Insect Farm

After leaving the warehouse district, Su Jie had a hearty meal.

Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he took a taxi to the outskirts, following information he had found online, and arrived at a farm specializing in scorpion breeding.

The farm covered a considerable area, with several single-story factory buildings on the grounds. A wolfhound was tethered by the entrance, and the moment it saw Su Jie approach, it began barking furiously without end.

Sizzle!

Inside Su Jie's sleeve, the Thousand-Hand Centipede poked half its head out and made a threatening sound.

The Thousand-Hand Centipede's horrifying appearance scared the wolfhound half to death. It tucked its tail between its legs and shrank back into its kennel, never daring to come out again.

Su Jie glanced at the sign hanging by the entrance: Yaogang Scorpion Farm. There was not even a security guard watching the place.

Just as he was considering calling the factory's number posted on the wall beside the entrance, he heard footsteps coming from inside.

Perhaps he had heard the dog's earlier barking, but a dark-skinned, square-built middle-aged man came running out.

"Hello, boss! Are you here to buy scorpions? My name is Chen Yaoguang, and I run this place. The dog's barking just now didn't scare you, did it? That damn dog—I'll butcher it one of these days."

The moment they met, the other man was exceptionally enthusiastic. The way he looked at Su Jie was practically enough to make green light shoot from his eyes.

Su Jie eyed him warily a couple of times. This guy doesn't have some unusual hobby, does he?

"More or less. I'd like to look around inside and see how your scorpions are doing."

Su Jie touched the Thousand-Hand Centipede hidden in his sleeve, his heart settling at once. Accompanied by Chen Yaoguang, he walked into the scorpion farm.

It was easy to see that Chen Yaoguang was a clean freak. Although he raised scorpions that were not particularly demanding about their environment, the inside and outside of the farm had all been cleaned spotless.

"Boss, this is our breeding facility. A building like this, with a ceiling three meters high, uses large-scale honeycomb-style breeding. The number of scorpions can reach two hundred thousand."

Chen Yaoguang launched into a nonstop explanation, then personally led Su Jie inside the facility.

The scorpion enclosures here had been built from wooden lattice panels, arranged inside like row after row of bookshelves.

Large numbers of gray-brown scorpions crawled in and out among them. There were so many that one glance was enough to make a person's scalp go numb.

The moment he entered, the Thousand-Hand Centipede in Su Jie's arms grew restless, desperately wanting to crawl out of his sleeve.

"Director Chen, what species of scorpions do you mainly raise here?"

Su Jie soothed the Thousand-Hand Centipede before continuing his questions.

"The farm mainly raises East Asian Scorpions, which are sold to pharmacies for making medicinal materials. Males cost 0.8 yuan each, while females are a little more expensive at 1.1 yuan each. We also raise some Rainforest Scorpions and Emperor Scorpions, which we sell to insect pet shops. Those scorpions are more expensive. May I ask which kind you're looking to buy?"

Chen Yaoguang immediately answered, watching Su Jie cautiously for fear that Su Jie would be dissatisfied with the price and leave.

The scorpion farm he had built had recently fallen into a survival crisis. The Chinese medicine distribution channel that had once been stable for years had canceled its supply relationship with him.

A business like scorpion trading could not possibly be done by hawking them on the street.

Without downstream buyers, his farm had immediately become stuck at every turn.

The farm's daily water and electricity bills, along with the mealworms used to feed the scorpions, were all enormous expenses.

The crushing pressure had nearly broken him. He had even sold the house in his hometown and poured the money into the farm, gritting his teeth and struggling to hold on. That was why he had been so enthusiastic when Su Jie came to his door.

"How many scorpions do you have at your farm?"

"There are five buildings in total, with around one million scorpions. Boss, I've been in insect breeding for more than ten years. You can rest assured that the quality of the scorpions I raise is absolutely reliable."

Hearing this, Chen Yaoguang became even more excited. There was a very high chance that the man before him was a major customer!

However, Su Jie's appetite was even bigger than he had imagined. He nodded in satisfaction and said, "Are you selling your farm? I'll offer two million."

"Buy-buy the farm?"

At these words, Chen Yaoguang was completely dumbfounded.

He had thought Su Jie was a major customer, but it turned out that the man was not merely interested in his scorpions. He had his eye on the entire farm as well.

"I'm truly sorry, boss, but I'm afraid that won't do. I've poured too much blood and sweat into this place. I started working here in my twenties, and now I'm in my forties. This isn't for sale."

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Yaoguang still refused Su Jie's offer. He had worked at this farm for more than ten years and had developed deep feelings for it.

"Two and a half million. Selling?"

Su Jie did not even blink. He casually named an even higher figure.

With more than sixty million yuan in cash in hand, Su Jie was outrageously wealthy. The money had come easily, so spending it did not pain him in the slightest.

Gulp!

Chen Yaoguang swallowed, his breathing growing heavier. With difficulty, he said, "Boss, I know you have money. But raising insects is my dream. It isn't something that can be insulted with money. Please respect my dream."

Although the figure tempted him tremendously, he had a dream of raising insects. Otherwise, he would never have sold his house just to keep investing in the farm.

"Three million. I'm someone who respects other people's dreams. How about this, Director Chen? I'll buy this farm, but I can continue leaving it under your management. Your salary will be fifty thousand a month. I won't interfere with any production matters personally. However, the sale and trade of the scorpions will have to be handed over to me."

Su Jie smiled as he kept raising the price, finally shattering Chen Yaoguang's psychological defenses.

"Well, uh... Hahaha, boss, you really know how to judge people. I agree! But it's not because of the money. It's because I want to continue managing this farm."

Chen Yaoguang was defeated by the bombshell figure of three million. Dreams were important, but filling one's stomach was important too.

Besides, Su Jie respected his dream and was willing to let him remain in charge of the farm. He genuinely could not think of a reason to refuse.

After all, a monthly salary of fifty thousand was simply too fragrant.

"Then it's settled. We'll go sign the contract later. Once the contract is ready, I'll transfer the money to you."

Looking at Chen Yaoguang's face, which had blossomed into a chrysanthemum-like grin, Su Jie was also very satisfied.

Su Jie had no time to manage this farm personally after buying it. Having Chen Yaoguang around made things far more convenient.

Moreover, the man had been involved in insect breeding for more than ten years. He was a talent, and Su Jie needed people like him to work for him.

As for the small amount of money he had spent, he could simply chop down a couple more trees in the Tianyuan World. It was easy.

"Director Chen, pack me a box of scorpions first. Catch around ten thousand. I want to take them with me."

"Understood, understood! I'll go catch them right away."

Chen Yaoguang instantly slipped into his new role, treating Su Jie as his God and practically itching to tear out his heart and show Su Jie his loyalty.

After collecting the scorpions, Su Jie signed the farm's transfer contract with Chen Yaoguang and paid three million yuan. From that day onward, Yaogang Scorpion Farm had changed its surname to Su.

With this farm as cover, Su Jie could purchase all kinds of poisonous creatures and insects in bulk from then on without arousing anyone's suspicion.