Chapter 30: Rat Hunt
Compared to the beginning, the system kitchen has changed a lot. The cabinets are filled with medicinal herbs and various raw materials that Gu Nian has grown during this period, and various containers and measuring instruments are also available. On a small table next to it, there are Gu Nian's notes and some books on Chinese herbal medicine cultivation.
Gu Nian opened a box, which was filled with spiritual crystals. Gu Nian had never stopped cooperating with the forum's No. 1 merchant, and not only did he earn a lot of credit points with the cold injury ointment, he also earned nearly a hundred spiritual crystals.
She clicked on the light screen and turned to the kitchen recipe column. The one- and three-star recipes in the kitchen, such as the body-hardening soup, the cold-proof soup, and the cold-injury ointment, had all been sold, and the two-star recipe interface was finally unlocked. The two-star interface, which was originally empty, now had a new recipe.
Blood coagulation cream: Rapid blood coagulation, accelerated wound healing. Price: 20,000 Spiritual Coins
Powerful Diamond Pill: Increases the user's strength by nearly 50% in a short period of time. The duration depends on the user's physical fitness. Price: 20,000 Spiritual Coins
Epidemic Elimination Pill: Removes epidemic poison and eliminates miasma. Price: 20,000 Spiritual Coins
For Gu Nian now, what she needs most is the blood coagulation cream. She decisively chose to buy it. The medicinal materials of the blood coagulation cream slowly unfolded, and there were nearly thirty kinds of medicinal materials! Gu Nian was shocked and looked at them one by one. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Although there were many medicinal materials, they were all ordinary medicinal materials and did not need to be planted in spiritual fields. However, spiritual crystals were still needed.
Because of the variety of medicinal materials, the blood coagulation ointment is much more difficult to make than a one-star item. Gu Nian began to explore and try, and failed three times in a row. She finally succeeded on the fourth attempt. She was not in a hurry. After all, her proficiency would naturally improve after doing it for a long time. She continued to devote herself to making medicine.
Time spent concentrating always passes very quickly. By the time Gu Nian had made five portions of blood coagulation cream, ten more portions of kitchen waste had already piled up. With all the kitchen waste accumulated during this period, Gu Nian left the cabin and came to the farmland.
During the few days when Gu Nian went to the wilderness, the farmland had entered the harvest period. The moist gray-brown land was already full of cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. The vegetables produced by the farm space were all fresh and tender, with clear colors, which made people's appetites grow. As for the medicinal fields on the other side, many medicinal herbs were also ripe.
Gu Nian pulled the cart and started to harvest the vegetables, while Lianhua fluttered around with the seedlings, occasionally leaving a small row of teeth marks on the edge of the leaves when Gu Nian wasn't paying attention.
However, Gu Nian was worried. The pond beside the farmland was only half full. If she couldn't find a new water source, she would not be able to plant crops in a short time.
Gu Nian had tried before, but the water she brought from the real world to irrigate the farmland did not promote the growth of crops. This approach was a dead end. Gu Nian wanted to continue exploring the farm space to find a water source, but once she went beyond the farmland area, she heard the familiar reminder sound: "The area ahead has not been unlocked yet. Come back to explore after it is unlocked."
After harvesting the vegetables and herbs, Gu Nian picked up the kitchen waste and began to fertilize the remaining farmland. She had already completely reclaimed this area of farmland, but only a small part of it had been upgraded to spiritual fields. Today, Gu Nian planned to upgrade all the fields to spiritual fields.
I hope that after all the farmland is upgraded, new areas can be unlocked! When the new area is unlocked, there will definitely be a way to find water! Gu Nian prayed silently in his heart, nervous and uneasy.
Finally, after the last spiritual field was upgraded, she heard the long-awaited prompt sound.
"Ding, it has been detected that all farmlands have been upgraded. The conditions are met and new areas are unlocked. Please continue exploring, host. Keep up the good work!"
Gu Nianru listened to the sound of the emperor's voice. She didn't care about resting and walked out of the farmland with the lotus. This time when she reached the edge of the farm, she didn't touch the invisible barrier again, but passed through it smoothly.
Outside the farm was a river. When Gu Nian looked at it from a distance, he only felt that there was water flowing. But now that the barrier was removed, he realized that it was just an illusion. When he got closer, the river had completely dried up, revealing a scorched and cracked riverbed, just like the cracked bark of an old tree. On the other side of the river was a small forest.
When Lotus saw this desolate land, confusion appeared in the cat's eyes: "Meow, Lotus seems to have been here before... But at that time, this land was not like this..."
Gu Nian stopped walking. She stared at a certain place in the woods, where a light was on. Gu Nian could even hear the sound of iron hammering.
Gu Nian asked Lianhua cautiously: "Lianhua, besides you, are there any other...living things in this farm space?"
"Other creatures?" Lotus meowed, "Yes! But... Lotus can't remember their names..." Lotus patted the cat's head in distress.
Gu Nian realized what he had been neglecting. If this farm space was running in the same mode as a business game, in addition to the Lotus, which was like the incarnation of the system, there must be game NPCs. Could it be that the area he had explored before was too narrow, so he had never encountered NPCs?
Holding the bow tightly in his hand, Gu Nian walked carefully into the woods and headed towards the place where the lights were on.
There was a small wooden house, quietly sitting under a tall tree. Outside the small wooden house was a tall white fox. The white fox was extremely beautiful, with elegant white fur and a graceful and powerful body. It was holding a hammer in its hand and was hitting the iron in a rhythmic manner. As it moved, its fluffy tail swayed along, leaving an afterimage. No! It wasn't an afterimage at all, it had more than one tail! There were... nine?
Gu Nian stopped in astonishment, but the nine-tailed fox heard the footsteps and raised its head. A smile appeared on its face: "A guest? How strange! Do you want to make something for me?"
"Meow! The fox...the fox is speaking!" Lotus screamed.
The fox rolled his eyes, put down the hammer in his hand, and walked over gracefully. "Can't cats talk? Why can't foxes talk too?"
There is nothing wrong with this. Gu Nian calmed down and adjusted his mindset to accept it. "Hello, I am a resident who just arrived here." Gu Nian said cautiously.
"I know you came from the outside world and are the new owner of the farm. I knew it when you came. I was wondering when you would come." The nine-tailed fox circled around Gu Nian for a few times, as if sizing her up. "My name is Tu Shanluo, and I was invited to open a blacksmith shop here."
He looked at Gu Nian, his eyes rolled, and he put on a warm smile, the kind of enthusiasm that a fox would have when seeing a chicken: "Are you here to find me to repair the ranch?"
Ranch? Gu Nian was stunned. She didn't respond and planned to listen to the nine-tailed fox first.
"Yes, there is a ruin of a ranch next to your farmland. You must ask me to repair it." The nine-tailed fox, or Tu Shanluo, said hurriedly.
Gu Nian asked hesitantly, "The ruins of the ranch, you mean the pile of rotten wood next to the farm?" Behind the farmland was the wooden house where Gu Nian lived. There had always been a pile of rotten wood on the side of the farm, and Gu Nian had not cleaned it up. Could it be that the pile of rotten wood was a ranch before?
"Yes, that's the ranch. Do you want to repair it?" The nine-tailed fox looked at Gu Nian with a proud expression. "You humans are best at raising chickens, ducks, and pigs, but these all require ranches. Here, I am the only one who can repair it." It emphasized.
Gu Nian's mind raced as she quickly thought about how to answer. In this farm space, the only person she could talk to besides Lotus was the nine-tailed fox. Maybe she could try to get its words out first.
"I don't plan to build a ranch." Gu Nian interrupted the nine-tailed fox's lame recommendation.
The nine-tailed fox was suddenly stuck, and its beautiful big tail slowly drooped down: "Why don't you build a ranch? With a ranch, you can raise chickens, ducks, and pigs, and the chickens, ducks, and pigs will give birth, and you will become richer and richer. Don't you humans like these the most? All you need to do is pay a little bit, just ask me to build the ranch."
"But the pond next to the farmland is almost dry. Without water, nothing can be grown. There's no need to do a business that's doomed to lose money," Gu Nian said calmly.
The nine-tailed fox looked at Gu Nian in confusion: "Lack of water?" It stretched out a furry paw and pointed at the lotus beside it: "Didn't it tell you anything? After so many years, is it still just eating?"
"Meow, Lotus is not a lazy cat!" Lotus' whiskers trembled with anger: "Lotus, it's just... it's just that I can't remember a lot of things!"
The nine-tailed fox shook his head helplessly and muttered, "I am so unlucky... Not only have I been guarding here all this time, but now I have to be a babysitter..."
He reluctantly took out a small gourd and handed it to Gu Nian: "Get some water from the world you came from. Just use the spiritual energy to drive this gourd, and it will be enough to collect a spiritual spring. Remember, you must use the spiritual spring. When you have collected the spiritual spring, pour this gourd into the pond beside the farmland, and you will have a source of water."
Gu Nian held the small gourd. It was very light, the size of a palm, and looked very green, as if it had just been plucked from the vine. She just felt incredible. Using such a gourd, one could absorb the spiritual spring? Moreover, the spiritual spring in the real space could also be transplanted to the farm space?
The nine-tailed fox interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, since you've accepted my favor, you have to ask me to build the ranch, right? Remember, you have to give me fifty chickens as a reward, not one less. I want free-range chickens that are raised on spiritual vegetables. Only these chickens are delicious."
Gu Nian hesitated for only a moment before he began to bargain. "No, twenty-five at most."
"Twenty-five!" The nine-tailed fox was so angry that it almost jumped up. Damn human, the bargaining was too ruthless! Did she know that I, Tu Shanluo, used to be... But now it could only say: "At least forty! I am the only blacksmith shop here."
"But I'm the only customer here. If I didn't come to the blacksmith shop, you wouldn't have any chicken to eat." Gu Nian pointed out a cruel fact.
The nine-tailed fox stared in disbelief. Damn humans, even more cunning than foxes! "Okay, twenty-five chickens is twenty-five chickens. But you have to prepare the ingredients yourself." It said angrily.
At this moment, the system popped up a prompt. "Ding, the system task 'Repair the abandoned ranch' has been triggered. Please ask the host to entrust the blacksmith Tu Shanluo to complete the ranch repair task. Task reward: a ranch, breeding function enabled. Come on~"
The nine-tailed fox said with a stern face, "Prepare ten pieces of spiritual wood. This is what is needed to repair the woodyard." Humph, if this little girl can't find the spiritual wood, she will have to come to it. Then she will have to give fifty... no, one hundred chickens! Only offer them to Master Tushan!
Gu Nian hesitated and took out ten crystal clear wood from the system backpack: "Is this the spiritual wood you are talking about?" When she killed the mutant pine, she took out some strange-looking wood from the tree heart of the mutant pine. Later, when she killed mutant spiritual plants, she occasionally found some. Gu Nian put them all into the system backpack, and the system identified them as spiritual wood. It was a pity that it had never been used, but she didn't expect to use it today.
The nine-tailed fox looked over in confusion, his eyes wide in disbelief: "What? Is it any wonder that the outside world is so prosperous? Spiritual wood can be seen everywhere?" He carefully examined the material and answered reluctantly: "Yes, it is this wood.
The nine-tailed fox picked up the hammer and nails and motioned for Gu Nian to lead the way: "Let's go to the ranch."
On the side of the farmland, there was a pile of broken wood scattered on the ground, and there were traces of insects and rain corrosion on the wood. The nine-tailed fox picked up the hammer and took the ten spiritual woods. Its huge claws were very flexible. It grabbed the hammer and hit it flexibly. Under its hands, a fence soon began to take shape.
"Remember my chicken!" Humming an ancient ballad, the nine-tailed fox carried his hammer and left, with its nine beautiful, fluffy tails swaying behind it.
Gu Nian turned on the system screen. As expected, a new ranch was added to her property. According to the system's description, this ranch could be used to raise animals. All she had to do was add feed to the wooden trough and water to the water trough.
Gu Nian felt that the farm space he had obtained was increasingly mysterious. Who invited this nine-tailed fox to come here? Why did it seem to know the lotus? More and more puzzles emerged.
Gu Nian's thoughts were complicated for a while, but she knew that the farm space was her biggest trump card, and she couldn't give it up. Gu Nian played with the small gourd, and instead of worrying about these irrelevant things, she might as well worry about where to find a spiritual spring now.
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The new Jiangcheng government building has been moved into the underground city. This is a huge city that is still under construction, and all the manpower and material resources of Jiangcheng are currently invested in it.
The mayor was an elegant middle-aged man, dressed simply, with an air of authority in his gestures. "Director Shi, I invited General Xu from the military region to come here today to discuss the matter you mentioned last time. Did you, Noah, go to the wilderness to search for the mutant rat and get any results?"
Seeing General Xu coming, Shi Hong also became serious. He handed two reports to the mayor and General Xu: "Two commanders, take a look first."
"Recently, all the field staff that Noah Research Institute could mobilize went out in full force to search the wilderness. Nearly ten traces of mutant rats have been found in the white area that has been explored in the wilderness. This also confirmed the findings of previous researchers. The reproduction rate of these mutant rats is extremely alarming. Currently, the number of mutant rats that can be detected is increasing rapidly every day."
The mayor and General Xu both began to read the report. The more they read, the more solemn their expressions became.
General Xu read it carefully and then said, "Shi Hong, tell me your opinion first."
Shi Hong replied: "My opinion is to deal with it as soon as possible, use all the strength of the city, quickly eliminate the rats, and find out the human factors behind it. If we don't deal with it, I'm afraid this mutant rat will cause a horrific disaster!"
"But if that's the case, a lot of people will need to be mobilized to the wilderness..." The mayor hesitated, "I think we should discuss this matter again. After all, the underground city construction plan is at a critical juncture. For the entire Jiangcheng, building an underground city is the top priority..."
General Xu, who had originally planned to mobilize troops and support the rat extermination, hesitated after hearing this. Facing the people of the city, he had to be cautious.
Shi Hong couldn't help but ask, "Mayor, what if Jiangcheng can't hold out until the underground city is repaired? If the rat tide really spreads, can we still wait until the day when we can live in the underground city?"
The mayor and General Xu were both silent. They had to admit that Shi Hong's words might really be true.
"According to the current reproduction rate of mutant rats, if there are one thousand today, there may be two thousand tomorrow, and four thousand the day after tomorrow! What about after that? Before the underground city is repaired, the entire city will be destroyed. My two commanders, if we can't get through the current hurdles, no matter how bright the future is, it will be empty talk." Shi Hong said in a hoarse voice.
The mayor stopped talking. He couldn't help but wonder, if what Shi Hong said really happened, would all this be meaningless? The two men turned their eyes to General Xu. Since the natural disaster, the military has had more and more say. For such a major event, General Xu must make the final decision.
General Xu was silent for a long time, and finally he took a long breath and said in a deep voice: "Let's do it according to Shi Hong's advice. According to the prediction of the Dragon Country Research Center, this natural disaster will bring endless difficulties and challenges. If we are unable to complete the two tasks of mutant rats and building underground cities, how can we win this war? I believe that with your talents and the full support of our military, we will succeed."
The top leaders of Jiangcheng City reached a consensus, and the order was quickly conveyed to various institutions. The huge organization began to operate, and the specific implementation plan was quickly formed. Instructions were issued one by one and quickly spread to various parts of Jiangcheng.
Gu Nian received a text message on his phone.
"In view of the rampant mutant rats in the wilderness, which have caused serious harm, the government has now launched a nationwide rat eradication campaign. Adult citizens are invited to participate actively. The details are as follows: All adult residents who eliminate mutant rats in the nationwide rat eradication campaign can accumulate contribution points. Contribution points can be exchanged for credit points at a ratio of 2:2. Every time 2 mutant rats are eliminated, 300 contribution points can be accumulated.
The contribution points redemption list is as follows.
2 boxes of biofuel: 200 contribution points.
Mutant Beast Crystal: 600 Contribution Points.
Winter clothing: 800 contribution points.
Solar generator: 2000 contribution points.
…
Dungeon residence (one hundred square meters) = 50,000 contribution points Note: Can be exchanged by square meter.
Space Folding Box (2 cubic meters) = 200,000 Contribution Points. The limit is five, and it will be cleared after redemption."
When Gu Nian saw the space folding box, she couldn't help but gasp. She didn't expect that the official would be willing to give out such a thing as a reward. Gu Nian, who holds the farm space, certainly knows how precious such space folding items are to natural disasters. Even if it is only two cubic meters in size, it will still attract people. At a critical moment, such an item can be said to be a life-saving straw!
Even Gu Nian couldn't help but be tempted, wondering if she should find a way to exchange for a folding space box. Although she didn't need it, she could use this as a cover.
The other thing that Gu Nian is most concerned about is the residence in the underground city. The underground city is still under construction, and the official has not yet announced how the residence in the underground city will be purchased or replaced in the future. Gu Nian understands that natural disasters will continue, and it is very important to have a comfortable and stable residence. Even if the villa on the ground is very comfortable now, it may still be necessary to move underground in the future. Therefore, it is better to get such an underground residence exchange voucher in advance to be prepared.
There are still some daily necessities left, which are also listed in the list. The reward exchange given by Jiangcheng this time is very generous. It seems that the official father still has a family background. No wonder Jiangcheng still maintains order after the cold wave.
Even with Gu Nian's wealth, he found many attractive things in this long exchange list, let alone others? Fighting against mutant rats is dangerous, but money has always been attractive. People in Jiangcheng, who have long been accustomed to a rich life, how can they get used to the hard life now? Once this news came out, I'm afraid everyone is ready to hunt rats to improve their lives, right?
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Since the temperature rose to minus fifty degrees, the residents of the cold-weather warehouses have moved out one after another. Although it is very cold in their own homes, it is better than living in the cold-weather warehouses.
It is also because of this that Lao Chen's work has become less busy again, and the electrician team members are only on duty and maintaining the circuits.
When Lao Chen came to work today, he saw several young men in his electrician team were chatting with each other.
Old Chen went over and coughed, pretending to be confused even though he knew the truth: "What are you talking about?"
When the guys saw Lao Chen coming, they looked at each other, pushing each other. Finally, Xiao Huang, who had worked with Lao Chen the longest, stood up and said, "Captain Chen, we are talking about hunting rats."
"The reward for this rat hunting is very high... Many workers can take leave to do this, and the superiors have approved the leave and suspended their work. I heard that there was a cement team that went out and killed a dozen rats. They could get 200 credit points a day. The brothers were jealous... Besides, hunting rats is also encouraged by the government..."
Old Chen remained calm and looked at the young men under his command: "Going to hunt rats, but is it dangerous?"
"We used to go out on field duty and repair circuits, which was also dangerous. This is not dangerous work, and it doesn't earn credit points." A brave young man said, but everyone nodded in their hearts. Since we no longer have to go out on field duty, we only have to be on duty indoors and maintain circuits, but our salary has also dropped to 20 credit points. If you have a difficult family situation, these 20 credit points will make you hungry even if you eat coarse food every day.
"I say, Captain Chen, we are electricians, can we also set up circuit traps or something? No matter if it is a mouse, how can it survive if it is shocked by the electric current? We have to make use of our expertise." said another young man with his eyes rolling around.
"You are really smart... Captain Chen, I have a cousin in my hometown who used to set traps in the mountains to catch pheasants. I think we should call him along..."
The young men in the electrician team started talking at once.
Old Chen immediately understood that these guys had already thought about it and were just waiting for his nod. Since everyone had this intention, if Old Chen suppressed them, it would be easy for something to go wrong. Moreover, Old Chen himself could not help but be tempted. After all, the mutant rat, although ferocious, was too tempting to resist the official offer.
What Lao Chen is most concerned about is the house in the underground city. He participated in the construction of the house in the underground city, and it was because of this that he was shocked by this huge project. Lao Chen vaguely judged that such extreme temperatures might continue, so the government would spend so much effort to rebuild the city. When he thought of this, Lao Chen couldn't sit still and wanted to save up a house quickly. Even if he could only save up a 20-square-meter house at that time, the family could squeeze in and save lives at the critical moment!
He pondered for a moment and said decisively, "In this case, why don't we mobilize our relatives and find a few tall and strong men. I heard that these rats come in groups. Let's gather about 30 people and go out together to explore the edge of the wilderness first. If we encounter any trouble, run away quickly. It is always easy to save our lives."
The members of the electrician team were overjoyed and began to come up with ideas.
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"What? The stingy mayor is willing to exchange his residence in the underground city?" Wan Xingteng said with interest. "Even Shi Hong is not hiding it. He is willing to take out Noah's most precious folding space box?"
Secretary Tong Liangcai stood in front of him respectfully and said, "Yes, Boss. The other companies in Jiangcheng are already preparing. Do we want to join?"
Wan Xingteng shook the red wine slowly. Even in times of natural disasters, his residence was still luxurious and the heating was on as if he had no credit points. This was because he was the largest real estate developer in Jiangcheng and a well-known rich man in the city. Before the natural disaster came, he immediately asked the core members of the company to go ahead with the purchase and exchange a large amount of cash for supplies.
"Of course we have to participate," Wan Xingteng said, "Not only do we have to participate, we have to participate in a big way."
"Liangcai, do you know what business can make money in the future?"
"Real estate sales in the underground city?" Tong Liangcai said hesitantly, "Since the natural disaster, the prices of some houses with better insulation in Jiangcheng have become higher and higher. Not only do local residents want to move to better houses, but even residents from other places are willing to spend a lot of money to move here. In addition, there is a growing trend of remodeling houses, and even the prices of decoration materials have also risen accordingly."
Tong Liangcai has been a top student who has studied at top universities since he was a child, but even he admires his boss's business acumen. When the extreme cold came, Wan Xingteng spent a lot of materials to find a way to build an assembly line for producing house modification materials in Jiangcheng. Now he is making a fortune.
"No, although real estate business can also make money, the most valuable business that can produce new rich people will always be new materials and new energy! And the new materials and new energy of the future will all come from the wilderness! Our Wan's Enterprise must become the largest dealer of mutant plants and animals in Jiangcheng! As long as we can secure the supply, even after a natural disaster, I, Wan Xingteng, can still be a rich man!"
"If we want to secure the supply, we have to make a name for ourselves among wilderness hunters! This time, when we're hunting rats, will we kill the mutant plants we meet along the way? Will we kill other mutant beasts we meet? Will we collect the medicinal herbs we see in the wilderness? This will be the first large-scale wilderness operation in Jiangcheng! Think about it, if everyone has materials of mutant plants and animals, will they exchange them? For supplies, for credit points, for other mutant plants and animals? All of these require a store, and what you have to do is to make sure they only need one, our Wan's Wilderness Business."
"Go ahead, don't hesitate to spend a fortune. In addition to your own bodyguard team, you can also recruit people from outside. This time, we must take the first place in contribution! Prove our Wan family's strength, and also make our Wan family wilderness trading company famous. When all wilderness hunters know our strength and know that they want to do business with us, we will naturally win!"
Wan Xingteng stretched out a hand towards Tong Liangcai, then clenched his fist tightly: "We must take over this market at any cost."
Tong Liangcai's blood boiled when he heard this. Yes, as long as there are people, business can be done, and as long as business can be done, the boss can always make money!
Tong Liangcai thought quickly and immediately outlined a plan in his mind.
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In the training ground, a group of soldiers are doing push-ups with weights.
"One hundred, one hundred and one, one hundred and two..." Sweat covered their faces and their muscles and bones were exhausted, but everyone was still gritting their teeth and continuing.
"Persevere! If we can't do these, how can we defeat the company next door! How can we prove that our Third Company is the vanguard company! Do you have the confidence to take first place in this operation?" The company commander said as he walked in the team doing push-ups with his hands behind his back.
"Yes!" everyone roared in a low voice!
"If we want to get first place, we have to be better than others! If other companies make one group, we have to add another one! Can we handle it?" the company commander asked.
“I can handle it!”
"Okay, after finishing the training today, we will be ready to set off tomorrow. Goal: first place!" the company commander said loudly.
All the soldiers were immediately motivated. Everyone knew that in addition to the official contribution points, the army would also give military merit awards for this rat hunting operation! What does this mean? It is honor and a bargaining chip for future promotions! Now the various companies are fighting for the quota to go on the rat hunting! Everyone is determined to get the first place in the contribution ranking!
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