Chapter 67 Awakening of Superpowers

Jiang Xiaoheng's arm was bandaged, his right arm was strapped to his chest, and the bandage was slinged around his neck. This made everything inconvenient, but Xiaoheng wasn't worried. He had his father and older brother; he wasn't alone.

For example, right now, Jiang Hao is picking out the best-looking bee pupae from a large bowl of golden-fried ones and feeding it to him: "Eat, eat!"

Jiang Xiaoheng opened his mouth and took a bite. The bee pupae were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and even with just a sprinkle of fine salt, they tasted delicious. After eating only two bee pupae, Jiang Xiaoheng was full. "Big brother, I'm full. Don't feed me anymore. You should try some."

Jiang Hao then sat down and started gnawing on the bee pupae, keeping a close eye on Jiang Xiaoheng as he ate, worried that he might bump into something again. Jiang Rong watched this scene and quietly said to Guan Shao, "Look at these two brothers, they have such a good relationship."

Guan Shao laughed: "Yes."

The superhumans raved about the bee pupae. After eating a few, Jiang Jinhu suggested, "This stuff is really delicious. How about we keep an eye out for beehives when we go out on missions in the future, and if we see any, we can raid them?"

That's a good idea. Too many wasps can pose a threat to people and livestock in the area. However, Jiang Rong still had to add, "Next time you remove a beehive, remember to only remove half of it; don't kill them all."

Wasps not only sting people, but they also eat insects. Soon the vegetables from the base will be available in large quantities, and the only ones that can deal with those mutated insects are their equally mutated natural enemies.

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, Chu Qiang was squatting by the door, fiddling with something. Wang Chenggang asked, "Qiangzi, what are you doing? Come and eat some bee pupae!"

Chu Qiang shouted the loudest, but when the bee larvae were ripe, he was busy with other things. This was a bit unreasonable.

Chu Qiang scratched his head suspiciously: "Damn it, the door lock is broken. It was working fine just now."

Jiang Rong said gently, "We'll just find a new lock and install it later. Come and eat, the bee larvae are getting cold."

Guan Shao quickly glanced at Jiang Hao, who was gnawing on a bee pupa. Jiang Hao looked up suspiciously and asked, "Baba?"

Guan Shao nodded slightly: "Eat, it's alright."

*

Time flies, and it's already early November. After more than a month of growth, the vegetables from the Xinghuo Base are on the market in large quantities. The vegetables are lush and green, and life is vibrant everywhere you look.

The tables of ordinary people are covered with shades of green. Although some people complain that the food is too bland, being able to eat flavorful vegetables is a happy thing compared to going hungry.

Hearing everyone's complaints, Jiang Rong couldn't help but think of her days in the Peace Base in her previous life.

Fearing that mutated plants and animals might harm ordinary people, the Peace Base constructed sturdy concrete walls to protect humanity within. This idea wasn't entirely wrong, but while the walls protected everyone, they also limited their productivity and creativity. Having lost their land, the people in the base could no longer produce food and were forced to venture out to forage for it.

Building underground fortresses takes time, and with everyone's energy focused on constructing houses, naturally few people are sowing seeds. Ordinary seeds that miss the optimal sowing time gradually die, reducing the variety of edible seeds available to humans. The surviving plants and animals become increasingly ferocious, and people find less and less food… a vicious cycle ensues.

In the end, the ordinary people in the base could only survive on bran cakes made from the dried grains that the superhumans found. To ensure that everyone in the base could replenish their salt, the bran cakes tasted a bit salty, and every bite made their throats ache.

That was the food Jiang Rong hated most, but in his previous life, he would have starved to death if he didn't eat bran cakes. Without healthy food, without clean water, and without seeing blue skies and white clouds all day long, everyone's expressions became increasingly numb, and they eventually lived like walking corpses.

Because of these painful lessons, the Spark Base embarked on a completely different path from its inception. They not only did not reject mutated plants and animals, but also accepted, cultivated, and utilized them.

The fact that the people in the base now have access to a variety of vegetables proves that Jiang Rong's approach was correct.

The people at the Spark Base no longer turn pale at the mention of mutated plants and animals; in fact, they get excited when a new mutated species is discovered. They study whether the new mutated species is edible, medicinal, or usable. As long as it has even the slightest value, the base will preserve it and try to cultivate it.

Now, as you walk around the base, you can see mutated plants and animals everywhere, and people have become accustomed to seeing them in their lives.

Life is tough right now, but in a few days, the livestock and poultry in the base will grow up and everyone will have meat to eat.

Having heard that the farm had already hatched its first batch of poultry, Jiang Hao and Jiang Xiaoheng spent the morning wandering around the activity center dozens of times. They frequently looked up at the conference room on the second floor, hoping that their father would finish his meeting soon and take them to the farm to see the ducklings.

When Jiang Rong came out of the meeting room, it was already nine o'clock in the morning. As soon as she stepped outside, the two little brothers rushed up to her, each grabbing one of her legs: "Daddy, look at the chicks!" "Daddy, look at the ducklings!"

Worried that Lele and Junjun might frighten the chicks and ducklings, the two brothers left them at home. Everything was ready; all that was missing was Dad to lead the way!

Jiang Hao's speech became increasingly fluent, and he could now fully express his meaning. Jiang Rong smiled and ruffled the two children's hair: "Okay, I'll take you to see the chicks and ducklings, but let's make it clear first, you have to behave when we get to the farm, okay?"

The imposing off-road vehicle was slowly driving along the mountain road, with the rear window open, and the children leaning against the window curiously looking at every scene in the base.

Not long after the convoy left the activity center, Jiang Xiaoheng pointed to the roadside and exclaimed with delight, "Dad, look! The workers are building a house!"

Seeing the two children's excited expressions, Jiang Rong explained, "We're going to build a sunroom here. Once it's finished, Dad will bring you to see it."

Jiang Xiaoheng blinked his big, dark eyes and asked softly, "Will the house be used to raise chicks and ducks?" Just thinking about how they would soon have a whole sunroom full of chicks and ducks made Jiang Xiaoheng so happy he felt like he could fly.

Jiang Rong was both amused and exasperated: "Good idea, let's discuss it later."

The base plans to build several sunrooms to test their ability to withstand the cold wave. If these sunrooms survive this winter, more will be built in batches next year, ensuring that residents have access to fresh vegetables and fruits during extreme weather events.

However, Jiang Xiaoheng mentioned using a sunroom to raise livestock and poultry, which... is something worth considering.

The off-road vehicle drove northwest along the Lingshan Reservoir, and soon they spotted flocks of geese and ducks swimming on the shimmering water. The two children were overjoyed, pointing at the water: "Daddy, Daddy, look! Ducklings!"

Jiang Rong responded, "I saw it. Sit still, and don't stick your bodies or hands out of the window."

Before long, Jiang Rong saw the farm under construction. He opened the car door and said slowly, "We've arrived."

The two little ones got out of the car one after the other. When they saw the gate of the farm, they gasped in surprise, "Wow, it's huge!"

The newly built farm is modeled after the farms on the shore of Yunshan Lake, with half of the breeding sheds built on the shore and the other half in the water. Each shed is surrounded by a water area enclosed by netting, giving each poultry enough space to move around.

After entering the base, the group only heard the clucking of poultry and did not smell any stench of feces.

This is possible not only because the keepers are diligent and responsible, but also because countless grubs are raised underground in the breeding sheds. When the poultry relieve themselves in the water, it fertilizes the water, making the fish, shrimp, and aquatic plants more abundant and providing more food for the poultry. If the poultry relieve themselves on land, the grubs quickly decompose the feces, and when the grubs grow up, they also become food for the poultry.

However, this model is still being explored, and whether it will succeed remains to be seen.

Upon seeing Jiang Rong enter, the person in charge of the farm quickly ran over: "Team Leader Jiang, Team Leader Guan, please come in, please come in!"

Jiang Rong smiled and pointed to the two little ones: "I brought the children to see the goslings and ducklings."

Upon hearing this, the person in charge quickly led the way: "They're all being raised in the incubator, and the goslings and ducklings are growing very well."

After walking several hundred meters along the breeding shed, a laboratory building came into view. Before they even approached the building, Xiao Guaiguai's voice called out from the rooftop: "Engineer Jiang~"

When everyone looked up, they saw that the little darling's vines were hanging down from the laboratory building, forming the shape of a heart, and the red vines were faintly transparent.

This bloodthirsty vine was planted when the breeding farm was first built, and now it has spread out and covered half of the laboratory building. Jiang Rong waved to the vine: "Keep sunbathing."

The little darling responded and retracted into the vine. Jiang Xiaoheng said happily, "Daddy, I feel like there are lots of little darlings in the base!"

Jiang Rong smiled. The Starfire Base was what it was today because of Little Darling. With the Bloodthirsty Vine around, ordinary mutated plants and animals dared not cause trouble. Without Little Darling, the superhumans in the base would be exhausted from fighting against various mutated plants and animals every day, with no free time at all, and ordinary people would not have a safe environment.

Upon entering the laboratory building, the first thing you see is a transparent incubation room. Inside, there are over a dozen incubators. These incubators were sourced from hatcheries throughout D City, and each incubator can incubate 20,000 eggs simultaneously.

Of course, the mutated eggs are larger, and after modifications by professionals at the base, the incubator can now hold eight thousand mutated goose eggs. However, the base currently has far fewer than eight thousand eggs; only one incubator is currently operating in the entire facility.

The incubator had hundreds of goose and duck eggs on its upper and lower levels. The two children were captivated by the warm glow of the eggs under the lights. The person in charge explained, "All of these eggs should hatch tonight."

Most of the eggs in the incubator have cracked, and faint chirps can be heard coming from the shells. Some impatient goslings and ducklings have already crawled out. Their feathers are damp and fluffy under the warm light.

Jiang Hao held Jiang Xiaoheng's hand with one hand and pointed to the nearest gosling with the other: "Little brother, look at the gosling!"

Jiang Xiaoheng pressed his face against the glass of the incubator, his eyes sparkling as he watched the goslings inside. The goslings, perched on the eggs, trembled and looked at the two children through the glass.

Jiang Xiaoheng's heart melted: "So cute~"

Jiang Hao looked into the little goose's black bean-like eyes: "Yes!"

Seeing the two children's reactions, Guan Shao couldn't help but smile. He subconsciously looked at Jiang Rong, who had also been sticking to the incubator in the same way a few days ago.

This wasn't the first time Jiang Rong had witnessed goslings hatching; now, he was focused on a more important question: "Are there any mutated goslings or ducklings among those that have already hatched?"

Although many animals that survived the great crisis mutated, most of them simply became larger and stronger. Geese are different; the parents of these eggs are mutated geese capable of causing explosions with their down feathers. If such goslings are found, they must be removed and raised separately in time.

The person in charge frankly admitted, "Team Leader Jiang, the goslings are too small; we really can't tell them apart." Newly hatched goslings all look the same, and when they're all gathered together, it's impossible to tell which ones have special abilities and which don't. It's really too much of a challenge for them.

Guan Shao suggested, "Why don't we have someone with superpowers identify them?" Most people with superpowers have an instinctive reaction to mutated plants and animals. People with superpowers should be able to distinguish things that ordinary people can't.

The person in charge was somewhat embarrassed: "Captain Guan, the superhumans in the base are all very busy, and we don't know who to ask for help."

Jiang Rong and Guan Shao exchanged a glance, then said, "Isn't this a ready-made one? Come on, take us to see the hatched goslings."

Newly hatched goslings and ducklings need to stay in incubators for a while. As soon as Jiang Rong entered the room, she felt the temperature rise. A warm smell of sawdust filled the air, mixed with the unique scent of goslings and ducklings.

Jiang Rong tugged at his collar and looked at the incubator. Upon seeing it, he exclaimed in surprise, "Are these the goslings and ducklings that hatched a few days ago? They've grown so big!"

When the goslings first hatched, they were only slightly larger than his fist. In just a few days, the goslings in front of him stretched their necks and were almost a foot tall. The goslings' down was yellow, gray, and some were even colorful, making them look delicate and adorable.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Jiang Rong's smile deepened: "You've grown so fast!"

After saying this, Jiang Rong looked at Guan Shao with a smile: "Captain Guan, it's your turn."

Jiang Rong felt that he must have awakened his superpower in the wrong way; he didn't seem to possess the instincts expected of a superpowered individual. Guan Shao, on the other hand, was the true awakened one; he could identify superpowered individuals in a crowd with just a glance. When he discovered Hu Hechu's superpower, Hu Hechu himself was unaware that he possessed it.

Guan Shao stood in front of the incubator and scanned the room, pointing out five goslings and three ducklings. "These little guys should have some special abilities."

The person in charge quickly found a box and took out the goslings and ducklings that Guan Shao had pointed out, placing them in the box. Jiang Rong said slowly, "Remember to mark them carefully and raise them individually as much as possible. If any new goslings or ducklings hatch in the future, you can contact us directly."

Guan Shao nodded slightly, and the person in charge said gratefully, "Thank you, Team Leader Jiang, thank you, Team Leader Guan!"

When they returned to the incubator, the two little ones were still glued to the incubator, their eyes glued to it. Jiang Rong smiled and asked, "Xiao Hao, Xiao Heng, do you want to go see the chicks again?"

Jiang Xiaoheng replied, "Yes!" His gaze never left the incubator.

Jiang Rong smiled and stepped forward, taking one in each hand: "Okay, let's go see the chicks. We can come see the goslings and ducklings next time, okay?"

Jiang Xiaoheng reluctantly turned back and waved to the incubator, "I'm leaving now, good luck to you all!" Jiang Hao added, "Eat well and grow up quickly!"

Guan Shao said softly, "Xiao Hao, the goslings and ducklings will be eaten when they grow up."

The smiles froze on the two children's faces. These adorable little goslings and ducklings... will they be eaten?

Jiang Rong shouted on their behalf: "Are you a devil?!"

Geese and ducks are waterfowl, so the base built its waterfowl farm next to the reservoir. Chickens like to scratch the ground, so the base built its chicken farm in the mountains. A ten-minute drive from the waterfowl farm leads into the mountains.

A large chicken farm was built in the mountains, and several nearby mountains were included in its boundaries. Upon entering the farm, everyone saw flocks of glossy, free-range chickens. These chickens were not afraid of people at all. Since they were transferred to the Xinghuo Base, they had become quite the mountain kings, roaming around the mountains every day.

As soon as Jiang Rong got out of the car, a fierce rooster, half the height of a person, ruffled its feathers and charged towards the vehicle. Guan Shao pointed a finger at the rooster and gently tapped it. A soft cracking sound rang out, and the rooster shook its head, dazed, and walked to the side.

Previously at the waterfowl farm, the two children had never directly encountered grown geese and ducks. Now, seeing such a fierce rooster, they hesitated. Jiang Xiaoheng pursed his lips and fearfully grabbed Jiang Rong's hand.

Jiang Rong comforted her, "It's okay, don't be afraid."

The chicken farm also had an experimental building, with the layout exactly the same as the waterfowl farm. Jiang Xiaoheng and his friends soon saw the adorable chicks. The fluffy chicks were bigger than their fists, chirping and begging for feed from the two children.

The two children each grabbed a handful of feed and squatted down in the insulated room to feed the chickens. The chicks' beaks tickled their palms, and the children giggled.

Just as Jiang Rong and his group were watching the children feed the chickens, the person in charge of the chicken farm stood behind them, head down and hands rubbing together: "Team Leader Jiang, Team Leader Guan, I have a few questions I'd like to raise with you."

Jiang Rong nodded slightly and pointed to the door: "Let's talk outside."

*

The two children fed the chickens in the incubator for a long time, touching their soft down and feeling their body temperature and heartbeat. After finishing a small bag of feed, Jiang Xiaoheng was still not satisfied and wanted to feed the chickens more. When he turned around and looked at the spot where Jiang Rong had just been standing, he exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Big brother, where are Dad and the others?"

Jiang Hao pointed outside the door: "Dad and the others have gone out."

Jiang Xiaoheng, carrying an empty feed bag, said, "Shall we go find Dad? Can we ask for some more feed?"

Jiang Hao took the feed bag and led Jiang Xiaoheng by the hand. The two children carefully walked around the young chicks and out of the greenhouse. As soon as they stepped out of the greenhouse, they saw Jiang Rong standing under the feeding shed outside the door.

Jiang Rong was talking to the person in charge. The issues the person in charge mentioned were indeed a bit troublesome, but not difficult to resolve. "Don't worry, I will raise the fence around the chicken farm so the chickens can't fly out. As for the food issue you mentioned, we will resolve it gradually, so don't worry."

Jiang Xiaoheng, holding his older brother's hand, happily ran towards his father. After only a few steps, he suddenly heard a sturdy thumping sound and flapping noises behind him. Turning around, he saw a large, colorful rooster charging menacingly towards them.

A rooster, half a person's height, leaped into the air and lunged at Jiang Xiaoheng's back. Jiang Xiaoheng had never seen anything like this before; he trembled with fear and couldn't even scream.

Just as the sharp chicken claws were about to grab Jiang Xiaoheng, Jiang Hao stepped forward and blocked Jiang Xiaoheng's path. A dazzling golden light burst forth from Jiang Hao's palm, causing the breeding shed to vibrate and the iron nails on it to sway as if they were about to fly out of their threaded holes.

After letting out a miserable cry, the rooster fell to the ground and struggled in pain. Bright red blood flowed from its neck, and a bloodstained iron nail fell to the ground nearby with a soft "ding".

Jiang Hao's dark eyes turned into a dazzling gold, and he protected Jiang Xiaoheng by taking a few steps back.

The little child said firmly, "Don't be afraid, little brother, I'll protect you!"

Author's Note:

It's here! Xiao Hao's metal-type superpower has awakened!

The rooster, the goose, and the dog—the old cat was lucky enough to be chased by the first two.

I've messed with two of the three local bullies~ Hmph~

By the way, the chicken that pecked me and the goose that twisted me were cooked that very day.

It smells so good!