"Grandma, that's not running away for no reason. People are just avoiding the danger temporarily because of environmental problems. Don't they say, 'Where there are green mountains, there's no need to fear the lack of firewood'? If we're alive, we can always come back when the environment improves. Who could really bear to abandon their home?"
"Besides, think of it as a trip. You've always wanted to see Sichuan, haven't you? When we get the chance, let's go together." Jing Shu planned to influence her grandmother gradually, step by step.
Grandma Jing nodded at this. "Alright, when you put it that way, I can accept it. But our home is so safe. I'm not going anywhere. No wandering around."
"…What if there's an earthquake or a flood? Would you run then?"
"Well, of course! I'm not stupid."
Good. At least Grandma Jing wasn't hopelessly stubborn. Once the RV arrived and was remodeled into a comfortable living space, Jing Shu would keep talking about going on a trip to Sichuan in the RV. Then, after a few evacuations during earthquakes, migration would feel natural.
Jing Shu had discovered that when persuading someone, you couldn't just bluntly reject their thoughts. Instead, you had to encourage them to want to act in a certain way themselves. Heh, that method worked surprisingly well.
After all, people always had a rebellious streak. Jing Shu understood that well.
As for Grandpa Jing? As long as Grandma Jing agreed, the whole family would follow her lead.
That night, Jing Shu wrapped herself in a down jacket and took Xiao Dou out for a long walk. Lately, Xiao Dou hadn't been eating much. Its appetite had dropped sharply, so Jing Shu decided to take it outside to relax for a few days and observe it. Could it be that drinking too much Spirit Spring had shortened its lifespan? But looking at how spirited it still was, she doubted it.
The cold night air bit at her skin, but Xiao Dou was completely unfazed by either heat or cold. Jing Shu couldn't help but envy it.
Speaking of this bizarre weather, Jing Shu had been wondering if the Earth's atmosphere had thinned because most of the dust particles had finally settled.
During the day, with the Earth closer to the sun and fewer dust particles in the atmosphere, temperatures soared uncontrollably. At night, with no heat source, the surface temperature plummeted to just a few degrees above freezing. Of all her theories, the one that seemed most plausible was that the stellar explosions had knocked the Earth slightly off its orbit, bringing it closer to the sun.
These days, the dustfall wasn't as bad as before. Less than a centimeter accumulated each day, which was a sign of stabilization, and the amount would likely decrease over time.
However, during the six months of Earth's Dark Days, some areas had accumulated nearly two meters of dust. Roads were buried, rivers and springs vanished, countless plants were wiped out, and untold amounts of water resources were wasted.
This was likely one of the biggest reasons for future landform changes and even desertification.
Still, the dwindling dust gave people hope. Many believed that when the dust finally stopped falling, it would mean the sun would shine again. The less dust fell, the more hope people felt.
After walking Xiao Dou, Jing Shu checked that all the villa's traps were working properly, then shut the gates, making sure the coop's air-conditioning was maintaining a stable temperature and the poultry were healthy.
Next, she headed to the greenhouse, where the bees had built their own hives and multiplied to over a hundred. She inspected the hive for carrion scavengers and maggots.
Recently, her father had brought back a batch of glue and patching tools, allowing them to seal the villa perfectly, ensuring airtight protection.
Jing Shu had also discovered a new function of her Cube Space.
Animals raised in the Cube Space, if kept there long enough and fed Spirit Spring regularly, seemed to develop a faint emotional connection with her, allowing her to guide their behavior.
Previously, when she raised No. 1 and a flock of chickens, only No. 1 developed intelligence. The others had shown no response, making her think it took a massive amount of Spirit Spring to awaken intelligence.
The second oddity appeared when she moved the bees into the greenhouse after half a year in the Cube Space. They didn't attack her and seemed to recognize her as their owner, but she still couldn't control them.
The third breakthrough came recently, after the Cube Space's second form started appearing more frequently. Spending long hours inside with her livestock, interacting with them daily, she realized she could now direct the bees to fly out or return. They understood her intentions.
However, the bees that had been moved to the greenhouse three months ago were completely unresponsive. Jing Shu couldn't guide them or sense them, though at least they didn't attack her.
Further experiments revealed that once bees were outside for more than a day, she lost her connection with them and couldn't control them. Conversely, bringing the greenhouse bees back into the Cube Space for over ten days did nothing to reestablish their bond.
This showed Jing Shu how difficult it was to develop this guiding ability with bees.
If this ability was indeed tied to the Cube Space's second form, then it was extremely selective. Despite spending so much time in the Cube Space, Jing Shu still couldn't connect with any of the other animals like chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, sheep, rabbits, or quail.
Oh, and most of those animals didn't stay in the Cube Space long enough. Jing Shu raised them in cycles: raise, butcher, and eat. They grew and reproduced quickly, so they never had the long-term exposure that the bees did.
Although bees typically lived about three months, her bees hadn't died yet, likely due to drinking Spirit Spring. They had already doubled in population and even produced a new queen.
Jing Shu theorized that to establish this bond and gain control over an animal, it needed to stay in the Cube Space for at least six months, consume Spirit Spring daily (even in tiny amounts), and never leave for more than a day. Leaving for over a day severed the bond entirely, and she would have to start over.
She called this mysterious power the Cube Space's "fusion ability," which allowed cross-species bonds at a fundamental level.
Jing Shu even considered training the bees as a weapon. If she were tied up or threatened with a knife at someone's neck, unleashing bees would be an excellent countermeasure.
In the future, when laws were reinstated and killing became illegal again, having bees silently assassinate someone without leaving evidence would be perfect for bypassing the law entirely.
But bee stings weren't lethal. A bee could only sting once, and then it was done. Jing Shu began thinking about breeding killer bees, or at least creating venom for the bees to dip their stingers in. She could also try enhancing them with Spirit Spring to breed a swarm of battle-ready bees.
"Should I ask Wu You'ai if her mentor has access to killer bees? But it's already been over half a year since the apocalypse started. Most of these species must be nearly extinct by now. And even if we started breeding them, it would take another six months, plus daily Spirit Spring feeding. For now, it's better to focus on strengthening the bees I already have in the Cube Space."
Jing Shu finally decided to create a batch of deadly poison and use a portion of her bees for testing. With the Spirit Spring's protection, perhaps they could withstand carrying venom in their stingers and become her secret weapon.