Chapter 47:
Liu Zhongyuan nodded with a smile, “Of course, it’s very potent. However, the corpses of the rat swarm that are killed by the venom are definitely inedible.”
Qin Jiulin replied, “The current problem is, no matter how potent your venom is, how can we make the rat swarm consume something poisonous? Their current food source is the group of half-beastmen, so do we put the poison on them?”
Liu Zhongyuan said, “That would be troublesome. You see, snake venom takes effect very quickly once ingested. If they were to discover that this batch of food is poisonous, they would abandon it and go look for the next one.”
Qin Jiulin said, “It’s your venom, so tell us what we should do.”
Liu Zhongyuan responded, “Indeed, it’s my venom, but I can’t control the timing of its effects. So we’ll have to think of a solution together. Do any of you have any good ideas?”
Qin Jiulin: “If that’s the case, why don’t we just go back and discuss it with the captain?”
Liu Zhongyuan: “So you’re suggesting we just go back empty-handed after just coming out?”
Qin Jiulin thought for a moment and realized that might not be the best idea. “Since the rat swarm is definitely coming up to the surface to eat these half-beastmen, why don’t we wait until they all start feeding together and then have Qie Yue sprinkle your snake venom from above?”
Speaking of which, Qin Jiulin suddenly asked, “After the rats consume your venom, how long does it take for the poison to take effect?”
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “If injected directly by a bite, it takes just a few seconds for the poison to take effect. If consumed, it would take around ten to twenty seconds if they eat a little. Once the poison takes effect, they would die within ten seconds.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Jiulin suddenly distanced himself from Liu Zhongyuan, and even Qie Yue walked even further away. Liu Zhongyuan looked at them in disbelief and said helplessly, “What are you two doing? I’m not going to poison you!”
Qin Jiulin responded, “I know that.”
Qie Yue mumbled, “I know too.”
Liu Zhongyuan asked, “So what’s the meaning behind you two keeping your distance from me?”
Qin Jiulin explained, “It’s just a subconscious reaction. After all, you have venom.”
Liu Zhongyuan retorted, “I’m in human form now, so I don’t have venom!”
Qin Jiulin remained silent for a moment before saying, “Well, when you transformed into a giant snake before, I got too close to you. It seems there was some danger after all. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Liu Zhongyuan rolled his eyes and said, “Are you done playing around? If you are, come over here and let’s get to work.”
Qin Jiulin didn’t say anything more. He waved at Qie Yue, and the two of them approached Liu Zhongyuan, whispering and discussing what to do next.
Qin Jiulin said, “It’s impossible to completely eliminate the rat swarm. There will always be some that escape.”
Liu Zhongyuan pondered, “I wonder if the captain has any poison that would have a delayed effect after consumption. If we had that, even if we can’t wipe out the entire rat swarm, we can at least kill half of them.”
Qin Jiulin suggested, “Let’s gather some video footage and images to show the captain first. Then we can discuss it together. The mission is not urgent, and with the military’s assistance, we’ll be much better off than trying to figure it out on our own.”
Qie Yue raised his hand timidly and asked, “Can we determine the size of the rat swarm?”
Qin Jiulin suddenly said, “Oh, Qie Yue, aren’t you a snowy owl? Do you eat rats?”
Liu Zhongyuan’s gaze also landed on him, and Qie Yue felt the pressure. “I… I don’t eat them for now.”
Qin Jiulin smiled and said, “Just kidding, don’t mind me. Let’s gather information for now. Didn’t Captain Wu give us some filming equipment before we set off? Let’s capture everything and bring it back to them.”
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “There are many soldiers in the military camp, but cleaning up the entire demon city is truly difficult. It might take a few months.”
Qin Jiulin added, “Perhaps they are currently researching new weapons. After all, the previous firearms and ammunition were effective against the half-beastmen and animals.”
Liu Zhongyuan agreed, “Indeed, they were effective. Otherwise, with so many people in the military camp, just hunting enough food would be challenging.”
Qin Jiulin took out the filming equipment from a bag and handed it to each of them. “Let’s go. We need to return before evening and have dinner in the camp. I have to say, the chef’s cooking is really good.”
The camp’s meals were delicious. With such culinary skills, he would definitely take every opportunity to have them again.
Gathering information was simple for the three of them. They returned to the military camp before evening and, before dinner, they went to meet Gao Siyang.
Gao Siyang was accompanied by two people: the familiar Wu Feiyang and another vice-captain, Captain Fu Haiyang.
Liu Zhongyuan placed their filming equipment on the table. “The information we gathered today is all here. The Commander and the two vice-captains can take a look.”
Without hesitation, they took a closer look. When they saw the dense black swarm of rats on the screen, their expressions turned grim.
These rats were actually using bloody chunks of meat to lure the half-beastmen and stockpile food for themselves. Moreover, to prevent the half-beastmen from killing each other and reducing the food supply, they even led them in circles using the meat chunks. As long as there was a strong scent of blood, they would prioritize attacking.
This way, the other nearby half-beastmen would most likely be ignored.
Gao Siyang stood up and opened the map that he had just put away. It was a map of the demon city and its outskirts. He drew a circle on it with his finger, indicating the location of the rat swarm.
“Not just this street, several surrounding streets are facing the same situation. This means the rat swarm is quite large, and we need some special methods to deal with it.”
Liu Zhongyuan asked, “Using bombs or poison, like biochemical weapons?”
Gao Siyang replied, “It’s not that simple. However, considering the size of these rats, they shouldn’t be too difficult to handle. But the quantity is a major issue. Do you two have any good ideas?”
Wu Feiyang suggested, “I’m inclined towards using poison, a delayed-action poison that takes a few days to take effect. We can put it in their food, and they will definitely consume it.”
Gao Siyang asked, “But what kind of poison do you think would be most effective?”
Wu Feiyang’s gaze fell on Liu Zhongyuan. “Liu Zhongyuan’s beast form, the giant snake, is venomous.”
Gao Siyang replied, “I know that, but isn’t the venom very potent? It can’t be delayed for a few days, can it?”
Wu Feiyang said, “It can be diluted.”
Gao Siyang responded, “Even so, after eating the poisoned meat, the rats may not die immediately, but they will still feel uncomfortable, right? So Liu Zhongyuan’s venom is not suitable for this situation.”
Wu Feiyang asked, “Then do we have any other options?”
Wu Feiyang said, “Regarding bombs… we don’t even know the exact location of the rat swarm’s underground base. It would take a lot of time to confirm.”
“And if we use bombs, there’s no guarantee that the rats will recognize them. By the time we prepare the bombs, they might become useless, Captain…”
Gao Siyang sighed, “The rat swarm is truly the most troublesome. It’s difficult to kill them off completely.”
Wu Feiyang suggested, “Then why not just use Liu Zhongyuan’s venom? We don’t have enough time to research suitable toxins now, and finding natural enemies for this quantity is also difficult.”
Especially… Wu Feiyang glanced at Liu Zhongyuan and Qi Yue behind him. Snakes and owls eat rats, right? But they definitely wouldn’t eat them.
Liu Zhongyuan felt his subtle gaze and glared at him.
Wu Feiyang quickly averted his gaze after being glared at, as if he hadn’t looked at him just now.
Gao Siyang said, “Since there are no other options, let Liu Zhongyuan provide his venom. We have casual researchers here, maybe they can figure out a method to delay the venom’s effect until it accumulates enough in their bodies.”
Liu Zhongyuan responded, “We can give it a try.”
They walked to a more secluded area where the researchers had already arrived. They prepared a lot of equipment, and when Liu Zhongyuan transformed into his snake form, he easily produced over 200 milliliters of venom.
He transformed back into human form, and Qin Jiulin handed him oversized clothes to wear, covering his naked body to avoid exposing him.
Although they were all grown men, it wouldn’t be a big deal to take a glance, but there were too many people here, and everyone was fully dressed. Even if Liu Zhongyuan had thick skin, he would probably feel embarrassed, right?
Liu Zhongyuan quickly put on the clothes and turned to look at them. “Is this enough?”
After a brief test of the venom’s toxicity, the researchers widened their eyes and gave Liu Zhongyuan a thumbs up. “It’s enough. The toxicity of your venom is really potent!”
Liu Zhongyuan: “…I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Gao Siyang walked over and patted his shoulder. “Thanks for providing the toxin. Our goal isn’t to completely wipe out the rat swarm. The ultimate objective is to reclaim the city. So driving them away is the main target. Of course, if we can kill some of them in the process, that’s a bonus.”
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “I understand that, but how should we use this kind of toxin? How long will they need to study it?”
Gao Siyang didn’t know either. He turned to look at the researchers, who calmly answered, “Not too long. About two days should be enough.”
Liu Zhongyuan nodded in response. If the first mission delayed them for too long, it would hinder their ability to make further demands. Luckily, it wouldn’t take too much time.
Gao Siyang was busy and left once things were settled here, leaving Wu Feiyang to discuss the next steps with Liu Zhongyuan and the others.
“You really have a lot of venom. I don’t think the military will use it all in this operation against the rat swarm. They might save some for other purposes,” Wu Feiyang remarked.
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “I don’t really care about that. As long as I don’t lose out, and besides, this is a consumable item. I welcome you to exchange it for something else in the future.”
Qin Jiulin found his proud attitude amusing, as if he were seeing a little child boasting about how great he was. But…
In the next moment, he noticed Liu Zhongyuan’s gaze shifting towards him. “What’s wrong?”
Liu Zhongyuan shook his head. “Nothing, I just suddenly felt something was off, as if someone was cursing me in their heart. Hmm… there are many people who dislike me, so I guess there are probably many people cursing me.”
Qin Jiulin blinked, but didn’t continue the conversation. Instead, he looked at Wu Feiyang and asked, “Captain Wu, should we wait at the military camp or go to the location where the rat swarm is and monitor while we wait?”
Wu Feiyang replied, “It’s best if you go and monitor. After all, the military camp doesn’t have any extra manpower.”
Qin Jiulin said, “No problem. This is our mission, after all. In that case, when the preparations are done, remember to inform us as soon as possible. We’ll rush back as soon as we can.”
Wu Feiyang reassured him, “Don’t worry, this kid has a communication device on him. It’s the latest development from the military.”
Qin Jiulin said, “That’s good. We’ll take our leave then.”
Wu Feiyang watched them leave and then went about his own business. He was busy, busy to the point of death.
Qi Yue obediently followed behind them as they walked back. Qin Jiulin, on the other hand, looked at Liu Zhongyuan with some curiosity. He thought about what Liu Zhongyuan had said earlier.
Come to think of it, he realized that he had never really known about Liu Zhongyuan’s family and friends. Could it be that Liu Zhongyuan, like him, had a strained relationship with his family?
However, these matters are generally personal secrets, so it’s better not to ask casually.
For the next two days, whether they returned to the military camp to rest or monitored the rat swarm, everything went smoothly, and they successfully obtained the poison that Wu Feiyang had given them.
Liu Zhongyuan looked at the sack of powder. “Is this poison powder made from my venom? How should we use it? Just sprinkle it in the air?”
Wu Feiyang nodded. “That’s right, just sprinkle it over there. Spread more in the areas where they are active. This way, the powder from the poison will contaminate the half-beastmen creatures they want to eat, as well as their own bodies. When they return to their nest, they will bring it in and it will enter their bodies through respiration.”
Liu Zhongyuan asked, “What about the onset time?”
Wu Feiyang replied, “That’s uncertain, but the researchers said that if nothing unexpected happens, the onset time could be two to five days.”
Liu Zhongyuan said, “Two to five days? That’s about right. We definitely shouldn’t inhale this sack of poison powder ourselves, right?”
Wu Feiyang nodded. “That’s correct. That’s why I made gas masks for you.”
Qin Jiulin took three gas masks and hesitated. “If we need to sprinkle the poison powder, then Qie Yue will definitely have to fly up in the air. But at that time, Qie Yue will transform into his beast form. How can he wear this gas mask?”
Liu Zhongyuan said, “Why do we have three gas masks? I don’t need one. This poison powder is made from my venom, so it’s useless for me.”
Wu Feiyang slapped his forehead. “Oh, my brain! I’ve been so busy lately that my brain cells aren’t enough. How about this? You guys give one gas mask back to me, and I’ll go get another one that Qie Yue can wear after he transforms. Hopefully, I can find one.”
If they started making it now, not to mention that no one would know how to make it, even if someone did, they wouldn’t have the materials to make it. Wu Feiyang took a gas mask from Liu Zhongyuan.
“You guys wait here. I’ll go back and look for it. I’ll contact you soon.”
After he left, Qin Jiulin said, “If we don’t have gas masks, can’t we just put a plastic bag over our heads?”
Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Why don’t I just go and sprinkle the poison powder myself? It’s useless for me anyway.”
Qin Jiulin glanced at him. “But you can’t fly.”
Liu Zhongyuan nodded. “Yeah, I can’t fly.”
If he went over in human form, he would become the rat swarm’s food directly. If he went over in beast form, it would alert the rat swarm, and they might quietly change their place of residence.
So they could only let Qie Yue go over. After all, only Qie Yue could fly.
Qin Jiulin said, “If only we had something that could be remotely detonated.”
Liu Zhongyuan perked up his ears. “Hmm? What’s that?”
Qin Jiulin: “So, we divide this sack of poison into several portions, package them up nicely, and have Qie Yue throw them from the sky. When they fall, they will explode, dispersing the poison powder. This way, the powder will spread more evenly and cover a wider area, and it might even float in the air for a while.”
Liu Zhongyuan: “In that case, Qie Yue doesn’t need to wear a helmet as long as he flies high enough. And since the poison powder will be below, it won’t reach higher places.”
Qin Jiulin: “Is it that simple?”
Liu Zhongyuan: “The timing device needs to be discussed with Captain Wu, but everything else is quite simple. With some basic materials, I can make it myself.”
Qin Jiulin and Qie Yue looked at him with surprise.
Qin Jiulin praised him without probing further. After all, Liu Zhongyuan’s past was something he would mention when he wanted to.
At present, they didn’t have a close relationship, so it would be better not to be too intimate.
Liu Zhongyuan suddenly looked at Qin Jiulin again. “You…”
Qin Jiulin responded with a puzzled look. “What’s wrong?”
Liu Zhongyuan shook his head in confusion, unable to pinpoint what felt off earlier. But it didn’t matter now.
Then he seemed to remember something, revealing a subtle smirk that disappeared before anyone noticed.
Wu Feiyang quickly arrived, holding something in his hand. It wasn’t a helmet, but rather something that would fit Qie Yue’s head after he transformed… a hood?
He noticed the strange looks from Liu Zhongyuan and the others and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Ah, I ran out of options. Let’s make do with this for now. It’s still quite good, at least the functionality is not a problem!”
It was just a little rough around the edges.
Liu Zhongyuan and Qin Jiulin didn’t say anything, their gaze fixed on Qie Yue. After all, it wasn’t something they had to wear, but something Qie Yue had to wear.
Qie Yue’s eye twitched at the sight of the hideous hood. In the past, he wouldn’t even spare a glance at something so ugly. But now, having something to use was better than nothing.
Regardless, the most important thing was to ensure protection. The rest could be addressed later.
Qie Yue nodded. “Thank you, Captain Wu. I’ll take this and use it. I’ll return it to you when I’m done.”
Wu Feiyang finally smiled and handed the helmet to Qie Yue, “Here, take it. Use it and return it when you’re done. Oh, and even if you break it, it’s fine.”
After all, no one was using this thing in the warehouse. Nobody even looked at it, after all…
Qie Yue was a bit surprised to hear him say that. “Oh, I see…”
Liu Zhongyuan interrupted their conversation, “By the way, Captain Wu, I need something from you.”
He briefly explained the method they had discussed with Qin Jiulin to Wu Feiyang. He also spoke highly of this approach, “I didn’t expect you to be so talented. That’s great. The materials we need are still available in the camp. But if you want the materials, come with me. I’ll take you to get them. Just remember not to take too much. The materials are limited, and we have to be careful with everything.”
Liu Zhongyuan added, “No worries, I understand. I won’t take more than needed.”
Then he turned to Qin Jiulin, “You take Qie Yue and go to the tent. I’ll join you after I get the materials. We’ll leave once everything is ready.”
Qin Jiulin nodded, “No problem.”
Liu Zhongyuan followed Wu Feiyang, while Qin Jiulin took Qie Yue back to the tent. Perhaps when Liu Zhongyuan returned, they could help with some simple parts?
As they walked towards the tent, before they even reached the inside, they unexpectedly saw some familiar faces, including Duan Qiufeng and Qi Jinglan.
Of course, they were just ordinary people, following behind Wang Boming and Lin Yuzhe.
Although Wang Boming and Lin Yuzhe were beastmen, they were ordinary beastmen, the military always found ways to utilize their strengths and asked them for help.
Especially since Lin Yuzhe could fly, there weren’t many beastmen who could do that now!
Wang Boming and Lin Yuzhe also noticed Qin Jiulin and Qie Yue, and they were surprised to see them here. After all, the people who could come to the military camp were either beastmen or family members brought by beastmen.
Lin Yuzhe was a bit confused, so while passing by, he asked, “How did you two end up here?”
Qi Jinglan and Duan Qiufeng stood behind, watching them, but Qin Jiulin and Qie Yue only glanced at them before leaving, without saying a word.
Wang Boming frowned slightly, clearly disapproving of their attitude. Duan Qiufeng even smirked sarcastically and said, “How excessive.”
Although Lin Yuzhe was also angry, he found it more puzzling. So he asked a regular soldier who was leading them inside, “How did those two people end up in the military camp?”
The soldiers in the military camp were aware of the presence of two squads of outsiders who were beastmen, a total of six people. It was required for them to be familiar with these six individuals since they would frequently come and go, going on missions and returning to rest.
This wasn’t a secret. If they stayed here for two days, they would naturally find out, “Those are two beastmen, they are honored guests.”
Upon hearing this, the most surprised were not Lin Yuzhe or Wang Boming, but the people following behind them, especially Qi Jinglan and Duan Qiufeng!
They had initially thought that Qi Yue, who seemed useless and only hindered their love, turned out to be variant beastmen!
It was only now that they suddenly remembered, Qi Yue had always been unwell, unable to get out of bed or do any work. Every day, he would just lie in bed and rest or sleep.
So, at that time, it wasn’t because he was sick, but because he was about to awaken as a beatman? And damn, they turned out to be a variant beatman!