My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse - Chapter 918

Chapter 918: Chapter 918 Can’t Allow To Happen
After all, a single female locust could lay nearly two hundred eggs, and if left unchecked, their numbers could explode in just a few days.

Marcus also knew that once pesticides were used, the crops never tasted the same. Sometimes, the bitterness lingered in the grains and vegetables, no matter how well they were cooked. Naturally grown produce, on the other hand, always had a fresher, more wholesome flavor.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Marcus said. He wasn’t merely humoring Kisha; he genuinely believed it would help them. Once the paddies were irrigated, they could leave most of the work to nature; there would be little need for constant supervision.

The soil on Kisha’s farm was naturally fertile, requiring no extra fertilization, which meant one less worry for them.

Still, Marcus knew the real reason behind Kisha’s suggestion—she simply wanted to enjoy the conches, loaches, and other small fish that could thrive in the paddies. And as far as he was concerned, indulging their Young Madam’s cravings was something he’d gladly do.

“We could even put in some frog eggs,” Marcus added with a small smile. “They’d roam the paddies naturally… and besides, frogs are considered exotic food. Many people would enjoy them.”

But after he said that, Marcus noticed Kisha’s face twist in discomfort.

‘Could it be… Young Madam is afraid of frogs, like most girls? That’s unexpected,’ he thought, watching her avert her eyes as though she didn’t even want to picture them.

Catching the knowing smirk on Marcus’s lips, Kisha quickly clarified. “It’s not that I’m scared of frogs. I just… can’t eat them. I don’t even know when I developed this aversion, but every frog reminds me of a bullfrog. And just imagining eating one makes me think of their bumpy, boil-like skin.” She stuck out her tongue in disgust, shuddering at the thought.

Marcus chuckled at the sight. This was the first time he had ever seen Kisha show such a strong aversion to anything. He had grown so used to seeing her as flawless, an untouchable figure, almost divine, the kind of perfection that only their Vice City Lord could rival.

To them, the two were like gods who had descended to redeem the people. Yet now, watching Kisha wrinkle her nose in disgust, Marcus was struck by how human she seemed, just like them. And that small glimpse of vulnerability made him feel unexpectedly closer to their Young Madam.

“But I think you made perfect sense. We could raise those frogs here and deliver them to the Supply Center, see if people want them out of novelty, curiosity, or even genuine craving. After all, with the apocalypse forcing everything around us to evolve and mutate, most frogs outside have likely already turned into something we can’t just eat at will.” She shrugged, unconcerned.

She didn’t need to eat the frogs herself; Marcus could still cultivate them in the paddies and let them grow. Once they matured, it would take only three months inside her Territory, equivalent to just three days outside, for the frogs to multiply. Alongside them, the conches, loaches, and crabs would also thrive, giving them plenty of options.

With several acres of rice paddies, they could even divide them up: one acre for loaches and conches, another for crabs, another for frogs.

“Oh, and what about crayfish?” Kisha added suddenly, the thought sparking in her mind. “They’re in the marsh, but paddy-grown crayfish have a different taste.”

“We can add all of them if you wish, Young Madam. There’s more than enough space in the rice paddies. After all, nearly half of the farm is devoted to rice and wheat, while the rest is for vegetables. This way, we’ll have everything we need,” Marcus said—and he was right.

Kisha nodded. “Alright, let’s cultivate all of them. Right now, we only have a limited variety of meat and food in the market. By increasing the options, we’re not only giving people more choices but also boosting their morale.”

“If they’re happier and more motivated, they’ll work harder to earn work points to buy these foods. In the end, it’s a win-win for everyone.” She murmured the last part to herself, though Marcus still heard it.

With that, Kisha, Marcus, and the others—Gant, Mike, and Daisy—began gathering the eggs of the creatures they had discussed. Since Hugo’s team couldn’t pass through the farm’s boundaries, the task fell on them.

Some headed to the marsh to catch crayfish, carefully setting aside the ones carrying eggs to be placed in the rice paddies, while the rest were gathered to be cooked. After all, they had nearly forgotten about the crayfish, and with their population thriving, it was the perfect time to enjoy a feast.

After collecting the crayfish from the marsh, they ended up with twenty-four large baskets, the same kind Marcus usually used for harvesting crops. Each basket was as big as a drum and packed full of crayfish without eggs.

They had carefully separated those carrying eggs, which filled another fifteen baskets. Kisha helped them bring these back to the paddies, releasing the egg-bearing crayfish to roam freely until the eggs hatched.

Once the young emerged, the adults that had already spawned would be gathered and cooked, while the smaller crayfish would be left to grow on their own. With no natural predators in the paddies, the young would thrive safely and mature in time.

After gathering the crayfish, they went on to collect loaches and conches from the same marsh. The marsh within Kisha’s territory had expanded in size, and one of the reasons she wanted to transfer some of these creatures into the paddies was to better monitor their growth and maturation.

Harvesting them from the marsh itself would have been difficult, especially since Gant oversaw so many aquatic creatures from the whole Territory, which was by no means bigger than what Mike oversaw, that he couldn’t possibly keep an eye on every corner.

He had even neglected the marsh for some time, allowing its inhabitants to multiply unchecked. But that oversight now turned into a blessing; there was such an abundance of loaches, conches, and other creatures that they could stockpile plenty in the warehouse while still enjoying a steady supply for their meals and then for the paddies.

After gathering everything, Kisha and the others released the tadpoles, crabs, loaches, conch eggs, and more into the rice paddies. Hugo’s people looked on in astonishment. They had no idea where Marcus and the rest had managed to collect so many creatures, but since they were deep in the forest, they simply assumed Kisha’s group had found them nearby and didn’t question it further.

Instead, they joined in, helping to scatter the creatures across the paddies. Just then, a chat message from Keith suddenly appeared in front of Kisha, pulling her attention away.

[Keith: Sis, we’ve run into a situation and need your opinion…]

[Kisha: What happened?]

[Keith: We’ve just arrived at Maple Leaf Town, Adam’s shelter, and the intel we gathered from one of the mutated zombies has changed. It looks like this one has become even more intelligent.]

[Keith: What’s stranger is that the town is almost empty. There are barely any zombies around, not even other mutants. From what we can tell, this single mutated zombie might be the only one left here, and it’s been controlling the others to keep them away while it quietly herds the survivors inside, picking them off one by one.]

[Keith: That’s the conclusion we reached after investigating the area. Captain Sparrow is keeping watch from a distance, but he couldn’t reach the base through the radio; the signal just won’t go through. Luckily, I’m here, so I was able to contact you right away… hehe.]

[KeithL ★>d(,,･ε´-,,)⌒☆]

Reading Keith’s message, Kisha’s brows furrowed. She couldn’t help but recall the incident when Duke had nearly lost his life fighting two mutated zombies. Back then, after Duke killed one, the other devoured its fallen companion’s crystal core and instantly evolved into something far stronger.

If what Keith said was true, then could this mutated zombie have done the same—consuming its own kind to grow stronger? That was the only explanation Kisha could think of for such rapid evolution.

After all, Adam and his group had only recently arrived at HOPE Base. Even if the intel they had gathered on that mutated zombie was already a few days old, it still seemed impossible for it to evolve this quickly under normal circumstances.

What troubled her even more was the behavior of the lesser zombies. Normally, low-level zombies were mindless wanderers, swarming toward any shelter once they sensed survivors.

Yet here, none were approaching Maple Leaf Town. There were no signs of other mutated zombies either. That could only mean one thing: the creature had already consumed the rest, becoming the strongest among them, and now it was acting as their leader.

But to control that many zombies… it could only mean this monster was on the verge of evolving into a Zombie King. The very thought made Kisha’s heart skip a beat. That was something she absolutely couldn’t allow to happen.