a relieved sigh.

"Can you find an exit?" Se Se asked.

"I don’t see an exit; there’s nothing here."

Se Se was baffled.

They were not far apart and could hear each other clearly, yet they couldn’t see each other, like some invisible wall separating them.

Ah Huang also realized this and immediately cautioned Se Se.

"Se Se, stop right there. There’s something fishy going on here. Go back and find Wang Wang. He can dig holes; you can dig a hole to get through."

"What about you?" Se Se asked.

"Don’t sweat it. Find Miao Miao; she’ll figure something out."

Se Se had no choice and headed back to fetch Wang Wang.

"Ah Huang, are you okay?" They didn’t rush to dig the tunnel and first made sure Ah Huang was okay.

But this time, there was no response.

"Oh no, Ah Huang must’ve gotten into trouble!" Se Se said with a trembling voice. "Wang Wang, start digging. We need to find Miao Miao as soon as possible."

Wang Wang nodded, his two paws digging rapidly, even using his mouth to throw aside the dug-up stones. His body was covered in wet soil, and his fluffy ears were flapping wildly.

Soon, the tunnel was completed.

The two little ones crawled through the hole, took a couple of cautious steps forward. They didn’t encounter the barrier again and successfully reached the two houses.

Following Miao Miao’s scent, they approached the window and peeked inside curiously.

Wang Wang’s dog head was too large, and his entire face pressed against the glass. The heat from his breath left a mist on the glass, blurring Se Se’s view.

"Wang Wang, move over a bit; don’t press your nose against the window!"

Se Se’s slender snake tail pushed Wang Wang forcefully, sinking into his thick fur, but Wang Wang didn’t budge.

"Wang Wang!"

Se Se got a little irritated that Wang Wang ignored her and raised her voice.

"Se Se, keep your voice down, come and see!" Wang Wang paid no attention and called out to Se Se on his own, his face pressing even closer to the glass.

Helpless, Se Se coiled her tail around Wang Wang's ear and pulled hard, landing directly on top of Wang Wang's head.

Only then did she see the scene inside the room.

Under the warm light, she saw their boss, the no-nonsense, fiery yet composed Miao Miao, obediently rubbing her fur, which she never allowed anyone to touch, against the hand of a female human, even rolling over to charm her!

Miao Miao was actually acting cute!

They had never been allowed to touch her fur! Even their grandmother hadn't received such treatment!

That inside couldn't possibly be their Miao Miao!

Their faces pressed against the window, serious and absolutely convinced.