⸻
The porch creaked under Kai's boots as he stared at the worn-out mailbox by the dirt road.
In his hand was a stack of 50 paper subscription forms, each handwritten, folded, and paid — either in cash, check, or bartered goods.
No website.
No app.
Just names, addresses, order preferences, and delivery days.
Merge Grown Subscriptions were now live. And they were already maxed out.
⸻
He walked back toward the barn, where the cooler room was humming with the soft whine of a salvaged inverter. The insulated boxes inside were stacked with cartons of eggs and crisp heads of Gourmet Cluster Lettuce, each labeled with a slip of brown paper:
MERGE GROWN — Clean Food, Real Strength
He checked the outbound list on the wall:
• 27 customers wanted eggs
• 14 wanted lettuce only
• 9 wanted combo crates
And each expected delivery on Saturday — the same day the farmers' market ran.
He scratched his head.
"I need two of me."
⸻
The problem wasn't production — the hens were laying more than ever. His feed was dialed in, the coops were clean, and the lettuce beds had been merged into larger, denser rows with moisture control.
The problem was logistics.
He had to drive to town, drop off to individual homes, haul to the market, and keep everything cool.
Too much time. Too much fuel. Not enough hands.
Kai opened the Merge System and scrolled to the transport tab.
A new panel had unlocked:
Merge Available: Delivery Node Tier 1
2 x Routes → 1 Merged Route
Benefits:
• Fuel Efficiency +30%
• Delivery Time -40%
• Package Handling Auto-Sort
Upgrade Potential: Merge Vehicle + Route → Mobile Distribution Unit
He looked over at his beat-up old pickup.
It rattled if you hit 55 mph. The AC barely worked. But it was his.
"Time to make you earn your gas."
⸻
Kai spent the next day charting all his delivery points on an old highway map. He highlighted overlapping routes, estimated mileage, and taped a rough sketch onto the hood of the truck.
He took a deep breath and tapped MERGE on the screen.
Merge Complete: Route A + Route B
New Node Created:
Tier 1 Merged Route – 'Loop One'
• Fuel Cost: Reduced by 38%
• Estimated Delivery Time: 3h 20m (from 6h)
• Ideal Vehicle: Light Utility or Refrigerated Unit
Merge Tip: Combine vehicle with cold crate tech to unlock Mobile Cooler Upgrade
Kai opened the truck's tailgate and spent the next six hours bolting in insulation panels, rigging fans, and duct-taping foam-sealed crates into position.
He wired two solar panels to a backup battery pack from an old RV and got the temperature inside the rear shell to hover just under 50°F.
It wasn't a refrigerated van…
But it worked.
"We ain't fancy. We're functional."
⸻
By Friday night, everything was packed.
Boxes labeled.
Route timed.
Fuel tank full.
Kai stood in front of the truck in the dark, headlamp on, arms crossed.
This was no longer a farm hustle.
This was supply chain execution.
⸻
Saturday, 4:30 a.m.
He rolled out with 42 deliveries in the bed.
He didn't stop to talk. Didn't smile. Just dropped the crates, handed off eggs, left behind handwritten notes:
"Thanks for feeding with Merge Grown. Stay clean. Stay strong. — K.R."
By 9 a.m., the last crate hit a doorstep.
He swung back to the farmers' market, backed into his usual spot, and set up with only four cartons of eggs left.
Gone in twenty minutes.
A woman handed him a ten-dollar bill and asked, "Do you do monthly meal plans?"
Kai wiped his hands on his jeans.
"Working on it."
⸻
He got home and passed out on the porch with a half-eaten protein bar still in his hand.
⸻
Sunday, he woke to a knock.
A man in a white coat and glasses stood on the edge of the drive, awkwardly holding a clipboard.
"Kai Rowen?"
"Yeah."
"Dr. Howard Mayfield. Biotech division at the local university. I'm part of the nutritional physiology research department. I saw the article about your farm."
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"Not interested in partnerships."
Dr. Mayfield nodded quickly. "I'm not here for business. I want to study your eggs."
Kai tilted his head.
"Why?"
The doctor adjusted his glasses.
"Because we're seeing posts all over forums about people experiencing elevated stamina, clearer cognition, improved recovery — just from eating your product. I think your food is changing human metabolic response in a way we don't fully understand."
Kai stayed silent.
"We'd like to do a non-invasive study. No trademarks, no claims. Just nutrition analysis. Full transparency. We'll pay for the samples."
Kai finally spoke.
"You publish my farm's name in a paper?"
"No. Just 'Local Independent Organic Supplier.'"
Kai looked down at the dirt, then back up.
"Drop a form. I'll read it."
⸻
That night, the system pinged:
New Metric Unlocked: Consumer Impact Analysis
Activated: Weekly Body Stat Trends (Anonymous)
Current Sample Pool: 58
Average Changes (30-day window):
– Energy Levels: +12%
– Recovery Rate: +16%
– Mood Stability: +9%
– Muscle Repair Efficiency: +14%
– Reported Focus Window: +1.7 hrs
Kai leaned back in his chair, arms folded behind his head.
"They think I'm a farmer.
I'm feeding evolution."
⸻
He opened his notebook and wrote the next line of his vision:
⸻
Phase IV: Lockdown Logistics
• Merge truck with route = Tier 2 Mobile Cooler
• Build second industrial coop
• Develop paperless subscription system (SMS or local kiosk)
• Vet 3 loyal workers for support — no outsiders
• Package "Strength Pack" bundles for athletes
• Secure trademark for Merge Grown
⸻
And at the bottom, in bold:
Control the delivery… and you control the demand.