Chapter 512 - 41: A New Journey
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During the construction of the new ship, it was rare for the islanders to see the Leader appear every day.
After working in the factory for a long time, without seeing sunlight, Chen Zhou’s skin became much paler. Due to the lack of physical labor and good nutrition, his physique expanded by two circles.
Already taller than the natives and more robust, by this time, standing alongside the natives, Chen Zhou was almost as wide as three natives.
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The keel inside the new ship was welded with steel bars, a technical job Chen Zhou wasn’t comfortable leaving to the natives, so he did it himself.
Being the dry season, the island’s sun was scorching.
Having been indoors for a long time, returning to outdoor work, Chen Zhou suffered quite a bit in the first few days of welding.
Sweat soaking through clothes and hats was common, working from morning till night, his accumulated fat was rapidly depleting each day, and in a few days, his whole body slimmed down by a circle.
Approaching 30, even though the four years after 25 were spent in challenges, without as many experiences as modern society, Chen Zhou felt his mentality had nevertheless undergone significant changes.
From initially going with the flow, craving equality, trying to treat everyone peacefully.
To now holding the power of life and death, taking it as normal to take lives, pondering daily how to expand his power, and planning to manufacture stronger killing weapons to acquire wealth.
Chen Zhou increasingly felt that now, he was becoming more and more incompatible with modern society.
Sometimes when he thought about the challenges ending, and the possible events after returning to the modern world with enormous wealth, he felt an inexplicable fear rise in his heart.
He feared that his lawless self now would still prefer to use violence to solve problems upon returning to the modern world, thus facing legal repercussions.
After 28 years of developing the mindset of a superior, how long would it take to wear it down and adjust?
Chen Zhou didn’t know.
He could only comfort himself, believing that where there’s a will, there’s a way, welding the steel framework of the new ship bit by bit, ordering the natives to saw planks, forge rivets, and install them onto the framework piece by piece.
Once some things start, they can’t be stopped.
This isolated island, like a wagon loaded with cargo, was speeding downhill.
The faster its speed, the harder it was to stop.
Chen Zhou’s desire for wealth and power was swelling with the speed of this "wagon."
In this backward and ancient era, his knowledge and ideas, and the equipment and resources brought by mysterious rewards, were weapons that could elevate him above the whole world.
Who, having such weapons, could stay obedient and quietly squat on the island, guarding their little plot of land, without trying to make a name for themselves?
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People’s strength lies in numbers.
A more advanced, larger, and sturdier sailboat was rapidly completed with the islanders’ united efforts.
Two days before the rainy season arrived, this sailboat was launched into the ocean.
Dropping anchor, the unraised sails were blown by the sea breeze, flapping loudly, as if calling for brave sailors.
The islanders gathered on the shore, marveling at this giant.
Soon, they saw the owner of the big ship—
Sunday, Chen Fu, Chen Lu, Chen Shou, along with the renamed Kosu and Kulu, formed a six-person team.
The four of Sunday, Fu, Lu, and Shou wore flamboyantly strange camouflage combat uniforms, each carrying a long gun on their back, they were the main combatants for this sea expedition to capture the natives.
During the days they were not seen, they had been undergoing military training devised by Chen Zhou in the hidden forest behind the factory.
In addition to obedience training, physical training, firearms training, cold weapons usage, and wilderness survival training, they also were taking cultural classes tailored by Chen Zhou, making them more like modern people compared to other natives.
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The last time Chen Zhou went to sea, he had to act covertly, fearing other natives would discover his actions.
Now, Chen Zhou no longer disguised his intentions.
With four improved Chen Family rifles and ample ammunition, coupled with Kulu and Kosu’s American Hunting Compound Bows, there was no need to fear the uncivilized natives on the island.
If the theme of the last operation was "infiltration," then this time the theme was "plunder."
There was no cumbersome launch ceremony, nor a grand departure feast.
After the six-person team boarded the ship, they stood in unison at the ship’s side and saluted Chen Zhou. After Chen Zhou waved his hand indicating everything was ready and to continue, they raised the anchor, hoisted the sails, and sailed towards the deep sea under the high morning sun.
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As they watched the new ship leave, and before the gathered islanders dispersed, Chen Zhou announced an exciting piece of news—
From today on, that old sailboat will be handed over to the fishing team.
The few who fished daily were naturally overjoyed to hear this news.
Although the old sailboat was not as grand as the newly launched one, it was still much larger and more convenient than the canoes they currently used.
With this boat, they could venture into the open sea, catch more fish and shrimp, gain more rewards, and trade more resources with others. For them, there was no better news than this.
Immediately, Chen Zhou loudly announced that based on everyone’s performance, a new herder would be selected soon.
Although there were only three cows being raised by Niu Yang on the other side of the hill, the number of sheep was rapidly increasing.
To protect the pasture on the other side of the hill and to collect sheep manure for composting, milk sheep for dairy products, Chen Zhou planned to separate the flock, with some being raised near the factory and some remaining on the other side of the hill.
Niu Yang alone naturally couldn’t oversee two flocks, hence the need for a new herder arose.
Among the islanders present, there were those who liked the current peaceful life, but there was no shortage of people longing for Niu Yang’s lifestyle, hoping to gain greater power.
Taking advantage of the fact that new members had yet to join and competition was low, many young islanders secretly determined to prove themselves as the best candidates, like peacocks in mating display, eager to show their strengths to the Leader.
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After announcing the two major events, Chen Zhou returned to the factory with Lai Fu.
Compared to last time, he wasn’t very worried about this operation.
The six-person team, combined with the big ship, as long as they didn’t recklessly enter the range of the natives’ bow and arrow, could handle not just an attack by a single tribe but even a collective assault of over a thousand natives could do nothing to them.
Moreover, this time Sunday had three more capable assistants, making the success of the operation practically a certainty, with little to question.
This time, he did not make specific requirements on the age and gender of the natives to be captured, leaving all matters to Sunday’s discretion.
The island was full of male natives, he thought, perhaps it was time to capture some female natives to balance the overtly masculine energy.
And besides, some tasks were more suitable for women, such as the spinning machine he was researching and about to complete.
Relying on men to handle fine needlework was somewhat difficult for those natives, but if Sunday could capture some skillful women, it would be just right for them to turn the accumulated wool over the years into fabric.
Clothes brought from the ship were more than enough for one person, but with the island’s population growth trend, soon new members would not have enough clothes to wear.
Before establishing contacts and engaging in trade with the outside world, Chen Zhou still wanted to strive for self-sufficiency, solving basic issues of food, clothing, housing, and transportation first, before considering longer-term matters.
Besides, a mix of men and women made the work less exhausting.
People, after all, are animals driven by desires. Chen Zhou wasn’t attracted to the looks of native women, but that didn’t mean other islanders couldn’t accept looks similar to their own.
After achieving basic needs of food and clothing, owning houses, what could channel the energy of the islanders and bind them firmly to the island’s future, might be only family and offspring.
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Chen Zhou didn’t know how many natives there were in all the tribes combined in the Archipelago, but he estimated it to be at most two to three thousand people.
And among them, there might be many elderly, weak, women, and children.
The population growth of the Big Island couldn’t always rely on raiding natives from the Archipelago, this wasn’t a game, and the people captured would not appear out of thin air.
To give his influence a brighter future, forming families and welcoming newborns was necessary.
years were enough to raise a generation.
And the new members born on the Big Island would receive a more modern education from a young age, leading them to walk a path completely different from that of their parents.
Chen Zhou thought, one day when he leaves this world, the greatest wealth he leaves behind might not be those improved weapons and machines, but the batch of people who grew up receiving modern education.
A whole batch of young individuals whose thinking and knowledge surpass the entire world by hundreds of years will inevitably overturn the whole era, becoming the trendsetters standing at the forefront of a new wave.
His flapping "butterfly" might be about to stir up a storm that turns the world upside down.