Chapter 392: Chapter 392
Just when everyone was tired, Jing Shu pointed to the only remaining grassy area on the mountain cliff. Trees there still bore algae—it was probably the only normal-looking place left on the barren mountain. Jing Shu said, "We’ve arrived. Let’s rest here for the day."
Nothing seemed special about this place. Wasn’t it just a bit more grass and a few more trees?
"Oh my God, it’s so great we can finally rest," Little Black said as he collapsed onto the lawn.
"Don’t lie down!" Jing Shu yelled, but it was too late. Little Black, already exhausted, had flopped down like a dead dog. Jing Shu covered her face. Within a few seconds, screams pierced the air. Little Black leaped high, revealing his bare backside, back, and thighs. Every piece of clothing that had touched the grass had corroded away; even his skin was broken.
Little Black ran, slapping his backside. "Damn it, damn it! What the hell is this? Is this grass poisonous?"
Jing Shu took out a large bag of White Sugar from her pack. Her teammates were no longer surprised by her ability to produce such strange and peculiar items. After all, she was carrying luggage as tall as three people; she didn’t have many weapons, but she definitely had plenty of food and all sorts of oddities!
She sprinkled the White Sugar evenly to form a large circle, then continued to sprinkle another circle outside it. Only then did Jing Shu say, "We’ll sleep inside the circle tonight. Definitely don’t step out of it. One person on watch will be enough."
Lingling asked with interest, "Is this some kind of special insect repellent, like in novels?"
Jing Shu replied expressionlessly, "It’s White Sugar."
Tan Ke exclaimed in surprise, "Can White Sugar prevent attacks from unknown creatures in the mountains?"
Before Jing Shu could explain, they saw countless insects crawling out of the grass Little Black had just walked through. These insects looked exactly like ants but were easily one to two centimeters long. Each one was quite plump and full, as if its stomach was stuffed.
Countless ants crawled over, not just from the lawn but also from the trees and other places.
Little Black, even more frightened, started to run. He accidentally stepped on a few, and a SIZZLE sounded out. In the blink of an eye, Little Black’s shoes were completely corroded, and he started to scream in panic.
"These are Sulfuric Acid Ants, but..." Snake Spirit frowned. "Sulfuric Acid Ants are usually 0.8 centimeters long. These are more than twice as large."
Jing Shu smiled. "The Sulfuric Acid Ants have evolved into Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants. They like to eat rotten food and various corpses. In these mountains, they hardly have any natural enemies; many mountain creatures have become their food. The only thing limiting their expansion is the Ant Queen." (Ant Queens that can evolve in the apocalypse are incredibly rare!)
The Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants formed two neat circles around the White Sugar, standing still and guarding the food. They dared not make any sudden moves. From now on, any enemy who thought of stealing the food would be killed on sight!
The Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants swarmed out. There were even flying Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants hovering around the circle, making Little Black shiver with fear. "Boss, Boss, is it really safe ? Are you sure we’re not just courting death? The ones crawling on the ground are one thing, but those flying in the sky..." Little Black covered his multiple corroded spots and wept from the pain.
Before the apocalypse, Sulfuric Acid Ants were already formidable. Accidental contact or a bite could result in severe bodily decay. In serious cases, symptoms like headaches, nausea, and fever could arise. Many people had been disfigured by improper treatment of such bites. If one Sulfuric Acid Ant alone was this terrifying, what about thousands of them?
After the apocalypse, the evolved Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants grew even larger due to the lack of natural predators and an abundance of food sources. Their internal sulfuric acid also became several times stronger.
These Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants were like walking sulfuric acid, capable of corroding all Undead Creatures. They stood as the natural enemies of dark species, the zombie virus, and undead animals! They could become an excellent trump card in Jing Shu’s hand.
In my previous life, during the migration through the mountains, I encountered them a few times, but beyond that, there were hardly any signs of them. This time, having finally come across such a treasure, Jing Shu was determined not to let it go!
Just then, a large insect emerged from a tree stump. It was sluggish, its body tinged with both white and red. It was as large as three punching bags tied together, lazily waving its feet in the air, its belly facing the sky. Its wings were crushed and deformed beneath its body. Other Ant Queens were just plump, white insects, but this one was quite different.
Indeed, the Ant Queen was being carried out by countless soldier ants beneath her. She seemed a bit excited, eagerly moving towards the White Sugar. At this moment, the Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants that had swarmed out had already formed an impressive wall thirty centimeters high—a Sulfuric Wall so densely packed, its numbers were unimaginable!
Jing Shu walked towards the plump Ant Queen. The fat chicken also seemed quite interested, This thing must be high in protein and delicious, it appeared to think.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Don’t mess with the Ant Queen. If she dies, these Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants will go crazy," Snake Spirit said, raising an eyebrow.
They were inside the circle, and if the ants went crazy, they’d be surrounded by squirting sulfuric acid everywhere... What a scene that would be.
Jing Shu took out a large black plastic bag, sprinkled a good amount of White Sugar inside, and held the bag open. She then watched as the Ant Queen had her soldier ants slowly move her into it.
The Ant Queen was walking right into the trap!
"Will this... will this actually work?" Tan Ke was a bit worried. After all, how could a mere plastic bag hold an Ant Queen that produced strong sulfuric acid?
Jing Shu swiftly tied the plastic bag and waved her hand. "Don’t forget, I’m also a Cup Master. Everyone, rest for six hours, then we’ll continue. Monkey, you’re on watch today. Since you’re in too much pain to sleep anyway, I’m going to bond with this Ant Queen."
Jing Shu unloaded her luggage. She quickly laid out a cozy, windproof tent, placed a moisture-proof pad inside, and added two layers of down Quilts. The fat chicken settled into its nest at the tent flap, continuing to brood over the two Black Eggs from the United States.
The Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants outside did not stir, seemingly calm due to Jing Shu’s influence. Before long, however, a fragrance wafted from the tent. It smelled like Fried Chicken Legs, then like sauerkraut fish, and oddly, there were even hints of braised pork. How could anyone else possibly sleep?
With the Strong Sulfuric Acid Ants acting as guards, lying on the grass was actually quite comfortable—much better than on stones. Exhausted from the day, it wasn’t long before snoring could be heard from the others. Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
Meanwhile, inside the tent, on a table, lay the captured Sulfur Ant Queen. She was suffering from obesity and lay comfortably with her mouth open, being fed White Sugar by her soldier ants. It took the Sulfur Ant Queen several minutes to digest a single grain of White Sugar, but she hadn’t forgotten that upon entering that magical plastic bag, her aging body had felt much younger!
She had even sipped some of the revered Immortal Water, and her old body, which had been on the brink of death, felt rejuvenated as if welcoming a new spring!
Jing Shu lay in the tent with her legs crossed, practicing with her Magic Cube. The two of them did not bother each other.
But what no one else knew was that amidst this calm, Jing Shu had acquired her pet, designated Number 3! Jing Shu herself hadn’t expected that this trip to the United States would yield her biggest prize to date: a forty-year-old Sulfur Ant Queen!