Global Catastrophe: I Became the World Tree

Fudi Qinghe: "I started paying attention to the Mutated Iron Birch Tree yesterday, feeling it had great potential. And today, it really shot up in the rankings."

Yilanzhugao: "Don't blow smoke, buddy. I was here all day yesterday and didn't see you post a single comment."

Men Are So Tired: "It's a real shame that the ones on the list are either the Old Chinese Scholar Tree or the Iron Birch Tree. Why can't we have a fruit tree for once?"

"Lychee, longan, mango, ginseng fruit, jackfruit, pomelo, banana... Why haven't any of these fruit trees mutated? I really want to taste their mutated fruits."

Da Fei: "Hey, hey, hey! Does nobody care about the potential dangers of this Mutated Iron Birch Tree? What if it really becomes sentient?"

Rihua Yueqing: "To the person above, if you want the answer, just flip through yesterday's comments."

"But I do have some news. A friend of mine works at the research institute. Small Phoenix Mountain is too far, so they've set their sights on this Iron Birch Tree instead."

Reading this, Ye Feng's expression suddenly sharpened.

Though he understood that information on the internet couldn't be taken as truth, judging objectively, the likelihood of being targeted was very high.

"This isn't good enough. I still need to continue strengthening my abilities. After finding that Mutated Wild Boar, don't kill it - capturing it will also do."

"I also need to speed up finding other large mutated animals to fill the 30 slots as soon as possible," Ye Feng said in a low voice.

As he amended his plan, he scrolled through the comments, but there was no more useful information later on.

Then, he logged onto the official website of the Yangcheng Research Institute for a peek.

There was no announcement of dispatching another sampling team.

However, four days had already passed. Maybe they had to deal with compensation and such in the initial days, but without a doubt, there would be follow-up actions once that was settled.

If not, the research would have to be postponed, leading to even greater losses.

"I hope they don't set their sights on me; otherwise, they are the ones who'll be out of luck."

...

Yangcheng Research Institute.

Xu Liang returned to his research team, looking quite displeased.

"Professor Xu, how did it go? Was the funding approved?" As soon as he entered, an eager researcher inquired.

Xu Liang first nodded, then shook his head.

Just as everyone was feeling perplexed, he explained, "We did secure the research funds, but the amount is significantly less than what I applied for."

"Director Liu is very dissatisfied with our last mission and the impact it caused. Thus, our Phase 3 research budget has been drastically cut to only 5 million."

Upon hearing Xu Liang's words, the color drained from the faces of those in the office.

Yi Weihua, visibly enraged, said, "Is this a joke? It would have been acceptable before, but now that we already have preliminary results, they still take us so lightly?"

A colleague beside him sighed softly, "You know the attitude upstairs. Currently, all priority projects revolve around Mutated Animals. Our studies on mutated plants are just an insignificant branch."

"Moreover, our research on Life Essence is only a theoretical result. Without any concrete products, the level of attention it receives will certainly be limited."

Yi Weihua, though aware of the rationale, said with an unwilling expression, "They want the horse to run, but they won't feed the horse. If we had enough research funds to start with, we would've had results by now."

"And it's not just an issue of funding. The administrative support is also severely lacking. Every day, the Mutant Management Bureau helps other research teams eliminate Mutated Animals."

"But what about us? Apart from helping us retrieve a tree branch at the very beginning, we've had to figure out everything else on our own."

His words silenced everyone present.

At this moment, Xu Liang, the professor leading the team, knew he couldn't let the silence linger. He cleared his throat and said, "What we need to do now is not to complain, but to think about how to solve the problem."

"Our theoretical research is complete, and we have a preparation plan. What follows is a continuous process of trial and error to successfully extract 'Life Essence.'

"What we're lacking now is research material. Just give us another 200 pounds, no, 100 pounds of branches from the Mutated Old Locust Tree and we should be able to extract a dose of Life Essence. Once we have the product, funding for subsequent research won't be an issue."

"Our situation is such that the theoretical research is finished, and we have the preparation equipment. The cost of consumables won't be much; with some savings, 2 million Huaxia currency can cover it."

"So, with this 5 million in funding, we could even spare 3 million to obtain 100 pounds of branches from the Old Chinese Scholar Tree. Don't hesitate to share any good ideas you might have; let's discuss them together."

After listening to Xu Liang's words, the expressions of the people present seemed to relax a bit.

Indeed, putting aside other issues, spending 3 million Huaxia currency to get 100 pounds of branches should not be difficult.

If it were peacetime, not to mention 100 pounds, even 100 tons would not be a problem.

As for now...

"Can we use this 3 million Huaxia currency to ask the Mutant Management Bureau to make a move for us?" a researcher suggested.

"Perhaps we could have before, but as everyone knows about the rat plague that happened yesterday, the Mutant Management Bureau won't have time to spare for us now, plus the 'Four Pests' campaign is about to launch urgently, so we shouldn't count on them for the time being," Xu Liang immediately shook his head.

"What if we issue the task again, to all relevant enterprises and units? Surely, someone is in need of money and willing to take on the task," another person suggested.

Xu Liang shook his head: "It's hard to say. The news that nearly the entire sample collection team was wiped out is still trending, from a 15-person team only one survived by luck, it's truly a harrowing ordeal."

"Anyone with a bit of sense knows that this money is not easy to earn."

"Moreover, we need professionals; otherwise, if we just pull together some people, the likelihood of failing the mission is high, and not only would it harm them, but our money would have been spent in vain."

"These 3 million Huaxia currency are our last funds, we can't afford to lose them."

The one who had just made the suggestion said, "Can we choose to pay upon completion of the task?"

Xu Liang laughed wryly, "Would you be willing to do it?"

"I must remind you that of the sample collection team sent out last time, only one person returned, and the insurance company paid out a total of 14 million."

"After that incident, insurance companies are unwilling to take on any more policies, so there's no insurance payout even in the event of death."

"If you're willing to take on this task, I'll get the money ready immediately, and deposit it into your account the moment the job is done."

The person who had proposed the idea was immediately rendered speechless.

3 million is tempting, but with such a high risk of death and no compensation, no sane person would accept it.

The atmosphere in the room fell silent once again.

It was then that Yi Weihua spoke up again, "Why don't we change our approach? I don't know if you've seen today's danger list."

"The Mutated Iron Birch Tree in Sunset Valley has reached a height of 95 meters, which should have significant research value."

"Sunset Valley is much closer, just 20 kilometers away, and we have a direct highway there. If we switch our target to the Mutated Iron Birch Tree, the difficulty would at least be halved. Could we consider changing our goal?"

Small Phoenix Mountain is a full 50 kilometers away from them, and the latter half of the journey is particularly difficult because it involves mountain roads.

By contrast, heading to Sunset Valley and saying the difficulty is halved is already an understatement.