He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

Chapter 98 Farming, Initiated!

As the battlefield was nearly cleaned up, the dawn was just beginning to break.

With the arrival of a new day, there were no more troubles. Ai was quite satisfied with the situation and finally had a period of leisure, which allowed her to use the next period of time to do important things.

For example, slacking off, slacking off, and slacking off again.

Just as he was fantasizing about the carefree life that was within his grasp—

"elder brother."

As expected, Ai didn't linger in the relaxed atmosphere for long. With a long-lost yet incredibly familiar soft cry, he habitually placed his hand at that familiar height.

"nirvana."

Watching the doll-like girl casually push aside Xiao Qi and snuggle straight into her arms, Ai Yi skillfully began to rub the cat's head. She had originally intended to welcome the little one in a more enthusiastic way, like picking her up or something—

However, their body types don't allow it; one of them is now of advanced age.

"Long time no see," he chuckled, looking at Nie who had buried his face in his chest, and couldn't help but sigh.

In less than a month, it felt like a lifetime had passed—not long ago, I had just begun to learn about the art of the invisible and entered the mysterious world, but now I was already a well-known figure in the entire Nest.

Although it's not a good reputation—

"Did you receive the email I sent you before? Gray Court has arrived, this place is now our territory!"

While adding to Nie's account of the operation's findings, Ai casually remarked, "We should have some usable people under our command now, right? Send some over to do some population census first—we'll have to control every inch of this land sooner or later."

He chuckled and said, "From now on, we can loosen our grip a little."

Previously, Ai had also worried about a possibility: that being too high-profile could lead to a crisis. Before having the hard power to work with the foundation, if his faction acted too "arrogantly," it would be targeted.

If the foundation is determined to clean up the outskirts, or if it overestimates the threat of the Greys to the point that it is willing to face a rival that is ready to explode at any cost, the Greys will most likely not be able to withstand it.

If we get flattened by a single cannon shot, there will be no reasoning to complain.

—But now, Ai is much more at ease.

Previously, when they only occupied the outskirts, Gray Garden posed little concern to the Foundation. However, if they were to give up an area and everything on it in order to eliminate the taboo, a reckoning could come at any time.

Now, their execution ground has spread to Kann. Unlike the outskirts—this place, though also disliked by both people and dogs, is still part of the lower city—though I don't want to say it, the number of Hallownest citizens living here, though small, can still deepen the concerns of the city of Hallownest.

These are things that don't need to be mentioned, but just by existing in this place, they can serve as the most useful "hostages".

"Tsk."

Ai Yi also remarked that she was finally starting to do some of the things that real villains should do: such as kidnapping.

They kidnapped a large group of civilians at once, and also abducted two others—their files listed them as three full-time employees.

—I became my own hostage.

He pondered.

Losing contact under the forbidden regime, every extra day adds value to the identity of "Eileen." The day she can connect with the Foundation from a gray perspective will be the beginning of "Eileen's" ascension.

After all, this is a very realistic world. The foundation must consider the benefits and losses, weigh the costs and gains. When Ai controls a complete piece of land, then the gray faction truly enters the Nest's field of vision and sits at the table of this political game, rather than a garbage dump in the suburbs that can be "cut off" at any time.

However, right now, we have far too few chips in our hands.

Just as the fox was wagging its tail and thinking seriously—

"As expected of the boss, he really thought things through very carefully."

Another familiar voice rang out from the side. Ai Yi reluctantly raised her head and saw an annoying figure: Lin, that girl, it's been so long since I've seen her, and she can still sarcastic remarks to me as soon as she opens her mouth.

"Corporal Lin, watch your attitude!"

He put his hands on his hips, squinted, and looked at his former overworked colleague, Lin, with a hint of suspicion: Lin was wearing a suit by Yu Lian, and it was hard to tell if it was a men's or women's suit. Combined with her noticeably more confident expression and posture, she exuded a much more sophisticated aura than before.

She stared at Ai with a sly smile, her eyes gleaming with ill intent, giving the impression that she was about to pounce on Ai and pet the fox at any moment.

Ai blinked:

In just one month, this previously listless and unambitious office worker was transformed into someone completely different.

—He resembles a powerful executive of a large corporation.

Ai Yi didn't want to admit it, but he was slightly surprised. Nie tugged at his sleeve. It was only then that the fox remembered that during his absence, although Nie was the nominal leader of the outskirts, the person actually in charge of regulating the development of the secret sect and incidentally "subduing the rebels" on the front lines was Lin.

Besides managing internal affairs, this guy also has Xiao Liuli, a super henchman, and they run rampant in the suburbs: now, those faction leaders who have been repeatedly reprimanded tremble at the mere mention of "Chief Steward Lin's" name.

It's estimated that in a while, Lin's name will become another urban legend in the suburbs.

"You've actually made a name for yourself."

Ai sighed, and didn't hold back in acknowledging that although it had an overwhelming advantage in violence, for a former office worker, being able to complete a "mindset shift" in such a short time and be competent in work that was completely outside its own field, it was good enough, even if not outstanding, before seeing its work results.

After all, Lin was a tool that Ai Yi had personally promoted. She was definitely one of Ai Yi's own bad apples, and it was enough that she could get things done without making people worry.

"Hmph—I've finally discovered my talent. Before, sitting in an office writing code was just a waste of my abilities."

Lin grumbled, "I was born to aid and abet evil!"

-Well----

Ai Yi's lips twitched, feeling that her image might have been objectively tarnished.

However, despite his intimidating public image, this guy is at least reassuring; he's still the same familiar cronies.

After catching up, they returned to work mode. Some things were better left unsaid online, so Nie and Lin gave Ai a detailed summary of what had happened during this period, leaving some troublesome matters for him to decide on his own.

—First and foremost, the most crucial thing is the production process of the "nuclear bomb." The crown of malice is about to be completed, and only the final act of sewage discharge is needed. After a month of accumulation, the malice that Hallownest has accumulated will reach a critical point, and it will be poured out in about half a month before the end of this year.

As for concerns about whether the city will still choose this location as a sewage disposal site after the changes in the suburbs, that's not even a question. Normally, doing such a despicable thing would require overcoming several moral hurdles or considering public opinion, but now—

By pouring history onto the taboo, they could hardly have any extra burdens.

Of course, Ai would love for them to do that.

"Continue." The fox chuckled mischievously.

Firstly, there's the current situation in the suburbs: after a month of cleaning, the old house has finally been cleaned up to look presentable.

With the origin of gray matter as its hub, the Gray Court has expanded its influence to more than 80% of the territory, with only a small area in the north that it has not yet reached—the last remaining wild factions in the suburbs have already gathered there.

Among these organizations are some informal societies that hope to "resolve problems elegantly" in a mysterious way, and others that are considered "dirty stuff" and are not accepted by Haiba for various reasons.

For example, those cults that don't behave like humans, and rats that challenge the bottom line, some of them are the first to wave the white flag to Gray Court, but Ai Yi, who has a mental fastidiousness, can't stand these things, and gives Lin a strict order: paint every single one of them with TuTuLe.

When signs appeared that surrendering would lead to annihilation, the various factions experienced a period of panic. However, after carefully studying the Gray Court's modus operandi, they also realized that this incomprehensibly powerful force was conducting a harsh selection process on a "moral" level.

A small number of factions that committed minor offenses but not major transgressions passed the screening, receiving education while also joining that person's camp, while the majority of people were in a panic.

—Holy crap, the new boss who just parachuted in isn't following the rules!

Aside from the newbies who are still inexperienced, where do the people from the far suburbs of Zhenghuang Banner find their bottom line?

But precedents were constantly being set in motion. As one force after another failed the selection process and was purged and reorganized, those faction leaders with corrupt subordinates, who found resistance futile, chose another approach:

run.

First, they abandoned their homes; then they gradually began to band together for warmth—ultimately coalescing into massive, bee-swarm-like groups, clustering in several remote corners of Gray Court, constantly organizing small-scale harassment and counterattacks.

Several societies that truly possessed mysterious powers became the core of these rats. Relying on the turbulent hearts of the people under high pressure, qualified individuals emerged one after another. The societies gradually abandoned the so-called "elegant cultivation." As long as one awakened, they all entered the mysterious realm.

As a result, the factions that originally belonged to the Gray Court became increasingly powerless—although they received occasional support from above and the overall situation remained stable, their expansion speed clearly slowed down.

As the conflict gradually spread to the entire outskirts, a battlefield of this scale could not be handled by a few high-end combatants alone. Therefore, Lin considered the situation and did not rely on the Gray Matter's backup plan to forcibly suppress the conflict. Instead, she continuously compressed their living space in localized areas, like a wolf chasing a flock of sheep.

As long as it's not a cult that corrupts human morality, even if it's a rat-like faction, they will still have a group of capable people under their command. If all these guys are wiped out, will the fields still be cultivated?

A better solution would be to wear them down before rounding them up, then regroup and screen them to completely shatter their illusions and turn them into loyal followers.

Rather than taming, it's more like "herding" now.

"The grazing is nearing its end, and the remaining rebels have been driven to the back corners—their pressure has reached its limit, and they are either devastated or hysterical—it makes no difference to us."

Lin explained excitedly, "In short, we need to squeeze their courage without letting it sink completely, and deplete their hope without extinguishing it completely. Only in this way, after everything is cleared out, can we obtain some usable people instead of a bunch of useless people."

"Okay, okay, okay—"

Ai looked at her expressionlessly, her lips twitching. "As expected of you."

Lin, a corporate slave turned bad woman, understands evolution.

Surprisingly, their thoughts actually clicked. Ai Yi thought about it and realized that Lin was somewhat similar to her in some ways, both having that kind of "disrespect for elders" and "unrestrained" madness. No wonder they had so much to talk about while drinking.

"Is there anything else I need to do in this step?"

He thought for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "When you're finally closing in, how about I step in to set things up?"

"It's not impossible."

Lin pondered for a moment and said, "It's been so long, it's time to let those troublemakers see the majesty of their boss—could you dress up a bit more handsomely and have a higher level of prestige, so as to leave them with an unforgettable impression?"

"Relax."

Ai snapped her fingers, but Lin added, "Oh, right, there's another very important question."

"?"

Looking at the fox tilting its head, she said solemnly, "We don't have enough survival supplies. Under the blockade of the gray matter, those factions can't get supplies from the outside world. Now the internal reserves in the suburbs are almost gone, and we can only barely survive by sending people to smuggle them out on our own."

"However, as the area we control expands and the city authorities tighten their control over us, it has become increasingly difficult for us to obtain sufficient supplies through trade."

"In other words—" Ai said softly.

Lin nodded: "In other words, resuming production is urgent. We need to have enough infrastructure and raw materials to feed ourselves, otherwise the organization will collapse before the foundation can intervene."

"I see----"

The next second, Ai's serious expression suddenly disappeared, and she chuckled, "My interest in Kane Street this time was actually partly due to this consideration."

In the regional planning of a city, large production areas are usually placed far away from residential and commercial areas. However, as the most remote part of the North River, Kann has a small permanent population, while the primary and secondary industries, which are not favored, are more concentrated here.

Modular farming (hormone farming plus growth solution cultivation), biomass recycling industry chain, metallurgical heavy industry plant—except for the lack of mineral raw materials, the production lines here are basically all available.

These are exactly what Ai is lacking right now.

"The same thing will happen again. Send people to take over and restore production here, and also collect the stored supplies for temporary use. As for the situation back home, I will handle it personally."

He quickly made arrangements; as the behind-the-scenes boss, his job was simply to decide the general direction, while the specific execution details remained to be determined.

With the help of those "special talents" recruited from the outskirts—after all, being uneducated is a major taboo; nowadays, even the underworld needs to hire two graduate students as their brains to operate.

"that's all."

He glanced back at the street below, now just ruins, took Nie's little hand, hesitated for a moment, then gently took Qi's hand as well, "Let's go home."

With two little foxes perched on its shoulders, the fox, already small, looked rather bulky with all the accessories, like an aircraft carrier.

Passing by Ronan sitting cross-legged in the pile of rubble—more than half an hour had passed, and even the antlered girl had woken up, staring blankly at the abstract scene before her: three little ones holding hands like elementary school students on a field trip, which made her even more stunned.

"Who are you----"

Ronan was also a little taken aback; his former colleague had come out of the alley looking completely different.

He murmured incredulously, "I know you."

"Since we know each other, it must be fate."

Without making a move, Ai Yiteng grinned, revealing a sharp little fang, and gave a wicked smile. "I wonder if I could take up a little of your time, my esteemed guests—"

He chuckled softly, "Now follow me, and I will introduce you to the flow of radiance: before we fully comprehend its greatness, I believe we will have a wonderful time—"

"us----"

'

Ronan and Mia exchanged a glance, their hearts pounding wildly, a mixture of restlessness and confusion.

However, they had already realized their situation, so they took a deep breath and murmured, "We are—more than willing."

In the dim light of dawn, the group boarded the heavily modified obstacle-breaking vehicle and embarked on their return journey.

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