"It can only be thus. Although a lot was wasted, at least we have collected some and can barely deliver it."
"But by the way, this blood sauce is so sticky, let's quickly find some water to wash it off."
"I agree."
After saying that, several people looked at Loki.
Loki: "..."
"You guys really are using me as your guide!"
But then Loki thought about it. To clean their bodies, they would have to take off their clothes, right? Thinking of this, Loki couldn't help but show a lecherous smile.
"Okay, there happens to be a creek not far away, follow me."
The girls looked at Loki's lecherous expression. They knew her personality well, so it was not difficult to guess that she was thinking of something improper. However, they didn't say anything and followed her silently.
Then, to Loki's great disappointment, the women just rinsed off briefly and didn't even take off their gear, let alone their clothes. In Tione's words: "Removing equipment is a big taboo in an environment where you may encounter danger at any time."
This reasoning was so sound and logical that Loki had nothing to say.
After cleaning up, the five women packed their things and started their return journey. Loki's divine navigation came into play again, and she found a few more incidental targets along the way. But this time the targets were no longer beasts, but certain plants.
The only trouble was the occasional encounter with Gourmet Guardian beasts that liked to eat these plants, but with their strength, the issues were solved easily, making Loki's harvest even better. Along the way, Loki continued to collect various foods from the roadside. It took them three hours to finally exit the Wul Jungle.
When the transport plane was called, Tione's previous complaints came true. Loki had collected so many ingredients that they couldn't fit on a single plane. Fortunately, the IGO had many planes available. Two more planes were called in, and they successfully packed all the ingredients to bring along.
Then, the five girls took a plane and were transported to the IGO's 1st Biotope with their haul. This is a large breeding base and is also where the IGO's Research and Development Laboratory is located.
Here, a massive amount of food is collected and transported from the protected areas, sorted and processed, and then distributed to all parts of the world. Nearly 30% of the food in the entire human world comes from here. It can be said that this is the largest food production area, processing plant, and distribution hub in the human world.
"It's so big! This workshop alone must be as big as half of Orario, right?"
"It shouldn't be that exaggerated, but it's really large."
"There are so many ingredients, what are they doing with them?"
The girls looked around in surprise. They were all deeply shocked by the scale of this place.
"They are sorting the ingredients and grading them according to their quality. The high-quality ones are packaged individually for retail, while the ones that don't look as good are sent to be used as raw materials for food processing. Because food looks different after processing, as long as the flavor remains the same, it doesn't matter if the initial appearance was poor. This allows us to make the most of everything."
"I see."
After hearing this explanation, the girls nodded in understanding.
Then they turned and saw an unfamiliar bald man wearing a brown-green vest and off-white trousers. His body was a mass of sculpted muscles, standing as tall as a little giant. His originally very oppressive figure and appearance were softened by his casual dress and a somewhat mischievous smile. He looked more like a rough brawler or a gangster.
"Um... Uncle, who are you?" Tiona, who thought a staff member had been answering them just now, was stunned.
The bald man smiled and said, "Huh? Did you just say I'm handsome?"
"No!" Tiona replied instantly.
At the same time, she was a little speechless. This weirdo appeared out of nowhere; surely he wasn't that hard of hearing?
Loki and the others looked at the strange man in front of them with blank expressions.
"Director Mansam!"
Only then did the nearby staff notice the strong man and immediately greeted him politely.
"Did you just say that I am... handsome?"
"No."
The staff also responded instantly. Compared to Tiona, their reaction was much calmer. Apparently, they were used to it.
Then they turned to introduce him to the girls. "This is Director Mansam, the head of the Research and Development Laboratory and the top person in charge of this Biotope."
"Really? Are you for real? This strange guy is actually the boss here?" Tiona subconsciously questioned.
Even Tione and Lefiya nodded in agreement.
"Uh... although he is a bit unconventional for a director, he is very strong. It is said that his strength is second only to the President."
Although the staff were not used to Mansam's eccentricities, they still respected him. Seeing that Mansam was about to lose face in front of outsiders, they quickly tried to give him some credit.
"Really? Just him?" The girls still didn't believe it.
But Loki's eyes narrowed as she observed Mansam carefully.
At that moment, a girl about the same age as Tiona, with short black hair and a light scar under her right eye, rushed over, shouting as she ran.
"Director! Help! We need help quickly! The resurrected creatures in the laboratory went berserk again!"
"What?" Mansam was stunned, then asked, "Rin! What did you do?! Didn't I tell you to keep a close eye on the laboratory?!"
While speaking, the girl, Rin, had already reached them, clutching her knees and gasping for air. When she heard the question, she said innocently, "I was watching! But I don't know what happened; my calming spray didn't work on that guy at all! Stop talking! That guy is coming out! Hurry..."
Before she could finish, a loud sound echoed from the direction she had come. Boom!
The wall of the workshop cracked, and a large hole appeared, sending nearby employees running for their lives. Then, a huge figure emerged from the hole.
"Oooooh!"
It was a monster, like a Chimera, made up of parts from several different creatures. It roared, and the eight spider-like compound eyes on its head flashed with a fierce red light, scanning the area for targets.
In the next moment, densely packed tentacles shot out from its right arm, attacking the employees.
"Bastard!"
Seeing his people in danger, Mansam didn't wait to investigate the cause. The muscles all over his body bulged as he threw a punch through the air.
"Get back inside!"
Heat energy burst from his fist, forming the shape of a huge frying pan in the air like a racket, slamming into the monster. With a crisp, loud bang, the monster was knocked back through the hole.
Mansam, confirming the monster had fainted, slowly relaxed his stance. He turned to the girl named Rin and said, "What are you still doing? Go back and deal with it quickly. Do you still need me to teach you how to do your job?"
"Ah? Oh, okay!" Rin was stunned for a moment, then responded quickly and ran back. Before leaving, she couldn't help but glance curiously at the strangers like Loki and the others.