Chapter 209: The Locust Swarm Arrives
"Shen Que, look over there!"
Around 4 PM that afternoon, Meng Ci and Shen Que climbed onto the rooftop to look into the distance.
They soon spotted a dark mass approaching the base from the east, but couldn't immediately tell what it was.
"They're locusts," Shen Que immediately recognized the incoming swarm.
Although Meng Ci knew a locust invasion was imminent, he wasn't aware of the exact timing. Upon hearing this, he quickly retrieved a pair of binoculars from his storage space and looked eastward.
What he saw was a dense swarm of locusts flapping their wings as they flew in from the distance.
The sight, for anyone with a fear of dense objects, would likely be terrifying enough to cause a panic.
Meng Ci and Shen Que hurried downstairs to check every corner of the house, making sure all windows and doors were tightly shut.
Shen Que went outside and closed the door to the greenhouse as well.
As for Meng Ci, unable to go out due to the locusts, he fetched a basin of water from his space and called the dog over to soak in it.
Perhaps it's a common trait among canines, but most dogs don't like baths.
Thus, when the dog realized it was bath time, it initially resisted.
But as a trained military dog, it eventually complied with the order and stepped into the basin.
After soaking for a while, the dog gradually felt its other body parts becoming quite comfortable, though its injured areas ached with a sharp pain.
After soaking for more than twenty days, the dog felt its previously injured front leg had improved significantly, and unless examined closely, one could hardly tell it had ever been lame.
Realizing that the water Meng Ci provided was beneficial, the dog began to actively soak in the baths.
Meng Ci stroked the scar on the dog's back; the once-severe wound had become much shallower, and fur was starting to grow back around it.
It was believed that after a few more soaks, the dog's wounds would fully heal.
As for the wounds on the dog's face, Meng Ci would wet a cloth and apply it to the dog's face.
Ideally, Meng Ci wanted to let the dog submerge its entire body in water, but there weren't any suitable tools for that.
As for the bathtub in his storage space, Meng Ci had no intention of sharing it with the dog.
Still, the effect of the wet compresses was less effective compared to the recovery of the back wounds.
But knowing it was effective was enough; the matter of treating the scars could be planned out in the long term.
Shen Que, on the other hand, went back to the rooftop and continued observing the outside with the binoculars.
Within just a few minutes, the swarm of locusts entered the base, and everything green disappeared in an instant.
Soon, they reached the crops planted in the northern area.
Shen Que had been monitoring the situation, but what happened next confused him.
He recalled that the northern farmland wasn't very large, yet the locusts remained grounded for an unusually long time after landing. Could something unexpected have occurred?
Shen Que wasn't entirely sure, so he continued observing for half an hour. He never saw the cockroaches fly up again, and feeling confused, he went downstairs.
Afterward, he told Meng Ci about what happened.
Meng Ci was lying on the sofa, playing with his phone, and upon hearing this, a light bulb went off in his head.
"Do you think it's possible that the officials, knowing the cockroaches were coming, set up traps in advance?"
"And wiped out all the cockroaches in one go!"
Shen Que thought about it and found it quite plausible.
However, to confirm the real reason, the next day, when Meng Ci and Shen Que went out to refill the water supply, they planned to ask around.
By coincidence, as the two arrived at the points redemption center, they ran into Zheng Yan, who was acting suspiciously.
"Zheng Yan! What are you doing here?"
Meng Ci patted Zheng Yan on the shoulder, and the latter, startled, turned to run like a mouse that had just seen a cat.
In the end, Zheng Yan's clothes were grabbed by Shen Que and he was forced to stay.
When Zheng Yan turned around and saw that it was Meng Ci and Shen Que, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Big brothers, it's just you! You guys nearly gave me a heart attack!" Zheng Yan patted his chest, his eyes still darting around.
At this time, most residents were working, so there weren't many people at the exchange point.
Seeing Zheng Yan's guilty demeanor, Meng Ci raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's got you so spooked?"
"Could it be that you've been ripping off customers and are afraid they'll come looking for you?"
Hearing this, Zheng Yan quickly jumped to his defense.
"Impossible! We're running a legit business and would never rip anyone off."
Then, Zheng Yan explained why he was so on edge.
Zheng Yan and his team were involved in human waste collection, and after each transaction, they would give the other party a small amount of rice or other grains. This had always been a win-win situation.
However, an unexpected incident occurred the day before.
A fifty-something-year-old man claimed that the waste he had previously given to Zheng Yan was merely entrusted to him and had now been stockpiled for a month. He demanded that they return the waste.
Hearing this, Zheng Yan was naturally dissatisfied.
They had always conducted fair transactions, so how did it become a consignment?
"And man, you wouldn't believe how low that guy is."
"I told him I'd give the waste back if he returned the rice we gave him. He actually claimed that he never received anything from us."
"Big brother, you tell me, whose fault is this!"
Zheng Yan, with his hands on his hips, was still fuming.
Even worse, the guy faked an injury and tried to play the victim.
"As soon as I said a couple of words, he dropped to the ground and claimed I hit him."
"Damn! I'm not some rude guy!"
"I already said, if he thinks I ripped him off over his waste, he can report me to the authorities."
"Let the authorities sort it out."
Zheng Yan wasn't worried about the guy reporting him. After all, he collected waste from the whole floor, and he'd never shorted anyone on their rice or flour.
"And that guy barely even goes!" Zheng Yan gestured with his pinky finger.
"I felt bad for him, so I counted it as a full load and gave him some rice each time. Otherwise, he'd have starved."
"I can't believe how ungrateful he is!"
The more Zheng Yan talked, the madder he got, and he swore he'd never take that guy's waste again.
That guy barely crapped in a month what others did in two days. We were the ones getting screwed in this deal.
Meng Ci tried a few times to cut in when Zheng Yan started talking about the waste.
But Zheng Yan wouldn't stop talking, leaving no room for Meng Ci to get a word in edgewise.
"Big brother, tell me, isn't this all on that guy?"
Meng Ci said, "Since you both agreed on the terms from the start and you've held up your end, then it is on him."
Zheng Yan looked up and said solemnly, "Absolutely, reputation means everything in this business!"
"I wouldn't destroy my own reputation."
Meng Ci nodded; after interacting with Zheng Yan several times, he did find him to be a man of his word.
After blowing off some steam, Zheng Yan calmed down a bit.
"Big brother, what is it that you two wanted to find me for?"