Chapter Eleven: Exciting Speculation
The incredible vision of the Fallen Insects, which allows them to see moving humanoid objects within a 360-degree radius and even within a two-kilometer radius, is truly something that makes humans envious!
But it was too late. The two SUVs came to a screeching halt at the foot of the mountain. Without a second's hesitation, Qi An and everyone else jumped into the cars and sped away in a cloud of dust!
They drove for more than 20 kilometers before finally stopping.
No vehicles caught up with them; the service post was still some distance from the hillside they were scouting, and the speed of those dilapidated vehicles couldn't compare to their military off-road vehicles.
Qi An immediately performed a light purification on Yu Shuang and Tang Long. These two had seen too many Fallen Insects while observing and sniping, so their pollution levels were 35% and 37%, respectively.
It was already completely dark when they entered the mountains. The cold wind howled and the howls of wolves echoed throughout the mountains.
However, wild animals posed little threat to them, and the team chose a secluded woodland as their temporary camp.
Zhao Bohan, along with Tang Long, used static defense nanowires to encircle the camp, leaving only one "gate." This way, the night watchmen only needed to guard the "gate," and any living thing that tried to approach from any other direction would be sliced into pieces.
Everyone was exhausted, but they only had half an hour to rest and eat their compressed rations. After they finished eating, the overly responsible leader called a meeting.
"First of all, let's commend Xiao Qi for his careful and meticulous lookout, which allowed us to spot the patrolling Fallen Insects ahead of time. Otherwise, there would definitely have been a fierce battle! Everyone, applause!"
Yu Shuang gave Qi An an approving and fond smile, and everyone clapped softly.
Qi An felt a little embarrassed and lowered his head with a smile.
Yu Shuang continued, "We've had a very fruitful day! Let me tell you about the intelligence we have."
First, of the two suspected strongholds in the initial intelligence, Blue City has been ruled out, but the locator we installed on the Fallen Bug truck is still there. We have now stopped at the second suspected stronghold, Hualin County.
Secondly, the Huashan Expressway service station has a checkpoint for the Fallen Insects, with no fewer than 50 Fallen Insects stationed there, equipped with heavy weapons.
Third, the Huashan service station experiences significant traffic; within the short hour we observed it, two convoys passed through, indicating very strict checks.
Yu Shuang tapped on the task requirements on the tablet: "We just haven't figured out the scale of the Hualin County outpost yet."
"But there are speculations. Judging from the traffic flow at the checkpoint and the distance from Hualin County, the number of fallen insects occupying Hualin County is at least a brigade, 5,000-10,000."
Besides the service area we just visited, there must be many other outposts around Hualin County.
Su Qingran used a small comb she carried with her to tidy her braids as she spoke slowly.
“That’s true, but we alerted the patrolmen while we were on the mountain, which definitely stirred up trouble. It’s hard to say how bad the consequences will be,” Yu Shuang said.
She is strict with herself, but the team gathered so much useful intelligence in one day without any casualties. The mere incident that alerted the patrol at the outpost was an accident and didn't cause any major disturbance, so it's really understandable.
The Huashan service post was heavily guarded, making it difficult for them to advance any further. At this point, they could return to base and report back.
The task was completed so quickly that everyone was still a bit dazed.
However, the smoother the mission process, the better, and no one complained that having their head on their neck was too annoying.
Zhuang Xiao wrapped his combat jacket tighter around himself. "What's the furthest distance the locator signal can receive again? If it's far enough, let's go back tomorrow."
Yu Shuang was a little unsure about this, so she asked Zhao Bohan, only to find that he hadn't spoken for a long time.
She turned around and found the person fiddling with their phone in the back seat of the car in front of her!
"We're in a meeting! And you, the deputy team leader, are leading the way in slacking off?" Yu Shuang roared in anger.
Zhao Bohan looked up. "Sorry, I was just looking for some information."
"What information?" Yu Shuang asked angrily.
Zhao Bohan said, "Licorice."
Yu Shuang was taken aback, and everyone else was taken aback as well.
Zhao Bohan put down his phone. "I'm sorry for not paying attention during the meeting. I promise it won't happen again."
But I've been wanting to do this ever since I thought about it.
His beautiful peach blossom eyes shone brightly, but his tone remained calm:
“I once read a paper on the biological habits of polluters that said that there is an extract in licorice root that can be used to make oxytocin specifically for female worms.”
These words left Qi An stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, his heart began to pound!
Zhao Bohan continued, "I wasn't quite sure before, but this article came from Southwest Base No. 9, and I read it a long time ago. But I had it cached on my phone, and I just checked, and it's true."
He shook his phone.
Everyone's heart started pounding!
After humans mutate into Fallen Worms, their reproductive organs degenerate, meaning that the vast majority of Fallen Worms are infertile.
However, there are male and female insects that are specifically responsible for reproduction.
The corrupted insect, or polluter, is a semi-viviparous, semi-ovarian organism.
The female and male insects usually mate in late summer and early autumn each year. After a winter and spring of gestation, the female insect will give birth to a clutch of fetuses wrapped in an egg membrane in late spring.
The fetus can hatch after a month of incubation and reach adulthood and combat capability within three years.
During the daytime, Qi An saw two worms carrying baskets and pulling weeds through a drone.
They're probably not pulling up ordinary weeds, but collecting licorice!
The frequent dispatch of convoys to collect nutritious wild vegetables and licorice, which can be used to make oxytocin, suggests that there is not only a large-scale infestation of fallen insects here, but also a mother nest!
The nests of Fallen Insects have always been a key target for human extermination efforts, because besides preventing humans from mutating, this is the most effective way to curb the growth of Fallen Insect populations!
If the team does discover a mother hive, and if it's a large one, then they could all receive a third-class merit, or even a second-class merit!
Yu Shuang was stunned for a moment, then took Zhao Bohan's phone and read through the paper.
"Good, good, Lao Zhao, you truly are a man whose brain contains the entire academic database of the base!"
"And Xiao Qi, with his keen eye, spotted the licorice stem, and Xiao Su, recognized it as licorice! They're both heroes!" Yu Shuang praised.
She immediately began organizing the intelligence, preparing to speak with Wei Fengduo of the Chengfeng Brigade.
Yu Shuang still trusted Wei Fengduo, her direct superior, so she would reiterate the importance of documenting and recording the incident of the spy drone being inexplicably damaged.
The team arranged for people to take turns on night watch. Apart from Tang Long and Zhuang Xiao, who were on the first night watch, the rest of the team rested in the car.
As expected, the information reported by Yu Shuang during the call was taken very seriously. Wei Fengduo told Yu Shuang to wait a moment, as he had to attend a meeting that night.
The team waited quietly and anxiously in the cold night.
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