The boxy front of the vehicle slowly appeared in front of everyone's eyes. There was a long mechanical arm extending from the boxy front of the vehicle, and there was a huge hook on the long arm. When the yellow and green Brave military vehicle appeared from behind the orange crane, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
Lu Xiaobu brought his men to patrol the surrounding area and coincidentally found a construction site. There was a huge crane there, and Lu Xiaobu had thought of using it to open up the highway. Although the crane had already started moving, Lu Xiaobu had forgotten to go back and report it. He also wanted to show off, so he drove the Fierce Soldier behind the crane. Other than getting a false alarm from the camp, he was also scolded harshly by Zhang Xiao Qiang. He had put in the effort, but he didn't get anything out of it.
The original plan was to use the most primitive method to clear the road in seven days. Now that they had professional equipment, the speed was naturally much faster, and it could be done in two days. For this, Zhang Xiaoqiang rewarded Lu Xiaobu with a can of meat.
While Lu Xiaobu was hugging the can of meat and smiling, Zhang Huai An surprisingly did not scold him. Lu Xiaobu was surprised that Zhang Huai An was so generous this time. If he was said to be able to squeeze oil from the cracks of a rock, then Zhang Huai An was like a goose plucking feathers from a goose.
Zhang Huai An did not touch Lu Xiaobu's can of meat, not because he had changed his personality, but because he did not like the canned food that tasted the same. At this moment, he was pulling Wang Le, Uncle Yun, and Yutou along the mountain path in search of game. The voles from yesterday had satisfied his craving, but there was nothing to eat today, so he was naturally feeling uncomfortable.
The arrival of the apocalypse was a disaster for mankind, but it was also a catastrophe for nature. Before the apocalypse, because of the Chinese people's pursuit of wild game, it led to a rapid decrease in the number of wild animals. After the apocalypse, the change in the ecological environment led to the breakdown of the food chain, all kinds of animals died. Other than the creatures that could adapt to the new environment and mutate, only the animals that did not have high requirements for food could live happily.
The mountain that Zhang Huai An was on was just a normal hill near the entrance of the highway. Before the apocalypse, it was impossible to encounter any wild animals. After the apocalypse, there were no birds, no beasts, not even insects.
"I told you, there's no game in a place like this, but you didn't listen. Look, we've been walking around for half a day and there's nothing to see. Isn't it nice that I've accompanied you for half a day?
You can't give me less than half a liter of white wine later. "
Wang Le seemed to be very dissatisfied with Zhang Huai An's stubbornness, nagging incessantly. Zhang Huai An didn't pay attention to Wang Le. If there wasn't anything, then there wasn't. He would just take it as taking a stroll while looking at the scenery. He casually pushed aside a shrub with only a few leaves left, revealing a hole as thick as an arm.
The edge of the hole was smooth, and not far from the hole was a large pile of peanut-like soil. Furthermore, this hole was not the only one. Looking around, the shrub was filled with holes the size of an arm, and piles of soil that looked like dung.
The dozens of holes made the few of them shocked. The densely packed holes were like mouths with fangs, smiling at them. At least they could confirm that this was not a vole's hole.
"Is this a snake hole?
There are so many snake holes, are we in a snake's nest? "
Zhang Huai An, who had only seen snakes on TV and at the dining table, felt his heart tighten. He looked at the other three uneasily and asked in a slightly hoarse voice.
Before Uncle Yun and Yutou could speak, Wang Le rejected them.
"I don't think so. Snakes generally like places that are dark and damp, where there are lush weeds, dead trees, ancient caves, or places with piles of rocks. Snakes may be found near ponds or in places with lush vegetation in the mountains. Other places are rarely seen. You know, snakes eat mice and frogs. This place is close to the highway, and there are no ponds nearby. Without food, snakes generally won't settle down here."
After Wang Le finished, Uncle Yun added, "There are no other snakes in this area, only cauliflower snakes. There are not many venomous snakes, such as Krait and Krait. These snakes like to live near water sources, and the soil here is dry. Only a venomous snake called Tu Kui likes to live here. That kind of snake is not big, and the biggest one is only the length of a chopstick."
Hearing this, Zhang Huai An started to feel uneasy. If it was a snake, he could still deal with it, but if it was not a snake, then what was it?
The words of wanting to leave had not yet left his mouth. Wang Le had already taken out two steel components from the large bag on Taro's back. The two components were connected to each other, and a steel cross pickaxe appeared in Wang Le's hands.
"Who cares what it is, we'll find out once we dig it out …" Before he finished, Wang Le's pickaxe in his hand hit the entrance of the cave, and a piece of soil the size of a bowl was dug out of the ground by the pickaxe …
It was almost midnight, and the tired people had returned to the campsite to wait for dinner. Zhang Xiaoqiang sat at the simple dining table and looked at the pot of Eight Treasures Porridge in distress. Just like him, Yang Ke-er and Meow were frowning bitterly. Ever since they discovered the Eight Treasures Porridge, the three of them had eaten to their hearts' content. By the time it was time for dinner, they were already full. Now, karma had come. Yuan Yi had made a pot full of Eight Treasures Porridge. What should they do?
Zhang Xiaoqiang knew Yuan Yi's hard work. Even though he could not even eat a single grain of rice, he still gritted his teeth and scooped a bowl for himself. In a few gulps, he forced the bowl into his stomach, stood up, and said, "I'm full." Then, he turned around and walked out of the tent.
Touching his stomach, Zhang Xiaoqiang groaned in pain. He had been stuffed to the point where he did not know what it felt like to starve. Now, he finally knew what it felt like to have indigestion.
"Zhang Xiaoqiang … Zhang Xiaoqiang …" Zhang Huai An's shout came from afar.
Zhang Huai An and Wang Le rushed towards Zhang Xiaoqiang. Behind them, Uncle Yun and Yutou followed closely, each carrying a large sack.
When they reached him, before Zhang Xiaoqiang could say anything, a large sack appeared in front of him. "Zhang Xiaoqiang … look, we found this on the mountain …"
Uncle Yun shook the sack open. When the thing inside fell to the ground, Uncle Yun quickly ran to the side, as if afraid of being bitten by something.
The thing that landed on the ground was a big guy that was 1.5 meters long and as thick as a forearm. As soon as this thing landed on the ground, it used its smooth and pointed head, which was hard to tell whether it was a head or a butt, to drill into the ground. The ground under its body had already been trampled by people and was as hard as cement. It didn't seem to use much strength, but the solid ground was already drilled by it. In the blink of an eye, the top half of the thing had already drilled into the ground.
Wang Le moved and snatched the sack from Uncle Yun's hand. He wrapped the sack around the back half of the thing and pulled it out like a wire. The thing's strength was so great that the 1.5 meter long body was only pulled out when it was more than three meters long. When it landed on the ground, its body bounced back like a rubber band and shrank back to 1.5 meters long.
"What is this?" Zhang Xiaoqiang still couldn't recognize the thing, but he felt it looked familiar.
"It's an earthworm. Look, which part of it doesn't look like an earthworm?"
Wang Le raised the big thing and gestured to Zhang Xiaoqiang. The thing was wrapped in the sack, and a layer of mucus was constantly spurting out from its skin. The disgusting mucus quickly moistened the sack. On its thick body, the single layer of columnar epithelium was constantly expanding and contracting, showing the amazing muscle strength of this earthworm-like thing.
Zhang Xiaoqiang looked at the big earthworm in a daze. He didn't find it familiar because it looked like an earthworm, but because it looked exactly like the tentacle monster in Japanese cartoons. Even the disgusting mucus on its surface was similar to that thing. Could it be that the tentacle monster invented by Japan was an earthworm?
This was a big earthworm before the doomsday. Its scientific name was Hairy Ring Earthworm. It was also called a scavenger by humans. It fed on animal manure and organic waste. In Chinese medicine, it was called Earthworm. It was a terrestrial annelid with high medicinal value. At the same time, it could barely be called food. It was very popular in Taiwan, Southeast Asia, the United States, and Canada.
"What did you find?
How heavy is this thing? "
Zhang Xiaoqiang was sure that this earthworm had mutated. Such a big earthworm could be compared to an eel.
"They came from the mountain, about seven or eight catties. The ground was full of holes, and we dug five or six of them. Wang Le said that this thing can be eaten. Zhang Xiaoqiang … Look, it won't kill you if you eat this thing, right?"
Zhang Xiaoqiang was also a little uncertain. He knew that mutant beasts could be eaten, but mutant earthworms?
He said hesitantly, "It should be edible. Chinese medicine also uses it as a medicinal ingredient. There is also a dish called Earthworm Scrambled Eggs …"
Wang Le was also a little uncertain. He said softly, "How about … finding something to try?" After that, Zhang Xiaoqiang and Wang Le turned their heads at the same time to look at the two puppies playing at the edge of the tent …