Hearing Xiao Lingfeng's words, Jian Ning simply smiled. She couldn't be too absolute in her statements.

What if some animals really do develop the ability to cultivate themselves in the future? We already have genetically modified humans; the future is truly unpredictable.

Soon the seafood in the pot was cooked. A delicious aroma wafted out.

"You can eat now. I'll give you that bottle of good wine. You've been working so hard lately, supplying water to the whole city. Are you exhausted?" Jian Ning asked with concern.

"It's alright, after all, we can work in shifts, and the next batch of gene warriors can be injected soon."

"In the future, there will be more and more people with supernatural abilities. As long as there are people, there is hope. These are the words of the leader."

Xiao Lingfeng ladled all the seafood from the pot onto plates and carried them to the dining table.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in your superior. But it will be quite difficult for ordinary people to live a good life from now on. Good luck to you."

Here, take this and give it to Tian Tian and Aunt Wang. It will protect them from three attacks.

Jian Ning took out two jade pendants from her bracelet and handed them to Xiao Lingfeng.

"Thank you. As you know, Tian Tian and my mother are my weaknesses. If I could, I would like to stay by their side every day, but I also have responsibilities and obligations that I must shoulder."

So Jianning, I'm asking you to keep a close eye on my mom and Tiantian.

As for words of thanks, I won't say much. I'm already grateful for all the favors you've shown me over the past year. I will give this jade pendant to them.

"Alright, enough of that nonsense. If there's real danger, I certainly can't abandon Tian Tian and Aunt Wang. After all, we're friends."

"Here, it's all in the wine. You drink it all, and I'll have a sip to keep you company."

Jian Ning picked up her glass with a hearty gesture, but only took a small sip. She knew her alcohol tolerance was limited and dared not drink too much.

Xiao Lingfeng downed his drink in one gulp. When Fu Mengfan mentioned the mutated insects to him today, he realized that the days ahead would become increasingly dangerous.

He himself wasn't afraid, but he really didn't want to go through the pain of losing his mother and Tian Tian again.

Feeling depressed, he unknowingly drank too much. When it was time to go home, he couldn't even walk in a straight line. Jian Ning had to help him and support him as she took him home.

"Oh dear, this kid has drunk too much. He usually has a good tolerance for alcohol."

Hearing the noise at the door, Aunt Wang came out of the bedroom. Seeing Xiao Lingfeng staggering, she quickly came over to help him.

"It's my fault, the wine I brought out was a bit too strong." Actually, Jian Ning felt that Xiao Lingfeng must have something on his mind, otherwise he would never have drunk so much wine.

"Xiao Ning, thank you. Go back and rest. Leave Ling Feng to me."

Aunt Wang was actually quite happy that the two young people were getting closer. In her heart, she had long regarded Jian Ning as her daughter-in-law.

I just don't know what my son thinks. Besides, in this day and age, it's not a good time to talk about marriage, so I haven't brought it up with Xiao Lingfeng yet.

"Okay, I'll head back then."

Jian Ning helped close the door, and after taking only a few steps, she heard a loud clap of thunder outside. Was it finally going to rain? She couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

After it rains, we can store water, which should alleviate some of the pressure on Xiao Lingfeng and that gene warrior to store water every day.

After returning, he went back to the immortal abode to practice swordsmanship, striving to comprehend the remaining eight forms in the shortest possible time. He aimed to master them and pass the test as soon as possible.

It wasn't that she necessarily wanted to take on this exquisite treasure pavilion, but Jian Ning subconsciously felt that as long as she could get to the final level, she would definitely have a very satisfying reward. It was intuition. She couldn't deny it.

When I came out of the immortal abode in the morning, I looked out the window and saw that it must have rained all night. The mud on the ground, which was originally dry and cracked, had now returned to its original state.

The puddles on the ground had turned into small streams in some low-lying areas. Now there's definitely no water shortage. I just don't know why it's raining. Is the rainy season here again?

Suddenly, I saw bubbles bubbling in the puddles outside, where the rainwater had fallen. Then, little gray heads popped out, one, two, three, crawling out from underground and forming a neat line.

My God, in less than two minutes, Jian Ning saw hundreds and thousands of rats marching in a line.

Is this an outbreak of plague? Could the rats have mutated too? And judging from their appearance, they are clearly organized.

There must be a rat king underground that has developed intelligence, but we don't know what they want to do with their sudden appearance.

Although she deeply loathed rats, she still cast a spiritual energy shield around herself and lightly flew through the wall, stepping on Ruoshui to escape.

Following the direction the mice were heading, they continued towards the mountains. Along the way, the mice's ranks grew ever larger, becoming so densely packed that it was dizzying to look down from the air. People with trypophobia would definitely find it unbearable.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the lead rat suddenly let out a shriek, and the entire group stopped.

Then came a quiet wait. A full half-hour passed before a huge, grayish-black rat, weighing at least seventy or eighty pounds, appeared. Anyone who didn't know better would have mistaken it for a piglet—it was enormous!

The big rat was clearly the rat king; it stood at the very front of the line, squeaking for a long time as if giving a lecture, before taking a few steps back.

The line of mice flowed past it like a rushing river. The scene was spectacular, but also quite nauseating.

Although these animals cannot speak, they all have their own methods of communication. Perhaps some treasure is about to be born, otherwise why would there be such a grand spectacle?

Jian Ning followed the swarm of rats aloft on her sword, using a concealment spell, of course. She also concealed her presence, knowing that rats have excellent noses, and being discovered by their scent would be disastrous.

Following the swarm of rats, we walked until we were almost at the top of the mountain, on the south side. Suddenly, the lead rat stopped, found a spot, and began digging a hole downwards.

The rats behind them also came to help. Jian Ning was puzzled. What kind of good thing was down there that could lure out all the rats in the city?

Just as I was thinking this, I suddenly smelled a strange fragrance. How should I put it? I only caught a whiff of this fragrance, but I felt invigorated, and the spiritual energy within my body became more active.

Not only Jian Ning smelled the aroma, but the swarm of rats underground went crazy, rushing up the hillside one after another to dig holes. In just a short while, countless small holes had appeared on the hillside.