Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy!-Chapter 269: Egg Casings

Lu Meiying, you bitch! No wonder her nails had felt a little wet this morning—it was smeared with toxin! But how did she manage to get the toxin in the first place?

"Ahhh!" The pain surged to an entirely new level. Lu Chenyu’s mind clouded with agony. Thoughts scattered like smoke in the wind; his body was consumed by pure pain, leaving only guttural screams echoing through the room.

Lu Meiying’s laugh rang out once more, cruel and triumphant. "Ha ha ha! Lu Chenyu, have a ’good night sleep’!"

The sound of her laughter reverberated in his skull. His eyes reddened from strain and fury.

Just as Lu Meiying turned to leave, the door suddenly burst open. Lu Chenyu, despite the toxin coursing through him, lunged forward with every ounce of strength he had left. His hands shot to her neck in a furious grasp. "L-Lu Meiying... Urgh... I let you go this morning... and now you’ve come to provoke me again! Urgh... don’t think you’re leaving alive... tonight!"

Lu Meiying froze, startled. Before she could react, Lu Chenyu’s grip tightened, his hands like steel around her neck. She struggled for air, gasping violently. "Lu Chenyu... hah... let me go..."

Even in her panic, she realized that this man, despite suffering the toxin’s effects, was far stronger than her. Each attempt to free herself was futile.

Now, it was Lu Chenyu’s turn to laugh—pain etched into every muscle of his body, but there was a dark, vengeful joy in his eyes. "L-Lu Meiying... just because you... gave me this... toxin... you think you... can step over me!"

Black spots danced in Lu Meiying’s vision. She made one last desperate struggle, her nails clawing at his arms and shoulders.

Then, suddenly, her words faltered, a slip of hesitation breaking through her panic. "...Are you... crazy? If you... do something to me... how would you answer to... Lan Fuyou tomorrow...?"

Those words struck Lu Chenyu like a cold bucket of water. Slowly, reluctantly, his hands loosened around her neck. He let her fall free before delivering a harsh kick to her stomach.

"Cough..." Lu Meiying staggered back a few meters, barely catching herself from falling into the pond. She gasped for breath, coughing violently.

But she didn’t notice the jagged rock behind her. One wrong step, and she slipped. She stumbled backward into the pond with a splash.

Lu Chenyu froze in shock.

Instinctively, Lu Meiying tried to swim back to the shore, but before she could reach the bank, she felt something biting her feet. In the next instant, every part of her body was being attacked. Under the dim glow of the moon, the surface of the pond slowly darkened to a crimson red.

"Ah! What’s going on? What’s biting me all over?!"

She flailed, trying desperately to swim ashore, but an invisible force pulled her beneath the water. Her blood-curdling screams were swallowed by the pond, gradually fading into silence.

Lu Chenyu’s blood ran cold. He remembered the warning from those cloaked figures: "Stop the feeding."

Within seconds of the silence, the blood that had stained the surface of the pond vanished. Bubbles rose to the surface, larger and more numerous than those he had seen the previous day.

His eyes widened. Without waiting another second, he sprinted inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

Ten minutes later, Lu Chenyu arrived at Lan Fuyou’s residence.

"Why did you wake me in the middle of the night?" Lan Fuyou’s eyes shot daggers at the kneeling Lu Chenyu. The man had interrupted his sleep, and his temper was already frayed from the day’s events.

"I... I thought about what you said this morning. I couldn’t sleep at all... that’s why I came here! I couldn’t wait until morning! Please, Emperor Lan, allow me to depart immediately!" Lu Chenyu bowed deeply, his tone perfectly calculated hiding his anxiousness. His mind raced with worry for the pond—he had no idea when those creatures will come out.

Lan Fuyou didn’t care about Lu Chenyu’s inner thoughts. He hadn’t had a proper rest during the mission, and all he wanted now was to kick this ungrateful, irritating bastard out of his residence and return to his precious sleep.

"Do what you want, and be gone," he said dismissively.

No sooner had Lu Chenyu left than Lan Fuyou returned to his bed, slipping quickly back into slumber.

Even in the dead of night, ability-user teams remained awake, scouring the area for the Iron Gale Squad. They had not given up. Failing to locate the squad, they assumed the Iron Gale members knew about the bounty and were hiding, waiting for nightfall to emerge.

It was the perfect opportunity for Lu Chenyu. He recruited these teams, offering 30 kilograms of supplies and 30 spars each for their escort more than the bounty. Greed and necessity made them agree without hesitation.

By around 2 a.m., the group set off, moving silently under the cover of darkness.

Lu Chenyu glanced back at the base one last time, particularly in the direction of Lan Fuyou’s residence. His expression twisted into a smug smile, full of mockery and gloating. I will have the last laugh.

Meanwhile, on the mausoleum, the Iron Gale Squad, Luo Gang, his son Tao’er, Elder Meng, Zhao Lin, and Zhao Mo had finally emerged and escaped.

Compared to yesterday, there were far more mosquitoes, but the combined forces of the group made short work of them. Each member fought efficiently, ensuring no one was harm.

Morning came swiftly. The sun’s rays were merciless. The air temperature climbed to 42 degrees Celsius, heavy and stifling, as if walking into a sauna.

Since there was a gas station nearby, Nanzhi and Weihao decided to check the facility. The pumps were no longer working, so they had to locate the underground fuel tanks.

Being a medium-sized station, they found four tanks. Half an hour later, they had successfully transferred the fuel into empty drums.

From the four tanks, they managed to retrieve forty-one thousand liters of fuel: thirteen thousand liters of regular gasoline, twelve thousand liters of premium gasoline, and ten thousand liters of diesel.

It seemed the station had been replenished just before the flood hit.

Unfortunately, the last tank had suffered water seepage, leaving them only six thousand liters of ethanol (E85) usable.

Around 8 a.m., just as they were about to set off, Colonel Tang called once again.

"Lin Boy, there’s another matter," he said, his tone immediately taking on the authority used during military meetings. Nanzhi noticed it instantly.

Colonel Tang explained that both Lin Daxia and Wang Chul had conducted a thorough investigation and discovered egg casings in the sedimentation basin and on the watchtower of the water production facility. The researchers confirmed they were mosquito eggs.

Currently, a carpet search was underway within a one-mile radius of the base to locate any remaining eggs.

Nanzhi recalled the egg casings they had previously found on the muddy bottom of the pond. Concerned, Weihao asked Colonel Tang to describe the egg casings physically and in great detail.

Colonel Tang’s description matched perfectly.