Qin Ziwen took out the two reward cards.
The first was a blank card, and the second was a thin gray metal card.
The two felt completely different; the former was smooth and warm like jade, while the latter had a metallic, matte texture.
The former was the blank expansion card, with a standard "(Micro)" label on the back.
After receiving them, he learned their uses.
The former could be used in any area of his homestead, expanding that area to a 10*10m space. This expansion space, similar to a cellar or granary, was a folding space and wouldn't affect the building's shape.
The latter required selecting a 4*5m square area; activating it created a cage within that area for raising animals.
Looking at the cards, Qin Ziwen realized his house originally had an internal area of only 98 square meters, the area recognized by his homestead.
After using the blank expansion card (Micro), it directly increased from 98 square meters to 198 square meters, becoming a large single-level apartment.
If he could obtain more blank expansion cards, wouldn't he be able to build a "building within a building," or even a city within a building?
Qin Ziwen pondered for a moment and decided to put the blank expansion card in the bathroom.
The newly built animal cage definitely needed to be placed in the expansion area; if livestock were to be kept in the cage in the future, the smell would be too strong, making it unsuitable for the bedroom.
The house had a three-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, and one-bathroom layout.
He lived in the master bedroom, his younger brother in the second bedroom, and there was a guest room, which was the room where Wang Xiaoli had just hidden.
Now that the water and electricity were cut off, the bathroom was also useless. Qin Ziwen opened the bathroom door and chose to use the space at the far end of the bathroom near the window.
A flash of light.
A large blank area directly expanded at the far end of the bathroom, and the original bathroom window disappeared.
Almost simultaneously, from the outside, the window of the bathroom on the fifth floor of building 8 in the community was "erased" from the map, leaving only the exterior wall covered with tiles.
"How amazing,"
Qin Ziwen exclaimed, noting that a large area of grayish-white land had appeared as a dividing line on the wall where the bathroom window had originally been.
The ground was hard rock, devoid of soil and vegetation, as if a piece had been carved from an enormous rock and embedded there.
The moon was invisible, but the light intensity, temperature, and humidity within the expanded area were identical to those outside.
A hazy, untouchable mist shrouded the area overhead and at the boundaries of the expanded area, like an invisible wall.
The height was similar to his own home, still a ceiling height of 2.8 meters.
Even so, Qin Ziwen couldn't help but marvel upon seeing it.
He selected a 4x5 square plot of land near the left side and used a level 1 beast cage.
The card transformed into light, enveloping the designated area.
When the light dissipated, a massive wire cage appeared, its four corners inlaid with thick pieces of wood, and the interior divided into several smaller areas by wire mesh. There were also
food troughs and water troughs inside .
He summoned the Home Orb, and text appeared on a white screen.
[Homestead] Building 8, Unit 2, Room 5-2
[Area] 198㎡
[Height] 2.8m
[Buildings] Level 1 Cellar, Grain Storage, Level 1 Beast Cage
Qin Ziwen called his younger brother.
Qin Ziwu opened the bathroom door and stared in disbelief at what was behind it.
Qin Ziwu looked at the scene in shock, "Brother, what is this?"
Qin Ziwen said seriously, "I couldn't sleep last night, so I dug it up."
Qin Ziwu rolled his eyes, "Fine, I believe you, I believe you all. Anyway, I won't ask you anymore."
However, Qin Ziwu had a guess in his heart. This must be the mysterious power of the card his older brother mentioned. He suspected it might have fallen when he hunted crocodiles during the day.
Qin Ziwen smiled. He knew his younger brother's character well, having grown up together since childhood, and such a big change couldn't be hidden.
Qin Ziwen said, "Next time we catch field mice, we can keep them in cages. We can feed them by collecting some plant roots or small insects every day. If we can get a male and a female, we might have a whole litter of field mice in no time, and then we'll have meat to eat every day."
"I don't know about field mice," Qin Ziwen continued, "but hamsters have a terrifying reproductive capacity. I had a roommate who kept two hamsters, a male and a female. They had a litter of over ten babies in less than a month in their cage.
Then, less than a month later, the female had another litter. He later found out that hamsters go into heat again on the day they give birth, and they can reproduce year-round."
Qin Ziwu became even more excited upon hearing this. The reproductive capacity of hamsters was so terrifying; he figured field mice must be just as prolific.
For Qin Ziwen, obtaining a stable source of meat from captive animals was secondary; the main reason was for his daily scoring.
He speculated that raising livestock should also count as a bonus for his daily score.
Not every day he gets to hunt crocodiles, and not every day he encounters someone like Xie Jun.
Getting such a high score today won't be easy.
Thinking about smoking the meat tomorrow, he needed to prepare tonight. Qin Ziwen went to the kitchen, cut the crocodile meat into thin strips, and then marinated them with salt and pepper.
"Brother, let me help you marinate the meat."
The two brothers worked for an hour, finally finishing processing the eighty pounds of crocodile meat. Luckily, they had received three one-pound bags of salt as a reward yesterday, otherwise they wouldn't have enough.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking...
Qin Ziwen carried a bag of marinated meat and met up with Lao Deng's family.
Noticing Lao Deng's wife glancing at him repeatedly as he came downstairs, Qin Ziwen asked, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Xiao Meixue quickly shook her head, "Nothing."
Deng Guang said, "She's probably still thinking about last night."
He glanced at his wife; after decades of marriage, he knew her personality well, so he explained for Qin Ziwen, "If you ask me, this isn't Qin's fault at all. The Xie brothers are a cancer; they should have been dealt with sooner. It's fortunate they were there, otherwise, if the Xie brothers had targeted the others in our building, who knows what trouble they would have caused."
Xiao Meixue rolled her eyes at him, "I didn't say anything. I was just curious, you... weren't you scared the first time you did something like this?"
Qin Ziwen laughed freely, "Scared? Of course I was! I was terrified. But they were bullying us, we couldn't just keep backing down."
Qin Ziwu tried hard to recall if his older brother had shown fear.
He couldn't quite remember.
Deng Wen asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Meixue replied, "Nothing, adults should talk, kids shouldn't interrupt."
Deng Wen scoffed and raised her chin, "It's just a dead person, what's so hard to talk about? I'm seventeen, do you really think I'm a child?"
Xiao Meixue was furious, but Deng Guang interrupted her, "Alright, let Xiao Wen know, let her know. This generation of young people has been exposed to more things than we were back then, she's a grown woman now." Deng
Wen muttered under her breath, "Last night there was such a commotion, I was asleep, but I was woken up, I felt like something terrible had happened!"
She didn't show any resistance to Qin Ziwen's murder, but rather some admiration. He was much cooler than those "Jiahao" guys at school.
As he left through the south entrance, Qin Ziwen glanced at the spot where he had dumped the bodies the night before.
His brow furrowed, the two corpses had vanished from the spot where they had been dumped, two grown men, simply disappeared.
He walked over, stepping on the weeds.
Crouching down to examine the area, I discovered that the surrounding grass and plants showed signs of being dragged and trampled, and there were also faint traces of blood along the way.
"What happened?"
Deng Guang walked over from a short distance away, his expression changing slightly when he saw the body was gone.
"The body was carried away? Was it around here?"
"It was here."
"That was fast, gone in just a few hours."
"Judging from the trail, it was probably a big one."
Deng Guang looked in the direction the trail was spreading: "Judging from this direction, it seems to be heading towards the river."
Qin Ziwen said, "It might be dried crocodile from the river."
Deng Guang wondered, "Do those things have such a keen sense of smell?"
Qin Ziwen pondered: "It shouldn't be too far off, but be careful anyway."
The two families searched around but couldn't find a suitable place to smoke the meat.
It wasn't safe to be too far from the residential area, and it was too crowded with people. Everyone was out looking for food, and smoking meat in public under these circumstances would attract too much hatred.
So, in the end, the two families decided to take some wet wood to the rooftop of the residential area to smoke the meat.
Although there are risks on the rooftop, with giant birds overhead, they can be avoided with some caution.
Qin Ziwen took the opportunity to check his two snare traps. Both traps were triggered, but there was no prey.
One trap contained a familiar grayish-brown short feather.
The other trap had been violently destroyed.
Qin Ziwu was furious when he saw the destroyed trap. "Who's so rude! This is just harming others and not benefiting themselves!"
Qin Ziwen simply removed both traps. He planned to set up snare traps in a more distant location later.
The rooftop of the apartment complex wasn't locked, and many clotheslines had been tied there for residents to hang their clothes.
Looking at the clotheslines on the rooftop, Qin Ziwen suddenly had an idea.
He went home and brought up a large bed sheet, then spread it out, covered the clotheslines, and clipped the four corners in place. A simple sunshade was ready.
"That bird looks down from above. If we cover this area, unless it has thermal imaging, it won't be able to see us."
After a busy morning, Qin Ziwen finally finished roasting all his small strips of meat into jerky.
He picked one up; the strip, roasted all morning, had become dry and hard on the outside.
Qin Ziwen took one and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. The meat was cooked, the outside as hard as wood, but upon closer chewing, it still had a moist, salty-sweet taste inside.
"Try it, is it smoked enough?"
Qin Ziwen handed one to his younger brother.
Qin Ziwu put it in his mouth, chewed slowly, and finally swallowed. "It's pretty good."
Qin Ziwen kicked him in the butt. "...I asked if it was smoked enough, not how it tastes."
Qin Ziwu was aggrieved. "How should I know? I've never smoked meat before."
Qin Ziwen thought of someone. "Looks like I still have to ask a professional."
He took a small bag, about half a pound of jerky, downstairs.
He went up to the second floor and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
Qin Ziwen asked humbly from outside the door. "Grandma Li, I'm a resident on the fifth floor. I'd like to ask you some questions."
"Oh~"
The door opened directly, and Grandma Li let Qin Ziwen in. "Come in, have a seat."
Qin Ziwen handed over the smoked meat strips. "Grandma Li, these are the meat strips I smoked. Do you think they're done? How long can they be stored?"
Grandma Li took the dried meat out of the bag, smelled it first, then slowly broke it open, and asked Qin Ziwen, "I'll just taste a little bit to see if it's dry inside."
Qin Ziwen explained, "This whole bag is for you. You can eat it directly."
Grandma Li quickly shook her head. "I have other food. Don't be so polite."
She put one in her mouth and chewed it slowly. Grandma Li said, "The taste is fine, and the smoking is okay, but if you leave it outside directly, it might still get moldy because it's still damp inside."
"In the past, when we smoked meat in the countryside, after smoking it, we had to hang it in a cool, ventilated place to air dry, or hang it directly on the stove. Every day when we cooked, the smoke would rise up and keep smoking it. That's how you make meat last longer.
When you break this dried meat open, it's completely dry inside and out, like a wooden stick that you can easily break with your hands, then it's good. If you store this kind of meat well, it can last for a year or two without any problems."
Qin Ziwen pondered, "Can I put it in a cellar to continue air drying?"
"A cellar? Any kind with good ventilation will do. The basement parking lot in our community is suitable, but don't put it in the parking lot. Yesterday, I heard someone say that someone saw snakes and rats in there."
Qin Ziwen thought of his family's grain cellar. The temperature inside was lower than outside, and it seemed to be well-ventilated. He had felt it when he went in before.
Qin Ziwen stood up and thanked her, "Thank you."
Granny Li got up, found the clothesline, and took down a string of sausages hanging on the wall. "I still have some sausages I made before the New Year. You can have them."
Qin Ziwen politely declined, "I don't need them. You keep them for yourself. I have plenty of meat at home."
Granny Li found a black bag, put the sausages in it, then grabbed Qin Ziwen's hand and insisted on giving it to him, "Take it. I can't eat this much."
Back on the rooftop, Qin Ziwen put all the smoked meat strips in the cellar, set up a rack, and hung them all on it.
After finishing, it was past noon.
He cooked four bags of noodles, added the smoked meat strips and wild vegetables to the noodles, and ate heartily with his younger brother. He
spread a mat on the ground, lay down on it, and took out the fragment of the mountain plant atlas he had received as a reward last night.
It was called a fragment, but it was actually two pages torn from a picture book.
The paper had two sides, each side recording a plant and accompanied by a picture. There
are four kinds in total across the two pages:
Moonlight Moss, Gray Sweet Potato, Stone Mushroom, and Yellow Leaf Giant Wave Daisy.
In summary, two are edible, and two are not.
Moonlight Moss: It likes to grow in forests, usually covering tree roots in damp environments. It is edible, and long-term consumption can improve eyesight. However, direct sunlight should be avoided, as it will turn bitter after exposure.
Gray Sweet Potato: Also known as "Mud Sweet Potato," it is a tuberous plant that grows in swampy environments. Its leaves are inedible and slightly poisonous. Its tubers are hidden at the bottom of the mud, are edible, have a bland taste, are very filling, and are harvested twice a year.
Stone Mushroom: It grows in caves, is plump and round, with a rubbery texture, difficult to chew, inedible, and poisonous.
Yellow Leaf Giant Wave Daisy: Slightly poisonous, inedible, and can cause dizziness and diarrhea. Its petals can be used for staining.
The other three were hard to find, so Qin Ziwen focused his attention on the Gray Sweet Potato.
Moonlight moss needs to be found at night. Stone mushrooms and yellow-leaved daisies are inedible. Only gray sweet potato seems reliable; it grows in muddy areas, and there are mudflats along the riverbank. If you're lucky enough to find it, you can bring it back and plant it.
I happened to have arranged to go fishing with Lao Deng this afternoon, so I'll check it out while I'm at the river.-+ In the afternoon, Qin Ziwen and Deng Guang's family went to the riverbank together.
"Are you alone? Where are your neighbors?"
Deng Guang smiled awkwardly.
Xiao Xuemei didn't hold back, "Ha, that Liu Changgen, I told you long ago you can't be close to him. Consider that meat as dog food! You risked your life to get the crocodile meat, and you only gave him two jin, and he's still not satisfied. Look at the way he's acting, you might as well give him all of it! He's a grown man, with hands and feet, how come he acts like a lapdog!"
Qin Ziwen understood. He was already a little unhappy when Liu Changgen came to ask him for meat yesterday. It was their first meeting, and they weren't familiar with each other, yet he just asked for it.
At that time, everyone could sign up, there were no restrictions.
Old Deng came, so he got forty jin of meat, regardless of how many times he poked the crocodile.
But the moment he was willing to step forward at that crucial moment, it was worth it.
Qin Ziwen joked, "Brother Deng is quite generous. Did you lend him that meat or give it to him?"
Xiao Xuemei got angry at the mention of this, "He said he lent it, but I think he gave it to that guy surnamed Liu."
Deng Guang laughed it off, "They're neighbors, after all."
After arriving at the riverbank, Deng Guang couldn't laugh anymore.
A few days ago, he and Liu Changgen often fished on a large blue stone on the bank. The top of the blue stone was wide enough to accommodate two or three people.
But now, the top of the blue stone was full of people.
Besides Liu Changgen, there were two other strangers with fishing rods.
Xiao Xuemei sneered, "This is the good neighbor you speak of?"
Deng Guang stared blankly at Liu Changgen's retreating figure, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and explained softly, "I wasn't here this morning, maybe someone else came."
Xiao Xuemei said, "Then go ahead and see if he'll give you his spot."
Deng Guang hesitated for a long time, but ultimately didn't ask.
He turned to Qin Ziwen with a smile and said, "Brother Qin, when I was fishing here before, I saw a good spot. We can go there."
Qin Ziwen nodded, "Anywhere is fine, as long as we're not easily attacked by crocodiles."
"Haha, definitely."
Deng Guang carried his bucket and fishing rod, walked along the riverbank for several dozen meters, and stopped at a small hill.
The river lies to the south of the small hill, with a vertical drop of three to four meters above the water. Crocodiles must circle around the gentle slopes on both sides to get close.
According to the area division, this spot is directly below the residential complex, not too far from the riverbank.
To the north is a thicket of shrubs and small trees; beyond that is the southeastern wall of the complex.
Deng Guang found a long stick and used it to stir up trouble. "With all the commotion these past few days, there shouldn't be any large animals left inside. As long as there aren't any snakes hiding there, it's fine."
Qin Ziwen squatted down and grabbed a handful of soft black soil. "Can we dig up earthworms in this soil?"
Deng Guang smiled confidently. "Yes! There are plenty of earthworms here, and they're plump."
He then instructed the Qin brothers on how to dig for earthworms, demonstrating himself. Soon, he had dug up more than twenty plump earthworms.
Just as he had said, the earthworms here were not only thick but also long.
Deng Wen hit the nail on the head: "Dad, you're not very good at fishing, but you're really good at digging for earthworms!"
Deng Guang blushed: "Nonsense, your dad is good at fishing too. I've caught five-meter-long crocodiles, how many people have ever touched
one?" He then said something about crocodiles being fish, which made everyone laugh.
Liu Changgen's children were digging for earthworms nearby. Hearing the commotion, they immediately saw Deng Wen and wanted to come over to greet her, but then they remembered something, stopped awkwardly, lowered their heads, turned away, and ran to Liu Changgen, saying something to him.
Liu Changgen turned to look at Deng Guang and saw Deng Guang and Qin Ziwen chatting and laughing. He snorted coldly and turned back away.
Deng Guang helped Qin Ziwen bait the hook with an earthworm and adjusted the float. "You haven't fished much before, have you?"
Qin Ziwen recalled that his most memorable fishing experience was taking his younger brother to the park to fish for goldfish when he was in junior high school.
Aside from that, he hadn't really been involved in fishing.
Qin Ziwen took the fishing rod. "I'm not very good at it."
Deng Guang patted Qin Ziwen on the shoulder. "It's okay, you'll get the hang of it after fishing with me a few more times."
Not long after grasping the rod, Qin Ziwen saw the float move.
Like a chick pecking at rice,
it bobbed up and down.
He instinctively pulled up the rod, but resistance came from the other end.
"Hooked!"
Deng Guang, who had been anxiously waiting for a bite, quickly placed his fishing rod on the stand, walked behind Qin Ziwen, and stared intently at the water.
"Whoosh!"
The fishing line, holding the silver fish, broke the surface of the water.
The silver scales shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight, and the two-palm-long fish was still frantically thrashing its tail after being pulled ashore.
Deng Guang sighed, "I reckon it's about three ounces."
This was just the beginning; soon, in less than half an hour, Qin Ziwen had caught several more fish.
Qin Ziwen exclaimed, "I should have come earlier; there are so many fish here."
Deng Guang glanced at his empty bucket, feeling that the sun was a bit too noisy today.
Xiao Xuemei pointed to the river, "There's a crocodile."
A crocodile arrogantly swam across the water. Judging from its shape, it was slightly smaller than the one killed at the south gate of the community, but its intimidating presence in the water was no less.
After these few days of contact, it found that these two-legged creatures on the shore didn't seem to pose much of a threat to it.
The crocodile swam around the surface of the water, as if surveying its territory.
After it swam past, all the fish in the water stopped biting, leaving Qin Ziwen with no fish for the entire afternoon.
Until evening, a cool breeze blew across the river ,
rippling the surface.
Suddenly, the fishing rod jolted, an immense force, far exceeding anything seen before, surged from the depths, sharply bending the rod into an arc!
Qin Ziwen instinctively gripped the rod tightly
. "It's a big fish! Judging by its strength, it's definitely not small!" Deng Guang quickly came over to help, "Slow down, don't rush, just exhaust its energy, and whatever you do, don't let it burrow into the tree roots on the bank."
After nearly ten minutes of this stalemate, the fish underwater gradually lost its strength.
The commotion attracted the attention of many anglers on the bank.
Some even came over to watch.
When the large fish was pulled from the water, an old man in the crowd exclaimed, "Wow, this carp must be almost a meter long!"
Deng Guang helped lift the bucket to catch the fish, looking on with envy: "Goodness, look at that size! Is this a beginner's perk? Catching such a big catch on the first try."
The bucket was almost full after the fish was placed upright.
"It must weigh about ten pounds."
Qin Ziwen grabbed a few small fish from his bucket and put them into Deng Guang's bucket, then handed the fishing rod back to him. "Brother Deng, let's go."
Deng Guang, who had only caught a palm-sized carp that afternoon, felt a little ashamed.
Qin Ziwen comforted him, "It's no big deal. Next time I'm on the Air Force flight, you can share some with me."
Deng Guang accepted the fish, but refused to take the fishing rod, saying, "I have more at home, you can use those for now."
Back at the apartment complex, an elderly man and woman were sitting at the property management office near the south gate, telling everyone, "Hey! There's a residents' meeting at 7 pm tonight. If you have time, it would be best if your family could send a representative."
"Residents' meeting? Who's organizing that?"
...
...-+Chapter 14 Trading "It's organized by the property
management company ,"
an old man sitting on the ladder said with a chuckle. "There's no such thing as property management anymore. It's just those security guards and that guy surnamed Huang from Building 7. They're planning to stir things up and have everyone discuss how to get some food."
Qin Ziwu was somewhat puzzled after hearing this . "When you're hungry, you go looking for food. Isn't that instinct? There's such a big forest outside; how could anyone starve to death? It just means you're not hungry enough."
A voice came from behind. "Heh, you're right. The forest outside is vast. As long as you're willing to fight, you definitely won't starve to death."
Qin Ziwen turned around and saw a group of travel-worn men walking into the hall from outside.
Their backpacks were bulging, they carried various modified weapons, wore hats, and were dressed very conservatively.
Everyone in this group was carrying a large backpack.
They looked "fully armed."
The one who spoke was a man in his early thirties wearing glasses.
He glanced at the fish in Qin Ziwen's bucket, smiled amicably, and the two walked to a quieter spot.
"Young man, would you like to trade this fish?"
Qin Ziwen found the barter system novel, as it was his first time experiencing it.
"What do you want to trade?"
The man took off his backpack, unzipped it, and Qin Ziwen saw two fluffy things snuggling together inside.
They looked like rabbits.
"These are... wild rabbits?"
The man nodded with a smile. "Yes, I don't need to elaborate on rabbits' reproductive capabilities, right? These two happen to be a male and a female, and they can be raised on grass. If you're willing to trade, I'll give them to you. You can take them home and raise them for a while, and then you'll have rabbits to eat."
Qin Ziwen shook his head: "In the long run, it's not a loss, but as far as I know, it takes at least two or three months for a rabbit to become pregnant and give birth. If I wait that long, I'll starve to death myself."
The bespectacled man explained: "It's not that long. The cycle from mating to giving birth for rabbits is generally six weeks."
"That's still a month and a half, and I'll have to gather grass to feed them every day."
The bespectacled man said with some regret, "Okay, I mainly like to eat fish, and I haven't had any for a while."
After saying that, the bespectacled man nodded politely and prepared to leave.
Qin Ziwen called out to him, "How much do your rabbits weigh?"
The bespectacled man thought for a moment, then honestly shook his head: "I haven't weighed them, but when I pulled them up, each one weighed about three or four pounds, so the two together should be around seven pounds."
Qin Ziwen pondered. Although carp were heavier, rabbit meat was red meat, while fish meat was white meat.
In terms of calories, rabbit meat provided more than carp meat.
Besides, he had a cage, so these two rabbits were more valuable to him than a fish.
After all, fish didn't seem that difficult to catch.
"Okay, I agree to the deal, but can I ask you a few questions?"
The bespectacled man narrowed his eyes and readily agreed, "Of course."
"Where did you catch this rabbit?"
"Over there. Go out from the south gate and walk west for about thirty minutes. You'll see a foothill grassland; there are many rabbits there."
The bespectacled man pondered for a moment, then said, "Rabbits are habitual animals. They usually leave fixed tracks in the grass. These tracks are called 'rabbit paths.' Once you find a 'rabbit path,' it's relatively easy to catch them by setting traps along it."
"Rabbits like to move along natural 'boundaries,' such as stone walls, hedges, and forest edges. Pay close attention to these areas when looking for 'rabbit paths.'"
"And hares are most active at dawn and dusk, which is also when they mainly go out to forage. But their sense of smell is very sensitive, so if you're setting a trap, it's best to wear gloves to prevent your scent from giving away."
Qin Ziwen silently memorized what the other man said.
These were details not mentioned on the trap blueprints.
He couldn't help but wonder, "What...do you do for a living?"
The bespectacled man smiled and said, "I'm a veterinarian."
It seemed quite normal for a veterinarian to know how to catch animals.
The bespectacled man said, "My name is Wang Jun, I live in the same building. Is this your younger brother?"
"Yes, my younger brother is Qin Ziwu, and my name is Qin Ziwen,"
Wang Jun said. "I used to lead an outdoor hiking team, so I have some experience in outdoor survival. We've been exploring the area for the past two days, mainly focusing on the western region.
I see you're interested too. If you're interested, you and your brother can come find me. I live on the eighth floor of unit one."
Qin Ziwen didn't completely refuse, "Okay, by the way, next time..." "If you catch any more animals, like rabbits, you can come and trade with me. I'm on the fifth floor of Unit 2, Building 8."
Wang Jun readily agreed, "Okay."
After Wang Jun left, Qin Ziwu scratched his head, "Brother, these people seem to like inviting us."
Qin Ziwen glanced at him sideways, "Because you look simple-minded but smart, people like your type."
Qin Ziwu was suspicious; he always felt his brother was insulting him, "Brother, are you making fun of me?"
"No, how could I? You're so smart."
"Damn, definitely! I saw you smile!"
The two brothers bickered as they went home.
One of the rabbits was white, and the other was gray.
The gray one was male, and the white one was female.
The cage was quite magical. The two rabbits, who were trembling with fear, sat quietly inside after being thrown in. After a while, they slowly hopped up inside.
Just like those cellars that are supposedly sealed off but still allow ventilation,
these buildings seem to possess some kind of magical power.
Qin Ziwu squatted in front of the animal cage. "Brother, what do you think we should feed these rabbits?"
Qin Ziwen looked at his younger brother. "What do you think rabbits eat?"
"Carrots."
Qin Ziwen was speechless. "Where would we get carrots?"
"Cabbage."
Qin Ziwen: "You look like a cabbage. We still need to eat the wild vegetables we have at home. Don't feed them to the rabbits."
"Okay."
Qin Ziwen said, "I'll go ask that Dr. Wang later. He's a veterinarian, he must know something about this."
Although he could feed them any grass he picked in the wild, he was still a little worried about raising rabbits for the first time.
He had heard from others online that these things were very delicate and easily stressed and could be scared to death.
They could only hope that this level 1 beast cage could exert a little more divine power.
In the evening, after dinner, the two arrived at the center of the residential compound.
This area was originally a playground for the children, with a small fountain connected to a water pump.
Now the fountain was shut down, and there were no children in the playground.
Someone had moved a table in the middle, and several security guards in white uniforms stood beside it.
The outer area was crowded, even a bit congested.
Qin Ziwen arrived later, and he and his brother couldn't squeeze in, so they simply climbed a nearby tree.
The balconies of the surrounding buildings were all packed with people; this was probably the most concentrated gathering of residents in the compound since they transmigrated.
From the crowd, someone shouted, "Where is he? What do you want to say?"
"Hurry up, say what you want!"
In the throng, Huang Tao climbed onto a table, stood up, and raised his hands to let more people see him.
Then he put the megaphone to his mouth, "Hello, hello, hello, can you hear me?"
...
...-+ "Everyone's running low on food, aren't they?"
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Huang Tao's words gradually quieted the previously noisy residents.
Qin Ziwen sat on a tree branch, somewhat curious about Huang Tao's true intentions.
"Have you thought about what you'll do when your food runs out?" Huang Tao's words were like a needle, piercing through the question many people were subconsciously avoiding.
"Go and rob us? You've already eaten everything, do you think other people can have much left? We can't just sit around and
eat our savings away!" Huang Tao shouted through a megaphone, "There are over two thousand people in our community! A full two thousand people! Just digging for wild vegetables, picking wild fruits, and hunting small animals in the wild is simply not enough for us to eat!"
Qin Ziwen stroked his chin, feeling like he'd heard something familiar.
Huang Tao's tone was impassioned: "There's a river right at the foot of our community. Since ancient times, people have lived off the land and water. We must claim this river! I implore everyone, we must unite and clean up the crocodiles in the river. This is a war, a war between us humans and the crocodiles for territory!"
After saying this, looking at the unresponsive crowd, a hint of disappointment flashed in Huang Tao's eyes.
From outside the crowd, a loud voice came: "So what should we do?"
Huang Tao looked in the direction the voice came from.
Qin Ziwen, sitting in a tree, came into view.
Qin Ziwu whispered, "Brother, why are you acting as a shill?
" Qin Ziwen shook his head slightly, "I'm not a shill, it's just that clearing out the crocodiles is good for us too. At least when we're fishing, we don't have to worry about them suddenly coming up and turning their backs on us." There
was one more thing he didn't say.
He was just waiting to hunt crocodiles to improve his daily score.
And after the crocodile hunt, the abundant resources in this river would become a hunting ground for improving his score. He would lay more traps in the water and build stone arrays on the banks.
Huang Tao said loudly, "I think we can form a crocodile hunting team, with twenty people per team. With the population of our community, we can easily gather twenty or so teams.
Crocodiles are dangerous, but they're not invincible. Didn't we kill one yesterday? That shows they're not that powerful.
Once they're on land, they can't even unleash half their full strength! Our greatest advantage over animals is..." "We can use our brains, we can set traps.
And crocodiles are all meat; killing one crocodile will give everyone in the team dozens of pounds of meat, enough for a family to eat for a week! Why not kill crocodiles now while we're well-fed and strong, or go to fight them on empty stomachs?"
A young man on the second-floor balcony shouted, "How will the crocodile meat be divided? What about those who slack off? Will they get a share too?"
Huang Tao firmly raised his fist: "I utterly despise slacking off. There are so many eyes in the team; whether someone is lazy or not, whether they are contributing or not, everyone can see clearly. I don't want such people in the team. If there are, we can have a vote to decide whether to expel them."
An old man beside him said, "Then how do you kill the crocodile? Don't think we don't know. Yesterday we killed the crocodile... " "When we were hunting crocodiles, a young man had an accident and died. How could anyone withstand a lash from such a large crocodile's tail?"
Huang Tao patiently explained, "We hunted crocodiles yesterday, and we've learned from our experience. We need to ensure everyone's safety as much as possible. There's no such thing as a completely risk-free situation; even drinking water can cause death."
The surrounding residents raised various questions, some nitpicking, some genuinely concerned.
Regardless, Huang Tao answered them all patiently.
Finally, Huang Tao said, "This loudspeaker doesn't have much battery left, so I'll keep it short. One last thing: anyone willing to hunt crocodiles can register here. I'll try my best to assemble your desired teams based on your floor and needs. If you've already formed a team privately, you can also register here; I can share my accumulated experience with everyone free of charge."
Zheng Yuan's voice came from under the tree: "Brother Qin, wanna go together tomorrow?"
Looking at the somewhat unfamiliar man under the tree, Qin Ziwen's mind raced.
The man under the tree said, "I am Zheng Yuan."
Qin Ziwen couldn't believe it, conjuring up the image of the handsome man with thick eyebrows and large eyes with that of the burly man with the full beard.
Zheng Yuan laughed heartily, "I shaved my beard, otherwise I'd have to spend time grooming it every day, which is a hassle."
Having worked with him before, Qin Ziwen readily agreed after a brief moment's thought.
"How many people have you contacted?"
Zheng Yuan pointed to Huang Tao in the crowd, "Tentatively, Old Huang, and the security guards in the property management company, and a neighbor in my building who's a fitness instructor. I've contacted seven people so far."
Qin Ziwen said, "Me and my brother, and then there's one more person here, someone from last time, that makes ten people. We're still ten short."
He reserved a spot for Old Deng.
Although Old Deng liked the Air Force while fishing, he was still a good person.
Zheng Yuan said, "Let Lao Huang choose the rest. There must be a lot of people signing up on his end, so he should be able to pick some suitable teammates."
Qin Ziwen couldn't help but joke, "So you're calling him Lao Huang now."
Zheng Yuan was a little embarrassed, but still said, "Huang Tao is a bit ambitious, but he's still reliable."
The two chatted briefly before parting ways.
Qin Ziwen and his younger brother went to the eighth floor of a building.
Climbing to the eighth floor, Qin Ziwen was sweating. "It's a bit hard to climb."
Qin Ziwu slapped his thigh. "It's a bit inconvenient not having an elevator."
There were only two apartments on this floor. Apartment 801 had a shoe rack outside and couplets pasted on the door.
Apartment 802 was deserted and showed no signs of life.
Qin Ziwen knocked on the door of apartment 801.
A woman's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
"Does Wang Jun live here? I'm the one I met with him this afternoon. I live in building 8."
"Ah Jun, someone is looking for you. They say they're from building 8."
Soon, the door opened, and Wang Jun, wearing glasses and plain clothes, greeted Qin Ziwen and invited him inside.
"This is my wife, Lin Yi. This young man is the one who traded fish with me this afternoon, and his brother."
Lin Yi, with her hair in a bun, bright eyes and white teeth, greeted Qin Ziwen generously, "Hello."
Qin Ziwen felt a little embarrassed, "I'm sorry to bother you so late. Actually, I wanted to ask Dr. Wang some questions, specifically about what to pay attention to when raising rabbits. It's my first time raising them, and I'm wondering if there's anything I should be careful about regarding their food."
Wang Jun suddenly understood and patiently explained, "Rabbits only need to pay attention to two things." First, don't feed them too many vegetables with high water content, such as cabbage, lettuce, and carrots, as these will disrupt their gut flora, leading to severe diarrhea, bloating, and even death.
Second, wild rabbits are hindgut fermenting animals and need to consume a large amount of high-fiber roughage to keep their intestines moving. Simply put, their staple food should be hay, leaves, and bark, supplemented with a small amount of fresh vegetables, and they should be given 250 to 500 ml of drinking water daily.
Wang Jun then told him many other things to keep in mind when raising rabbits.
Qin Ziwen found this very helpful.
Indeed, knowledge is the most valuable thing.
Qin Ziwen asked, "Are you hunting crocodiles tomorrow?"
Wang Jun shook his head. "We're not going. If you go hunting crocodiles, be careful. Crocodiles are dangerous. Although they have poor stamina and endurance, their explosive power is quite high.
Hmm... crocodiles are cold-blooded animals; they can't regulate their body temperature themselves and can only rely on external factors. They become sluggish when the temperature is low. Of course, I'm referring to Earth's crocodiles; the ones here aren't native species, so their habits are only for reference. I hope you have a good catch tomorrow."