I Am Cultivating in the Apocalypse

Chapter 778: Yun Gui Eighteen Strange Insects

The view of the dilapidated buildings outside the window kept receding, while the continual drizzle pattered against the glass, making a "TICK-TOCK... TICK-TOCK" sound. Occasionally, an insect would whizz by, only to be swallowed by Hulk’s unfurled tongue, as fat chicken and Xiao Lu competed for food again.

The muddy road only slightly reduced the speed of Jing Shu’s convoy. If it weren’t for the convoy constantly getting stuck in the mud, Jing Shu’s Hulk could have gone faster.

The closer they got to the south, the more humid it became and the more mosquitoes and insects appeared. Fortunately, the rain under this ghastly weather had reduced the number of mosquitoes, but it made the Wu City People, unaccustomed to southern weather, feel what true damp cold was.

Of course, compared to the minus sixty degrees in Wu City, it was infinitely better.

Inside the luxurious Hulk RV, Jing Shu was still engrossed in figuring out what the Jing Family might have forgotten or missed when they left home. Suddenly, she clapped her hands. "I forgot that we’re running low on water at home!"

Third Aunt Jing Lai sat in the corner, looking aggrieved. "Shu, did you forget about your Third Aunt?"

Jing Shu secretly slapped her thigh. Ah, she’d been so engrossed in the sadness of leaving that she’d brought Third Aunt along but had forgotten to make arrangements for her! So, she quickly said, "No, no, Third Aunt. For now, you can follow Ahua and another factory manager to get a deeper understanding of things. When we arrive at South Sea, we’ll have plenty to do. We’ll usually stay inside this Hulk. For meals, we’ll eat with Uncle, and I’ll cook. As for lodging, you can stay in the Hulk right at the back."

"Okay, but I can’t just sit idle. I see young Liu is still not managing the military provisions well; I’ll help them out this afternoon. I’ll keep an eye on the mess hall for you. Also, the dozen or so chickens, ducks, rabbits, and two pigs Grandma Jing brought for you—I’ll feed them every day so you don’t have to worry about it."

Ah, having Third Aunt is really wonderful...

As for why so many animals were brought... Grandma Jing had said, "With hundreds of soldiers protecting you, I’m not afraid of others having bad intentions. This trip is different from before. You’ll be starting so many factories, and in a new place where you don’t know anyone, these chickens and ducks are perfect for gifts. Moreover, if you ever crave something, just slaughter and eat them. Don’t ever starve yourself..."

Alright then.

Jing Shu had Third Aunt moved to the Hulk at the back, which they decided to call Carriage No. 2.

Carriage No. 3, a Hulk, was for chickens, ducks, and other Domestic Poultry. Carriages 4-8 contained their officially declared personal supplies. Carriage No. 9 was a specialized Tick-control room. Carriages from No. 10 onwards held public supplies, such as food, water, and gasoline allocated by the authorities.

They still had over thirty Hulks left as bodyguards. About twenty others were left for Grandma Jing to store various household items, farm animals, vegetable racks, and so on; these also served as bodyguards.

Over a hundred other Hulks had been rented out in exchange for restricted resources like natural gas and oil, as the Jing Family’s and her own consumption could not solely rely on their spatial storage.

Carriage No. 2 was connected to the interior of Jing Shu’s Hulk. There was no need for a door; just a few gentle pats and the Hulk itself would open up.

Of course, Carriage No. 2 couldn’t compare to Jing Shu’s personal Hulk, which was essentially a luxurious mini-RV. It had a toilet, a bathtub, a partitioned kitchen, a dining table, a couch, a large round bed big enough for one, and even more extravagantly, a small coffee and milk tea bar. It also contained vegetable and fruit planters that Grandma Jing had brought up, and water tanks made by Mr. Jing.

Carriage No. 2 was only the size of a van, but it was enough for daily living. It was just very empty inside, as it was a temporary arrangement.

"Third Aunt, this is insect spray. Make sure to use it every day when you go out; there are lots of insects around here. This is a toilet made by Mr. Jing. As for the bed... just lay down a mattress. Sleeping inside Hulk’s body feels just like a water bed, all BOUNCY and SPRINGY! Oh, Third Aunt, where is your luggage?"

Third Aunt pointed gloomily at the backpack on her back.

"That’s... all? Didn’t Grandma Jing say she was taking care of your packing?" Jing Shu exclaimed in surprise.

Third Aunt replied, "Your Grandma Jing... she forgot that I was leaving too. But Mr. Jing said there’s no need to pack much; if I’m really missing anything, I can just tag along with you and get by."

"Alright, Mr. Jing has really thought of everything. But I have everything here, Third Aunt, just wait..."

Mr. Jing, who supposedly had everything well thought out, was scolded by Grandma Jing the next day. The reason was that Third Aunt used to prepare the pig and chicken feed and clean out the pens, and with her gone, nobody had done these chores. Mr. Jing, having forgotten his third daughter wasn’t there, had gone off to brag with the neighbor, Mr. Xie. This resulted in the chickens, ducks, and cows going hungry for a day.

"MOO~ MOO"

"QUACK QUACK QUACK"

"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!!"

"OINK OINK"

The various animals’ intermittent cries made the surrounding neighbors’ eyes glow green with hunger. Thankfully, Grandma Jing fed them some vegetable leaves just in time; otherwise, this flock of Domestic Poultry, starved as they were, would have burst out of the Hulk’s body.

Luckily, the Hulk was just an emotionless tool, never resisting as long as it was fed properly.

「Ten days later,」 Jing Shu’s caravan finally arrived at Yun Gui.

The road had been incredibly tough. It started with numerous mosquitoes, but later became filled with various poisonous insects, ants, and moths swarming everywhere. Moreover, poisonous plants and bushes frequently blocked their path.

After the apocalypse, plants imbued with Dark Pigment had grown wildly. Various poisonous vines had almost completely encircled the city, and just the convoy’s process of entering had injured more than a dozen people.

Fortunately, there wasn’t an excessive amount of water in this area; otherwise, if it had developed like a primeval forest, it truly would have become a toxic city.

Yun Gui was a large city situated on high ground and surrounded by mountains. It had been spared from many natural and man-made disasters, making it one of the few cities that had remained relatively intact and populated since the apocalypse.

By absorbing the population from surrounding smaller towns, it now had a total of eighteen million people, also rendering it an isolated city. This was because all the neighboring small towns had been eroded by terrifying bushes, poisonous vines, and green algae.

Due to its geographical conditions, Yun Gui had little arable land and consequently less food available. Given that it had to sustain so many people, one would logically assume that life there during the apocalypse would be extremely difficult. In reality, however, the Yun Gui people were living quite comfortably.

Although there was a lack of various resources, very few people actually starved.

As the saying goes, "The early bird catches the worm." Correspondingly, the early-rising Yun Gui people caught insects to eat. A hardworking Yun Gui person would never go hungry; only the lazy ones would starve.

During the major earthquake in the third year of the apocalypse, while people nationwide were busy taking shelter, the Yun Gui people were busy catching insects. It’s said that, in that year, Yun Gui seemed to have disturbed the old nests of all sorts of insects, as each tremor shook out countless varieties of them.

"Come, try our specialty, the Yun Gui Eighteen Strange Insects! Don’t mind their appearance; their taste isn’t much better... Ah, no, I mean, they have a truly unique flavor!"

A very dark-complexioned, middle-aged man with a small wooden stick held in his mouth enthusiastically introduced the local specialties.

"BUZZ BUZZ..."

SLAP!

The middle-aged man slapped himself hard on the arm, killing a large mosquito. Its abdomen showed a speck of fresh red blood. He cursed irritably, "Damn it! I got distracted talking and it bit me. Can’t let this go to waste." With that, he popped the mosquito into his mouth and swallowed it.