Wasteland Development Diary.

Chapter 645 Leave Without Pay
The cultivation of mantle bacteria is a long-term project that has now officially begun.

Zhou Yi's current short-term focus is on the giant bony fish that occupies Europa.

It also considers humans and celestial beings to be enemies, and in theory, they should be potential allies and collaborators.

But in fact.

From Quickfoot and Bigmouth's words, it's clear that this giant bone fish doesn't trust other groups; it only recognizes the bone fish clan.

Zhou Yi had to change his approach.

He looked at the two bone fish: "Besides the Earth Ghost, are there only the two of you on Europa?"

Big Mouth said, "Chairman, it's just the two of us. Mr. Earth Ghost also said that we were the first batch of bone fish he brought there, so he wanted to train us. But when we wanted to go back to the company, he got very angry and scolded us for having no ambition..."

Quickfoot then said, "Actually, it still cares about our company quite a bit, it just says it doesn't care. Especially when it comes to the idea that an artificial sun can eliminate the three calamities of the Dead Sea, Mr. Earth Ghost simply refuses to believe it. According to it, only a real sun can do such a thing, not a counterfeit."

Zhou Yixin said that was true.

Artificial suns utilize energy paralleling, but in essence, they still make use of existing solar energy.

Quickfoot added, "Mr. Earth Ghost cannot transmit sound to the bone fish on the ground; it needs the bone fish to enter satellite orbit in order to establish a connection."

“When I consulted Mr. Earth Ghost, he said some strange things, including ‘Is there still no change on the ground?’ ‘Not a single one has broken through the orbit.’”

"The Earth's perimeter is sealed off by 16 overseers sent by the Celestials. These overseers are all at the Transformer level, so even Mr. Earth Ghost would find it difficult to send a message to the ground without triggering them."

The Bonefish employee explained, "So it has to be in orbit to break free from the ground blockade. Because the outer space outside the Earth contains a large amount of cosmic rays, which are areas that the supervisors cannot identify and filter."

"There are very few life forms that can leave the Earth's surface and enter the outer layers. So far, there is only one bone fish, Mr. Earth Ghost. Big Mouth and I were able to fly into orbit via a biological rocket thanks to the company's efforts."

"So it felt disappointed when it heard that we were going back to the company. Maybe it's because it's always been lonely."

It turned out to be interference and blockade by the gem transmutator.

If the bone fish doesn't break out of the atmosphere and enter space, it won't be able to communicate with the Earth Spirits.

Zhou Yi pondered to himself.

Wait.

It seems there's a different way to operate.

He pondered the matter repeatedly, making sure there were no problems, before finally asking, "Can the two of you still contact the Earth Ghost?"

Quickfoot said, "Yes."

Big Mouth, being straightforward, said, "Mr. Earth Ghost is angry that we came back to the company. He doesn't reply to me much now. No matter what I say, he doesn't answer... He's probably not happy."

"But actually, just before leaving orbit, it asked us when this would end, urging us to hurry back to Europa to continue training. It wanted to build an army of bone fish to fight against the Celestials. Because the strength of an individual is too limited, it now realized that it needed the support of the group..."

There is a play.

Zhou Yi immediately said, "I have an idea now, and I'd like to ask for your opinions."

"The giant bone fish taught you how to become stronger and evolve, which will be of great help to you. I think you can try going to Europa to start a new profession."

Big Mouth was stunned: "Chairman, are you going to fire us? No way! You can deduct our pay or even deduct our vacation days!"

"is not what it means."

Zhou Yi waved his hand and patiently explained, "This is a special company policy called leave without pay. It means we don't pay your salaries, but we retain your positions."

“You’ll still be company employees, but if you go to Europa and learn from the giant bony fish, you’ll grow much faster. After all, it’s the strongest bony fish on Earth to date.”

"Leave without pay..."

Big Mouth was still wondering: "But when we were in the past, we were just trained by Mr. Earth Ghost. Does that count as starting a new profession?"

"Forget it."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Its goal is to strengthen the entire Bone Fish group and form a team to fight against the Celestials. However, I believe that it will not let you go directly in the short term because your strength is still far from enough. You will most likely become the first batch of backbone members to form its Bone Fish army, and will become instructors and commanders in the future. You have a very promising future."

"Of course, this direction will allow you to break through the Light Core Body, but it also carries the risk of war. So you need to decide for yourselves."

Quickfoot was the first to understand: "Chairman, you mean we work for Mr. Earth Ghost over there? But if we're unhappy there, we can come back?"

"That's what I mean."

Zhou Yi nodded: "So far, the Earth Ghost hasn't made things difficult for you. It let you come back. At least for you, it has been quite restrained and tolerant."

Quickfoot and Bigmouth exchanged a glance.

“Then… let’s give it a try.” “You should honestly tell Giant Bone Fish about the unpaid leave.”

"Yes."

However, to contact the giant bony fish, one needs to be in satellite orbit.

So the artificial sun sent them there again.

Through the abandoned satellite, the two employees were able to reconnect with the giant fish.

Quickfoot immediately reported to Cat God: "Chairman, when Mr. Earth Ghost heard about our unpaid leave policy, he didn't say anything. He even took the company's holidays into account and promised to give us four days off each month and send us home. Although it's less than the company's holidays, it's better than we expected."

"That's good."

Zhou Yi felt relieved.

"And another thing is... Mr. Earth Ghost asked me to pass on a message to you."

"Ok?"

"It said that if more bone fish could be sent to the sky, it would reward them handsomely."

"Then please tell them that in the long run, the launch of the Bonefish into satellite orbit will continue to drive progress, and our company also encourages Bonefish employees to go to Europa. They can grow rapidly there and have more room to showcase their talents."

"Yes."

Zhou Yi was in a good mood after the conversation ended.

Although they still couldn't have a direct conversation.

However, the giant bone fish also showed goodwill, being very positive about the company's training of rocket bone fish and hoping that more bone fish would go to Europa.

From the company's perspective, this would not only provide Bonefish employees with more opportunities for career growth, but also strengthen their own camp when facing the Celestials in the future, which is something Zhou Yi would be happy to see happen.

Agriculture Minister Zheng Tao, however, had strong opinions about this.

He stated frankly, "Chairman, our bone fish employees have undergone years of training to develop intelligence close to that of humans. From the initial fry to growing into bone fish, and then gradually evolving into rocket bone fish, before finally taking up their posts and participating in the work of various departments of the company, it is thanks to the suitable hydroponic environment of Zhanjiang Bay No. 1, coupled with the tireless efforts of the trainers."

"These are all good seedlings that our Ministry of Agriculture has painstakingly cultivated and selected."

"The company has only 300 bonefish that meet the job requirements so far. They all have experience in express delivery work, which is how they gradually developed their current intelligence and experience."

"Those who can be sent to satellite orbit for operations are the best of the best, and they must have at least 3 years of work experience to go into space."

"The company spent a lot of effort training the Bone Fish employees, and now they've gone to the Giant Bone Fish. It's such a pity to lose these important talents..."

Since the decline of express delivery centers and the gradual replacement of delivery services by airship systems, the initial hatching and cultivation of bone fish has been entirely handled by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Zheng Tao was dissatisfied with this, as he couldn't bear to see the reserve forces he had painstakingly cultivated being taken away by the giant bone fish.

Zhou Yi invited him to room 3101 for a private chat.

"Old Zheng, I understand what you mean. But we need to look at this from a developmental perspective."

"Indeed. We finally managed to get to Europa to start repairing the satellite's backbone, but we lost a lot of manpower. However, we also received a very generous reward."

"First, the role of mantle bacteria has been confirmed, which has greatly improved both the lower and upper limits of bone fish. According to the structural pattern of subterranean bone fish, as long as it coexists and fuses with mantle bacteria, it can at least reach the B-level strength."

He poured Zheng Tao a cup of tea: "Have some."

"Furthermore, the company's method of breeding bonefish is based on that of Samurai crabs. Samurai crabs are the closest and most reliable family members to the company."

"Even if the bone fish go to the Earth Demon and work for it, they are still the company's children."

"The core mission of the company in its second five-year period is to go global and engage in education."

"The Rocket Bone Fish are implementing these two company strategies. They've traveled to the far-off Europa, and through years of training and education by the company, they've gained the approval of the Earth Spirits. Now, venturing out is also the time to test their various qualities."

“We can’t tie every employee’s hands and feet. They are willing to stay with the company because the company has what they need and they like it here.”

Zhou Yi offered some guidance, saying, "At this point, we need to look at the problem from a different perspective. The fact that the Bonefish employees went to Europa for training is like our Mushroom Forest Elementary School graduates going to the Dragon Palace for further studies; it's also a manifestation of the company's successful education."

"Whether they stay on Europa in the future or eventually choose to return, we should support them. It's like children leaving home to work hard; some like to pursue their dreams in distant places, while others stay in their familiar hometowns."

“Outside are jobs and careers, but Emerald City and Shagang are my hometowns that I can come back to anytime.”

Zheng Tao sipped his tea, his brows gradually relaxing: "Indeed, if we consider the bonefish as a child nurtured by the company... then that's not bad either."

"Chairman, I understand."

(End of this chapter)