Chapter 771: Research Achievements of the Frankenstein

“I have a rough idea,” Dong Rui said, proving his status as a top-tier specialist by quickly formulating a preliminary plan. “First, get me a dozen or so of these strange cicadas. I need to continue my experiments.”

“Isn’t that an easy task?”

He Lingchuan approached Elder Dao with the request. Over the next six or seven days, the disciples from Mount Rong continually brought live specimens to Dong Rui. They supplied not just a dozen, but dozens of them. However, these creatures had a very short lifespan; if they didn’t lay eggs, they would die within a single night.

Qiu Hu was the most active, his team alone delivering seventeen or eighteen specimens. Knowing that He Lingchuan and his companions were willing to help, Qiu Hu’s gaze softened when he looked at He Lingchuan.

“Are you alright?” He Lingchuan asked. He himself had inflicted Qiu Hu’s wounds. Although they were superficial flesh wounds, an ordinary person would need at least ten days to half a month to recover enough to move around. Yet, Qiu Hu had only stayed in bed for one night before getting up and rushing about. What about the promised significant blood loss? It defied logic. He Lingchuan speculated that Qiu Hu’s rapid recovery was closely linked to the demonic spirit within him.

Strong in combat and tough as nails, this man seemed promising in every way; He Lingchuan genuinely wanted to recruit him.

“I’m fine; I just lead the team without personally engaging,” Qiu Hu said, looking down at the wounds on his chest. “I was once severely injured, chased by enemies through a swamp for three days and three nights, and hid in the mud for over ten hours. These wounds are nothing.”

Swamps were teeming with mosquitoes, insects, and poisonous fungi; even healthy individuals could easily get infected and sick, let alone severely wounded ones. He Lingchuan asked him, “What happened then?”

Qiu Hu replied expressionlessly, “I killed them all.” He made no mention of the hardship, danger, or pain he endured during the process.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror whistled. “His wounds have mostly scabbed over, with only two places still open. You have good taste; this guy is stronger than an ox and incredibly resilient!” The broken mirror was becoming increasingly frivolous, so He Lingchuan ignored it.

Since He Lingchuan had free time, he decided to join them on their hunting expeditions. He observed that Qiu Hu was indeed not very sociable, but he had strong ideas about how to do things. For instance, regarding the cicada eradication, while he was more anxious than others, he never acted rashly. His squad suffered the fewest combat losses and captured the most live cicada specimens.

Qiu Hu also informed He Lingchuan that the cicada plague had spread from the northeast of Mount Rong, expanding westward, but it was being firmly contained by the Rong Mountain Sect. As of now, the northeast, east, and south were the hardest-hit areas, and the plague had not yet extended to the west. Therefore, the current battle was a race against time. Mount Rong hoped to eliminate the source of the cicada plague from their territory completely in just a few decisive campaigns.

This was a good opportunity for He Lingchuan to observe the Rong Mountain disciples, just as it was a process for Qiu Hu to observe him. After all, if Qiu Hu were to join He Lingchuan, it would politely be called serving, but more realistically, it would be risking his life. He had to be cautious.

With He Lingchuan’s participation, the team’s efficiency in hunting cicadas significantly improved. He possessed a natural charisma, and his cultivation was impressive. Within a few days, the Rong Mountain disciples had largely become familiar with him.

Naturally, He Lingchuan focused on Qiu Hu and extended an invitation to him directly. This was a sign of respect for Qiu Hu. However, no matter how amiable He Lingchuan was, Qiu Hu remained unmoved, replying with the same words: “If I don’t repay my debts and avenge my grievances, how can I face a future of my own?”

He Lingchuan smiled. “By saying that, you’re essentially saying you’ll follow me.”

Young Master He was certainly confident. Qiu Hu also replied earnestly, “If you can eradicate the cicada plague from Mount Rong, I will follow you. From then on, I will brave any danger without hesitation. You have my word!”

Two days later, Dong Rui summoned both He Lingchuan and Elder Dao. “I have results!” he announced.

Mount Rong had specially designated a cave dwelling as his experimental site. As He Lingchuan stepped inside, it felt as if he were back in the demon lair’s laboratory: dismembered limbs and strange, mutated cicada specimens were everywhere. It was practically a large-scale cicada slaughterhouse.

The Rong Mountain disciples who followed him in saw such a sight for the first time; their faces paled, and they all felt uncomfortable. Only Qiu Hu was exceptionally excited, looking around and touching everything.

“Look at this! Look at this!” Dong Rui led them to a corner where something was covered with a cloth. “There must be a sense of ceremony for the unveiling,” he said. “Elder Dao, please.”

Elder Dao did not decline. He pulled back the grey cloth, revealing an oval crystal container. Inside, there was a living creature.

“...You requested my medicine storage boxes just to contain this?” Elder Dao asked.

Inside the crystal box was a single Seventy-Year Cicada, sleek and glistening. Its size was double that of any they had seen before, measuring about six feet long, taller than an adult man. But its appearance was also very strange: it had no wings, its forelegs were atrophied, and its abdomen accounted for two-thirds of its total length, swollen and round as if it would burst if poked. With such a physique, it truly looked like it had a big, protruding belly!

Everyone gasped, and Elder Dao frowned. “What... what exactly is this thing?”

Dong Rui, long accustomed to strange looks from others, still wore a proud expression. “This is the Seventy-Year Cicada Queen I’ve newly bred!”

“Cicada... Queen?” Was this eccentric person implying that the Seventy-Year Cicada species was too few, and he had to personally add another one?

“Bee colonies have a queen bee, ant colonies have a queen ant. Cicadas aren’t naturally social creatures and don’t have a cicada queen. But after my tireless efforts over the past few days—” Dong Rui gestured towards the crystal box. “Here it is!”

Everyone was stunned into silence. He Lingchuan, unable to bear it any longer, coughed lightly. “Could you quickly explain how this thing is used?”

“Oh, it’s early spring now, so the cicadas’ growth is still relatively slow. The real trouble will begin once late spring and midsummer arrive,” Dong Rui explained seriously. “You’ve been hunting Seventy-Year Cicadas for over two months, but you haven’t been able to eradicate them completely. That’s because you’re always chasing them, and there are always some that escape.”

Qiu Hu nodded. “Exactly!”

“Then we need to change our approach and make them come to us.”

Qiu Hu pointed at the cicada queen in the crystal box. “By relying on this?”

“These insects release a certain scent when they mate and breed, which humans can’t detect.” This wasn’t difficult for He Lingchuan to understand; what Dong Rui was describing was essentially pheromones.

“I created this cicada queen to greatly intensify its scent. Once exposed in the wild, it should be able to attract all male cicadas within a thirty-li radius,” Dong Rui said with a smile. “You just need to be prepared and wait for them to walk into your trap.”

A Rong Mountain disciple asked, “It only attracts males? What about the females?”

“When males arrive, and their numbers increase, females will follow,” Dong Rui explained. “The reason cicada swarms gather in large numbers is that they all flock to areas with a strong pheromone scent for collective mating. This cicada queen can live for about three days. Once it dies, I will synthesize a few more.”

Qiu Hu couldn’t contain himself. “Let’s do it now.”

Everyone agreed without objection.

Coincidentally, it was a clear, sunny day with strong winds. For this first large-scale experiment, Elder Dao personally led over two hundred disciples to an open woodland in the eastern region.