Cave Refuge

"Considering the numerous amount we saw last night, even if the Bugs Clan rested during the day, with so many people in the camp, even being extremely hidden, it's impossible that they've spent a whole day turning over walls and furniture without catching a single one."

"The problem lies here: we can't find the Bugs Clan's nest during the day, yet at night, their attacks come in overwhelming numbers; theoretically, this shouldn't happen."

"The Bugs Clan are tiny, normal doors and windows cannot stop them at all, and once targeted by the Bugs Clan, you're basically facing a swarm."

"Getting bitten a few times might be bearable, but if swarmed, you'd end up in a situation where you can neither live comfortably nor escape death."

Hearing Mr. Thompson talk so seriously, Zachary suddenly became quite curious, "Are these bugs really that powerful? Can't we just seal up our sleeping area better at night to keep them out?"

Right after Zachary finished speaking, Mr. Thompson immediately gave Zachary a look, "Didn't I just tell you? The Bugs Clan are very small and can squeeze through just about any crack."

"The sleeping areas, no matter how well-sealed, must still have ventilation. If it's completely sealed, you might just suffocate in your sleep."

Zachary didn't take his father's somewhat argumentative tone too seriously and then remembered the Companion Spiritual Treasures he saw on the street upon returning. He then said, "Staying inside a Companion Spiritual Treasure means you won't be disturbed by those bugs?"

Before Zachary could continue, Mrs. Thompson interjected, "You're actually right; after suffering two days of bug assaults, someone discovered that the Bugs Clan doesn't approach Companion Spiritual Treasures at night."

"This rumor wasn't believed initially. However, summoning the Companion Spiritual Treasure isn't a hassle, and after being annoyed at night, people tried it instinctively, and it turned out to be effective."

"Not just hiding in the cabins, even lying on the deck at night, those bugs won't attack you. The noisy bugs seem to fear the Companion Spiritual Treasure, and basically don't appear around it."

Hearing this, Zachary developed some interest in the Bugs Clan that only appeared at night.

Father Thompson and Mother Thompson didn't ask about Zachary's experience outside; they were used to his frequent outings. Perhaps it was because Zachary had once mentioned that actions after leaving need to be confidential, so they didn't inquire further since then.

Since Zachary was back, dinner that night was especially lavish, but even then it was just some roasted meat and vegetables, as ultimately, grilling is the simplest and most convenient cooking method.

Certainly, even simpler than braising, aside from needing ingredients, you'd also need a stove and a pot, whereas for the most basic grilling, you only need a few skewers.

Of course, with Zachary present, it wasn't done in the simplest way; he not only brought out a grill but also some spices.

The ingredients weren't the ones Zachary had freshly gathered from the forest, but those bred in the Cave.

Don't think the freshly hunted ingredients from the forest are better, but Zachary isn't a professional quarantine inspector, so he doesn't have a method to check whether the meat is safe to eat.

While the simplest method would be to use test subjects, Zachary might find it hard to use strangers for experiments.

Yet, if he directly tested it on carnivorous animals from the Cave, and if the meat had issues, poisoning those test animals would be an even greater loss for Zachary.

Carnivorous animals, even if small, carry significantly more weight in flesh and skin compared to test meat strips. Normally, testing whether ingredients are edible shouldn't just be a day's test; such important tests usually start at a minimum of one week.

Dong Tianyu didn't have the leisure time to deal with such matters, and although he could have tasked the Canary in the Cave to test them, Dong Tianyu didn't want to exert unnecessary effort on things he would not choose to consume himself.

After all, it was all meat and, among the species inside it, there didn't appear to be any poisonous ones, so even though it might result in getting a lower price when selling, Dong Tianyu still planned to honestly disclose the situation to the buyers.

However, Dong Tianyu believed that as long as he spread the word, even if he clearly explained the circumstances behind it, many people would desire to buy the meat at all costs.

After all, when people were nearing starvation, unless the food in front of them led to immediate death upon consumption, even if it contained slow-acting poison, he believed many would choose to consume it entirely.

After all, dying later on was a possibility, but if they didn't eat, they might starve to death immediately. There's an old saying, "Even if one is to die, they should die with a full stomach."

When the Thompson family had finished their meal and Dong Tianyu was lying on the deck digesting, while also pondering how to handle the meat, he suddenly felt as if many small creatures had abruptly appeared, directly entering the range covered by his Divine Sense.

Dong Tianyu had lain down on the deck after dinner to digest, truly intrigued by the little bugs his mother had spoken of, wanting to get a firsthand look at the troublesome little things his father mentioned.

As swarms of Bugs Clan suddenly appeared, Dong Tianyu's curiosity grew even stronger.

Those newly appeared bugs were just as Mrs. Thompson had described; even if some appeared around the Companion Spiritual Treasure, within seconds, they looked frightened by something and ignored their surroundings, scurrying away towards the distance.

The little flying bugs were quite small, so a mere thought from Dong Tianyu was enough to employ Telekinesis to capture one that was trying to flee.

He had initially thought that since he had controlled it with his Divine Sense, capturing it wouldn't be difficult.

Unfortunately, contrary to his wishes, as the captured bug drew closer, the initially calm little bug began to struggle more intensely the closer it got to the Companion Spiritual Treasure.

Under normal circumstances, such little bugs, with their limited brain capacity, probably lacked even basic emotions and were essentially senseless not knowing fear, so the behaviors of these bugs were predominantly instinctual.

As this particular closeness alone had incited an uproar in the captured bug, before Dong Tianyu could ponder further, controlled by his Divine Sense, the bug exploded.

Having anticipated this, as the bug approached, Dong Tianyu continuously used his Divine Sense to observe it in detail.

As Dong Tianyu had speculated, the explosion happened right above the deck's outer guardrail.

The explosion of the small flying bug at this location, if not mistaken, indicated that these bugs somehow couldn't approach the Companion Spiritual Treasure.

To confirm his speculation, Dong Tianyu captured numerous bugs from different locations and then tried to bring the captured flying bugs from all sides towards the Companion Spiritual Treasure.

As each of the little bugs approached from various directions, as Dong Tianyu had initially guessed, the Companion Spiritual Treasure seemed to have a domain-like presence. Once the bugs got close, it was as if they entered into a certain domain, their bodies or souls unable to resist, which led to the spontaneous explosions.

Dong Tianyu's actions, though seemingly investigative of the bugs not approaching the Companion Spiritual Treasure, in fact, confirmed his speculation about the abilities of the Companion Spiritual Treasure.