Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy! - Chapter 236

Chapter 236: Frog Eggs

Clusters of small, jade-like beads clung tightly to the stems of the algae, shimmering faintly under the light. But within those bead-like sacs, vague shapes stirred—round, eye-like spheres that writhed in a disturbing rhythm, as though staring back from beneath their translucent shells.

Weihao leaned closer, curiosity flickering in his eyes. He picked up a steel pipe he had found earlier and stretched out his hand to prod one.

Before he could touch it, Nanzhi stopped him.

“Wait.” Her voice was calm, but her eyes had narrowed. A faint glow shimmered before her as a prompt appeared.

[Parasitic Vine Algae · Tier 2]

[Leaves and nodes secrete protective liquid with paralyzing, burning, and other effects. Effective against Tier 2 creatures and below.]

Nanzhi’s brows furrowed. Though both she and Weihao possessed physiques above Tier 2, she dared not act recklessly. Her gaze shifted to the rim of the steel container, where the algae had brushed against it.

Already, the surface was mottled with black scorch marks. Her expression darkened as she set it aside. If it could corrode steel so easily… what would it do to human flesh?

Weihao noticed it too. His grip on the steel pipe tightened, though he swallowed back his questions. He didn’t ask why Nanzhi seemed to know so much.

Nanzhi lifted a clump of algae with her mental power. The bead-like sacs writhed violently once pulled out of the water, resisting. Under the faint, rippling light, Weihao squinted—finally discerning their true form.

They looked almost identical to the strange things they had found yesterday beside the corpses of Lan Fuyou’s subordinates.

Another prompt flickered before Nanzhi’s eyes.

[Parasitic Vine Tadpole · Tier 0]

[Attribute: Water]

[A parasitic creature that attaches itself to a dead host to grow. Once mature, it will mimic the form and appearance of the host.]

Her pupils contracted. Just as she finished reading, the tadpoles squirmed violently, their translucent cocoons rupturing with a sharp crack. One after another, they burst out, spraying thin jets of greenish liquid straight at them.

Whoosh!

The corrosive streams hissed through the air. Nanzhi and Weihao moved in unison, dodging effortlessly before dispatching the creatures in a blink.

But the smell of scorched stone lingered. On the walls and floor, where the streams had landed, faint burn marks smoked and spread.

Nanzhi lowered her gaze to the twitching remains beneath her boots. The crushed tadpoles oozed foul liquid, their corpses still writhing faintly. Her expression sank further. She thought of the three pools choked with algae earlier, and her eyes grew cold.

Lin Weihao shared the same concern.

“We need to get rid of them before they grow any further.”

Nanzhi agreed.

Suddenly, her head snapped up. Her mental senses surged outward—toward the gates.

—

Outside, by the guard post, Baoyin and Feng Ran were working idly.

Little Snowball crouched nearby, spinning strands of silk with cheerful energy while Baoyin carefully bundled them together.

“Good job, Snowball. When I get the chance, I’ll make you a cute vest,” Baoyin praised warmly.

“Chi-chi!” the little creature chirped happily.

Lin Weihao had requested Baoyin’s help in making several sets of armor for the military base. In return, he had promised to send some of his men to the capital to search for her father.

Determined to hear news of him, she worked on the armors whenever she had free time.

Feng Ran, lounging at the side and casually cutting the hides, smirked. “Hey, boonie girl, why don’t you carve some patterns into that frame? Something majestic—like a dragon soaring through the clouds, or a phoenix spreading its wings across the heavens?”

How cool would that be!

We’d be called the Dragon Army!

Baoyin rolled her eyes. “Stop daydreaming in broad daylight. Hurry up and help me cut these ant shells first!”

—

On the rooftop of the filtration facility, Hei Qian narrowed his eyes. A dark silhouette flickered at the edge of the forest.

He immediately pointed it out to Bingwen.

Bingwen’s expression sank. He reached for the walkie-talkie clipped to his breast pocket, intending to alert Weihao and Feng Ran at once.

But just as he pulled it free, the device slipped from his grasp, skidding across the smooth rooftop before vanishing through the gap between the dismantled solar panels.

“Careful!”

Both he and Hei Qian lunged, but the panels blocked their reach.

Clatter!

The walkie-talkie tumbled off the roof and disappeared from sight.

Clicking his tongue, Bingwen had no choice but to descend the ladder. He found the device lying at the base of the wall.

But when he picked it up, his hand froze. The casing was smeared with a sticky, greenish slime.

“What is this…?” he muttered.

Out of the corner of his eye, something shifted. Two pale, bare feet—coated in the same mucous—stood in the shadow of the facility wall.

Before he could look up, Hei Qian’s urgent shout rang down from above. “Brother Bing!

—

Outside.

Snap!

The sound was sharp and crisp—like a branch breaking under sudden weight.

Both of them froze.

They turned their heads toward the dense forest.

“What was that?” Baoyin’s hands stilled. She slowly set aside the silk in her grasp and stood.

Feng Ran rose as well, his expression tense.

The next moment, people walked out of the bushes.

The one on the frontmost, they recognized him immediately—it was Lan Fuyou’s driver. He was shivering uncontrollably, his face red and streaked with tears, sweat pouring down his skin until his clothes were completely soaked through.

Behind him stood the Thorn Team leader, his goons, and some of the people they had met during yesterday’s mission.

All eleven of them looked more or less the same—pale, trembling, and in dreadful condition.

The only ones missing were Lan Fuyou himself, the clingy man, and the one who could release poisonous green fumes.

“Help us… help us… help us… Brother…” they pleaded, staggering forward slowly.

Feng Ran crossed his arms, his tone sharp. “Well, aren’t you shameless? You were the ones who kicked us out, and now you’re begging for our help.”

“Brother… just… a little food…” the Thorn Team leader croaked.

Little Snowball climbed onto Baoyin’s shoulders and began hissing at the group opposite them.

“What is it, Snowball?” Baoyin frowned at its strange behavior, her wariness rising.

Then, abruptly, something popped out of the Thorn Team leader’s right eye and rolled across the ground, coming to a stop at Feng Ran’s feet.

“If you want to trade food, you’ll have to pay with spars! Nothing is free—” Feng Ran’s voice cut off mid-sentence.

When the object stopped rolling, Feng Ran and Baoyin finally saw what it was.

An eyeball.

“Never mind… Brother… you two… are… enough…”

The one-eyed Thorn Team leader grinned hideously, his tongue suddenly elongating and whipping toward them like a grotesque lash.