"If we just talk about the Red Fire Ants, the professor would probably point at our heads and call us stupid. But if we told him it's a conspiracy by the School of Animal Science to release Red Fire Ants to eat our assignments..."
"Then, perhaps the professor would understand and exempt us from the semester's assignments." Tang You grumbled, her face a picture of frustration.
In the fields and forests, there are two major threats: the Red Fire Ants in the school fields and the hornets.
They both love to nest in the soil, and if you accidentally step on their nests, Red Fire Ants will swarm out and bite the foot that disturbed their home, causing it to swell or even trigger an allergic shock, incapacitating someone in three minutes flat.
Hornets are just as dangerous, with very strong venom. Even a few can sting a defenseless person into shock.
Tang You was originally unfamiliar with these creatures.
But while studying in the Yunnan province, aside from the mushrooms and the big spotted cats in the trees, what impressed her most were the two major threats, the Red Fire Ants and hornets.
Cats, elephants, and cobras can be easily tamed by sending Ah Qing out.
But Red Fire Ants and hornets fall outside of Ah Qing's expertise.
When Ah Qing approaches them, she has to run away.
"They can't eat all the assignments, can they?" Ah Qing muttered as she pulled out her phone to check the class group chat.
Zhang Min shared a video in the class group, showing the experimental fields outside the school.
They hadn't gone home for the National Day holiday and strolled to the fields in the evening to check on the crops they had just planted before the break.
In the field, there was a mound, surrounded by soil in circular grains, with some ants with reddish-brown backs and black bottoms circling the ant nest, transporting plant roots.
Zhang Min recorded the ant nest and shared the video in the group, causing a stir among the Agricultural Research Institute students.
Though the institute has pesticides to kill Red Fire Ants, these don't completely eradicate them, and they might even continue to spread.
[Wow, don't eat my sweet potatoes! - Ah Qing saw the Red Fire Ants in the video, starting to worry about the sweet potatoes she planted, planning to harvest them in winter, roasting them while working in the field as breakfast.]
[Wish fulfilled: Winter roasted potatoes]
"That's what you're worried about?" Ansheng glanced at the wish list, which just refreshed with Ah Qing's wish that the Red Fire Ants wouldn't ruin the irrigation system and farmland, leaving her some winter romance.
"Well..."
"Even though I also hate those ants, I have to strongly support this matter..." Ansheng pondered to himself.
Eating roasted sweet potatoes often in winter...
Seems like this one's targeting me.
Sleeping in the same bed with Ah Qing, if she eats too many roasted sweet potatoes, she might fart all the time.
Knowing the field is troubled by fire ants, Ah Qing and the others are bothered but have no better option than to report it.
The fact is...
They are physically miles away.
Only...
The field ant disaster caused Ah Qing and the others to consider returning to school earlier instead of staying in the Northern Region until the last day.
In ancient times, agriculture depended on the weather.
If they reported their semester assignments eaten by Red Fire Ants, teachers might open their skulls to see if the seeds inside were eaten too.
Ancient times are ancient times, agricultural history is the story of agronomists defying God.
Couldn't resolve the Red Fire Ants.
Teachers could resolve students.
......
Lin Ying stayed in the Northern Region for two days, hurriedly returning to Xia Dong, agreeing with Master Fuli to visit her whenever possible.
What Lin Ying meant by skipping work still puzzles Ansheng.
Two days.
The Northern Region situation was calm, with no unexpected events.
The prior turmoil faded with the King of the Universe's slumber, the grassland's Fox Race and other animals, organized under Master Fuli, formed new patrols.
Only...
This required the Security Bureau to pay a small resources price and withstand some magical attacks.
Like several tons of pet food daily and temporarily caring for baby foxes during patrols.
Some gray fluffy fox pups gobbled several pounds as they ate, then went hard at the litter box.
Ansheng glanced and dashed away.
Young foxes are extremely mischievous, especially enjoying squeezing under the bellies of bigger foxes.
One or two are fine, but the Security Bureau's foxes decided to squeeze under Ansheng, hoisting him up completely.
Ansheng strongly suspects that the grassland's Fox Race joined patrols likely to escape their juvenile foxes.
How bizarre...
"Master Fuli...."
Just returned from the desert sand dunes, planning to tour Potou City's Buddhist temple before returning to school tomorrow, the group booked hotel rooms.
Ansheng lay on the hotel chair, waiting for dinner when a secretive person poked his head from behind a screen, gesturing at Master Fuli.
"Hmm?"
Ansheng quizzically looked at the person, dropped from the chair to the restaurant floor, quietly wound around the screen while Ah Qing and the rest chatted.
"Who are you?"
Master Fuli looked at the newcomer, lowered his voice.
"I am a member of the pest control team, currently responsible for cleaning at the institute."
The person subtly explained, "Li Xiao knows Master Fuli returns tomorrow, so he specially sent me to inform you, your excellent contributions at the relic are now forming rewards."
"These are Li Xiao's words," a researcher from Potou City's institute discreetly added.
"Li Xiao spent three days at the institute, developing a new type of metal. He said it's very suitable for Master Fuli to forge weapons and wants to invite you to discuss styles."
"Weapons? My Gravity Hammer hasn't even completed its newbie phase yet!"
Ansheng, the fox face paused, puzzled by Li Wenkang's intent.
For weapons, don't I already have the Gravity Hammer?
The Gravity Hammer fits well, most importantly, it's imitation Spiritual Particle Era Spiritual Particle Metal.
It has absorption, secondary compression, explosive tidal wave, and impact characteristics.
"Um....."
"I don't know about this, just sent to deliver the message." The researcher shook his head, unfamiliar with Li Xiao's new metal.
Their institute studies Spiritual Particle Metal and military application.
But Li Xiao borrowed a lab and equipment for experiments, the researcher and team are from Imperial Capital.
"Alright! I'll make time tonight..." Ansheng nodded, pondering what Old Li's secret plan was.