The mysterious drone did not approach any closer. It hovered in the distance for a moment before vanishing as silently as a ghost at the edge of the ruins.
"Looks like they weren't here to cause trouble," Chen Shouzhou said, relieved, but he grew even more vigilant in his heart. Compared to overt enemies like Lei Bao, a hidden observer in the shadows was often far more dangerous.
Just then, another thin figure, tail wagging, cautiously ran out from the ruins. It stopped outside the fence and let out a pleading whimper.
It was a stray dog.
"Well, another beggar," Chen Shouzhou said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He felt like his safe house was turning into a stray animal shelter. He called the dog over and tossed it some leftover chicken bones from the kitchen.
However, in this brief moment of peace, a frantic shout came from the direction of the farmland.
"This is bad! Chen boy! Come quick! It's all ruined!"
It was Li Gen's voice.
Chen Shouzhou's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately rushed towards the farm with the others. There, they saw Li Gen kneeling on the ridge, heartbroken, pointing at the newly leveled land.
It turned out that last night's seemingly light rain, due to their crude drainage system's failure, had caused severe waterlogging. The recently sown chili and corn seeds, which held so much hope, had been soaking in water all night. Most of them had swelled and rotted, completely losing their vitality.
Hope had been snuffed out before it could even sprout.
"What... what do we do now?" A'Jie panicked, looking at the devastated farmland.
Chen Shouzhou's brow furrowed tightly. This was the first major, non-combat setback they had faced. A food shortage was more deadly than any enemy.
Just then, the system's prompt sounded in his mind like a savior.
[Ding! Detecting severe natural disaster in the farmland area. Initiate 'Emergency Replanting' protocol?]
"Yes! Initiate immediately!" Chen Shouzhou confirmed without hesitation.
['Emergency Replanting' protocol initiated. The system will provide three alternative fast-growing crops. Please select based on the current environment.]
A translucent screen unfolded before him, displaying three options:
[A. Sweet Potato (High starch, flood-resistant, tubers are edible, vines can be used as fodder)]
[B. Mung Bean (Short growth cycle, strong nitrogen-fixing ability, can improve soil)]
[C. Alfalfa (Top-grade fodder, extremely fast-growing, developed root system, can effectively prevent soil erosion)]
After only three seconds of thought, Chen Shouzhou decisively chose the sweet potato.
"Sweet potatoes are flood-resistant, both the vines and tubers are edible, and they can feed our future 'livestock.' It's the most cost-effective option!"
He explained the options and his decision to the others. Although Li Gen was still upset about his carefully selected seeds being ruined, he knew this was not the time for tantrums. After hearing Chen Shouzhou's analysis, he smacked his lips and finally nodded in agreement.
"Fine, sweet potatoes it is. Better than starving to death."
So, the group immediately got to work, re-tilling the soil, draining the water, and preparing for replanting.
As they were working feverishly, Xiao Mai, who had been patrolling nearby, suddenly became agitated. It arched its back, letting out a low warning "hiss" from its throat, and began to circle a specific area at the edge of the field.
A'Jie immediately noticed its abnormal behavior. He cautiously followed Xiao Mai's path and inspected the area. Sure enough, in a corner cleverly concealed by weeds, he found a brand-new rat hole, still smelling of fresh earth.
"Chen-ge! They're back!" A'Jie immediately reported to Chen Shouzhou.
"Dammit, these rats think our place is an all-you-can-eat buffet?" Chen Shouzhou seethed with anger. He knew that ordinary traps were no longer effective against these cunning creatures.
The group immediately began to set up new, more targeted defensive measures.
A'Jie was in charge of placing improved, more concealed traps and caltrops near all the rat holes.
Meanwhile, Su Wan'er and Lin Mo put their professional skills to use. They worked together, using certain chemicals and plant extracts with specific odors, to create a non-toxic but highly effective scent agent with strong neuro-disruptive effects. This agent could greatly interfere with and confuse the rats' sensitive sense of smell, causing them to lose their sense of direction.
After nightfall, as expected, the relentless swarm of mutated rats attacked again.
They had clearly learned their lesson from last time. They didn't attack from the front but tried to use their newly dug tunnels to bypass the daytime defenses and launch a sneak attack directly on the farmland.
But this time, what greeted them was the "olfactory maze" carefully prepared by Su Wan'er and Lin Mo.
The first few rats to rush in, upon smelling the strange odor, began to stumble around in circles as if drunk, completely disoriented. They lost all sense of direction and ran headfirst into the trap zone A'Jie had set up.
SNAP! SNAP!
The crisp sound of traps springing echoed continuously, accompanied by the piercing shrieks of the mutated rats.
"Old Lin! Time for your 'ultimate weapon'!" Chen Shouzhou yelled.
Lin Mo was already in position on the watchtower. He pressed a button, and a device he had designed, which used high-frequency sound waves for repellent, was instantly activated.
VMMMM—!
A wave of sound, almost inaudible to human ears but like a demonic chant to the rats, instantly covered the entire area.
The rat swarm erupted into complete chaos. Driven mad by the sudden sonic attack, they scattered in panic, fleeing back to their tunnels.
However, just as everyone thought victory was in sight, the ground beneath their feet suddenly collapsed violently.
A juvenile Black-Toothed Rat King, smaller than the previous ones but with even fiercer eyes and equally black teeth, burst out from the ground like a black cannonball, lunging straight at Li Gen, who was closest and directing the defense.
It all happened too fast for anyone to react.
In that split second, a small and swift dark shadow leaped from the side.
It was Xiao Mai!
It traced a perfect arc in the air and, with a strength and precision that completely belied its small frame, it sank its teeth firmly into the juvenile Rat King's ear, using all its might to drag it down from mid-air.
"Nice one!"
A'Jie seized the opportunity. His shovel whistled through the air and slammed down hard on the juvenile Rat King's head, knocking it out cold on the spot.
Su Wan'er also rushed forward and precisely injected a dose of strong sedative into its body.
The juvenile Rat King struggled for a moment before finally going still.
In the morning, sunlight once again streamed through the cracks into the warehouse.
The system's prompt, filled with the joy of victory, arrived right on cue.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully defeating the juvenile Black-Toothed Rat King and eliminating the potential threat to the farmland!]
[Reward: Basic Insect Repellent Formula x1, EXP +30!]
Chen Shouzhou looked at the trussed-up juvenile Rat King, then at the still-shaken Li Gen, and said with a smile, "Uncle Li, it looks like our safe house's defense system needs a subterranean sonar detection device."
Li Gen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, nodded, and let out a long sigh. "Ah, these days, even the rats are smarter than people."