As Zhou You sat to eat, he realized the porridge tasted a bit burnt, the pancake looked off, and the roasted meat was only charred on the outside.

After tasting the gruel, Zhou You commented, "Maybe you shouldn't cook in the future. Does everyone in the 731 lack culinary skills? Maybe hire a few cooks."

Rather than countering, Shao Qi silently conceded, affirming he was indeed one of the 731. After all, having spent so much time with Zhou You, deceiving him into thinking otherwise was nearly impossible.

“Haven't I found you?” Shao Qi invited Zhou You, “Join us. With you on our side, the Central Army Corps will surely be unstoppable.”

Struggling through his breakfast, Zhou You wiped his mouth and remarked, “Let me find my family first, then I'll decide where to go next. Besides, aren't I working for you now? I only answer to you.”

A thought crossed Shao Qi's mind as he sat on the sofa, smiling contentedly. The 2,500 salary was well spent on him.

“By the way, how will we handle the vehicles and supplies we’ve brought back?” Shao Qi inquired. Excluding the share owed to Li Yunxi, they had made quite a profit.

Zhou You logged onto the Martial Arts Association website, checking the online count. “I have an idea," he said to Shao Qi. "Among the civilians in the Jiangnan base, there must be a group that can progress. Once they reach the martial artist level, they can go out for experience. We can reward them with the weapons we've seized. The armored vehicles can be used for their expeditions. What do you think?"

To Shao Qi's surprise, he asked, “So you intend to give all this away?”

Zhou You glanced sideways with a calculating expression, “Half of it is yours, isn’t it? Rather than dividing it, why not buy my share? Those items aren’t of much use to you, but they’d make good rewards, wouldn't they?”

With a forced smile, Shao Qi replied, “You've thought this through.” However, it was something he had already intended to offer. The Jiangnan base was impoverished, and the Martial Arts Association couldn’t provide many tangible rewards. He had already considered contributing from his own stash.

“Look, the total online count is approaching one million. Almost everyone is learning online. Based on the recent logins, more than half have been online for over eight hours. We might soon have a group advancing to junior martial artists.”

“It's heavy snowfall right now. If the weather improves, classes and production will resume, and people won't have as much time for training.”

That's a given, but their primary objective wasn't to have everyone solely focused on martial arts. Their main aim was to maintain the smooth operation of the base.

After the meal, Miao Miao came over with a list to report, “This team doesn’t have much to offer. Most of their stuff was looted from the Dawn Squad. We've seized a decent number of weapons, some armored vehicles, and one unique treasure.”

Miao Miao produced a jade box, “Found this hidden in a vehicle’s crevice. Almost missed it. It's the Spirit Pill developed by Zhong Ji Pharma, even our military hasn’t gotten it yet. There are ten pills inside, each worth about 100 points.”

Shao Qi took one pill, sniffed it, then popped one into his own and Zhou You's mouths. It tasted like ginseng and melted immediately. There was a minor enhancement, but it barely contained any spirit essence.

Handing the remaining pills to Miao Miao, he said, “You can distribute these. Given the high price, the military probably won’t purchase them. We’ll wait for the new product from the research institute.”

Zhou You saw a new business opportunity, “One pill costs 100 points? This is easy money. Instead of fruits, we should be looking into this. I can replicate it given a few days.”

Both Shao Qi and Miao Miao were taken aback. Curiously, Miao Miao asked, “Zhou You, what did you do in the past?”

Zhou You casually replied, “Just some pharmaceutical studies.” Although he had a diverse academic background, he wasn't an expert.

But after his martial arts training, his senses heightened. Before, he could only identify most of the ingredients, but now he could even detect a hint of honey.

Staring intently, Shao Qi proposed, “How about we start a business together? You seem to have a knack for it. It'd be a waste not to leverage these skills.”

“What business? Selling these Spirit Pills?”

“Exactly. Estimate the production cost. We won't charge 100 points per pill. If priced reasonably, many would buy.”

Zhou You rebutted, “It can't be. Who would splurge on such an expensive item to eat like candy? Its spiritual essence might be low, but its rejuvenating properties are effective, especially for injured individuals requiring more time. Seeing it as a life-extending pill, 100 points isn’t too steep.”

Miao Miao stashed the pills close to her, jokingly saying, “These are ours now. Three-way split is tricky, so I'll take half.”

Zhou You perused the listed supplies. There was a decent amount, but not much of use to them. Shao Qi glanced and realized Zhou You's earlier suggestion was apt; these items would be perfect for beginners.

Most members of standard exploration teams are warriors, mostly at a novice level. At Yangcheng base, the High Peak Exploration Team is just average. In Dawn City, they'd rank at the bottom. Hence, they wouldn't possess much high-quality equipment.

This society is relatively fair. Those with greater strength have access to more resources and better equipment. It took Zhou You only a few days to transform from a pauper to a tycoon.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! May you live in joy and peace, may your family live in harmony, and may all your wishes come true!