Chapter 536: Chapter 536

Xiao Wei handed the fist-sized egg to the third man, asking him to take it to the Insect Breeding Room to care for it diligently. Only then did she cautiously begin nibbling on a compressed biscuit, a hint of satisfaction and happiness appearing on her face. Wen Jun, standing to the side, wiped away tears and stealthily turned away. Jing Shu witnessed all this, thinking, It’s just a biscuit. Is it really that big of a deal?

Well, she herself had almost cried when she ate an egg after her rebirth. She could understand.

Why did these people always seem to handle this girl with such care? But then again, it was understandable. Having lost her legs and her entire family in the disaster, she was indeed pitiable.

Jun Bao really wanted to take a look at the egg, and he watched regretfully as it disappeared from his sight. In a blink, he recalculated. "Living here must be so difficult and dangerous. I’ve seen on the way here that more and more mud pits are gathering around. Given your location, it won’t be long before you’re submerged."

"Why not join us in our search for the government’s protection? There you’ll find boiling water, salt, and vitamins, and you’ll be issued supplies for the winter. With your own food sources, life outside is bound to be better... Anyway, it’s better than being trapped in these mountains."

Xiao Wei paused on the bed for a moment. "Hmm... that sounds good. Brother Wen Jun, you and Brother Guo Tou go find Third Aunt and Uncle Liu. Ask around who wants to leave and let them go. Being trapped here really isn’t working out. You two should go as well."

Jun Bao hadn’t expected it to be this easy?

Guo Tou scratched his head. "If Xiao Wei doesn’t go, neither will I."

Xiao Wei’s expression darkened. "Me, ... a cripple, could I survive out there? I’ll just stay here. At least I won’t starve."

"Then none of us will go. We’ve all agreed long ago that you saved our lives. Wherever you are, that’s where we’ll be!" Wen Jun declared.

"But... it’s not often that people come into the mountains..."

Wen Jun interrupted her. "The old are old, and the disabled are disabled. Even if the government provides subsidies, they won’t for free. Just like last year, if we want to join the town, we have to contribute labor and equivalent goods. It’s better for us to live freely in the mountains. As for how long we can survive... heh, living one more day is a bonus."

Then an excited voice from Jun Bao came. "Food? What exactly is your food source?"

The expressions on several faces soured.

"You see, you robbed us of all our food. Yet, we’re still being so agreeable and not holding it against you. We even want to help you, to take you away from here. There is no one better than us in the world... Could you give us some food in exchange? You can’t let us starve to death, right? And don’t worry, we absolutely won’t target your food source. Look, do I seem like that kind of person?" As he spoke, Jun Bao showed off his filthy, muddy cloak, rummaging inside it.

Jing Shu frowned. Ever since she had entered the house, her insects dared not get any closer. Was it because of this woman, Xiao Wei? Jing Shu scrutinized Xiao Wei again. There was nothing special about her. The bed was large, but why did a certain part of the blanket occasionally move?

Most importantly, when she approached the bed, there was a slight reaction in her space, and that was very likely related to the black liquid.

Jun Bao took out his last reserve of food from his person, a large handful of fruit candy, and put it all into Xiao Wei’s hands. "I often suffer from low blood sugar because I don’t eat. This is my last bit of food. In exchange, I really want to know how you’ve managed your food problem over the past half year." In these cold, product-rich mountains, what else could be used as food?

The mountain, barren and only mud, with neither grass nor insects—planting crops was also not an option. Was it the monsters they spoke of?

Xiao Wei sighed. "I know food is also tight in the outside world, right? After all, since last year, our town has had much less Insect Cake, and many people in our village have starved to death. You want to replicate our method, don’t you? Unfortunately, it won’t work. Well, since we robbed you of your food and benefited, I’ll tell you in exchange. There really isn’t anything worth hiding. It’s the apocalypse; what can’t be eaten?"

Even Jing Shu started listening intently.

"Brother Guo Tou, take out some of our food for our guests to take away," Xiao Wei said.

Guo Tou scratched his head. "What a waste." He eventually brought over a large bag of items and handed them over casually. "There is no fire here; we eat everything raw. See for yourself. But I suggest roasting it with a bit of salt; the taste is barely acceptable. Oh, and I don’t know which parts you like. I’ve brought some legs, pincers, abdomens, and innards."

A fishy stench wafted over, causing Jing Shu to barely restrain herself from vomiting.

Guo Tou curled his lip. "I knew they’d be disdainful, but it’s good to have something to eat."

Jun Bao cherished the gift. For him, what difference did it make what he ate? He vomited whatever he ate anyway. Oh, except for the meals he’d recently shared with Jing Shu. Whenever it was Jing Shu’s food, he could always keep it down.

Jun Bao had not guessed wrong; it appeared to be some very large insects. If not for the circumstances, he would have wanted to study them. But as they had traveled, they hadn’t seen any such insects in the village, which wasn’t very big.

Xiao Wei nibbled on a compressed biscuit, gesturing for Wen Jun to continue explaining.

"This is a newly discovered creature; we call this insect the Abdominal Foot Worm. It has thirty-six legs, a large abdomen, and its entire body is edible. They’re also easy to keep alive. After hatching from the egg, the larvae can be put into the mud to find their own food, and they reach maturity for consumption in a month. Mature Abdominal Foot Worms are about a meter long. However, those bred for Combat Power can grow to two or three meters." The source of thɪs content is 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝙣𝙚𝙩

Jun Bao’s eyes lit up even more. These fellas were indeed big, which meant plenty of food! Although the meat in his hands was fishy and smelly, if they could really be bred in large numbers...

Wen Jun, seeming to have read Jun Bao’s thoughts, interrupted ruthlessly, "Don’t even think about breeding them, because we only have one..." He glanced at Xiao Wei with difficulty. She was naively munching on her biscuit and, upon hearing him, still smiled and winked. Then he continued,

"We only have one Snail Queen. The queen produces only male Abdominal Foot Worms, just like ants, where only one Ant Queen lays eggs and the entire colony protects her," Wen Jun said.

Jun Bao felt somewhat disappointed. Only one queen... That’s a pity. But... Something crossed Jun Bao’s mind, and he suddenly said, "Could we then take a male Abdominal Foot Worm back to study? Oh, right, we’re looking for people this time. Once we find them, we’ll have lots of food. I’m willing to trade some food for it."