Global Flood: I Survive on Duckweed

Chapter 272: Chapter 183: Expansion Method, the River Bird is Tempted

Previously, Si Youqin and Lin Mu had still been in a probationary period. Moreover, the Peach Blossom Base hadn’t had much need for various functional spaces, so Ren Yuanyang wasn’t in a hurry to expand the Banyan Forest.

Now, Ren Yuanyang had developed a basic level of trust in Si Youqin and Lin Mu. Plus, with the need to expand both the crop cultivation and breeding farm operations, the Banyan Forest’s current space was no longer sufficient.

Hearing Lu Jiamei mention this issue, Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. ”It is a bit tricky, but not impossible to manage.”

”Exactly. We just have to pull the aerial roots into the water and secure them for a while, right?” Qin Haonan said nonchalantly.

”Pulling them into the water is the easy part. The most important thing is whether they can withstand the ravages of a Level 7 wind while they’re growing,” Xin Wan pointed out.

Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. ”That’s why we’ll need to watch over them.”

Initially, Ren Yuanyang had planned to reinforce a few banyan saplings or seeds, plant them around the existing Banyan Forest, and cultivate them until they merged with the original forest.

But this method would also require special attention. The young saplings couldn’t withstand the destructive force of a Level 7 wind; they’d only be strong enough once their trunks reached a certain thickness.

Furthermore, there would be no branches connecting the new forest to the original. It would be like two separate landmasses. If they drifted at different speeds, they would end up colliding and crushing each other.

To avoid this, Ren Yuanyang ultimately decided to expand the existing Banyan Forest directly.

”Leader, how long will we need to tend to the aerial roots in the water before we can leave them be?” Lu Jiamei asked with a frown.

Ren Yuanyang checked the data from the previous reinforcement and replied, ”At least four hours.”

”That’s not too bad,” Lu Jiamei said, nodding slightly.

Qin Haonan’s eyes darted thoughtfully. ”Leader,” he began, ”the main problem with expanding the Banyan Forest is the strong wind at the perimeter. If we could enclose a small section, creating an area with little to no wind, couldn’t the Banyan Forest just expand on its own?”

Ren Yuanyang paused for a moment, then nodded.

”That makes things simple, then!” Qin Haonan continued with a smile. ”We can just use metal to build an enclosure for an area like that.”

”That’s a good idea!” Ren Yuanyang’s eyes lit up as he said approvingly.

”But wouldn’t securing a metal wall be rather difficult?” Xin Wan asked, her brow furrowed slightly.

”We should be able to secure it using Duckweed for support and pulling it taut with chains. Besides, we don’t need to make it too large,” Ren Yuanyang replied.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

”We can go test it out after lunch,” Ren Yuanyang said, and began to eat faster.

Ren Yuanyang and the others quickly finished their lunch and headed over to the yacht.

When Ren Yuanyang’s group boarded the yacht, Tu Chong and the others were still stuffing their faces.

Lin Mu had already finished eating. Seeing Ren Yuanyang enter, he immediately stood up to greet him. ”Leader!”

Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. ”Have Si Youqin and the others finished eating?”

As if on cue, Si Youqin and the others emerged from one of the inner rooms.

Before Lin Mu could answer, Si Youqin spoke up. ”We’ve finished, Leader. Do you have any orders for us?”

Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. ”Have Ziyu bring all the Gold-Type Evolvers and follow me.”

Jin Ziyu, who was in the middle of eating a peach, froze for a second. She then nodded immediately, called over Gu Xin and the other Gold-Type Evolvers, and followed Ren Yuanyang out onto the deck.

Ren Yuanyang looked at the choppy surface of the sea and the yacht beneath his feet. ’I can use the yacht as an anchor point,’ he thought, struck by a sudden inspiration. ’If I extend metal walls from both sides, I can create a windless zone!’

’The two ends of the metal wall and the stern of the yacht would be like a fork, plunging directly into the Banyan Forest to hold it in place. In the space between the tines, the banyan’s aerial roots can grow freely!’

’That way, I won’t even need to use the Duckweed to support the metal walls!’

’The water’s surface inside that space would still be turbulent, but it wouldn’t stop the aerial roots from reaching the water to take root and sprout.’

’Best of all, this metal enclosure would be mobile. We’d just have to start the yacht and move it to a new target location.’

’By the same logic, we could do the same with the other three speedboats.’

Ren Yuanyang explained his idea to Lu Jiamei and the others. Lu Jiamei said excitedly, ”That’s a brilliant idea! It’ll save a ton of manpower!”

”Then let’s test my idea,” Ren Yuanyang said. He began directing the Gold-Type Superpower Users to create a tall metal wall at the ship’s stern according to his design.

They were to make it as lightweight as possible while ensuring it could withstand a Level 7 wind.

As long as there was metal available, it was incredibly simple for the Gold-Type Evolvers to create such structures. It only took them three minutes to turn Ren Yuanyang’s idea into reality.

The yacht, now with the new metal wall attached, looked like a strange fork. Ren Yuanyang immediately gave an order, ”Haonan, reposition the yacht. Let’s see how it works!”

Qin Haonan nodded. He maneuvered the yacht away from where it was docked parallel to the Banyan Forest, then aimed the stern toward the forest and began to reverse.

He didn’t stop until the metal walls on either side had pushed into the Banyan Forest.

Ren Yuanyang and the others went into the Banyan Forest. Looking at the space created between the tines of the ”fork,” they saw there was almost no wind. Although the aerial roots still swayed slightly, it was no longer enough to stop them from dropping into the water.