Yang Jia started picking fruits like crazy.

Although she'd previously claimed to be in a hurry, her actions had been methodical and predictable, with a touch of the leisurely, comfortable feeling of a journey. But ever since that bizarre dream, Yang Jia felt she had too much free time, which was why she dreamed so much nonsense, so she didn't hesitate to add to her burden.

I start working as soon as I open my eyes in the morning, and I work until it gets completely dark. After eating, I lie down and rest.

After a while of this busy schedule, the vague thoughts in his heart seemed to be completely suppressed by the heavy work, and there was no trace of them. Yang Jia even felt that he rarely thought about Lian Libai because he couldn't make the time.

However, this hellish job also has its advantages, that is, her work of collecting illustrations is progressing faster and faster, and the six cities of the Spark Guild have been captured.

As this work progressed, Yang Jia felt as if he had gained a deeper understanding of this land. However, this feeling was rather faint and vague, so Yang Jia didn't take it seriously.

Afterwards, she came to the territory of Shengshi Guild.

According to the location of the game world's continents, Shengshi Guild was the farthest from Nirvana Guild. So Yang Jia chose this place as his starting point, gradually advancing, and finally returning to his own place.

The natural environment of the Shengshi Guild is completely different from that of the Xinghuo Guild.

Though remote, this place isn't as desolate as the Spark Guild. Even its cities are built on snow and desert. The eleven cities belonging to the Shengshi Guild are nestled among mountains, oases, and basins. This land is rich and beautiful, and the landscapes of these cities are naturally diverse.

Yang Jia hadn't intended to alert anyone; she was on a mission, after all. But she'd forgotten that her current identity was different, and she'd attract attention wherever she went. So, upon arriving in Golden Eagle City, home to the Shengshi Guild's headquarters, someone immediately came to greet her.

Considering that she had to go to other places next, if she mobilized a large number of people every time she went to a place, it would not only affect others but also be a waste of time for Yang Jia herself. So she had a very sincere conversation with the leaders of the Shengshi Guild, and after much persuasion, she finally stopped them from sending people to follow her.

Of course, just because no one is following him openly doesn’t mean there are no ones following him secretly, and Yang Jia is very clear about this.

After all, they were partners now, but their relationship was far from friendly. They might even come to blows one day. Yang Jia's demeanor, scouring every inch of the land, naturally made people wary. She said she was here on a mission, but who knew if she had come to scout the terrain beforehand?

So, there must be someone secretly following her to see what she was doing. However, as long as no one bumped into her, Yang Jia decided to pretend not to see anything.

With someone following her, she lost interest in sightseeing and immersed herself in collecting every day, seizing every opportunity to complete this time-consuming and huge task as soon as possible.

…

Li Bai has returned to Hope Star.

The Earth Alliance's exploration of Planet Hope hasn't been smooth sailing, but over the years, they've learned more and more about the planet. Thanks to various scientific research methods, after overcoming the initial, most difficult period, humanity has now, with the exception of an unpredictable virus that remains uncontrollable, managed to gain a foothold on the planet.

Virus outbreaks are erratic, and every time they occur, many people die. Fortunately, while a vaccine hasn't been developed, research on the virus has yielded considerable results.

The origin of the virus remains unknown, and each outbreak is sudden. Some say it's the air on Hope that contains the pathogen, others say it's carried by the planet's flora and fauna, and still others say it's a natural culprit, caused by Earthlings' inability to adapt to the new planet's environment. There's no consensus on the cause.

However, the virus's pathogenesis, infection route, incubation period, symptoms, etc. have all been studied one by one, and simple prevention measures have been developed.

As long as the infected individuals are controlled in the early stages of an outbreak and isolated using appropriate means, the virus can be effectively contained within a certain range. This is because the virus only spreads within 24 hours of infection. After this period of isolation, contact with the infected person will no longer be dangerous.

Since this discovery, the number of researchers infected has dropped significantly in the past two years. Although some people are still infected inexplicably and sent to the lunar base, the virus is no longer something that everyone panics about.

Because of this, the development speed of Hope Star has become much faster.

After gaining a firm foothold, the next step is expansion and development.

After the first simple city was established, various infrastructures were gradually improved, and the population continued to increase, the Earth Alliance Headquarters issued an order to the Hope Star Base to speed up the development of Hope Star.

Hope Star is rich in species, but also full of dangers. In times like these, the military is naturally needed to lead the way.

So Li Bai was transferred here and assigned to the most dangerous position - the first batch to go deep into Hope Star, and could only explore and sweep within a certain range, while trying not to damage the surrounding natural environment, and clear out those things that may threaten the personal safety of ordinary people, such as large wild animals.

Li Bai's own team was assigned to participate in the "Realistic" game project, leaving her alone. So, during the studio's reorganization, she was assigned to another team. The team leader was also an acquaintance, Ma Xiaoyang from the Ma family.

The Ma family holds a unique position. While other major Chinese families focus on the military and politics, they quietly expand their business empire, quietly controlling the economic lifeline of the entire Chinese region. This is precisely why the self-proclaimed peace-loving Ma family is able to command a large army and become one of the six major factions.

Among all businesses, the Ma family particularly favors those related to planting and breeding.

Li Bai came here because of her exceptional combat prowess, and Hope Star needed someone like her. But Ma Xiaoyang also came to Hope Star because the Ma family wanted to seize the initiative. According to Li Bai's understanding, they had close ties with many researchers at the Hope Star base, especially the biologists and zoologists.

The development of a new planet naturally involves the study and domestication of its inhabitants. It's this latter aspect that the Ma family seeks to intervene in. These domesticated species will become food on the tables of future human settlers, necessitating vigorous promotion. Others will become new companions for humans—gardening for their beauty or serving as companion pets.

On Earth, this business is monopolized by the Ma family, and it's clear they're trying to replicate their success on Planet Hope.

Because he was so absorbed in his work, Ma Xiaoyang, a rare exception among his peers, didn't want to compete with Li Bai, nor did he have much admiration for her. With such a captain, one could imagine how his team members would perform.

Li Bai didn't care, and stayed in the corner listening to the others talking. A word frequently appeared in their conversations: hunting.

The best tamer must also be the best hunter.

For them, this military campaign is a hunt, to conquer the species on the planet with the weapons in their hands.

After discovering Planet Hope, the Earth Alliance, after much exploration, finally found a plain downstream of a river to land on, set up camp, and build a city. Because the area was spacious and the animals living there were mostly docile, they encountered few major dangers. Even so, the army would periodically leave their base to conduct sweeps and eliminate any dangers.

This time, their goal is to enter the forest closest to the plain.

From the air, this forest isn't very large and doesn't appear particularly dangerous. However, the forest environment is vastly different from the plains, and the species involved are naturally different. Therefore, once the military has verified the absence of any danger, researchers will immediately follow up and conduct sampling and research within the forest.

After gathering, they quickly boarded the base-issued vehicle. This vehicle had been modified using local materials after their arrival, and its function was limited. Since they were entering the forest, they couldn't actually drive; the vehicle was only responsible for taking them to the forest entrance and then returning.

The car was not driving fast. Ma Xiaoyang sat in his seat, spread out the map to explain the terrain of the mountains and forests to everyone, and arranged the next work.

Perhaps because they felt there wasn't much danger, the team members seemed to be thinking about how much prey they would catch after entering the mountains. They were very excited and completely ignored Li Bai, an outsider. Li Bai listened quietly to Ma Xiaoyang's arrangements and gripped his gun tightly.

She had a very strong premonition that this trip might not be so smooth.

The Earth Alliance felt that the progress on Planet Hope wasn't big enough, and that progress had remained limited over the years. However, those leaders who had never been here didn't realize how out of place these newly emerged humans were on this planet. Their increasing movements over the years had undoubtedly drawn the attention and even vigilance of the local species.

Beneath the surface calm, the creatures hidden in the mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, and oceans were undoubtedly watching their actions. Their group of five hundred seemed numerous, but once they dispersed into the forest, not even a shadow could be seen.

So when the car stopped and was about to enter the mountain, Li Bai walked to Ma Xiaoyang and whispered to him, "Be careful."

Ma Xiaoyang glanced at her, frowned slightly, and said nothing. He waved his hand and ordered the people behind him to start moving forward.