Chapter 16 Mutant Ants

As the sun set, the earth, scorched by the sun all day, felt like a sauna, and through the window, one could see fiery clouds filling the sky. However, with the air conditioning running continuously, the room remained cool and comfortable, and Jiang Rong and his son felt no heat at all.

At this moment, the father and son were on the phone with Chu Qiang's family. Chu Qiang and his family had been driving on the highway for three days and still hadn't left the territory of City C.

In the video, Chu Qiang's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse. "We can't go any further ahead. They say it's completely blocked. I'm going to take the next ramp and then the national highway. It'll probably be a long detour, but it should be safer."

The sights he had witnessed along the way were horrific. Aside from the countless car accidents, the gruesome corpses instilled a deep fear in Chu Qiang, a grown man. The mutated plants and animals harassing them were bad enough, but the people who should have banded together for survival were divided into different classes. He had seen countless instances of robbery and even murder for money.

He had never felt so close to death before. At most, he would express his emotions, but now death could happen anytime, anywhere. He dared not rest, fearing that one wrong decision would bring his whole family to ruin.

He was filled with fear and regret. He regretted not listening to Jiang Rong and taking his parents back to their hometown earlier. They could have lived a peaceful life there, why did they have to live in fear on the road?

Seeing the exhaustion and anxiety in Chu Qiang's eyes, Jiang Rong was also worried. However, they were hundreds of miles apart, and even if they wanted to help, they couldn't. He could only comfort Chu Qiang, "Okay, taking the national highway is fine too. Remember to fill up your tank. If you can't find gas at the gas stations and service areas along the way, see if you can get some gas from the tanks of cars that have broken down on the roadside."

In his past life, he successfully drove his car to the Peace Base using this method, and he hoped that this trick could help Chu Qiang and the others.

Chu Qiang wiped his face. "I understand." After a pause, Chu Qiang lowered his voice, "Xiao Jiang, do you think God doesn't want humanity to survive anymore?"

Jiang Rong encouraged him, "Don't talk nonsense. Didn't you awaken an enhanced ability? If God really wants us dead, then we have no reason to live. Don't overthink it, just drive carefully. If the national highway is no good, take the provincial highway. If the provincial highway is no good..."

Before Jiang Rong could finish speaking, the call screen suddenly went black. At the same time, all the appliances in the house stopped working. Jiang Xiaoheng, holding the children's phone, looked bewildered. "Dad, the call suddenly dropped. I haven't said goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma yet."

Jiang Rong gripped his phone, his heart sinking. He glanced at the screen; the signal had disappeared. It seemed the residential power supply in D City had been cut off. From today onwards, his phone would be unable to make or receive calls.

Just then, the appliances that had been malfunctioning started beeping as if they were being powered on, and the solar panels on Jiang Rong's roof officially began working. The cool breeze couldn't dispel the restlessness in Jiang Rong's heart; now he could only hope that Chu Qiang's family would return to their hometown soon.

After the power went out, all the TV programs were no longer available. Jiang Xiaoheng held the remote control, flipped through it, and then stared at the screen in disappointment. "Dad... Team Meow Meow is gone."

Jiang Rong calmed himself down and took the remote control from Jiang Xiaoheng's hand. "You've been watching TV for a long time today, you can't watch anymore. Come on, let's go out and get some exercise with Dad."

Since acquiring his wood-type superpower, Jiang Rong has been diligently researching its uses. He confirmed that he can generate a pale blue aura around his body. This aura can make plants stronger, revitalize dying plants, and make mutated plants exceptionally receptive to it.

Jiang Rong felt that his awakened wood-type ability was no different from other wood-type ability users. In his previous life at the Peace Base, many wood-type ability users were kept at the base to grow vegetables because of this ability. Therefore, wood-type ability, along with spatial and healing ability users, were all classified as support abilities.

He thought this superpower was great; if used properly, he and his son might be able to eat fresh vegetables.

If he had known he could awaken wood-type abilities, he would have built a vegetable greenhouse in the yard. But it's not too late to do it now. These past two days, taking advantage of the slightly cooler mornings and evenings, Jiang Rong has been clearing land outside the yard.

There was a flat area, about two or three acres in size, on the slightly lower ground to the east of his yard. East of the field was the mountain path leading into the mountains. This used to be his grandparents' vegetable garden. When the elderly couple were alive, even in the coldest winter, the garden would still have lush green vegetables. After they passed away, the garden was neglected and overgrown with weeds.

In the sweltering heat, most delicate grasses have already wilted and drooped, but the resilient hops thrive. Hops are vines covered in fine, backward-pointing thorns, and feel sticky to the touch. If someone inadvertently brushes past them, their skin will surely be left with streaks of blood.

Jiang Rong suffered a lot from this stuff when he was a child. Once, he and Chu Qiang were running all over the mountains and fields when they fell into a clump of hops. If their grandparents hadn't come looking for them, they don't know how long they would have been entangled in the hops.

After the great crisis, the hops also began to mutate; the vines became thicker and the thorns on them became harder. If you accidentally brushed against them, it wouldn't just leave a bloodstain.

To have a vegetable garden, the first thing to do is get rid of these annoying hops. Jiang Rong spent two days clearing out only a small patch. The tangled hops had intertwined roots and branches, and although they were annual plants, they seemed to be taking over the place like a king of the hill.

As soon as he stepped outside, Jiang Xiaoheng was startled by the heat wave and took two steps back. He hesitated, looking at the sun-baked cement ground in the yard, and a look of resistance appeared on his fair, round face. "Dad, it's so hot."

Jiang Rong casually put the little duck sun hat on her son's head. "A real man dares to face the scorching sun. Xiao Heng, are you a man?"

Jiang Xiaoheng raised his little fist and shouted back to his father, "I am! I am a man!"

Jiang Rong skillfully shoveled a gardening shovel into her son's hand. She was quite adept at fooling her son. "Hey~ that's right. Just think of it as digging in the sand at the beach in the park. Let's enjoy some fun work!"

Jiang Xiaoheng became even more excited upon hearing this, and rushed out of the yard as soon as the door opened. Holding a garden shovel, he shouted, "Lele, hurry up, let's go dig in the sand!"

Lele wagged its tail and ran ahead, and soon the two of them ran out of the yard.

Jiang Rong followed them at a distance, and as soon as he stepped out, he saw a large cactus hanging on the west wall of the courtyard. "Little fairy, stand up straight." Upon receiving the order, the cactus straightened its body again, its huge shadow covering half of the courtyard.

However, after taking only a couple of steps, Jiang Rong caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye that the little fairy was leaning against the courtyard wall again. It leisurely swayed its thorns, humming the nursery rhyme she had heard earlier that day in Jiang Rong's mind.

A few meters east of the courtyard, you'll see a jujube tree in full bloom. Creamy-white jujube blossoms fall intermittently, carpeting the ground with a fine layer of petals. Jiang Rong walks to the tree and touches its leaves; they appear glossy and shiny, as if coated with wax.

There are five or six steps on the east side of the jujube tree leading down to the vegetable garden. When they arrived, Jiang Xiaoheng was already using a small shovel to dig up the stems of the hops.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the hops seemed to stir as Jiang Rong approached the clump of hops. They gently swayed their tender leaves towards him, and many vines slowly began to climb towards him. However, their movements were so slow that Jiang Rong wouldn't have noticed them at all if his senses hadn't become much more acute.

Jiang Rong felt that he might be a huge source of fertilizer in the eyes of the mutated spirit plants. The supernatural power emanating from his body was too attractive to them, and for safety reasons, he should shield it. However, he was still in the exploratory stage and couldn't control it freely yet, so he could only figure it out slowly.

Unlike Jiang Xiaoheng's haphazard cutting, Jiang Rong had already figured out a way to deal with the hops. Hops are annual plants; once you find and cut their roots, the vines will stop growing due to lack of nourishment. Without the root system's support, the hops will quickly wither under the scorching sun.

Jiang Rong, sickle in hand, slowly walked into the hops thicket. He occasionally cut away the tangled vines, searching for the roots. After following the vines for a while, Jiang Rong found a large clump of hop roots. There were several hops in this clump, each with roots as thick as Jiang Rong's thumb.

Handling hops requires full protective gear; if any exposed skin is accidentally scratched, it burns like it's being scalded. Jiang Rong hadn't been working for long when her clothes were soaked with sweat.

Just as he finished cutting down the last hop, Lele suddenly barked wildly towards the mountain path. Jiang Rong looked over in surprise and saw Lele lower its body, its neck fur standing on end, revealing a ferocious expression.

Lele was a domesticated, silly goose, always sticking out its tongue and wearing a smiling face. This was the first time Jiang Xiaoheng had seen Lele so fierce. He bent down and stroked Lele's head, while looking towards the mountain path, "There's nothing there..."

Jiang Rong's hair stood on end, just like Lele's. In his past life, he often saw Lele turn into this state whenever she encountered a ferocious mutated animal. Although he didn't know what was coming up the mountain path, Jiang Rong didn't hesitate to say to Jiang Xiaoheng, "Son, run! Run home with Lele!"

As he spoke, he ran towards home. However, his feet were now deep in the hops, and he could feel the grass binding his feet even when he was walking, let alone running.

Jiang Xiaoheng was stunned by this sudden turn of events. He stood there blankly, holding the small shovel, until Jiang Rong suddenly shouted, "Run!" He then snapped out of his daze and ran towards home.

The mutated hops were incredibly resilient, and the more anxious Jiang Rong became, the less she could escape. Just then, the roar of a wild boar echoed from the mountain path. Hearing this, Jiang Rong's expression darkened.

Oh no.

People living in the mountains are most afraid of wild animals, with wild boars and venomous snakes consistently ranking high on the list of animals that can cause harm. Venomous snakes generally don't attack unless you enter their territory. Wild boars, however, are different; they are aggressive and like to roam in large groups.

You can tell from the squeals that the wild boars in the ravine are quite large. If they catch you, you'll likely be either killed or seriously injured.

As the pig's squeals drew closer, he found himself increasingly entangled by the hops. In desperation, a thought flashed through Jiang Rong's mind: these hops were completely unnecessary; it would be better if they all died.

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt his heart skip a beat, and the world instantly went silent. Many greenish-blue orbs of light appeared on the hops, and as if guided by something, they flew towards Jiang Rong. The moment the greenish-blue orbs touched Jiang Rong's skin, they were absorbed, and he felt his body become incredibly light.

The hops that had been twining around the banyan tree began to wither and die in large numbers. The once vibrant branches drooped, and the dark green leaves quickly dried up. In the blink of an eye, the hop patch lost its vitality and became a dead meadow.

Jiang Rong was stunned for a moment. What was going on?

At this moment, Jiang Xiaoheng had already run outside the gate, and he shouted anxiously at Jiang Rong, "Dad, Dad, hurry up!"

The urgent cries snapped Jiang Rong out of her daze. Now was not the time to be daydreaming; if the wild boar found her, she might very well lose her life today.

This time, Jiang Rong was finally able to easily escape from the hops. He pushed off with his legs and sprinted towards his house. As he ran back to the gate to close it, two huge, fierce wild boars appeared one after the other on the mountain path.

The gate to Jiang Rong's courtyard was heavy, and it took a while to close. Just as the father and son were waiting for the gate to close, the second of the two wild boars suddenly let out a miserable roar, then collapsed and rolled around on the mountain path.

The screams gradually weakened, and after a short while, the wild boar behind them collapsed to the ground and stopped moving.

The one in front charged wildly along the mountain path, its two hind hooves swinging back and forth as if trying to shake off something. After one sharp swing, the wild boar lost control and charged into Jiang Rong's vegetable garden.

The vegetable patch was full of withered hops, and the wild boar tripped over the stalks of grass as soon as it rushed in. Under normal circumstances, the soft meadow and soil would not cause any harm to the wild boar, and even if it fell, it could get up quickly.

However, the wild boar howled as pitifully as the one that had fallen before it, rolling around on the ground and its cries startled the birds in the forest into flight.

Jiang Rong, with her sharp eyes, noticed that as the wild boar rolled around, something blackish-red was falling off its body. The substance, like a tide, was climbing up from under the boar and soon covered the entire creature.

The wild boar's screams grew weaker and weaker. After its head was engulfed in black and red, it struggled a few times and then died.

Upon seeing the dark red mass, Jiang Rong's hair stood on end: the tidal wave of dark red was mutated ants! Mutated ants that left no survivors in their wake!

Author's Note:

Hops are called "lulu vine" in our area. I suffered a lot from this stuff when I was a kid; touching it would leave a bloody mark. It's said that this thing is found all over China, with extremely strong vitality, and it's even related to hops.