Chapter 5: The Blessing Stone of Atlantis!

Liu Fa had barely left the shrimp farm when Chu Lin received a delivery call. Soon after, a truck pulled into the farm. It was the equipment he had ordered the night before. The supplier was located in Min City, and since these weren’t particularly popular devices, the delivery was prompt.

The equipment company handled the assembly, leaving Chu Lin to simply oversee the process; if there were any issues, the supplier would manage after-sales service. Afterwards, Chu Lin went to a suburban supermarket nearby to purchase some daily necessities, arranged a dormitory with basic comforts, and downloaded a template for an employment contract online, making minor edits before printing it. For such straightforward hiring, there was no need to trouble a lawyer with drafting contracts.

By the afternoon, the shrimp fry and feed he had ordered also arrived. After signing for the delivery, he released the shrimp fry into the five cultivation ponds that had been equipped with devices. With that, the shrimp farm was partially operational. However, to perfect the façade, all remaining breeding ponds needed to be running as well.

Time passed.

The next morning, Chu Lin transported two waves of freshly spawned white shrimp from the game, placing them on the shipment platform at the farm’s entrance.

Liu Fa soon arrived. After getting out of his vehicle, he greeted Chu Lin politely, and upon seeing the shrimp on the platform, he immediately began loading them onto his truck without a word.

Once all the shrimp were loaded, Chu Lin handed over two copies of the labor contract: “Master Liu, here’s the contract. Ten thousand a month, with a full attendance bonus. You start today, and salary is paid on the tenth of each month for the previous month. There are only twenty-six days left this month, so on the tenth next month, you’ll get paid for those twenty-six days.”

“Thank you, Boss Chu, I understand.” Liu Fa reviewed the contract, found no issues, and signed it.

This time, Chu Lin didn’t accompany the delivery; he let Liu Fa handle the transport alone to Zhizhen’s distribution warehouse. After more than ten days of observation, he trusted Liu Fa’s diligent nature. Besides, it was a necessary step—he couldn’t always deliver the goods himself.

Liu Fa delivered the shipment promptly, sending back the weighing and handover documents. Not long after, Zhizhen’s payment for the day arrived—432,157 yuan in total.

Over the next ten days, Chu Lin’s routine was repetitive: aside from studying information about the game "Leisure Civilization," he transported two waves of white shrimp from the game each day, with Liu Fa taking them to Zhizhen’s warehouse. In those ten days, more than 430,000 yuan was credited, pushing his balance past 500,000 yuan once again.

Moreover, during that period, a few animals had been swept into the Atlantis map by unusual undercurrents. Unfortunately, they were again only clams and scallops, in similar quantities as before—good only for his own meals.

The illustrated collection couldn’t be duplicated, so his progress had stalled.

...

The sun slanted westward.

Inside the shrimp farm, Liu Fa approached Chu Lin to say, “Boss Chu, I’m heading home for the day.”

Since starting work for Chu Lin, Liu Fa always returned to the farm after his morning deliveries, waiting in case his employer had further instructions. Even when there was no shipment, he was willing to run errands or help feed the shrimp. After all, ten thousand a month for a single morning delivery seemed like easy money.

Yet Boss Chu wouldn’t let him feed the shrimp, insisting that the special cultivation required advanced skills and strict confidentiality.

Given the secrecy, Liu Fa didn’t even enter the farm’s inner areas, fearing he might be misunderstood and lose his job. This cautious attitude made Chu Lin all the more satisfied.

No sooner had Liu Fa left than Chu Lin saw Huang Bin driving a BMW 3 Series into the farm, smiling as he asked, “How does a busy man like you have time to visit today?”

Huang Bin explained, “Just had some business nearby, so I thought I’d drop in. I’ll be heading back soon—I promised Mom I’d have dinner at home.”

He didn’t even get out of the car, just turned around to leave—he really was just here to see his friend.

“Wait a second!” Chu Lin called out, heading into his office and closing the door. He entered the game and packed a bag of white shrimp.

He now kept a small reserve of shrimp from each daily spawn, aside from what he ate himself. They made a perfect gift when needed.

Huang Bin was puzzled when Chu Lin disappeared inside, but soon saw him return with a bag.

“Huang Bin, take these home and try them!” Chu Lin handed him the bag.

“What’s this?” Huang Bin asked.

“White shrimp,” Chu Lin replied.

“So soon? You’re already harvesting shrimp?” Huang Bin was surprised—the farm hadn’t had shrimp before, and it shouldn’t have been possible to produce them so quickly.

“Who said I only bought one shrimp farm?” Chu Lin had anticipated the question and improvised, “Plus, these are raised by special methods—better than ordinary shrimp!”

“Thanks.” Having tasted Zhizhen’s premium shrimp, Huang Bin was skeptical—could Chu Lin’s shrimp really surpass them? He’d bought plenty from the market recently, none of which measured up.

He even asked vendors if they carried shrimp like Zhizhen’s; they swore they shared the same supplier and promised satisfaction or a refund.

If it wasn’t such a hassle, he would have gone to the authorities.

Still, he didn’t want to offend Chu Lin, so he accepted the shrimp and left after a brief farewell.

At home, he found his mother preparing dinner.

“You’re back?” his mother greeted him.

“Mom, could you cook these shrimp for me? I’m going to take a shower first.” Huang Bin handed her the bag and headed to the bathroom.

He’d been out all day, sweaty and tired.

After his shower, he heard his mother exclaim in surprise, “Son, where did you buy these shrimp? They’re delicious—I’ve never had white shrimp this good!”

“Chu Lin started a shrimp farm; he gave them to me,” Huang Bin replied, smiling as he explained and took a shrimp to sample himself. He wanted to see how Chu Lin’s farmed shrimp compared.

His mother’s praise was understandable—she hadn’t tasted Zhizhen’s yet. He’d have to take her some time.

“Chu Lin’s shrimp are really excellent,” his mother said. She knew Chu Lin well—her son’s high school desk mate, who had eaten at their home, and the only classmate ever invited.

Huang Bin peeled a shrimp and popped it in his mouth, then froze after the first bite.

The flavor!

The texture!

Something was off.

He quickly peeled another and tasted it.

Now he was certain.

This was it.

This was the taste.

This was the texture.

Damn!

He cursed inwardly and immediately grabbed his phone to call Chu Lin.

“Chu Lin, are you supplying shrimp to Zhizhen?”

“So you figured it out?”

“You sly devil, hiding it from me this whole time!”

“If you ever want shrimp, just let me know. I’ve got plenty.”

“I’ll eat you out of house and home then—I’ll even take your surname!”

“Nice to meet you, Chu Bin!”

“???” Huang Bin’s mind blanked for a moment—what was that about?

Chu Lin hung up, feeling delighted.

With the game map spawning two waves of white shrimp daily, the idea of being eaten out of business was a joke.

After cooking himself a seafood noodle dish, Chu Lin began pondering the other ponds at the shrimp farm. So far, out of more than two hundred ponds, only five were operational.

With over half a million in his account, he could now purchase more equipment and get additional ponds running.

Just as he was about to order more devices on his phone, the game’s refresh sound rang out again.

He assumed it was a routine spawn, but the next moment, he was taken aback by an unusual notification:

[Current Atlantis map is Level 1. One regular animal, white shrimp, has been spawned!]

[Today’s undercurrents are exceptionally strong—some strange stones have been washed into the map!]

Stones?

Chu Lin was bewildered—not even clams or scallops this time?

He quickly entered the game map and saw clusters of peculiar stones among the mass of white shrimp.

These weren’t ordinary stones.

Each was slightly larger than a quail egg, and every stone bore a pattern, as if meticulously engraved.

His eyes lit up.

These seemed to be the Atlantis Blessing Stones from the game.