Chapter 277: Flock of Migratory Birds

Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Flock of Migratory Birds

Crouching in a freshly dug pit over two meters deep, Visual Evolver Xiaqing finally found the Evolutionary Thorn Moth pupa hidden in a rock crevice, confirming what Li Si had said last night.

’No wonder burning the mountain to clear the Evolution Forest last year failed to kill the pupae. They were hidden this deep.’

’The thorn moth hadn’t evolved iron teeth or legs; it had burrowed down through the gaps between grassroots and soil.’

’Damn it, could Blue Star get any crazier after its evolution?!’

’Thankfully, the researchers in Zhang San’s territory developed a soil insecticide tailored for the local land. This way, even if the Evolutionary Thorn Moth pupae turned into moths, they would be killed when they burrowed up through the treated soil layer.’

Xiaqing breathed a sigh of relief. As she climbed out of the pit and onto the ground, she heard Hu Zifeng make an announcement on the Lord channel. "Attention all Lords. Starting today, Mountain No. 49 is entering its bird hunting period. If you hear the sound of gunfire on the mountain, please do not be alarmed. No.1 Territory promises the hunting activities will not affect any territories."

On the evolved Blue Star, the human population had plummeted by over ninety percent, but the wildlife population had multiplied by tens, even hundreds of times. Migratory birds had become a plague.

The vast number of migratory birds flying over this region brought both risks and rewards to the humans living there.

Beasts of prey and raptors needed to hunt the migratory birds to store fat for the winter. Humans also took advantage of this once-a-year feast, hunting large numbers of migratory birds, beasts, and raptors to fill their reserves.

Thus, during this period, the majority of the combat strength from the army and various teams would enter the swamp and lake regions of the Evolution Forest to hunt for days on end.

The northern part of Mountain No. 49 had a large swamp, so the Green Dragon Team didn’t have to fight with other teams for a hunting ground. Naturally, they would make full use of it.

Tang Huai, who was always at odds with No. 1 Territory, actually asked politely, "Captain Hu, can people from our territories join your collective training? I’ll bring my own equipment and pay a per-head fee."

"No," Hu Zifeng refused unequivocally. "The collective training hunt during the migratory bird season is extremely dangerous. Non-Green Dragon Team members are not allowed to participate."

Tang Huai’s attitude immediately soured. He warned viciously, "If you people make so much noise that I can’t rest, I’ll definitely file a complaint!"

Migratory flocks generally traveled at night and landed to rest during the day, so the Green Dragon Team’s hunts were all in the daytime. It was impossible for them to disturb Tang Huai’s sleep.

Hu Zifeng couldn’t be bothered to deal with the Tang Family’s madman, and the Lords continued their discussion on how to handle the half-month-long migratory bird season.

Kuang Qingwei asked, "How does everyone plan to ward off the birds?"

Before the Natural Disaster on Blue Star, birds could be classified by their diet into three types: carnivorous, herbivorous, and omnivorous. Carnivorous birds were further divided into four subcategories: insectivores, piscivores, scavengers, and predatory birds.

After the Natural Disaster began and the great biological evolution occurred, birds also evolved, rendering the old classifications obsolete.

With the exception of a few species of raptors at the top of the avian food chain, nearly all other birds became omnivorous after evolving. Simply put: when food was plentiful, they would be picky eaters; when food was scarce or they were too hungry, they would eat anything.

Corn, mung beans, vegetables, and even humans within the territories were all food for the hungry migratory birds. And once these birds landed to rest, hungry predatory raptors would soon swoop in to hunt them.

The greenhouses in the territories were primarily built with bamboo and couldn’t withstand the iron beaks and sharp talons of the raptors. Therefore, during the migratory bird season, the Lords’ main task wasn’t to hunt birds, but to prevent them from landing within their territories, especially near the farmland.

Qi Fu replied, "The birds should be afraid of loud noises. We plan to immediately start banging on iron basins to drive them off if we see them starting to descend."

"That’s a good idea, I’ll do that too." Zhao Ze quickly made a note of it. The Green Dragon Team was going to be focused on hunting, so he couldn’t possibly hire any of its members to help guard his territory. He had to use every trick in the book, just in case.

"Evolutionary Birds might not be afraid of banging pots," Xiaqing chimed in. "I’m thinking of recording the calls of eagles, cats, and wolves, then playing them when the birds fly over to scare them away." However, what she intended to "play" wasn’t a recording, but a live wolf performance.

’She had two wolves in her territory, after all. It would be a waste not to use them.’

"I was preparing to do the same thing," Kuang Qingwei immediately added. "I’ve already set up recorded speakers. Each loudspeaker has a transmission range of about 600-700 meters. With just two of them, you can absolutely protect the farmland and houses in your territories. Do any of you need to buy or rent some? They’re 60 points to buy, or 10 points a day to rent."

After speaking, Kuang Qingwei played two sound clips of an Evolutionary Eagle and a cat. The sounds were clear and carried a powerful, intimidating presence.

Shi Zhong responded at once, "I’ll buy one."

"I’ll take one too," Qi Fu followed up. Zhao Ze and Xiaqing also ordered one each. The migratory bird season lasted fifteen days; renting a speaker would cost 150 points, enough to buy two. Naturally, everyone chose to buy.

Then, Shi Zhong began to sell his own bird-repelling product. "I’ve made a bunch of kites shaped like Evolved Fierce Birds. The kites also have small speakers on them and can fly over three hundred meters high. If anyone wants to buy one, they’re 23 points each."

Kuang Qingwei immediately asked, "Brother Shi, are your kites also for sale in the Safe Zone?"

Shi Zhong replied with a smile, "Yes, back when we were in the Safe Zone, we relied on these to trade for compressed rations. We managed to make quite a few this year too and entrusted Captain Zhong to take them back to the Safe Zone to sell on consignment."

The Evolved Fierce Birds kites were one of the base’s low-cost, yet effective, methods for repelling birds. Everyone immediately started placing orders, one person buying three, another buying five.

Xiaqing hadn’t known that Shi Zhong made these. A few days ago, she had asked Zhong Tao to buy ten for her from the Safe Zone, at 25 points each.

Zhong Tao not telling Xiaqing that the Tenth Territory had kites for sale was perfectly normal. According to regulations, patrol teams could not disclose the transaction details of any Lord without their express permission.

With the kites, the speakers, the wolves, the gun in her hands, and the grenade launcher she had stashed away as a last resort—plus Hu Zifeng’s team acting as super-security—Xiaqing was quite confident in her ability to drive away the migratory flocks, even with a reservoir in her territory.

On September 25, an announcement from Tan Junjie marked the beginning of this year’s migratory bird season.

"Attention all Lords, attention all Lords. The first flock of migratory birds will pass over the territories in half an hour. Raptors in the Evolution Forest to the north have already begun to take flight. Please make your preparations."

Tan Junjie didn’t specify the species of migratory bird, which meant he must not have been notified. Xiaqing asked Hu Zifeng, "Captain Hu, what species is the first flock, and how many are there, roughly?"

After checking with the observation post on the peak of Mountain No. 49, Hu Zifeng replied through his earpiece communicator, "Approximately one thousand migratory birds. Evolved Gulls, flying at an altitude of five hundred meters."

A thousand was too many. Xiaqing immediately gave an order, having the two Speed Evolvers in her territory launch the Evolved Sea Eagle kites—the natural enemy of the Evolved Gulls.