I Am Cultivating in the Apocalypse

Chapter 748: Xinlan’s Insect Cake Factory

The family got out of the car and finally saw the legendary Yellow River.

"Where’s the water?" Mr. Jing asked.

"It turned into ice," Jing Shu answered.

"..."

"So the Yellow River has become yellow ice?"

The once-surging Yellow River had transformed into a cold, endless glacier. Mr. Jing’s breath misted in the air as he tucked his gloved hands into his sleeves and walked down along the edge of the dam. For a moment, his expression was complex and reflective. He could sense the formidable power that had once surged for thousands of miles. Unfortunately, nothing could ultimately escape the extreme cold. It was a reminder of how insignificant they were before nature, forced to migrate from the home they had known for decades.

"I’ll freeze to death out here! I’m going back to cook for you and your granddaughter," Grandma Jing said, dragging the struggling fat chicken back onto the vehicle. She didn’t see what was so interesting about it. Why was the old man so excited? He would be better off spending his time planting more vegetables or curing more meat.

The fat chicken struggled, I want to go out and play too!

Wu You’ai, pushing up her glasses and yawning, wanted to go back for a nap. To her surprise, her teacher insisted she join him in collecting specimens from the Yellow River, saying, "Let’s quickly visit the market in Xinlan City and see if there are any new species we can bring back to cultivate. We’ll be back before mealtime."

Through their interactions these past few days, the teacher had gained a profound understanding of mealtime schedules. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t get his share, nor was Grandma Jing stingy with the food. On the contrary, every meal she prepared was exceptionally lavish and abundant. However, everyone in the Jing family had a large appetite, especially Jing Shu. She was always responsible for clearing the plates. No matter how much food there was, she would finish it all in a couple of gulps.

If you missed a meal, you truly missed out.

Such delicious food—it was too great a pity to miss. The mere thought of the one meal he had missed made his heart ache!

Wu You’ai called out to Jing Shu, "Are you going to the market? You’re the most interested in these kinds of things."

Jing Shu was interested in all things edible, especially the specialty snacks from Xinlan City before the apocalypse, such as Jingning Roasted Chicken, Sweet Fermented Rice, lamb, high school senior sauce meat Tianshui Gu Gu, and more. Even now, there were bound to be some good things available.

"I really want to go too, but I have something to do later. You two go ahead. If you find anything good, bring some back for me," Jing Shu said, shaking her head.

The teacher then took Wu You’ai in his modified trailer and left.

"Granddaughter, want to go ice sliding? Grandpa will make you some ice skates so you can glide on this ice. It’s really exhilarating! If I weren’t so old, I’d be out there on the ice myself," Mr. Jing shouted after frolicking on the Yellow River’s glacier for a while.

Although he hadn’t gotten to see the flowing Yellow River, the old man still knew how to find his own fun.

"Sliding on your own is too much effort, Grandpa. Just wait," Jing Shu replied.

Jing Shu turned and grabbed two spare tires. She placed them horizontally on the ice, secured them with two ropes, then harnessed them to Xiao Lu. Finally, she padded the center of the O-shaped tires with soft cushions. Two ’Hulk-brand’ sleds were ready.

"Shall we see who can go faster?"

"Whoever loses has to clean the livestock shed for a day!"

Jing Shu and Mr. Jing sat in the tires as Xiao Lu dragged them, running swiftly. Then, Xiao Lu executed a sharp turn, nearly flinging them into the air before pulling them back—it was more thrilling than any roller coaster. The cold wind slashed at their faces like daggers of ice, and the scenery blurred past. Mr. Jing whooped with delight, experiencing a true thrill ride.

After playing for a good while, Mr. Jing called out, "I’m getting too old for this! I can’t keep up anymore. I give up, I give up!"

Jing Shu laughed and brought them to a stop.

Just then, the old man from RV number 3 appeared on the dam, shouting, "Little brother, having fun without inviting me?"

"Old brother, you’re too old for this kind of thing," Mr. Jing responded.

"Who says? I want to experience it too!" the old man retorted.

And so, the two old men didn’t just compete but also went for a low-altitude, 360-degree spinning ride that nearly flung them from the tires.

It could be said: the vehicle sped ahead, the people sat within, and their souls chased from behind.

The old man’s family members chased after the Hulk, their voices choked with sobs as they cried out for it to be gentler, to slow down, and to stop.

Jing Shu chuckled and shook her head. She watched the RV park steadily near the guesthouse, then ordered the Hulks to circle the RV and protect her family. Only then did she set off with Xiao Lu and the dozens of other Hulks that had been hidden in the shadows.

When away from home, especially in someone else’s territory, it was always wise to bring extra bodyguards.

If not for her scheduled visit to the Insect Cake Factory in Xinlan, Jing Shu would have gladly joined Wu You’ai at the market. But alas, there was important business to attend to.

Wu City, situated in a basin, had developed outwards in all directions. Xinlan City, however, was built along the Yellow River, with construction limited to its banks. Consequently, it consisted mainly of two long, vertical thoroughfares stretching for dozens of kilometers, with no horizontal expansion.

The Insect Cake Factory was five kilometers away in the urban area, along one of these vertical roads. Much of the route there was submerged in muddy pools.

Pedestrians who encountered the Hulks, such imposing creatures, were terrified and scrambled to the side. However, some desperately hungry men, emboldened by starvation, approached with shards of glass, wondering if they could slaughter the creatures for meat.

Honestly, a pile of green liquid doesn’t even look appetizing, does it?

Jing Shu had initially assumed this would be the extent of the reactions from the New Lan people, who had never seen Hulks before. But she soon realized that the closer they got to the crowded city center, the bolder people became; more and more of them were eyeing the Hulks with greedy glints in their eyes.

"This is a new species, and there are dozens of them! We’d get a good number of pancakes if we brought them to the research institute."

"We have the numbers! Let’s use a bedsheet or quilt cover to get them. Catch as many as we can!"

"Old Yang, go get more men! The brothers are starving!"

The Hulks seemed almost bashful at these comments. Were these people really trying to capture them? Did they think it was a game of hide-and-seek?

Some eagerly threw bedsheets over them, thinking they had caught the new species. However, the green creatures simply turned into liquid and flowed away.

Not only that, but their hands were also covered in the sticky green liquid.

A group of disbelievers, refusing to give up, pushed forward. The Hulks transformed into puddles of liquid that wrapped around them, spinning them relentlessly. The people trapped inside gurgled, feeling the world whirl around them as the Hulks seemed to make sounds of pleasure, apparently competing to see who could spin their captive faster.

Fortunately, Factory Director Wang, who had received news of their arrival early and had come to meet them, intervened and defused the crisis.

The Hulks obediently expelled the people and lined up neatly behind Xiao Lu.

"Hello, hello! You must be President Jing, right?" Wang Gui, the Factory Director of the New Lan Insect Cake Factory, said. "I am Wang Gui. I’m so sorry for the trouble. Please, you’re a magnanimous person, forgive their foolishness. Don’t pay them any mind."

Factory Director Wang then warmly invited her, "Our factory is humble and can’t compare to your large facility in Wu City. Please, feel free to look around."

Jing Shu then emerged from within one of the Hulk’s forms. With an unconcerned smile, she said, "Business first. Let’s go inside."

The onlookers gasped. They were beginning to realize this species wasn’t what they had assumed. These strange creatures actually have an owner? And someone can actually control them?

The factory was modeled after Wu City’s Insect Cake Factory, though on a much smaller scale.

"Thank you for the Insect Cakes your factory provided yesterday," Jing Shu said, expressing her gratitude first. "In a few days, once the shipment from Wu City arrives, we’ll send some your way."

"Of course, of course. We’re all brother factories; it’s only natural to help each other out," Factory Director Wang replied modestly.

That was because he needed something from Jing Shu.