Chapter 549: Chapter 549

But these insects looked so fierce. They wouldn’t bite through his intestines, would they? Just thinking about live worms crawling into his mouth, then through his stomach and intestines...

Wang Dan, who was beside him, was utterly astounded. "Oh my God, Jing Shu, you’re amazing! Where did you get so many insects? These past few days, we’ve dug through all the mud just to find a tiny bit of food, and we haven’t found even a single earthworm..."

Li Dayou gritted his teeth. He was close to death anyway, so any way of dying would suffice. He decided to take the desperate gamble. He turned to his teammates, who watched him with dry eyes, and said, "Later, whether I’m dead or alive, none of you are to blame Miss Jing Shu. She’s doing this for my own good."

"Captain, just eat them quickly," Wang Dan urged. "I don’t think Jing Shu is joking about this. I believe in her."

Li Dayou took the bowl of insects. Oddly enough, this full bowl of insects wasn’t trying to escape. They were just crawling densely within the bowl, as if something was restraining them. The sight alone was enough to make his skin crawl. Li Dayou had never seen this kind of insect before; their mouthparts were even sharper and flatter than any he knew.

"So, I just ’drink’ them straight down into my mouth?" Li Dayou asked for confirmation once more.

Jing Shu nodded. "Just open your mouth, and they’ll crawl in. You absolutely must not chew."

Li Dayou swallowed hard and brought the bowl to his lips. Instantly, the insects surged madly into his mouth, swarming over his tongue and down his throat.

"It’s so itchy! So unbearable!" Li Dayou dared not move. Tears streamed down his face from the intense itchiness, but he remained still until three to five seconds had passed. Once all the insects had crawled in, he finally gasped for air, scratching his throat furiously. An unbearable itch spread through his chest!

It truly felt as if millions of insects were crawling inside one’s body!

The insects commenced their sweeping operation. Wherever indigestible soil clogged the stomach and intestines, they devoured it completely. As they moved downwards, if they encountered places that were too narrow, they would queue up in an orderly fashion and squeeze through one by one. Soon, Li Dayou was clutching his stomach as it began to tremble violently—his body’s natural reaction to expel the foreign invaders.

Cold sweat dripped continuously from Li Dayou. He ground his teeth and began to pound the ground. Witnessing his agony, those around him, who had also suffered indigestion from eating dirt and had considered trying the insects, completely abandoned the idea.

Li Dayou clutched his stomach, his pain like that of a pregnant woman in labor.

Actually, Li Dayou’s situation could have waited for a rescue, after which he could have contacted a Doctor for stomach pumping or other medical procedures. However, that would have taken many days, and who knew if he would survive that long? With such a severely bloated stomach, he couldn’t eat anything and was in constant agony. Therefore, Jing Shu had resorted to this rather brutal method. Yes, it was incredibly painful, but it was quick. Compared to death, enduring this was perhaps like experiencing childbirth—a trial many women go through. Would that be considered excessive?

Seeing that everything seemed to be proceeding as planned, Jing Shu waved her hand. "It should take about half an hour. Later, you just need to expel the insects, and you’ll be fine. I’m off to cook." With that, she left nonchalantly.

Everyone was left with an admiring gaze, the kind reserved for a leader with bold and effective methods. In this short encounter, Wang Dan’s admiration for Jing Shu had grown from a continuously flowing river into a vast ocean.

Jing Shu, carrying a large box and a backpack, and leading the fat chicken, returned to the kitchen. She closed the door firmly, ensuring no one was watching. Then, from her storage space, she took out food she had prepared long ago: roasted sirloin, T-bone steak, and grilled Yuqing sausage served with beef rolls and Enoki mushrooms. She also had vermicelli with scallops, all of which she wolfed down hungrily.

She tossed the T-bone steak bones to the fat chicken, occasionally giving it a few pieces of meat to improve its diet. After drinking a large pot of creamy white Mushroom soup enriched with chunks of cheese and eating a few apples, bananas, and oranges, she finally took a slow, deep breath. Feeling her energy replenished, she began to prepare dinner.

God knows how long it had been since she had feasted so heartily. She had absolutely no real private space, and everyone around was so shrewd; Jing Shu dared not reveal the slightest hint of her secrets.

So, what can I make next that will be both filling and delicious?

Somehow, the scent of hotpot began to waft through the air. It was faint, yet so irresistibly delicious that even the people from Ga Mountain Valley, who had just filled their stomachs with water, couldn’t help but salivate at the smell.

It must be an illusion, right? How could there be the spicy scent of hotpot at a time ?

Aunt Wang, holding a freshly baked pancake, came aboard the boat to report to Wang Dan. She saw the boat team members gathered around a bonfire. The firelight illuminated their faces and the bowls of steaming milk tea in their hands. The tea, enriched with soaked and tender oats, exuded a tempting aroma. A sip of milk tea combined with the oats was a deadly seduction. Newest update provıded by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽

The boat team members carefully blew on their steaming milk tea, taking tiny sips, almost afraid they were dreaming.

Aunt Wang swallowed hard. Forget milk tea; she hadn’t even had regular milk in years.

Outside the bonfire’s glow, a recently constructed mud-brick kang was visible. From Aunt Wang’s angle, she could see that its inner walls were lined with batches of nearly toasted, golden-brown pancakes, sprinkled with fragrant sesame seeds. Even from where she stood, she could smell the aroma of the baking pancakes.

Hovering above the fire was a large pot, bubbling with a GLUG-GLUG sound. Aunt Wang saw various vegetables she hadn’t seen in a long time, and even meat! The rich, meaty scent and the distinct flavor of hotpot drifted far from this pot.

Actually, it was nothing more than a simple stew.

However, the addition of spicy beef jerky, spicy diced rabbit, and large pieces of ham had given the broth a rich aroma. When various Dried Vegetables were added, the stew in the pot turned out to be unexpectedly delicious. Its scent was so appetizing that even Jing Shu hadn’t anticipated such a good result.

Jing Shu then handed Li Dayou a bowl of milk tea. "Now that your stomach is cleaned out, drink plenty of this milk tea. When it’s time to eat, start with the pancakes to build a base. Eat more vegetables and less meat; otherwise, it will be hard to digest."

Jing Shu was truly grateful to Li Dayou. If it hadn’t been for such a responsible captain, her Seeds might not have had such a favorable outcome.

Li Dayou nodded, embarrassed. His stomach occasionally let out a RUMBLE; he was clearly famished.

Jing Shu had already instructed everyone that since they hadn’t eaten greasy or rich foods for a long time, they should drink plenty of milk tea and eat some pancakes before enjoying the stew from the pot.

After Jing Shu presented such a satisfying meal, everyone felt that their arduous journey had been worth it.

"Aunt Wang?" Wang Dan called out a few times before Aunt Wang snapped back to reality. She swallowed quietly and said, "I’ve made the mud pancakes according to the proportions you specified. This batch is baked. Could you please take a look and see if they’re all right? If they are, we’ll continue to make them on this scale."

Wang Dan scratched his head. He didn’t know anything about these things, so he called Jing Shu over to make the decision.