Chapter 209: Frog Factory
Leaving the dilapidated home once again, the time had reached 6:30 in the evening, with the sky in deep dusk. Combined with the ever-present dark clouds high in the sky and the hurried pedestrians on the road, there was an ultimate sense of fateful twilight.
Looking at the streetlights already lit along both sides of the streets, the mist drifting at the end of the road, and the shops by the roadside with colorful signs clearly lit up, yet still giving the illusion of a black-and-white picture.
Yuan Zhu sighed deeply: “Compared to Taixi City, it’s far inferior!”
A sense of discomfort and disdain naturally arose after living as a worker in a first-tier metropolis and returning to an eighteenth-tier hometown. Clearly, the roadside was somewhat lively with many pedestrians entering and exiting shops, but it always gave a feeling of cold desolation and oppression.
Snake Snake analyzed: “It’s probably because Running’s buildings are old, with an aesthetic leaning toward dark industry, plus the mist is too thick, so the light from streetlights and signs can’t penetrate at all and gets absorbed?”
Walking toward the warehouse district, Yuan Zhu, following Snake Snake’s words, re-examined every blade of grass and tree in his hometown.
Alright, this broken city is inside the Misty Mountains, with limited land resources and very good air quality. So they don’t care about greening at all, land utilization is extremely high, and the roadside only has strange totems, statues, small shrines emitting ‘polluted aura’…
The buildings in the city are of ancient vintage, generally around 5 stories high. They have a profound sense of history, and their surfaces are weathered and damaged, either gray or blackened by industrial exhaust.
When night falls and is shrouded in mist, combined with his own background, the ‘fog city orphan’ vibe scratches an itch and gets addictive.
Suddenly, he figured out a bit of reasoning: “I get it, this is an exotic style of industrialized London with Eastern characteristics + a shrunken Little Gotham!”
At this moment, Yuan Zhu strongly felt that Running City should have its own Batman! Look at these pitch-black alleys, too perfect for sacrificing parents.
Snake Snake: “What thing goes into an alley with six legs and comes out with two?”
Yuan Zhu showed a brilliant smile: “Ah, yes yes yes, that’s the one! Give me another.”
Snake Snake: “What thing rolls around in an alley and has several holes?”
“Bowling ball!”
“Awesome!”
Amid the happy brain teaser time, Yuan Zhu first took a vehicle to the warehouse district. He equipped the Shadow Uniform with one click, then put on the mask properly, and smoothly contacted Zheng Hao, the White Feather Association deputy guarding the warehouse while discussing business here.
The other party had now screened out several members from the team who were willing to serve the ‘Demon God’ loyally and actively approaching the team core. This batch numbered few, only 7 in total, all mid-to-low-level people optimistic about the White Feather Association’s development prospects and with ambition.
Over the past few days, they had actively run around for the missions Yuan Zhu assigned, full of energy. Without much talent, they could only prove their value through attitude and effort.
After meeting, Zheng Hao, the pre-appointed ‘deputy cult leader’, proudly and confidently reported the work progress of the past few days: “President, you’re finally back. I received news from the Cat House yesterday that the goods you ordered will arrive the day after tomorrow and be delivered to our designated warehouse.”
Seeing his attitude reveal some excitement and urgency, like wanting to claim credit, Yuan Zhu said: “Any other good news?”
The other party didn’t hide it: “I used some connections and successfully secured a 30-acre plot for you. The location is near the foothills in the eastern suburbs, with a highway leading to the Rain Courtyard. I’ve already arranged for people to level the land; as soon as the design plans are ready, I can contact the team for construction.”
Before heading to Taixi, Yuan Zhu had invited his senior student to dinner several times and finalized a cooperation intention to open an Experimental Grade Frog Farm.
His current public identity was very clean. He had lived in Running all his life with complete school enrollment records.
After graduation, he worked part-time at the Fire Fang Cleaning Company, nearly capsized, fully woke up, and gained the opportunity to contact the supernatural system. Through a letter of introduction, he completed the Holy Mark Ritual at the Rain Courtyard and showed extraordinary talent.
Now, with some capital, Yuan Zhu was naturally not satisfied with the traditional promotion path of ‘working + ascetic cultivation + joining the Holy Church’, which was laborious and slow.
He needed some ‘disguise’ to cover up the abnormal speed of strength improvement, and by the way, gradually whitewash the White Feather Association as a deeper second-layer cover. (Below the second layer is the third layer Happy Home. Below the third layer is the atmospheric layer Boss Template.)
Thus, ‘entrepreneurship’ became the best choice, rationalizing and whitewashing all the resources (wealth constantly produced by the Boss Template) obtained from the Happy Home.
Therefore, he wasn’t worried about losses at all. Pure loss is still profit! But as long as his brain wasn’t broken, he would definitely choose a profitable industry to earn extra while whitewashing.
So he consulted his senior student multiple times, carefully selecting and deciding on Experimental Grade Frog Supply. As long as he raised high-quality clean Zero Pollution Frogs, the academy would buy unlimited quantities.
Once cooperation is reached, he could use Frog as a stepping stone to connect with the Frog School. Then, through his senior student’s efforts, get a Quenching Body Fluid production contract with more effort but less return, thereby contacting Running’s local ‘magic potion channels’.
Further on, as long as Yuan Zhu continued investing money, with his senior student pulling strings, he could become a raw material supplier for Frog School Magic Potions, investing in poor students within the school and participating in the ‘pharmaceutical industry’.
The specific operations had already formed a set of rules:
Actively play the sucker, invest in and support poor students from the Rain Courtyard, hire them for internships at his own company (farm), providing opportunities and venues to display talents.
The academy students provide technical services to help him optimize the farm and conduct experimental cooperation with the school (scam funding, gain protection).
Once the ‘new product project (graduation design)’ yields results, immediately transform it into Rain Courtyard technical investment, becoming Yuan Zhu’s protective umbrella.
At this point, through hard entrepreneurship, he borrows a layer of skin from the Rain Courtyard, becoming one of the many small companies under the academy. He can use the academy’s channels and influence to formally participate in the pharmaceutical industry.
If interns are excellent enough, they can become small shareholders. Yuan Zhu hugs the thigh (Rain Courtyard), smoothly achieving class transformation from bottom small fry to ‘small business owner’.
The above is the classic route for bottom-tier without background to defy fate.
And his rapid rise to 2 seals in a short time, as long as he waves the Tai Huang Dao flag, gives more bargaining power. Even pulling in the Holy Church to balance the Rain Courtyard allows even more flexible maneuvering.
Precisely because of this, Yuan Zhu planned to invest a lot of energy and money into Frog Farming.
Unexpectedly, before he even made a move, his employees had already secured the ‘land’, just short of factory blueprints.
Snake Snake praised: “This White Feather Small Fry Wish Association can’t be underestimated; their initiative is so strong?”
“I didn’t expect these small fry to be so capable?”
He looked at Zheng Hao, full of desire for meritorious achievements, and praised: “Well done, I’m giving you exchange permissions for Blood Eggplant and Pills. Keep up the effort.”
“I won’t fail the president’s trust!”
Meanwhile, Zheng Hao’s heart was also filled with pleasure and anticipation.
This New White Feather seemed easy to handle; the president has Holy Church background, not like a ‘wild crooked cult’ that loots and runs. The several missions issued in succession were all easy to complete. Buying a listed haunted house, leasing warehouse to acquire ordinary supplies, and securing a plot in the east suburbs to plan a small farm… all without difficulty.
Most importantly, this president pays!
The haunted house money was prepaid early, frequently inviting members to dream team-building. Though ‘supplies and land’ were temporarily self-funded, the other party offered genuine supernatural items as exchange goods.
This was very solid. More reliable than many proper churches that exploit members.
At this moment, Zheng Hao had the feeling that Yuan Zhu was secretly fleecing the Mao Mao King, inwardly praying his own boss wouldn’t collapse early.
Yuan Zhu, unaware of all this, only felt this batch of subordinates were ‘usable’!
“Anything else?”
Zheng Hao thought for a moment and nodded: “One small matter; recently, Taixi Chamber of Commerce members have been continuously transporting supplies to the warehouse. Though not high value, it attracted attention from some idle personnel in the warehouse district. Some have secretly inquired, some scouted, others hinted at protection fees. President, how do you want to handle it?”
Yuan Zhu, with zero entrepreneurship experience, immediately thought of poisoning trash crippled goblins and sighed about damn real commercial warfare. Just this tiny bit of cheap supplies supporting Insect City, and you have the heart to extort?
At this moment, he only wanted to call a few security guards from Insect City to escort. Any few human rank trash cultivators could crush local small-time thugs.
Yuan Zhu countered: “What suggestions do you have?”
Zheng Hao thought: “You handling it personally would lose face. If there are usable subordinates, send them to intimidate. Or I can commission the Cat House for manpower to settle it. Or cooperate with local gangs, pull in one or two leaders to join the White Feather Association for benefits, becoming their backer.”
From his subordinate’s introduction, Yuan Zhu realized he wasn’t really mixing at the bottom; he just hadn’t built fame yet. Just link Taixi Chamber of Commerce with local small gangs to solve it. Releasing a few ‘supernatural’ subordinates would be more convincing.
Unfortunately, Yuan Zhu had plenty of minions, but none presentable. ‘Eggplant Head Ghost, Shadow Magic Worm, Parasitic Goblin…’ which one wasn’t a classic light-exposed-death ‘demonic creature’ that should be burned?
Yuan Zhu thought and decided to find an excuse to approach Miao Miao, saying: “You contact the Cat House; I’m old friends with their boss.”
“Understood!”
…
After spending 20 minutes handling warehouse district matters and leaving Zheng Hao several bottles of Insect-type Pills, Yuan Zhu had his subordinate drive a truck for him.
There were many trucks in the warehouse district; renting one was perfect for transporting the overflowing goblins at night.
After getting in, he notified Lu Rang via Mouse, having the Pipe Wrench Sword Immortal go ahead to the abandoned building to unlock and wait for him.
After completing all this, he floored the accelerator, speeding toward Lu Rang’s home.
En route, Snake Snake analyzed: “Boss, good news. The lab environment needed for Classical Chemistry matches the breeding environment of our planned Frog Farm. Just differing in intensity; we can commission Rain Courtyard for tech to raise the level several notches.”
Comparing to Earth’s sterile labs, the academy’s experimental grade frogs require a sterile (0 pollution) environment for cultivation. Classical Chemistry labs also need safe sterile environments.
However, there’s still a huge difference between them. Assuming sterile levels from 1-10, higher numbers mean harsher environment requirements and higher maintenance costs.
Frog farming only needs levels 1-3. For pharmaceuticals, must start at level 5.
Snake Snake strongly suggested Yuan Zhu spend more to upgrade the farm, building a higher-end ‘small lab’ inside.
Ostensibly, sponsor and hire a weak pushover Frog School poor student for company internship to develop a drug aiding ‘experimental grade frogs’ growth. Secretly, control them as puppet.
Since they study at Rain Courtyard, they must have basic pharmaceutical skills. Perfect for part-time Anti-Law? Sign him! Turn into employee + minion!
“Boss, don’t you want Classical Chemistry? No need to spend energy relearning discarded tech yourself. Too hard; directly control the intern to be our tool, handle operations for us, realize your great dream. Once successful, replicate, use Anti-Law to control more minions to pave the way, become contemporary Mao Mao King!”
Yuan Zhu nodded while driving: “Feasible, no need for me to operate hands-on, just provide tech guidance and ideas. Let them serve me, develop veterinary medicine, then veterinary to dragon medicine… isn’t that Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin? Hand-mixing hydrochloric clenbuterol is my specialty!”
Thinking of his prophesied miserable future in the Space Fault, Yuan Zhu felt the need to maintain the Sacred Timeline.
Lest he not become Dragon Medicine Wolf King and develop too well in Holy Light undertakings, causing future time-space fluctuations, leading Time-Space Security Bureau to send trash back to now to mess with him.
Better he strikes first, become father of new era Sacred Dragon Medicine, develop Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin Holy Drug, maintaining the future in an alternative way.
Thinking of the bright future of fame and fortune, Yuan Zhu’s chest burned with roaring fighting spirit, eager to go all out!
…
At 8:20 PM, Yuan Zhu parked the truck on the outskirts of the abandoned building, then met the long-waiting Lu Rang.
The youth carried a cloth bundle, leading a 1.3-meter shoulder-height giant Gray Wolf beside him, eyes reflecting eerie green light, vigilantly staring at Yuan Zhu, poised for guard and pounce, throat emitting low growls, alerting his owner.
Lu Rang was alerted by his pet, then low-commanded the large Gray Wolf to quiet, calling to Yuan Zhu: “Brother Yuan, I’m here.”
With that, he bent to pat the wolf head, untied the rope, and released it: “Guard the entrance.”
Hearing the command, the Gray Wolf raised its head in response, then darted into the darkness.
Yuan Zhu then got out and approached, curiously staring at the vanished Gray Wolf, sensing a not-weak power lurking in its body. But compared to the un-Dao Seed Foundation Establishment goat without ‘little vest’, it was still a bit inferior: “This is the ‘Gray Wolf Dog’ you mentioned before?”
Lu Rang excitedly said: “Yes, from the Security Bureau, cool right? I’m now a temporary member, passed the assessment, can claim a ‘Gray Wolf Dog’ pet. It has many abilities, very smart, great helper. Can grow further, even more majestic, even cultivate into a mount wolf.”
“I thought the Security Bureau gave a puppy; didn’t expect a big dog. Planning to join the Security Bureau?”
Lu Rang shook his head: “No such plan; just using Security Bureau resources for learning and training, accumulating experience. They welcome civilian ability users in the periphery to provide help. Win-win.”
At this, Yuan Zhu thought of Rain Courtyard’s Wolf School and the false future timeline where he was tormented by Rain Courtyard, becoming Drug (Wolf) King.
Hmm… this doggy probably a product of Rain Courtyard and Security Bureau cooperation? Why wasn’t it friendly seeing this king earlier?
Snake Snake: “You now carry Cat Template, dog scent greatly reduced; it probably can’t recognize you.”
