Chapter 265: Insect Plague

Chapter 265: Chapter 265: Insect Plague

’Hopefully, after testing the spinach from last time and the Chicken Shit Vine from this time, Li Si from the Fiery Fire Team will lose interest in the Third Territory. That would let me farm in peace.’

After watching Assistant Liu walk away, Xiaqing was about to return to her territory when Tang Huai popped out of the Injurious Grass again to propose a trade. "Xiaqing, can you trade me one of your Green Light White-haired Chicken Shit Vines? My stomach’s been hurting these past few days. I want one with the roots, too. I’ll also give you three hundred points for it, how about it?"

Xiaqing calmly glanced at the small, wriggling caterpillar on top of Tang Huai’s Protective Mask. "I don’t have many left to begin with. If I dig up another one for you, what will my goat eat? No deal."

’What does this damn woman mean? Is she saying I’m fighting a crazy goat for some grass?’ Tang Huai suppressed his anger, gritted his teeth, and raised the price. "I’ll pay four hundred points!"

Xiaqing held up her fingers, making a ’six’. "If you insist on a trade, it’ll be double the price. Six hundred."

Tang Huai exploded, hopping mad. "You just traded one to Assistant Liu for three hundred! Why is it six hundred for me?!"

Xiaqing’s face hardened, and her voice grew colder. "My trade with No. 9 Territory was negotiated a long time ago. Now that the trade is complete, I have even less Chicken Shit Vine. I don’t want to trade anymore, which is why I raised the price. If you think it’s too expensive, you don’t have to buy it."

Tang Huai started jumping up and down again. "You tell me to give up, so I should just give up? Hell no, I..."

"Boss!"

With three small caterpillars on his head, Zhou Xun emerged from the Wild Grass Wall and started dragging Tang Huai back into it. "Boss, hurry up. Chairman Tang is calling you home for dinner."

These two had been on a listening mission for over half a year, spending most of their days squatting in a grassy nest. They had already forgotten that they could walk openly on the main path.

Xiaqing stood quietly under the road sign, staring at the Second Territory’s Wild Grass Wall.

Inside the Wild Grass Wall, Tang Huai was cursing up a storm while Zhou Xun tried to persuade him in a low voice, "Boss, keep it down. The captain and vice-captain were already unhappy about you buying that Green Light Spinach at such a high price last time. If you spend so much on a weed again and piss them off, what’ll we do if they don’t let us stay in the territory anymore?"

"You think I want to do this? If they don’t want me on guard, fine by me!"

Zhou Xun continued to persuade him. "You’re not afraid, Boss, but have you forgotten why we came to this godforsaken place? What if they take their anger out on the young miss?"

At this, Tang Huai went silent.

Xiaqing knew that the "young miss" Zhou Xun mentioned wasn’t Tang Lu, but Tang Huai’s older sister, Tang Ning.

Before the Natural Disaster, Tang Zhengsu was just the manager of a small restaurant under the Tang Hotel Group, while the exceptionally capable Tang Ning was the second-in-command of the Tang Group and the undisputed young miss of the Tang Family.

After the great evolution of Blue Star’s creatures, the Tang Family was reshuffled according to Evolutionary Ability. The High Level Speed Evolver Tang Zhengsu rose to the pinnacle of his life, and his daughter, Tang Lu, replaced Tang Ning to become the "young miss of the Tang Family."

’It seems there’s some sort of deal behind Tang Huai leaving the Safe Zone to guard the Second Territory. It makes sense. Although Tang Zhengpo’s branch of the family isn’t doing well now, they aren’t lacking food or drink. Life for Tang Huai in the Safe Zone must be much more comfortable than in the territory. There’s no need for him to come out here and suffer like this.’

When she could no longer hear any sounds from the Second Territory, Xiaqing withdrew her gaze from their Wild Grass Wall and carefully inspected the one in her own territory.

Only then did she discover that at some point, many small caterpillars had appeared within her Wild Grass Wall, though not as outrageously numerous as in the Second Territory.

Pest control was a routine task in the territories. The Territory Management Department distributed pesticides periodically, and Xiaqing would spray once every ten days to eliminate various pests. Her last spraying was three days ago. These new caterpillars were only two to three millimeters long and very weak, looking as if they had just hatched last night or this morning.

The number of these caterpillars was too large; she had to be cautious. Xiaqing immediately began to inspect her territory and found that small caterpillars were emerging from the farmland and the Deserted Village, crawling upwards in dense swarms.

The situation inside the greenhouses covered with insect nets was better; there were only a few caterpillars. Xiaqing breathed a sigh of relief. As she walked toward the reservoir with her sprayer, she pressed the button on her walkie-talkie to report the insect situation. "A large batch of caterpillars has hatched in the Third Territory’s Wild Grass Wall and farmland. Everyone should check their own territories as soon as possible. Captain Tan, the number of caterpillars in the Third Territory is extremely high. If they’re Evolutionary Worms, it will become an infestation if we can’t eliminate them today."

Tan Junjie replied grimly, "Received. We’ll check immediately. All Lords, please inspect your territories and report the situation."

Qi Fu responded at once, "I didn’t notice during my morning patrol. I’ll go check right away."

"Oh god, the migratory birds will be here soon! We can’t have an insect outbreak now," Kuang Qingwei also panicked and ran out to check his territory’s Wild Grass Wall. The other territories also sprang into action.

Most birds feed on insects. If passing migratory birds discovered a large number of caterpillars here, they would certainly land to eat and rest. Once the birds gathered, they would likely smell the crops inside the greenhouses and break through to peck at the mung beans, corn, and sunflower seeds. Furthermore, a gathering of migratory birds would attract carnivorous Evolutionary Animals that prey on them. After the startled birds flew away, some of the hungry carnivorous animals would then turn to humans as their hunting targets.

For many carnivorous animals, especially raptors, autumn is the season when they most need to store fat. But after the great evolution of Blue Star’s creatures, it is also the most difficult season for them to hunt.

In spring, all life sprouts anew. Animals emerge from their hiding dens to find mates, making it easy for Hunters to catch prey.

In summer, a large number of young animals are born. To feed their cubs, physically weakened mothers have to leave their dens to forage. Then, very quickly, sweet and juicy younglings would emerge from the dens. Therefore, the Evolution Forest in summer is a paradise for Hunters.

Although there is less prey in winter than in spring and summer, the withering of plants and trees in the Evolution Forest means small animals lose their natural cover, making them easier for Hunters to spot.

Autumn is the most troublesome. The vegetation is lush, and the grown young have also mastered the rules of survival and no longer run around recklessly. For raptors flying high in the sky, catching prey in the dense and colorful Evolution Forest is extremely difficult. Therefore, to get their fill, many raptors will hunt humans or domesticated animals.

It wasn’t just the raptors. The prey recently brought to the Third Territory by the skilled hunting Wolf Group had also started to include Red Light ones, indicating that they were also having a hard time lately.

No starving Hunter would pass up the opportunity of the migratory bird passage to quickly fatten up for autumn. Wherever the birds landed, that place would become a battlefield.

Zhao Ze exclaimed, "The little caterpillars aren’t just in the Wild Grass Wall in my territory, they’re in the greenhouses too! Where are all these bugs coming from? Brother Huai, do you know?"

Tang Huai, who was looking for a place to vent his anger, immediately started cursing. "If I fucking knew, would I be squatting here digging up worms?"

Tang Zhengpo admonished his son, "Tang Huai, speak properly."

Tang Huai suppressed his temper. "I didn’t see any when I was digging for worms yesterday. This morning, I saw an increase in the number of small caterpillars, but I didn’t think it was a big deal, so I didn’t mention it."

The planting expert, Li Si, spoke up. "All Lords, please catch some of the larvae and bring them to the road sign of my territory. I will identify the species of caterpillar immediately."

"Okay, thank you, Fourth Sister."

"Received. Thanks for your hard work, Fourth Sister."

The various Lords responded and expressed their thanks.