"None of us has much food left at home, do we?"
Huang Tao's words silenced the noisy crowd of residents.
Qin Ziwen sat on a tree branch, a little curious. 'What is this Huang Tao up to?' he wondered.
"Have any of you thought about what you'll do when the food runs out?" Huang Tao's question was a needle, piercing the bubble of a problem many had been subconsciously avoiding.
"Resort to looting? Once your own food is gone, do you really think anyone else will have much left? We can't just sit around and wait for our supplies to run out!"
Huang Tao raised a megaphone and shouted, "There are over a thousand people in our Gated Community! Over a thousand! Just trying to forage for wild vegetables and fruits or hunt small animals won't be nearly enough to feed us all!"
Qin Ziwen rubbed his chin. 'Why does this all sound so familiar?'
Huang Tao's voice was filled with passion. "There's a river right at our doorstep! As the old saying goes, you live off the land, and we have water right here. We must take control of this river! I'm pleading with all of you—we have to unite and clear out those crocodiles! This is a war! A war between humans and crocodiles for territory!"
When he finished, he looked out at the unresponsive crowd, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
From the edge of the crowd, a clear voice rang out. "So what's the plan?"
Huang Tao looked toward the source of the voice.
His eyes landed on Qin Ziwen, who was sitting in the tree.
Qin Ziwu whispered, "Bro, since when did you become his plant in the audience?"
Qin Ziwen shook his head slightly. "I'm not. Clearing out the crocodiles benefits us, too. At the very least, we won't have to worry about one of them sneaking up behind us while we're fishing."
There was something else he left unsaid.
'He was just waiting for the chance to hunt crocodiles and raise his daily settlement score.'
'Besides, once the crocodiles are gone, this river's abundant resources will become the perfect hunting ground for grinding points. I can lay down more Earth Cages in the water and build stone traps on the bank.'
Huang Tao said loudly, "I propose we form crocodile-hunting teams! Twenty people per team. With our Gated Community's population, we can easily put together ten or twenty teams.
"Crocodiles are dangerous, but they're not invincible. We killed one just yesterday, didn't we? That proves they aren't as powerful as they seem.
"Once they're on land, they can't even use half their strength! Our greatest advantage over animals is our intelligence. We can set traps!
"Plus, a crocodile is all meat! Kill one, and every person on the team could get dozens of pounds of meat—enough to feed a family for a week! Shouldn't we hunt them now while we're still well-fed and strong? Or should we wait until we're fighting them on an empty stomach?"
A young man on a nearby second-floor balcony shouted, "How would the meat be divided? What about the freeloaders? Do they get a share, too?"
Huang Tao raised his fist resolutely. "I absolutely despise freeloading! In a team, you'll have many pairs of eyes watching. Everyone will know who's slacking and who's contributing. I don't want people like that on any team, but if we find one, the team can vote on whether to kick them out."
An old man nearby spoke up. "And how are we supposed to kill them? Don't think we didn't hear. A young man died during the hunt yesterday. Those crocodiles are huge. How is anyone supposed to survive a tail whip from one of those?"
Huang Tao explained patiently, "We learned from our hunt yesterday. The key is to do everything we can to ensure everyone's safety. But nothing in life is completely risk-free. You can choke to death just drinking water."
The spectating residents brought up all sorts of questions. Some were just trying to stir up trouble, while others were genuinely asking.
Regardless, Huang Tao answered each one patiently.
Finally, Huang Tao said, "The battery on this megaphone is dying, so I'll keep it short. One last thing: anyone willing to hunt crocodiles can come sign up with me. I'll do my best to group you into suitable teams based on your building floor and needs. If you've already formed your own team, you can still register with me. I'll share what we've learned with everyone, free of charge."
Zheng Yuan's voice came from under the tree. "Brother Qin, want to team up for tomorrow?"
Looking down at the somewhat unfamiliar man, Qin Ziwen's mind raced.
The man under the tree said, "It's me, Zheng Yuan."
Qin Ziwen couldn't believe it. He struggled to reconcile the clean-shaven, handsome man with thick eyebrows and large eyes before him with the burly, bearded man he remembered.
Zheng Yuan laughed heartily. "I shaved my beard. It was too much of a hassle to maintain every day."
Since they had worked together well once before, Qin Ziwen readily agreed after a moment's thought.
"How many people have you contacted?"
Zheng Yuan pointed toward Huang Tao in the crowd. "Tentatively, Old Huang, plus a few of the security guards from property management. Then there's a neighbor from my building, a fitness instructor. So, I've got seven people so far."
Qin Ziwen said, "Me and my brother, plus one other person on my end who was with us last time. That makes ten. We still need ten more."
He was saving a spot for Old Deng.
'Old Deng always comes back empty-handed from fishing, but he's a decent guy.'
Zheng Yuan said, "Let Old Huang pick the rest. He must have plenty of people signing up with him now, so he should be able to choose some suitable teammates."
Qin Ziwen couldn't help but tease, "You're already calling him 'Old Huang' so casually."
Zheng Yuan looked a little awkward but said, "Huang Tao might be a bit of an opportunist, but he's still pretty reliable."
The two chatted for a bit before parting ways.
Qin Ziwen and his brother headed to the eighth floor of Building 1, Unit 1.
Reaching the eighth floor, Qin Ziwen was sweating. "That was a bit of a climb."
Qin Ziwu patted his thigh. "It's rough without an elevator."
There were only two apartments on this floor. Apartment 801 had a shoe rack by the entrance and couplets on the door.
Apartment 802, however, was bare and showed no signs of life.
Qin Ziwen knocked on the door of 801.
A woman's voice came from inside. "Who is it?"
"Does Wang Yun live here? I met him this afternoon. I live in Building 8."
"Ah Yun, someone's here for you! Says he's from Building 8."
The door soon opened to reveal Wang Yun. He was wearing glasses and casual clothes and invited Qin Ziwen inside.
"This is my wife, Lin Yi. This is the young man who traded fish with me this afternoon, and his brother."
Lin Yi, her hair in a bun, greeted Qin Ziwen with a graceful smile. "Hello."
Qin Ziwen felt a bit sheepish. "Sorry to bother you so late. I actually wanted to ask for your advice, Dr. Wang. I was wondering what I should know about raising rabbits. It's my first time, and I'm not sure what to be careful with regarding their food."
Realization dawned on Wang Yun, and he explained patiently, "When it comes to raising rabbits, you really just need to be mindful of two things. First, don't feed them too many high-water-content vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, or carrots. It can disrupt their gut flora, leading to severe diarrhea and bloating. In serious cases, it can be fatal.
"Second, wild rabbits are hindgut fermenters. They need to ingest a lot of high-fiber roughage to keep their digestive systems moving. Basically, their main diet should be things like dried grass, leaves, and bark, supplemented with a small amount of fresh vegetables. You should also give them 250 to 500 milliliters of drinking water daily."
Wang Yun went on to give him several other important tips for raising rabbits.
Qin Ziwen felt he had learned a great deal.
'Indeed,' he thought, 'knowledge is the most valuable asset.'
Qin Ziwen asked, "Are you two going on the crocodile hunt tomorrow?"
Wang Yun shook his head. "We're going to sit this one out. Be careful if you go. Crocodiles are extremely dangerous. Their stamina and endurance are poor, but their explosive power is incredibly high.
"Hmm... crocodiles are cold-blooded. They can't regulate their own body temperature and have to rely on their environment. They get sluggish when it's cold. Of course, I'm talking about crocodiles from Earth. The ones here aren't native species, so you can only use that information as a reference. I hope you have a good hunt tomorrow."
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