The Cat Who Farms in the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland – CH70

Chapter 70: Ants

After the base’s hydropower station began generating electricity, power was quickly delivered to every household.

No longer did people need to light candles or bamboo sticks for dinner. A simple flick of the light switch now bathed rooms in bright light, filling the space with warmth.

Within just a few days, incandescent light poured from the windows of every home in the base, and the nights were filled with more laughter.

With electricity, people started working later, returning home only when it was completely dark. Instead of cooking and eating in the dark, many would now bring their meals to the plaza, eating and cooling off together while exchanging news.

Xia Lu Nong wasn’t close with many in the base, but he enjoyed the atmosphere. For several nights in a row, he would bring his large bowl of food and join the crowd at dinnertime, listening to the chatter.

This evening was no different. He and Kong Zhi brought their bowls to the plaza, where people greeted them and made space for them with small stools.

After the small commotion of their arrival, the conversation picked up again.

“…I’m telling you, don’t go to Huilong Town right now. There are snakes everywhere, and getting tangled up with one of those is no small issue.”

“Huilong Town hasn’t flooded yet? I thought it was already underwater.”

“Partially flooded. It would be better if the whole town were submerged, but with only part of it flooded, it’s driven all the snakes, rats, bugs, and ants onto land.”

Someone chimed in, “Speaking of ants, did I ever tell you about Dalou Town? It’s crawling with ant nests. When I went there with Old Qian’s team, we saw a wild boar get eaten alive by ants from a distance.”

“Really? Flesh-eating ants?”

“Absolutely. Those ants move fast, like a wave, swarming over that boar. In just a few minutes, there was nothing left but bones.”

Xia Lu Nong felt a chill run down his spine and exchanged a glance with Kong Zhi.

“When did these terrifying ants show up nearby? Are you sure you didn’t mistake them for something else?”

“No mistake. They’re tiny, black, no wings, and scurry along the ground. What else could they be but ants?”

Another person added, “I’ve seen a few of those myself. They really do look like ants.”

“Right? I reckon they’re some kind of mutant ant. Nowadays, anything that mutates becomes strange and unfamiliar. Like Vice Captain Xia’s wheat, isn’t that turning out a bit odd too?”

Xia Lu Nong didn’t expect the conversation to turn to him. Facing everyone’s curious looks, he smiled but didn’t respond.

The group, filled with gossipers, quickly pressed on. “Hey, Xia Lu Nong, that’s wheat growing in your field, right? We saw the heavy leaves all flattened on the ground.”

“Is your wheat safe? Nothing strange happening with it?”

“I saw the leaves—thick and green. Can you eat them?”

Xia Lu Nong replied vaguely, “We’re still observing it with Professor Yan Ming Qing’s help. He hasn’t found any danger yet.”

The crowd asked a few more questions before Kong Zhi interjected, “Xia Lu Nong isn’t an expert. How would he know?”

One person immediately said to Kong Zhi, “We’re just chatting! Besides, Xia Lu Nong’s field is doing great. You don’t know the base well since you’re new, but we ask more questions and plant more crops so that no one starves this winter.”

Xia Lu Nong frowned and said, “If there were any special planting techniques, we’d report them to the scientists at the White Tower for testing. Right now, we genuinely don’t know. It sounds like you think we’re keeping secrets.”

The person half-joked, “It’s just that your field is growing so well. Many of us have been farming for years, putting in the effort and care, but we can’t match your results. Why not share your secret?”

Someone in the crowd laughed and said, “He’s got powers! Are you expecting him to hand over his powers to you too?”

“Some people just have a natural talent. Others can’t learn that no matter how hard they try. Speaking of which, Lao Xu’s field is doing great too. I walked by it the other day, and his chili peppers are growing so well they made me jealous.”

The conversation soon drifted to other topics.

Xia Lu Nong smiled and continued eating.

That was the good thing about the base: even if there was jealousy, most people knew what was right and what wasn’t, so there was rarely any drama.

His brother had once told him that when the base was first established, there had been troublemakers. They were eventually driven out, and no one knew if they ended up in another base or as bones in the wilderness.

As Xia Lu Nong ate, the crowd moved on to the next topic.

Whatever tension had been brewing was quickly snuffed out before it could grow.

Xia Lu Nong soon forgot all about it.

That day, after tending to his wheat and picking vegetables from the field, he was thinking about what to cook for dinner. But when he opened the door, he saw his brother and another man studying a map.

Xia Lu Nong put down his basket and asked curiously, “What are you two looking at?”

“There are more and more snakes, bugs, rats, and ants outside. Today, of the people who went out to gather supplies, six were bitten by snakes, and eighty-seven were bitten by ants.”

“That many?!” Xia Lu Nong’s eyes widened in surprise. “Are they okay?”

Xia Huo Qu replied, “One person has to have a finger amputated, but the rest are fine.”

Xia Lu Nong asked, “So how many people went out today?”

Xia Huo Qu wasn’t too sure, so he looked at Yan Xi Nian.

Yan Xi Nian answered, “Six hundred thirty-two.”

“That’s quite a high ratio,” Xia Lu Nong remarked. “When Kong Zhi and I went to the square for dinner recently, people were complaining about the increasing number of ants outside. They said it’s easy to get bitten if you’re not careful.”

Yan Xi Nian rubbed his head. “There really are more ants and snakes outside, especially around the base. We’ll have to figure out how to deal with it in the next few days.”

Xia Lu Nong put his things down and came over to look at the map. He saw that several mountains near the base were marked.

“How do you plan to clear them out?” Xia Lu Nong asked.

“There’s not much we can do right now except try to clear a protective barrier by cutting away the vegetation,” Yan Xi Nian replied.

Xia Lu Nong had seen firebreaks before. You would clear an area of plants so that if a fire started, it would burn out once it reached the bare land, preventing it from spreading further. From the way his brother and Yan Xi Nian were talking, it seemed like they were planning to do something similar.

Xia Lu Nong scratched his head. “That sounds like a massive project.”

“It is,” Yan Xi Nian agreed, “but we have to do it. If a snake or ant infestation spreads to the base, the walls won’t be able to keep them out. With so many elderly and children here, it could be disastrous.”

Yan Xi Nian added, “Last winter, we built the wall, so this year we can clear the protective strip. We’ll need to schedule it soon.”

Xia Lu Nong was impressed by everyone’s hard work and said optimistically, “If we catch some ants and snakes while clearing the area, we’ll have plenty of meat to eat!”

Yan Xi Nian laughed. “Exactly! Keep that positive attitude. We’ll get the kitchen staff to learn how to make spicy fried ants and stir-fried snake. If the food is good, people will be more motivated.”

Xia Lu Nong nodded in agreement. “That sounds feasible. The rice at the base is turning yellow. Should we begin once the harvest is complete?”

“Once the rice is harvested, we’ll plant the autumn and winter crops, and then we can rotate people out to clear the area,” Yan Xi Nian explained. “Your brother and I will be gathering information and scouting around, so you and Kong Zhi might have to handle more of the work at home.”

“No problem!” Xia Lu Nong replied. Then, with a hopeful look at his brother, he added, “Brother, be careful when you go out.”

Xia Huo Qu said, “We’ll go in our beast forms. Our fur is thick, so the ants can’t bite us, and the snakes can’t pierce us.”

“That’s the best plan! We have plenty of food at home, so don’t worry about using up too much energy in beast form—use it whenever you need to,” Xia Lu Nong said quickly.

Xia Huo Qu nodded. “Got it.”

Over the next few days, Yan Xi Nian and the others frequently went out, and their map became more detailed.

One day, when Yan Xi Nian returned in his giant white tiger form, he had a large bag hanging from his neck, heavy and full. He transformed back into human form and waved at Xia Lu Nong, handing him the bag with a mischievous grin. “Xia Lu Nong, I’ve got something good for you.”

Xia Huo Qu, who had also just transformed back, warned, “Be careful when you open it—it’s full of ants.”

Seeing Yan Xi Nian’s grin, Xia Lu Nong was already bracing himself. After hearing his brother’s warning, he hesitated even more before slowly opening the bag.

Inside were large, black ants, each the size of a palm.

The ants were grotesquely huge, and Xia Lu Nong’s pupils shrank as he stared at their mandibles. He almost threw the bag away in shock, his face blank with disbelief.

His brother quickly stepped forward to take the bag from his hands. “You said we should check if these ants are edible, so we brought some back today.”

Xia Lu Nong rubbed his arms, still shaken. “These ants look really… unpleasant.”

“As long as they taste good, that’s all that matters,” Xia Huo Qu said. “Even if they don’t taste great, as long as they’re non-toxic, the base can eat them up.”

Xia Huo Qu took the bag to the kitchen, grabbed a large wooden basin from under the counter, and dumped the massive ants into it.

Xia Lu Nong peeked into the basin and gasped again. The ants were at least half a kilogram each, and dozens of them filled the basin to the brim. “Are all the ants outside this big now?”

“If they were all this big, we wouldn’t survive. These are the largest we’ve encountered so far. Most ants aren’t this size.”

Xia Huo Qu began scrubbing the ants clean with a loofah, sniffing them as he worked.

Xia Lu Nong, curious, asked, “What do they smell like?”

Xia Huo Qu handed him a freshly washed ant to sniff for himself. Its shell was so thick that Xia Lu Nong leaned in close, but he couldn’t detect any smell.

He took the ant from his brother and noticed that its shell was very hard and cold. Aside from its grotesque size, it didn’t have much else going on—though, after a while, it almost seemed a little cute.

Xia Huo Qu continued cleaning the ants, and Xia Lu Nong joined in.

Yan Xi Nian returned from getting a drink of water outside and quickly jumped in to lend a hand. Before long, the entire basin of ants was scrubbed clean and neatly arranged on the cutting board, looking surprisingly nice.

Xia Lu Nong glanced at his brother and Yan Xi Nian. “Now that they’re cleaned, how do we cook them? Deep fry them?”

Yan Xi Nian suggested, “Let’s crack open the shells and see what’s inside first, then decide.”

—