CHAPTER 118: NEW SPACE FUNCTION—BREEDING POISONOUS BEES

"Grandma, that isn’t what you’d call running away blindly. They’re just temporarily getting away from the environmental problems. There’s a saying, ’As long as the green hills are there, one need not worry about firewood.’ As long as they’re alive, they’ll return once the environment improves. Who could bear to leave their own home!"

"Besides, think of it as a tour. Haven’t you always wanted to visit Sichuan? If we get the chance, let’s go together." Jing Shu planned to gradually influence Grandma Jing’s thinking.

Grandma Jing nodded at this. "Alright, I can accept that. But our home is so safe, I’m not going anywhere. I won’t go through the hassle."

"...What if an earthquake or flood comes, would you run?"

"Of course, I’d run. I’m not a fool."

Okay, at least it’s not a hopeless situation. Once the RV arrives and is comfortably refurbished, I’ll talk to Grandma Jing every day about traveling to Sichuan in it. Then, when the big earthquake happens, after a few more instances of such upheaval, the relocation will undoubtedly go smoothly.

Jing Shu realized that when persuading someone, one shouldn’t negate their ideas but should instead wholeheartedly encourage them to do just that. And then... hehe, the results can be surprisingly good.

People tend to have a rebellious streak, Jing Shu understood.

As for Mr. Jing? As long as he went along with Grandma Jing’s wishes, persuading the whole family would be easy.

That evening, wrapped in a down jacket, Jing Shu took Fat Chicken for a long walk. Fat Chicken’s condition had been a bit off lately; its appetite had decreased dramatically. So, Jing Shu took it out for some fresh air and decided to observe it for a few more days. Could it be that it had drunk too much Spiritual Spring and was nearing the end of its life? But looking at its vigorous appearance, that didn’t seem to be the case.

The night was truly cold. Fat Chicken was impervious to heat and cold; how Jing Shu envied that!

Speaking of this unpredictable weather, Jing Shu kept thinking that it might be because most of the particulate dust in Earth’s atmosphere had settled, leading to a weakened atmosphere.

During the day, because Earth was now closer to the sun and most of the dust had settled, the temperature soared. At night, without a heat source, the surface temperature plummeted to just a few degrees Celsius... Of all the speculations, Jing Shu found the idea that a stellar explosion had pushed Earth out of its original orbit and closer to the sun the most plausible, possibly even researched.

The falling earth from the sky wasn’t as severe as in the beginning. At less than one centimeter thick daily, it had stabilized and was bound to decrease further over time.

However, the falling earth during the half-year-long Dark Day had, according to news reports, piled up two meters high in some places, burying many roads and extinguishing numerous streams and springs. These six months of falling earth had eradicated who knows how many plants and wasted so much water.

It might also be one of the primary causes of future changes to the landscape, or even desertification.

But it was always a thought worth clinging to. Some suggested that when the falling earth ended, the sun would rise. Thus, the less earth that fell each day, the more infinite hope it gave people.

After walking Fat Chicken, Jing Shu checked that the villa’s traps were operating normally before closing the main door, ensuring that the air conditioning in the chicken coop was stable and the Domestic Poultry were healthy.

She then visited the greenhouse, where the Bees had built their hives and multiplied to over a hundred. Jing Shu ensured there were no rotten corpse insects or maggots inside.

Mr. Jing had brought back some sealant and repair tools last time, perfectly patching up the villa and ensuring its airtightness.

Jing Shu seemed to have recently discovered a new function of the Magic Cube Space.

Within the Space, as long as the animals bred there surpassed a certain time limit and were fed Spiritual Spring, she felt she could sense these creatures’ emotions and, furthermore, guide them.

Previously, when feeding Number 1 and a group of chickens, only Number 1 developed spiritual awareness. The other chickens showed no reaction, which made her believe for a while that it required a lot of Spiritual Spring to develop awareness like Number 1’s.

The second strange thing she noticed was with the Bees. After raising them for half a year and moving them to the greenhouse, they didn’t attack her and recognized her as their owner. However, at that time, she seemed unable to guide these Bees.

The third instance occurred recently, after the Magic Cube Space’s Second Form began activating frequently. She spent every day with the Domestic Poultry inside the Space, interacting closely with them day in and day out. She found she could guide these Bees to fly out and fly back in. Moreover, the Bees also seemed to understand her thoughts.

However, these Bees in the greenhouse, which had been moved out of the Space three months prior, did not respond at all. Jing Shu could not guide them, nor did she feel any connection with them. The only consolation was that these Bees wouldn’t attack her.

Jing Shu experimented by releasing several batches of Bees from the Space. She discovered that if they were outside for more than a day, she could no longer guide these Bees, and the connection was lost.

Conversely, when she put the Bees from the greenhouse back into the Space, there was still no response even after more than ten days; the connection could not be re-established.

This made Jing Shu realize just how difficult it was to guide the Bees.

If this ability was thanks to the Magic Cube Space’s Second Form, then it was puzzling. Jing Shu still had no connection whatsoever with the other Domestic Poultry in the Space—chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle, sheep, rabbits, and quails—nor could she guide them.

Oh, right, the other Domestic Poultry in the Space were basically raised and slaughtered in batches. They ate fast and grew quickly, so none stayed in the Space as long as the Bees did.

Although a bee’s lifespan is typically around three months, Jing Shu’s batch of Bees, perhaps from drinking the Spiritual Spring, had not yet died. They had already more than doubled in number and had even produced a new Bee King.

So, Jing Shu guessed that for her to connect with and guide a creature, it must have stayed in the Space for at least half a year and must consume Spiritual Spring every day. This intake could be very small, but it had to be consistent. Furthermore, they could not be separated from the Space for more than a day; any longer would break the connection, which she estimated would then have to be re-established from scratch.

Jing Shu tentatively called this the Magic Cube Space’s ’Integration Power’—a mysterious ability that allowed beings, irrespective of species, to form a deep, empathic bond with her.

Jing Shu had also considered using the Bees as a means of attack. For example, if she were bound and unable to move, or if a relative were held at knifepoint, unleashing the Bees would be an excellent tactic.

Even later, when laws are reinstated and murder becomes illegal, using Bees to kill someone discreetly would be incredibly convenient, completely bypassing the law.

But a Bee sting isn’t fatal, and each Bee can only sting once. Jing Shu considered breeding some Killing Bees, or perhaps finding a poison to coat their stingers. Another idea was to cultivate a batch of Combat Bees using more Spiritual Spring...

"Should I ask Wu You’ai’s mentor if they have any Killing Bees? It’s been over half a year since the apocalypse; these species are mostly extinct by now. Moreover, if I were to breed them, it would take at least half a year and require feeding Spiritual Spring daily... For now, it’s better to fortify the Bees in the Space!"

In the end, Jing Shu decided to first procure a batch of lethal poison and experiment with a group of Bees. Protected by the Spiritual Spring, she would see if they could withstand carrying poisoned stingers to attack people.