Wasteland Hideout: Upgrading from the Sewers

Chapter 253: The Development, Conception, and Incubation of the Fourth Underground Level

Inside the Insect Breeding Room.

Yu Yuan and Dale looked at the six boxes of mealworms before them, their faces filled with delight.

"Who would have thought! This [Insect Breeding Room] is extraordinarily effective. The mealworms' development time is directly shortened by 50%, and the vitality of individual mealworms is also greatly enhanced....."

Dale couldn't help but exclaim.

In three of the cultivation boxes, dense clusters of small black beetles scurried through the wheat bran.

These were the adult forms of the mealworms after metamorphosis. Normally, the mealworms' metamorphosis wouldn't happen this quickly.

But the [Insect Breeding Room] accelerated this process, causing the mealworms that had already pupated to undergo metamorphosis ahead of schedule.

Inside the cultivation boxes.

These metamorphosed mealworms were chasing and touching each other. Some mealworms were frequently using their antennae to touch the abdominal tips of other mealworms.

Other mealworms were already stacked on top of each other like a "human pyramid," crawling slowly.Dale watched the scene before him with great interest, a happy smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He didn't forget to explain to Yu Yuan.

"Look, the ones chasing and actively touching are the male mealworms. They are probing, part of their 'courtship' process."

"And the ones already stacked together, the one on top is the male, the one below is the female. They have already entered the mating state. If you look closely....." As he spoke, Dale handed Yu Yuan a magnifying glass, pointing at a pair of mealworms closest to them, and said enthusiastically:

"See, the abdominal tip of the male mealworm has already curved downwards, connecting with the abdominal tip of the female mealworm. The countdown to the birth of new life has begun......"

Listening to Dale's extremely professional yet witty explanation, Yu Yuan also picked up the magnifying glass and aimed it at the mealworms.

Sure enough, just as Dale had said, the abdominal tips of the male and female mealworms were tightly connected.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Yu Yuan's mouth.

Although it was just insect reproduction, Yu Yuan felt the greatness and wonder of life.

"Dale, are the temperature and humidity here okay? Let me know immediately if you need anything!"

"No problems at all. The temperature is controlled by the heating pad, stably maintained at 28°C. The environmental humidity is also at the standard 70%. Both are within the most comfortable, ideal range for mealworm egg-laying and reproduction.

Also, I've adjusted the environmental density of the mealworms from three cultivation boxes to six, which won't increase their activity stress. It can significantly increase egg production and reduce the possibility of them attacking each other."

Listening to Dale's explanation, Yu Yuan nodded slightly.

"I remember you said before that 1~2 months after metamorphosis is the core egg-laying period for mealworms. But now, with the support of the Insect Breeding Room, they should be able to lay eggs in about a month, right?"

"Yes....." Dale nodded seriously.

"In fact, at the fastest, the first batch of mealworm eggs could be laid half a month from now. The following month will be the peak egg-laying period for the mealworms. A healthy female adult can lay hundreds of eggs. But because the [Insect Breeding Room] has a breeding quantity enhancement effect, this number might increase by 40% to 80%."

"However......" At this point, the smile faded from Dale's face, replaced by a trace of concern as he looked at Yu Yuan.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Boss, although the increased reproduction rate and shortened time for the mealworms is indeed something to be happy about, correspondingly, given our current stock of only a few hundred pounds of wheat bran and grains, it's a bit dangerous!"

Dale took out his notebook, which was filled with data. Clearly, this wasn't just an offhand remark; he had calculated it repeatedly.

"If we want to achieve maximum protein yield, we must cultivate the mealworms to the large larval stage, which is just before the pupation period. This is when they are the plumpest, and their protein and fat content is the richest.

But to cultivate them to this stage, even with the growth acceleration effect of the [Insect Breeding Room], it will take at least 1 month. And the growth acceleration will also double their food consumption."

"One pound of wheat bran can sustain 100 grams of young larvae for over 10 days. But by the medium-sized, mixed-age stage, it can only last 7~10 days. For large larvae, it can last a week at most."

"Plus, you said this next batch of mealworms still needs to be cultivated to adulthood for breeding. This food consumption......"

Dale shook his head.

"Our current wheat bran is simply not enough!"

Yu Yuan hadn't expected that the current difficulty would lie in the mealworms' food supply.

It's just that at the Grain Trading Station he went to before.

A lot of the wheat bran and leftover grains had already spoiled and molded. Even the few hundred pounds of wheat bran he brought back earlier were carefully selected.

But no matter what, this problem had to be solved as soon as possible.

Yu Yuan looked at Dale.

"Good! I'll figure out a way to solve the food issue. The cold wave is coming. Mealworms will likely become our main source of protein and fat in our food supply. Your responsibility is heavy."

Dale shook his head gently.

"All I can do is this, trying my best to share some of the pressure with you."

Afterwards, Yu Yuan also checked the situation in the [Mammal Breeding Room], as well as the growth of the Nizi Water Arrow Turtle and the Green-haired Seaweed.

The Nizi Water Arrow Turtle had been incubating for over twenty days. According to Yu Yuan's calculations, in another ten-plus days, they would know the hatching results. To be honest, he was very much looking forward to those eight turtle eggs.

No matter what, they were the offspring of a Spiritual Creature. It would be a lie to say he wasn't anticipating it.

"I just hope this batch of turtle eggs all hatch successfully!" That was all Yu Yuan could think.

Next to it was the [Poultry Incubation Nest], containing eight duck eggs of various colors—white, cyan, light brown.

The incubation panel displayed data and information about the duck egg incubation.

—Duck Egg Incubation in Progress (Early Stage)

—Temperature: 37.8°C

—Humidity: 59%

"These duck eggs were all placed in together yesterday. It's estimated that the day after tomorrow, which is roughly Wasteland Calendar Day 46, we can confirm whether these duck eggs are fertilized embryos. But I think, to be safe, it's better to allow an extra day. Checking on Day 47 would be more appropriate."

Dale reported, standing behind Yu Yuan.

"Alright, let's do as you say. We'll check on Day 47!" Yu Yuan affirmed.

Currently, within the shelter, everyone was using the dates from the *Greenwood City Daily* as the calendar, which indeed made communication much more convenient.

Yu Yuan was very satisfied with the underground fourth floor.

Inside the [Mammal Breeding Room], Yu Yuan had specially set aside an area for storing green grass, making it convenient for Dale to feed the animals. As for that Ram that often provoked him, ever since Yu Yuan hit it with [Epilepsy] last time, it had become utterly terrified of Yu Yuan.

Upon seeing Yu Yuan appear, it immediately hid behind the other sheep.

Finally, there was the [Hydroponics Room] that Yu Yuan had put great effort into building. However, due to the current scarcity of vegetable seeds, it was still quite empty.

The previously hydroponically grown rosemary and carrots had already sprouted leaves and were growing at full speed. Once they matured, a new batch of seeds could be harvested, and the quantity would be even greater.

Of course, there was one more piece of good news worth mentioning.

That is, the batch of wild chives in the [Crazy Planting Trough] finally bloomed the day before yesterday.