Chapter 185: Poisonous Mushrooms Tossed with Red Thread Worm Eggs (Requesting Monthly Votes)

Jing Shu took photos of both the inside and outside of the RV, measured the dimensions with a ruler, and recorded the data for future modification parameters. She also noted down any ideas she had.

After Jing Shu and Jing Dad first entered the saltwater pool to filter out the red thread worms from their bodies, they went into the warm villa to take a shower. Jing Shu put on her cotton clothes and drank a hot red sugar goji berry ginger soup, finally feeling rejuvenated.

She couldn’t imagine how people outside endured such weather, nor could she fathom how they barely survived in their past lives.

All the luggage they brought back was left in the yard. The plump chicken had eaten all the areas infested with red thread worms. It was worth mentioning that the chicken’s intelligence had improved a bit. Ever since the first time red thread worms crawled all over its body, scaring it into urinating, the chicken had avoided red thread worms after seeing Jing Shu enter the salt pool. Every time red thread worms tangled around it, the chicken would soak in the pool.

Jing Nai and Jing Ma were busy cleaning the water-soaked luggage. While tidying up, Jing Nai cursed, feeling heartbroken over some broken bowls and pots. However, most items were still usable as long as they were cleaned. Water was no longer scarce, thanks to Jing Shu’s super filtration system, which played a crucial role.

Unlike other households where the faucets spewed out red thread worms, Jing Shu’s faucets produced clean, purified water.

However, regular cleaning was necessary. Just now, Jing Dad had finished his shower and put on a raincoat to clean each outlet to prevent red thread worms from clogging them.

Jing Shu remembered that in the first year, the lack of water led to low vegetable yields.

In the second year, it was the red thread worm eggs that prevented mass production of various vegetables. However, at least there was sufficient rainfall that year, allowing for the cultivation of various mushrooms. Even if the mushrooms were covered in worm eggs, they were still considered vegetables.

It was truly one of the better years for food during the ten years of the apocalypse. Compared to the later years plagued by rot and corpse-eating worms, red thread worms were only tough to chew and could get stuck between teeth or in the throat, but otherwise had no significant drawbacks.

Based on her ten years of surviving the apocalypse, Jing Shu ranked the available food sources. She considered the maggots from the first year the tastiest and richest in protein, followed by red thread worms, which had no distinct flavor but were filling and always available.

So, during that year, any household that managed to cultivate garlic shoots and green onions would be envied by their neighbors.

While the government was addressing the housing issues for millions, they also took advantage of the ample water to quickly plant a batch of vegetables. At noon, Jing Ma received a notification. Just when everyone thought they could finally grow some food, the red thread worms showed their troublesome side.

Water contaminated with red thread worms couldn’t be used to cultivate crops!

Red thread worms are pests; their mouthparts consume everything. Before maturing, they continuously absorb all surrounding nutrients, and after maturing, they incessantly mate.

In her past life, Jing Shu learned from the news that red thread worms evolved from microorganisms, akin to bacteria and microelements. Therefore, their eggs were also considered a type of bacterial microorganism, capable of absorbing all surrounding life elements.

So, when the government and people worldwide rekindled their hopes for replanting, the apocalypse dealt them a harsh blow.

Sunlight was scarce, but simulated sunlight could replace photosynthesis.

However, when the government began replanting crops again, they found that many seeds wouldn’t germinate for days. Even if they did, they were quickly devoured, and the failed crops were found to have tiny worm eggs. A few days later, these eggs would hatch into red thread worms.

Those planning to cultivate crops at home also encountered this problem. People used cotton cloth, gauze, and various methods to expose the red thread worms to sunlight.

But it was still ineffective because the worm eggs couldn’t be filtered out.

The eggs were minuscule bacteria, invisible to the naked eye.

At this point, higher-tech filters were necessary. Only filters capable of removing microorganisms could eliminate red thread worm eggs.

Such filters were scarce in Wucheng, and the city center was submerged. Later, the government managed to collect some, finally alleviating the urgent situation. Therefore, ultra-filters became crucial in determining the vegetable yield for the upcoming year.

Mushrooms were different. They were the only type of vegetable that could grow before the red thread worms completely consumed them. With sufficient water, a batch could grow in two to three days, while the red thread worms were only just maturing to a visible size.

Although their appearance wasn’t very appealing.

That year, almost all cultivated mushrooms were covered with dense red thread worm eggs, and some rapidly developing worms were still crawling on them.

With a wave of the government’s hand, they declared, “You used to complain about the lack of meat and vegetables. Now, we have both meat and vegetables. It’s perfect! We’ll eat them from now on!”

Additionally, highly concentrated saltwater could kill red thread worm eggs. Seawater’s concentration was slightly insufficient, but it was costly and unsuitable for mass production.

Apart from filters and high-concentration saltwater, only China had rediscovered an ancestral method. While it couldn’t achieve absolute filtration, it was sufficient to grow some inferior garlic shoots.

This method didn’t require high technology and could be implemented by every household. Jing Shu planned to introduce this method after Jing Ma discovered that red thread worms made it impossible to cultivate crops, thereby boosting Jing Ma’s performance in advance.

Of course, she couldn’t foresee the future.

Due to the reduced filtered water, that year’s vegetables and crops remained “special supplies,” available only to a select few.

Had Jing Shu not installed the super filter in advance, her family might have had a complete harvest failure, and the crops in the magic cube space would have been even more challenging.

Wu Youai was supposed to return by noon, but after Jing Shu’s family finished lunch, Hongshan Ecological Garden had just arranged for the Banana Community residents to head back.

Jing Shu thought it best to drag Shangguan Jun’s corpse back. Today would likely be the first batch of residents moving into the Banana Community. Scaring the residents would lead to them reporting and causing trouble, which would be problematic.

Unfortunately, Jing Shu still couldn’t contact Yang Yang and Wang Dazhao. She suspected their phones were lost.

As the largest and most luxurious community in the development zone, such a big prize being distributed had many people getting impatient and starting to act restlessly.

The interests of the original residents would inevitably be somewhat harmed, and the visit specialists were about to be reassigned.

Jing Shu felt that as long as no one came to infringe upon her family’s interests, everything would be fine. However, if someone dared to stir trouble… Ah, she spat out. Jing Shu had just set a flag, and someone was already looking to cause trouble.

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