novelraw Chapter 729: The Gentlest Insect of the Apocalypse
Chapter 729: The Gentlest Insect of the Apocalypse
Further inside was the RV’s toilet. Ever since Hulk had helped transport gasoline, the space freed up here was used for tanks of domestic water. Replenishing water outdoors was quite troublesome. Even though the RV was equipped with two large water tanks, they definitely weren’t enough. Throughout the entire migration period, it was impossible to bring enough water for both drinking and general use.
Currently, one of the RV’s tanks was for domestic water—used for washing, bathing, and the like—while the other was for filtered drinking water.
Domestic water was replenished using snow from outside. This snow water would first be filtered by the RV’s built-in filter and then again by the villa’s filter to prevent any parasites from coming into contact with and penetrating the body. It was best not to drink this replenished snow water; it was unsafe, as no one knew what kind of insects would hatch once the intensely cold ice thawed.
Jing Shu also had a lingering fear about this. For instance, during the previous migration, everyone was required to boil water. After boiling, layers of insect carcasses would be visible. This wasn’t even mentioning that directly scooping snow into one’s mouth could lead to ingesting many live insects. Despite warnings, some people didn’t heed them and ate the snow anyway. It wasn’t as immediately and terrifying as bursting from parasites, but many insects did reproduce within their bodies.
There was one type of insect that survived by consuming microorganisms and bacteria. Thankfully, it didn’t eat human tissue, but their sheer numbers and growth could become problematic. They were long creatures, similar to pre-apocalypse roundworms, and would leave the host’s body once mature to make room for their larvae.
After all, insects also needed to reproduce.
So, how did the mature insects exit? They would inevitably search for any opening to burrow out of. This usually meant one of two orifices: either burrowing down through the esophagus or up. Regardless, during the migration, it was common to see people pulling several long, thin insects from their mouths. Occasionally, some would even wriggle out on their own from... the other end.
When this phenomenon first appeared, it terrified many. Onlookers were shocked. However, as Doctors conducted their research and more time passed—and as people began frequently pulling insects from their mouths and tossing them to the cooks to ’add to the pot’—everyone gradually grew accustomed to it.
This was the gentlest insect of the apocalypse, known as the "gentle roundworm," and it was almost harmless to humans. Eliminating them was also simple: taking worm-killing medicine did the job. However, medicine was very expensive in the apocalypse, so poorer people generally didn’t consider it. Besides, once the insects matured, they could even supplement a meal...
Moreover, these insects were sensitive to heat. Drinking hot water a few times could kill most of the mature ones, and repeating this process could bring them almost completely under control.
But regardless, since Jing Shu had the means, she still wouldn’t drink snow water. The thought of other potential germs made it not worth the risk; it just felt too unsettling.
As for drinking water, they would use the water filtered by the villa’s four massive water tanks. These tanks were an extremely costly resource, previously unaffordable, but now essential to bring along.
There was no helping it; during the villa’s renovation, Jing Shu had spent over 200,000 on various filters. Except for the consumable filter cartridges that needed occasional replacement, the filters themselves were in good condition. Naturally, they were all brought along for this move. This preemptively solved the drinking water issue, as the villa’s system obviously couldn’t be used on the road.
The main issue was that managing four large water tanks was rather troublesome. Water also had to be transferred to the RV’s internal tank, which would likely need refilling every two days.
If this filtered water still wasn’t enough, they also had a considerable amount of pre-apocalypse bottled and barreled mineral water remaining, which could be used.
Past these areas was a living space, also filled with various supplies. Even the corridors on both sides had shelves embedded and fixed into the walls. Further back was Jing Shu’s parents’ separate bedroom, featuring a 2-meter wide bed. There was a storage box under the bed, storage cabinets on either side of it, and originally, a 33-inch LCD TV mounted on the wall at the foot of the bed. Since it was useless, it had been dismantled and replaced with more shelves.
Grandma Jing and Mr. Jing slept in the former dining area, located to the right of the entrance. During the day, it could be used for meals; at night, furniture could be folded and storage cabinets combined to form a tatami-like bed, though setting it up was quite troublesome.
Third Aunt slept in a partitioned-off section of the corridor next to the dining area. At night, a curtain could be drawn to create a small, enclosed space.
The entire family meticulously rechecked their belongings, ensuring that everything that should be brought, and could be brought, was packed. Grandma Jing was especially thorough, painstakingly checking the crammed supplies, sorting through the items hung on the RV’s exterior, and even insisting that Jing Shu recite the current food inventory for verification. With each item Jing Shu confirmed, the smile on Grandma Jing’s face grew wider.
Jing Shu read from the list, and Grandma Jing confirmed each item.
"One thousand pounds of smoked sausage."
"Correct."
"Twelve pork hams."
"Correct."
"Twenty-four spicy mutton hooves."
"Correct."
Grandma Jing continued, "Today, we collected 66 chicken eggs, 10 duck eggs, and 40 quail eggs. They’ve all been placed in the egg box."
"The 30 jin of milk we squeezed has been boiled and frozen in the milk container. Let’s wait until it’s full, and then we can make yogurt."
"I’ve brought in some of the fish balls we made a few days ago. Tomorrow morning, let’s have fish ball and vegetable soup before we leave."
After checking everything, Grandma Jing beamed. "Excellent, excellent! No matter how far this migration takes us, we won’t go hungry!"
Mr. Jing instinctively smacked his lips. He didn’t dare to smoke but said proudly, "Even when we reach our destination, we won’t starve. We’ll grow our own vegetables and raise our own Domestic Poultry. As long as the Earth isn’t destroyed, we can thrive anywhere!"
"That’s right!" Jing Shu’s mother added. "Everyone, please relax. The South Sea is a nurturing place. Even if our new home isn’t as good as this one, as long as we have food, clothing, necessities, and our family is together, everything will be fine!"
Just then, Wu You’ai tossed over a bag of powder and another bag of small black and red crystals. "I just found these in my room," he said. "I’d forgotten I still had them hidden... They’re not needed anymore, so you can have them."
Jing Shu grinned. "You hid them where? We’ve clearly emptied the house."
"Under the cabinet, if you lift a tile, there’s a small hole..."
That was indeed quite a secretive spot. It’s not as if he was hiding gold bars; why make such a fuss over two little bags?
"What’s this?" Jing Shu asked. "What’s it for? Is it edible? Do you mix it with water to drink? Is it some kind of food that causes a miraculous reaction, like Lotus Root Starch?"
Wu You’ai coughed awkwardly twice. "It does produce some... miraculous reactions, but it’s not the kind of food you’re thinking of. These are from a small experiment I did a while back. Do you know about the Pharaoh’s Snake experiment?"
Jing Shu shook her head. This academic slacker knew nothing. "Just tell me what it’s used for."
"It’s highly poisonous."
Jing Shu was so frightened she nearly threw the two bags away. What in the world? Wu You’ai brings over two bags of potent poison in the middle of the night! Oh no, this guy had even hidden it in the house for several years...
And he only remembered it today!
"So, what then?" Jing Shu gestured with her hands. "Just scatter it around? That won’t work, right?"
As expected, Wu You’ai shook his head. "It needs to be part of a chemical reaction. Combine the two, then add some hydrogen peroxide... Oh, we don’t have any of that now. In that case, add some dish soap. Then cover your nose and mouth and run fast."
...Should he really be this casual about it?