"What should we do? How about we dig a deep trench around the county town, fill it with ice, and make it impossible for the ants to climb up?" Xiao Lingfeng thought for a moment, came up with a plan, and turned to ask Jian Ning.

"Yes, if the slope is steep, straight up and down, and we dig it deep, we can temporarily stop the ants from coming towards the county town."

Jian Ning immediately agreed, and the two began to find suitable locations, using talismans to dig deep ditches around the county town. They also poured water to create ice.

Then Xiao Lingfeng took out a large megaphone from his spatial storage.

He told the residents of the county town about the giant ants attacking the base and about the ditches being dug around the county town.

They were also told to quickly find ways to save themselves if they encountered dangerous situations, or to light a bonfire on the roof so that the base could come to their rescue.

The people who were living quietly in their homes were all very surprised when they heard this news.

But it was pitch black outside, and even if they came out of the house, they wouldn't know what the messenger looked like.

All I could do was stay home in a state of panic, thinking about how to reinforce my house to prevent the ants from getting in, so that I could have a better chance of survival.

With everyone here seemingly safe for the time being, Xiao Lingfeng and Jian Ning returned to the base. Since Xiao Lingfeng still held a position in the military, he didn't go home but went directly to the regimental headquarters to check on the situation.

Jian Ning didn't follow him and went home alone in the dark. Aunt Wang and Tian Tian were still hiding in the bedroom, too afraid to come out.

After Jian Ning returned, she turned on the living room lights.

"Mom, Sweetie, come out. I'll wash some fruit for you. It's alright outside now, don't be afraid."

"Auntie, really? I just heard gunshots. Did bad guys break in?"

Sweetie peeked out of the bedroom and asked softly, the sound of the gunshot really frightening her.

"They're not bad people, they're giant ants. Now, the insects and wild animals outside have mutated and gained different abilities. These ants shouldn't be underestimated."

However, they are afraid of fire and lightning. As long as they have weaknesses, we can eliminate them.

"Oh, it's an ant. You scared me." Hearing that it wasn't a bad person, Tian Tian actually breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps in her mind, bad people are more terrifying than animals.

"Xiao Ning, you sit with Tian Tian. I'll go wash the fruit. We haven't made breakfast yet, so I need to hurry. This morning has been so hectic. I've been worried about you. By the way, why hasn't Ling Feng come back yet?"

Aunt Wang took the apple Jian Ning had brought out and walked towards the kitchen, still thinking about her son.

"He went to the regimental headquarters and will probably be late. There must be a reason for the large-scale ant swarm attack on the base earlier. Ling Feng and I went to the county town, so we're fine for now."

"It must be because the winter was too long and these ants had nothing to eat. Otherwise, why would they attack people on their own initiative? I've never heard of anything like this before."

As she spoke, Aunt Wang took the apple and went to the kitchen. She felt at ease as long as her daughter-in-law was home. She went about her business.

Jian Ning took out a game of checkers, and just as she and Tian Tian had set up the glass marbles, there was a knock at the door. When they went to open it, they found Li Mengyao carrying a basin.

"Sister-in-law, come in quickly."

"Xiao Ning, my mom made some chive dumplings this morning and brought some over for you. What happened earlier? Your brother went out and hasn't come back. Did something happen?"

"Yes, there were ants attacking the base, but they've been mostly wiped out, so don't worry, sister-in-law." Jian Ning took the basin from Li Mengyao and carried it to the kitchen.

"Mom, my sister-in-law brought this over. This is fine for breakfast. Why don't you make some millet porridge?"

"Great, so many! This saves me the trouble of making them. Li Meizi is so diligent, she's much more capable than me." Aunt Wang looked at the bowl almost full of chive dumplings and couldn't stop smiling.

"My mom wakes up around 5 a.m. now; it's become a biological clock. It's mainly because my two kids are so noisy. They cry early in the morning."

She gets up and spends her free time thinking about cooking. She wants to steam bean buns tomorrow, and right after dinner, she's grinding flour with a stone mill.

Aunt Li is a person who can't sit still. She's always thinking about what to do and lives a very regular life. Jian Ning admires her for that.

"Sister-in-law, why is the child crying? I'll go check on him in a bit. Has this happened before?"

Jian Ning felt this was strange. Both children were cultivating and should understand everything, so why had they suddenly become so prone to crying?

“This didn’t happen before, but it’s been going on for about ten days now. I don’t know why they’re crying. They look so aggrieved, and every time they cry, they cry for a long time.”

Then suddenly everything was fine, and he went back to doing what he used to do. I think maybe it's because he doesn't see the sun all day that he's in a bad mood?

Jian Ning was also puzzled after hearing Li Mengyao's words.

Without waiting for dinner, she went to the kitchen and told Aunt Wang. Then, she took Tian Tian and went with her to Li Mengyao's house.

The two children are playing with toys on the carpet. Uncle Li is sitting on the sofa with them.

Enjoying the joy of family time, the room was well-lit.

Jian Ning walked over and greeted Uncle Li. The two children who were playing on the ground saw Jian Ning coming and happily hugged her legs and climbed up.

Jian Ning had no choice but to hold one child in each arm and use her spiritual power to scan the two children's bodies, but she didn't find anything unusual.

That's strange. Why would she cry at four or five in the morning? That shouldn't be happening.

She herself is a young woman with no experience in raising children.

The sun hasn't been out for days. Both children are a bit calcium deficient.

That's why I can't fall asleep around four or five in the morning. Although my physique has improved a lot from cultivating immortality, it's still not good if I don't get the necessary nutrition.

Although Jian Ning didn't guess the reason, she still took out a large piece of ginseng that had been cut up from her spatial storage.

"Sister-in-law, this ginseng can be used to make tea. You can cut a little bit each time and make a whole bucket."

Give these two kids a little bit too. Don't give them too much, as children have sensitive stomachs.

This is a very nutritious food.

By the way, give your child more fish and shrimp as complementary foods. Is it because your child is not getting enough to eat and is hungry, which is why they cry in the morning?

"These two little guys must get a lot of exercise every day. Look at all that muscle on their bodies, they're so muscular!"

"Maybe so. I feel like I don't have as much breast milk anymore, so I try to feed them more during the day."

"Even if it's not enough, give him an extra meal of thin noodles or something in the middle of the night. This big, chubby boy can eat more than a girl. I'm starting to think I should have had a daughter."