Apocalypse Chapter 64: The Breeding Farm

Chapter 64: The Breeding Farm

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The weevil larvae don’t actually bite people, but they’re quite disturbing. Dealing with them is simple for earth-element espers; they just need to use their abilities to force all the weevil larvae out from the soil layer. Hundreds of acres of fields in Dongxiang Town were infested with weevil larvae, densely packed together. Simply killing them seemed like a waste.

The espers gathered together to discuss the best way to deal with the weevil larvae. After some thought, Weng Chenggang came up with a surprising suggestion, “Why not… eat them?”

Jiang Rong and Chu Qiang’s faces turned even paler. They were starting to feel uneasy just at the thought of eating them. Chu Qiang looked at Weng Chenggang with a complex expression, “Gang, your taste is quite heavy…”

Chu Qiang considered himself someone with a relatively adventurous palate. He could accept things like bee pupae, bean paste with locusts… But Weng Chenggang was on another level, suggesting they eat weevil larvae. Chu Qiang nodded admiringly, “Impressive!”

Weng Chenggang quickly explained, “I’ve never eaten these myself, but I’ve heard from the elders at home that they ate these things when they were young. Although they look ugly, after they’re properly prepared, they taste pretty good. Considering there are so many of them, if we can eat them, they’d be a great source of protein. And they say weevil larvae are also medicinal, good for the body. Right, Sister Chunlan?”

Wang Chunlan nodded slowly, “Yes, weevil larvae can be used in medicine, with quite high medicinal value.” 

However, preparing weevil larvae into traditional Chinese medicine required many steps, and Wang Chunlan wasn’t a pharmaceutical expert; she didn’t know how to prepare them.

Perhaps soldiers had a higher tolerance for such things. Chiang Jinhu clasped his hands together and said with ease, “Eating them isn’t bad, right? We can mobilize the masses to collect them, bring them home, wash them clean, and fry them. Maybe they’ll taste like crispy chicken!”

Since there wasn’t much meat available at Spark Base, what was being sold in the market these days was either hunted by esper squads or vacuum-packed salted meat or canned meat. With so many weevil larvae available, they could provide much-needed nutrition to the locals. As for cooking methods, that could be left to everyone’s discretion.

Pan Pan said regretfully, “If only we had chickens at our base.”

Upon hearing Pan Pan’s words, Meng Weixian chuckled, “What’s wrong, Pan? Craving chicken? Want to stew weevil larvae with chicken?”

Pan Pan waved his hand, “No, I mean, chickens love to eat these kinds of bugs. Especially hens, after eating them, they lay large and good eggs.” 

Pan Pan used to go to the fields to find these bugs to feed the chickens when he was young. Unfortunately, after the new rural reconstruction, the village didn’t allow livestock to be raised. Now, the entire base couldn’t even produce a single chicken… They hadn’t eaten chicken meat or drunk chicken soup for a long time. If only there were chickens at the base, with so many weevil larvae, they could definitely feed a lot of chickens.

After a moment of contemplation, Guan Shao said, “Anyway, let’s catch the weevil larvae first.” 

If the weevil larvae stayed in the fields for another minute, countless vegetable seedlings would suffer.

After the order was issued, Pan Pan quickly took charge. He led the earth-element espers into the fields of Dongxiang Village. As waves of earth-yellow light flashed by, the weevil larvae in the ground clumsily crawled out.

Everyone couldn’t help but marvel, “What did these things eat to grow so big?” 

Most of the weevil larvae were the size of palms, with the largest ones almost half a foot long, and the smaller ones as long as thumbs.

Seeing insects of all sizes wriggling in the soil, Jiang Rong’s stomach churned. Seeing sweat bead on his forehead, Guan Shao said with concern, “Go rest in the car for a bit, leave the rest to us.”

Jiang Rong apologized, “Sorry for the trouble.”

Hearing that weevil larvae could be eaten, the people in the base quickly mobilized. They brought many plastic baskets used for eggs. The people lined up behind the espers, carrying baskets on their backs, and followed them to pick up the weevil larvae. The weevil larvae were too big for anyone to dare to pick up with their hands; they could only use tongs to pick them up one by one.

The picked weevil larvae were placed in plastic baskets. It didn’t take long to fill a basket. After the baskets were filled, they were neatly stacked on the side of the road, waiting for the base’s trucks to transport them for centralized distribution.

Jiang Rong drove with the window down, watching his companions busy in the fields. He felt guilty. It was just weevil larvae, wasn’t it? He wasn’t even afraid of mutant rats anymore, so why was he afraid of these soft bugs?

After psyching himself up for a while, Jiang Rong decided to get out of the car. Just as he opened the car door, two villagers from Dongxiang Town passed by, carrying a basket of weevil larvae.

Excitement lit up the villagers’ faces, “We heard that weevil larvae are very nutritious, even more so than eggs!” 

“Hey, yeah, it’s been a long time since we had meat at home. It’s perfect to take them back and nourish the children. Look at these bugs in this basket, they’re so big and plump, they must taste good!”

Jiang Rong caught a glimpse and happened to see a basket full of weevil larvae floating by underneath his eyelids. Although the weevil larvae were playing dead, their abdomens were still wriggling slightly. Hundreds of larvae wriggling slightly… It was like a nightmarish existence. Jiang Rong gasped and quietly closed the car window. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling lingering fear, and let out a sigh. Today, just let him be useless for a day.

The flowers and trees in Dongxiang Village fattened up the weevil larvae, producing over a thousand catties per mu of land. With over a thousand catties of weevil larvae wriggling underground per mu of land, no crops could thrive in Dongxiang Town.

According to the espers’ estimates, Dongxiang Town could produce tens of thousands of catties of weevil larvae this time. If distributed evenly, each resident of Spark Base could get over a catty of larvae.

Not everyone in the base knew how to cook at home. Jiang Rong set up canteens in each village, where those who couldn’t cook could eat hot meals with points. Baskets of weevil larvae were loaded onto trucks and headed to the brigades of each village. Those willing to cook for themselves would take the larvae home to process, while those unable to cook would have chefs help them.

This kept the chefs of each village busy. They quickly brainstormed how to cook the weevil larvae. Although the chefs had never eaten weevil larvae before, being cooks, many of them had some intuition and talent.

When Jiang Rong returned to Fishery Village 3, a scent of meat wafted towards him. It smelled just like the aroma of rendering pork fat during the New Year, and upon closer inspection, it also had hints of fried chicken and crispy pork aroma.

On the activity center’s grounds, Chef Liu set up his iron pot once again. After coating the dirty weevil larvae in flour, he fried them in oil until they emitted a fragrant aroma. Once out of the pot, the weevil larvae turned into golden strips of meat.

Chef Liu gave this dish a pleasant name: Crispy Fried weevils.

In addition to Crispy Fried weevils, there were also Salt and Pepper weevils, Braised weevils, Earthworm Meatball Soup… When the chefs gathered together, they came up with over a dozen ways to cook the weevil larvae.

Seeing Jiang Rong return, Chef Liu warmly greeted him, “Leader Jiang, come and taste some delicious food later! I’ve prepared freshly fried weevils for you. You’ll definitely be satisfied.”

Jiang Rong forced a smile, “No need, you guys eat more, don’t save any for me.”

However, not long after he sat down in the meeting room, Chu Qiang entered with a tray. On the tray were Crispy Fried weevils, Salt and Pepper weevils, and a bowl of tender meatball vegetable soup. Chu Qiang closed the door with a kick, shouting, “Xiao Jiang, you have to try this! It’s so delicious, I’m telling you, you’ll regret it if you don’t eat it!”

Jiang Rong was resistant, but Chu Qiang wouldn’t miss a good sales opportunity. “Trust me, this tastes as good as bean paste. I snatched these from Gang and the others. If you don’t eat them, you’ll really miss out!”

Jiang Rong glanced skeptically. Apart from the Salt and Pepper weevils, which still vaguely resembled weevil larvae, the other two dishes didn’t look like weevil larvae at all from the outside.

If he hadn’t experienced his past life, Jiang Rong would definitely refuse to eat these dishes. But having gone through his past life, he understood the value of these dishes. He reached out and picked up a meat strip about the length of his thumb.

After being coated in flour and fried, the weevil larvae looked somewhat like crispy meat. The hot and fragrant meat strips emitted a delicious aroma, and Jiang Rong took a bite.

Chu Qiang grinned, his eyes squinting, “Isn’t it amazing?”

The meat strips were crispy on the outside and tender inside. Jiang Rong had expected a strange taste, but it tasted just like chicken in terms of texture and flavor. Surprised, he widened his eyes and praised, “It’s quite tasty.”

He then carefully tasted the other two dishes. The weevil larvae tasted delicious, not inferior to any other meat he had eaten before.

Chu Qiang chuckled and sat down beside Jiang Rong, pushing the plate towards him, “If it’s delicious, eat more. Xiao Jiang, I want to discuss something with you.”

Jiang Rong smiled, “You want to ask about raising weevil larvae, right?”

Chu Qiang slapped his thigh, “Hey! You know me well, Jiang Rong! Do you know how heavy the largest weevil larvae we caught are?”

Jiang Rong hadn’t paid attention to that, he only knew the largest weevil larvae were about half a foot long. “I don’t know, how heavy are they?”

Chu Qiang’s eyes sparkled, “350 grams! Do you know how long it took them to grow this big?”

Without waiting for Jiang Rong’s response, Chu Qiang excitedly said, “Just now, Hanyu and I checked the habits of weevil larvae. In July, they start laying eggs, then go through hatching and growth, and by October, they burrow into the ground to prepare for winter. Maybe because of the abnormal weather this year, this batch of weevil larvae is only starting to emerge now. To put it simply, all the weevil larvae we caught today are larvae. They only took three months to grow this big. Most importantly, weevil larvae are omnivorous insects. They can eat the roots and stems of plants, as well as straw and partially decomposed manure. Weren’t you previously worried about how to deal with the base’s composting problem? With weevil larvae, there’s no need to worry about manure polluting the environment. Moreover, after digesting the manure, weevil larvae become excellent organic fertilizer, even better than chemical fertilizers.”

Weevil larvae are high in protein and have a good taste. They grow fast by eating things that people don’t use. By raising them, people not only have another meat source on their tables, but also find a use for the grass and tree bark in the base.

Jiang Rong smiled, “You and I are on the same page. Let’s arrange for some people to try raising them. However, the weevil larvae that eat plant roots and stems must be kept separate from those that digest feces. The weevil larvae appearing on people’s tables must be clean.”

The weevil larvae that eat plant roots and stems can be used as human food when they grow up, while those that digest feces can be used as fertilizer or fed to other animals. From this perspective, weevil larvae are a very useful insect. Although Jiang Rong is afraid of them, as long as they are useful, he will find a way to utilize them.

Chu Qiang loved discussing business matters with Jiang Rong too much. He smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll send someone to take care of it later.”

The weevil larvae that appear on the table have been selected for their relatively large size. There are still many small weevil larvae left. If these small weevil larvae can grow, the residents of the base will be able to supplement their nutrition every now and then.

Chu Qiang picked up a piece of weevil larvae meat and put it in his mouth. Chewing on the crispy meat, he sighed, “Xiao Jiang, we’re not short of vegetables in our base now, but we’re short of meat. When will we achieve meat freedom?”

The base has established a breeding farm in a remote area, but the farm only has some mutant livestock for now. They were brought back by espers when they went hunting outside. The base still hopes they will cultivate excellent offspring, so how could they bear to eat them?

The situation with mutant livestock is unstable, and it’s unknown when they will be able to achieve meat freedom. Chu Qiang sighed, “Gang just told me that what he misses the most now is the braised trotters you gave him the first time you met.”

Jiang Rong looked puzzled, “Braised trotters?”

He remembered now. Back then, he met Guan Shao at the Chenggang Fitness Center. Guan Shao introduced him to equipment and techniques, and before leaving, he let Jiang Rong copy internal data. To thank Guan Shao, Jiang Rong ordered takeout from a nearby restaurant, which included delicious braised trotters.

The trotters were so delicious that Weng Chenggang and the others couldn’t help but salivate at the thought.

Jiang Rong smiled slightly, his eyes determined, “We will achieve meat freedom sooner or later.”

***

The number of weevils was limited, and the people only ate a few meals before consuming the first batch of weevils. The people, feeling unsatisfied, spontaneously equipped themselves and went to the fields to catch weevils. After a few days, some sharp-eyed individuals could already judge the location and size of the weevils based on the condition of the plants. During these days, walking in the fields at night, one could often see the people carrying lanterns wandering in the fields.

When the weevils first emerged, they were quite arrogant; now they were much more low-key. Whenever anyone caught three weevils, they would immediately make a fire and roast them on the spot. 

Jiang Rong started sweating at the sight of weevils initially, but since the base began building earthworm breeding grounds, his view of weevils changed. Weevils were no longer terrifying insects but rather a source of protein for the people at the base to improve their diet. With the aid of filters, the appearance of weevils became cute.

Weevils grew rapidly; as long as they were provided with enough food, they could grow a circle in a day. The grass and tree roots in the mountains, as well as rotten wood and straw, were all delicious to them. However, weevils would not keep growing; when they reached a certain age, they would pupate.

Those who cultivated weevils were busy during this time; they had to carefully record the growth habits of weevils so that the people at the base could eat the best weevils.

By the middle and late October, the vegetables in the base had grown, and some vegetables with short growth cycles had already appeared on the people’s tables. The whole base was lush and vibrant, and everyone’s morale was high.

During this time, Jiang Rong and his team went further. They needed to gather more resources while the weather was good. The more resources they found, the better the base could be constructed.

Today, Jiang Rong’s team was going to Yunshan Lake in the southeast of the base. Yunshan Lake had an area of ​​more than ninety square kilometers and was a famous scenic spot in City D, just like Lingshan Reservoir before the Great Crisis.

As the saying goes, to rely on mountains for food and water for drink, before the Great Crisis, the people around Yunshan Lake had enclosed many water areas for aquaculture. Jiang Rong came here because he heard that there were several large-scale breeding farms on the shores of Yunshan Lake.

Although it was easy for domesticated animals and poultry without human care to die, if there were any still alive, they would become a future source of meat for Spark Base.

Once outside the base, everyone became extra vigilant. Nowadays, mutated flora and fauna were even more terrifying, and a little carelessness could lead to an ambush. Although they had Little Guaiguai and Little Fairy leading the way, they couldn’t rely on these two little fellows for everything.

At noon, Jiang Rong and his team finally arrived at the northwest side of Yunshan Lake. The lake surface shimmered, and the reeds on the lakeside swayed gently in the breeze. Seeing the beautiful scenery, Ruan Hanyu couldn’t help but stretch, “It’s so beautiful. I wish I had brought my sketchbook.”

Leilei nestled beside Wang Chunlan, “Mom, the scenery here is so beautiful.” 

Wang Chunlan stroked Leilei’s soft hair, “Yes, Yunshan Lake is a famous wetland park. If we’re lucky, we might see many water birds here.”

Meng Weixian smiled, “Don’t jinx it; I’m most afraid of encountering birds now.” 

Many flying creatures nowadays didn’t behave logically; if they encountered a few fierce birds, their drones would be in trouble.

As they spoke, several drones made a few “beep” sounds and flew into the sky in different directions. With the assistance of the drones, everyone could quickly learn about the nearby situation. If there were mutated flora and fauna lurking, they could also detect their traces through intelligent detection systems.

Soon, the drone controlled by Wang Ting found the target, and there was a breeding farm about three kilometers ahead of them. However, the fence of the farm had collapsed, and even if there were any living creatures inside, they should have escaped.

Chu Qiang felt a bit disappointed, “Ah, did we come too late? There’s nothing inside, it seems.” 

Even if there were living creatures in the breeding farm, they would have starved to death after such a long time without anyone feeding them.

At this moment, the screen began to shake violently, and Wang Ting suddenly raised his voice, “The drone is under attack!”

The crowd quickly looked at the screen in Wang Ting’s hand, only to see it shake violently for a few moments before turning black. Wang Ting quickly pressed the stop button, and he adjusted the screen forward and enlarged it. After his adjustments, everyone soon saw the culprit attacking the drone on the screen.

A fierce head froze on the screen, with a large mouth and clear spikes on its beak. Through the gaps outside the mouth, the crowd saw a white neck and wide wings.

The crowd watched the screen in silence. After a while, Wang Ting reported with a distorted expression, “My drone was shot down by ducks.”

Jiang Rong said softly, “Perhaps… they’re geese?”

As if to prove Jiang Rong’s point, there came a long honking sound from the sky. Looking up, they saw fifty or sixty big white geese lined up in a menacing manner, heading in their direction.

Zheng Zhanqing glanced up, his lips twitching, “Indeed, geese. Geese say: Brothers, charge, don’t let them get away!” These geese were quite talkative; each one had a loud voice, and Zheng Zhanqing’s head was buzzing from listening to them. “They say we’re intruders and want to teach us a lesson.”

Veins popped on Chu Qiang’s forehead as he clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. “It’s getting cold. It’s time to stew some big geese.”

 

 

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