The Cannon Fodder in the Global Apocalypse Game lives a leisurely life
Chapter 168: Second Lair’s Harvest (1)

Chapter 168: Second Lair’s Harvest (1)

The loots obtained from the bloodcurdling/treasure cave were divided into [Copper Coins X4457], [Beginner Wood X549 units], [White Quality Equipment X845 units], and [Copper Quality Equipment X124 units], which increased 5–10 points of basic stats.

A variety of wild fruits and wild vegetables grown on wetlands like the ones they had harvested on the way, in addition to green bulb-like clamps of [Bog Citrus Grass X37], shrubby bush with dense green succulent leaves called [Bog Woody Saltwort X87], and yellow fungus comprising of several thick overlapping brackets named [Bog Golden Polypore X 48], some packaged commodities like noodles, canned goods, and this [Bog Marshy Humus X134 units].

Li Chunhua didn’t recognize the use of some items and asked Chef Long.

Long Haoran spent three minutes examining the plant loot and the brown-colored blocks of soil with a spongy consistency, emitting a strong scent of dried grass and seaweed.

Bog citrus is similar to lemongrass and is used to enhance the citrusy flavor of soup, salads, roasted meat, and curries. The woody saltwort, if he was not mistaken, is pickleweed.

They thrive in salty soil and can be eaten sautéed, stir-fried, pickled, steamed, deep-fried, tempura, or raw.

(A/N: The ashes of pickleweed can be used in the production of soap and glass too.)

On the other hand, the polypore is, without a doubt, the mushroom named Chicken of the Woods. The tender tips can be sautéed and used as a topping, not limited to an omelet, burger, soup, or as a side dish.

The middle part, which contains a meatier flavor, can substitute chicken in dishes, while the tough part can be boiled as stock, dried, crushed into powder, and rubbed in meat to marinate.

Long Haoran explained these to Li Chunhua, and the foodie instantly caught on to one thing.

"A chicken mushroom!" Li Chunhua exclaimed, and a smile found its way to her lips. Heaven knows how she wanted to eat chicken again, but since the Myriad Colorful Hens were giving her eggs and Crowing Golden Beak hadn’t given birth to chicks, she couldn’t turn them into a bucket of fried drumsticks.

The emotion in her eyes is so strong that if she had a skill, Long Haoran would be pulverized.

Long Haoran could hear her thoughts through them, and without her requesting it, the employed chef answered dutifully, "I will cook them for dinner tonight."

Li Chunhua was instantly happy after getting her wish and turned her attention to the last item that Chef Long didn’t explain. "How about that humus? What does it do?"

"I don’t know about this, but if it’s included in the loot, it must have important uses."

Long Haoran pressed his thumb on the soil blocks, trying to recall if he saw this somewhere before.

If Chef Long doesn’t know and fairy godmother Siri isn’t around...

A particular player appeared in her mind. Li Chunhua took a picture of the peat, opened her chat interface, and sent it to one of her contacts attached to a fee.

[You’ve received 10 units of beginner wood.]

The agricultural professor was in the middle of a conversation with his natives when he received the message. He instantly checked his inbox, and when he saw the picture, his eyes showed interest.

[Little Baozi]: *jpeg* Do you perhaps know what this is?

[Green Thumb]: That’s peat! As far as I know, they are used in horticulture to maintain the moisture of the soil and the acidity of some crops, like tomatoes and berries. They are used as filtration mediums to remove toxic materials and pathogens from process waste streams and sewage and are also used for fuel, but due to their high carbon emissions when burned, they were banned.

[Green Thumb]: Baozi, did you have excess peat? I want to buy it.

Peat can improve the quality of the soil and may perhaps shorten the harvest time. Sadly, they can only be obtained from marshes where numerous high-level monsters lurk.

Li Chunhua carefully read Green Thumb’s message and decided to trade 10 units.

The professor knew Baozi was rich and might not want to look at ordinary stuff, such as basic resources. So, he sent his newly made soap.

[You’ve got 3 units of Wood Ash Lye Soap.]

Li Chunhua, who received the soap, thought of the problem of hygiene. Even if she knows the dirt-dispelling spell, the residents, including Brother Siri, will not be able to learn it without sensing Qi. This made her decide to place an order.

The professor readily accepted it, but the price he asked for was equipment.

Li Chunhua, who was a walking bank, wired the payment in advance, making the professor gulp in speechlessness.

After settling the matter, Li Chunhua and Long Haoran, with torches on hand, surveyed the interior of the cave, and their attention was caught by the holes on the ceiling glowing with a faint red light.

Li Chunhua opened the map, and when she confirmed the lair was in that hole, she told Long Haoran before hugging him by the waist and activating her jumping flea skill. "Hold on to me, Chef Long!"

Her feet sprang, leaving a small crack on the spot where she had stood before and a cloud of dust as she ascended towards the entrance of the hole.

Long Haoran was startled and wrapped his arms around her shoulder, drawing her head close to him and due to their height difference. This caused his lips to graze on her forehead.

Li Chunhua looked up after sensing something moist. "What was that?" She asked.

At her question, the tips of Long Haoran’s ears turned pink and he evaded her eyes. "Nothing."

---

The Hive Main Palace was divided into three areas: the throne room, which had a huge hall used for conferences; the queen’s nest, made of dried monster corpses; and the garden, which had a small pond where the queen used to take a dip every day.

The remaining survivors were currently discussing building new ponds for their descendants in the hive because the miasma covering the boundary had dispersed. This was to make the daily feeding more convenient, when suddenly they smelled the foreign scent coming from the entrance.

They all flapped their wings towards it when out of the blue, two shadows landed in front of them.

Li Chunhua and Long Haoran took out their torches and illuminated the room. The sight of hundreds of mosquitos made both assumed a fighting stance. Long Haoran took out his pan.

When the mosquitos saw the two players, they buzzed and had yelled ’attack’ through their antennas.

But halfway through when they saw the pan enlarged big as the hall, the mosquitos did a U-turn and flee.

"Retreat!" Their antennas vibrated wildly due to the jamming of the signals caused by fear.

But the two driven by the copper coins would not stop even when the other side were experiencing unstable network.

---

Li Chunhua, in the midst of remembering one of the purposes of the shopping trip, took out the sleeping ginseng inside her chest. "Little Ginseng, wake up! Your time of greatness has come."

The Little Ginseng opened its eyes and yawned, and when it saw the dim cave, it asked curiously. "Ji ji ji." (Master, where are we?)

Li Chunhua didn’t know what the ji ji ji meant, so she took out some equipment to dress the small shota and stuffed a dagger in its hand before saying her pep talk. "The start of the journey of every great warrior is hard, but I know you will be great someday!"

The Little Ginseng, whose back was against the battle scene, blinked at her master, unable to understand what she was saying, until a hand made it turn around to witness the handsome chef swatting the scattered mosquitoes.

"Chef Long, don’t kill them all! Leave some for my summons!" Li Chunhua shouted, which made Long Haoran stop at once and go to block the other exit leading to the queen’s nest with his frying pan.

So she’s a summoner, and this little radish is her companion? Long Haoran quietly observed, wondering what sort of skills a summoner possessed.

With both escape routes cut off, the remaining 43 mosquitoes, tired and wounded, hovered in midair, unable to decide what to do.

"Ji?" (Eh?) The Little Ginseng finally knew what its Master implied and quickly stepped back, but Li Chunhua coated it with qi essences before hurling it to the group of mosquitoes. "I summon you, Pikachu!"

"Ji!!!" (Master! You traitor!) The little ginseng shrieked mid-flight after seeing fifty pairs of eyes fixated on him. It nearly fainted again.

[Intimacy level: 25/100]

It was so scary until Li Chunhua said something: "If you manage to gain a skill! We’ll have a chicken feast tonight! Right, Chef Long?"

In the next second, the two saw the Little Ginseng slowly becoming a giant squeezing them to the cave wall.

[Gigantification Skill activated.]

"Ji ji ji!" (Chicken Soup! Chicken Fried! Chicken Braised! My Chicken!) The little ginseng chanted.

The mosquitos: ∑(ΦдΦlll We’re dead...

Li Chunhua: (ʘᗩʘ’) I forgot about this! "Little Ginseng, no no no stop! This place is going to be destroyed!"

Long Haoran: (＠_＠;) Are summoners so overpowered?

(Little Baozi: Thank you for the lovely gifts BowsetteIRL, LotusLin, and ily_Merbella.)

(Pics in the comment section)