I Am Cultivating in the Apocalypse

Chapter 764: Struck Rich!

If it had not been witnessed with their own eyes, who would believe that someone could be so bold as to leap directly into a sea of cannibal insects and come out unscathed?

Just then, Hao Yunlai’s voice came through the walkie-talkie, "I was overwhelmed before and couldn’t find my bearings. Although I wasn’t attacked, it was still hard to breathe. I don’t know what happened just now, but it seems like there are a lot fewer insects. I’ve reached the destination now."

"Good. Find the energy, load it into the special instrument, and open the passage."

"Roger that."

As minutes and seconds ticked by, no further sounds came from the walkie-talkie. The only noise left in the armored car was the sound of breathing. When their lives were at stake, who could take it lightly?

Everyone was intently watching the tiny figure amidst the insect sea.

What was bewildering was that the fiercely rampant Ticks, which had previously filled a world where nothing else was visible, were now becoming clearer. The pressure from the swarm was diminishing.

"It seems like it’s not so dangerous anymore..."

Little do they know, Jing Shu thought. At that moment, she was desperately using the third property of her upgraded Magic Cube Space to break down the Ticks she touched into purple energy and then collect it.

At this time, the Magic Cube Space stretched out in a kilometer-long line and then, like an oversized electric fan, it began to spin wildly. After each spin, dense swarms of Ticks would disappear without a trace, as quietly as if they were never there. If anyone could have witnessed this, their jaw would have certainly dropped in astonishment.

Watching the purple Energy Crystals grow at such a gratifying rate, I really want to throw my head back and laugh! This place is simply a tailor-made energy collection base for me! Jing Shu exulted internally.

But even with the upgraded space, there was a limit to how far it could extend. Jiang Jiang could envelop the entire convoy, breaking down the Ticks within this range. Jing Shu couldn’t extend its reach any further. Yet, Ticks endlessly and crazily surged in, while the convoy also advanced slowly. This allowed Jing Shu’s energy collection rate to remain steady and kept the insect sea in view from completely vanishing.

Had it not been for Jing Shu’s frenetic harvesting method, the convoy would probably have perished a thousand times over. I find it hard to imagine whether Jun Bao, in my previous life, led people through this route. If he did, how did he succeed? I heard that on one occasion when the vanguard was sent out, many died. This migration route was truly paved with human lives. Jun Bao is a man who keeps his cards close to his chest. He must have a way to preserve his life.

"I’ve got it."

Finally, Hao Yunlai’s voice came through the walkie-talkie.

Everyone in the armored car shouted with excitement.

At that very moment, the ground suddenly became soft and undulated, causing the armored cars to rock and sway. Many collided with each other. From the energy source, a massive eruption of Ticks burst out as if appearing from thin air, threatening to submerge the entire convoy in an instant.

This wave of insects was more ferocious than any before, like a dam bursting. The convoy stood right at the edge of that dam, watching as the insect tide erupted from the center of the energy source, about to drown everyone. Some insects were even squeezed right in front of their eyes.

Yet, at that very moment, the surging insects vanished...

The tide of insects had come on as furiously as a colossal wave crashing down. Everyone braced for impact, ready to shut their eyes as the wave hit. But then, the wave vanished; the raging sea of insects was gone.

Even the distant sea of insects, as if aware of their dire fate, scattered helter-skelter and disappeared into the vast land.

The whole world seemed to quiet down.

"What just happened?"

"It looked like a wave of insects as high as the sky came crashing down...but then it disappeared?"

"Could my eyes be playing tricks on me?"

"I saw it too..."

"So where did the insects go? How did they disappear again?"

Indeed, quite suddenly, not a single Tick remained; they had vanished without a trace. This abrupt absence left the group, who had just endured the sea of insects, feeling somewhat unsettled. But regardless, they were finally safe! They could only attribute the recent, strange phenomenon to some marvel.

Jing Shu slowly exhaled. That was truly dangerous! Thankfully, my reaction was quick. She had surrounded the central point, directly disintegrating the oncoming swarm of insects into energy that was absorbed into her space.

Just that one wave had caused the Energy Crystals in her space to grow by two whole sizes!

At this moment, the walkie-talkie crackled with a new message, "The passage is open! There’s a lot of liquid beneath the special energy crystals, suspected to be special energy."

Everyone’s focus shifted from the strange recent events back to the mission at hand. The commanding armored convoy accelerated towards the passage, while others began to deal with the aftermath. Many vehicles had collided, and several people were injured. Old Man Zhang led a team to bandage and treat the wounded, leaving two fully armed squads on standby for emergencies. The artillery pieces were not withdrawn. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

Only Jun Bao seemed lost in thought. What just happened wasn’t so simple, he mused. Something I’m unaware of must have occurred.

...

The military vehicles stopped at a small pond. The Hulks closely followed, encircling the pond, ready to protect Jing Shu’s safety at all costs and shield her from any harm.

The pond wasn’t large, only a few dozen square meters in area and two meters deep, but the purple, reflective liquid inside excited everyone. This represented a new form of energy in the apocalypse. Even a single drop was incredibly precious, let alone an entire pond’s worth.

The pond was quickly cordoned off, and access was forbidden to everyone.

Specialists began transferring the liquid into specialized containers—weighing, sealing, loading them onto vehicles, recording data, and taking photographs.

Hao Yunlai showcased the crystals, which were housed in a special device, eliciting sounds of wonder from the elites in the vehicle. Experts, wielding their instruments of the trade, began to analyze the crystals and the liquid.

"We’ve struck it rich this time! So much special energy! And even more valuable, crystals! If we submit these, Wu City is guaranteed a first-class Merit! Being ranked as a first-class city wouldn’t be out of the question either."

"Let’s first study the effects of this New Energy. Old Chen mentioned that this liquid might be related to the Ticks, and possibly even to the food supply. Given that Ticks have paralyzing and hallucinogenic effects, it could potentially be used for anesthetics or even in the production of cigarettes."

"This could be a huge industrial chain."

Disregarding the surrounding discussion, Jun Bao was the first to state his position. Ignoring the surprised looks, he openly declared that their survival and arrival here were entirely thanks to Jing Shu using her private New Energy to produce the suppressant drugs. "So," he turned to her, "how do you want to handle your half of the energy?"

Various eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred were fixated on Jing Shu.

Some were clearly discontented, but no one dared to object openly yet, not with the ’big guns’ literally behind them. Any objections would have to wait until they returned.

"After the total amount of liquid is tallied, I’ll take my half directly. As for the crystal, compensate me with an amount of liquid equal to five percent of the total liquid found," Jing Shu said after a moment’s thought. This crystal is much smaller than the one in my Magic Cube Space; it’s merely the essence of the liquid, nothing particularly special. It would be better to ask for more liquid; I could breed even more Ticks with it.

Jun Bao nodded. "Agreed."

"Hold on a second."

Someone had to speak up.