Some bugs are blind, and the Eve Swarm is like that.
Although they have eyes and can see, they can only see a little.
They distinguish their surroundings through their antennae and scent.
Among these, they primarily rely on pheromones; the pheromone paths left along the way are the expressways established by the Eve Swarm.
Therefore, even in pitch-black environments, they can continue their work as usual.
Between the mountains of food, countless Eve Swarm members are busy at work.
Firstly, the Eve Swarm does not eat feces.
They don't have such powerful digestive capabilities.
But even if the Eve Swarm doesn't eat it, some bugs do.
For example, the Goliath Beetle.
Also known as the dung beetle, it plays an important role as a scavenger in nature.
It finds feces and lays its eggs within them; the babies, upon hatching, have food to eat until adulthood, undergoing metamorphosis within the dung and then crawling out.
The Eve Swarm mainly eats the larvae of the Goliath Beetle, which are large, high-protein grubs.
In Konoha Forest, there is no shortage of super-large animals, so their droppings are also much larger.
Based on this environment, to transport and process these feces, this golden-colored Goliath Beetle has also evolved a large body size.
They are as big as an adult's fist, so the dung balls they roll are also very large.
Miki named them Goliath Beetles.
Because they are truly enormous.
The Eve Swarm coveted their abilities and took their dung.
The Goliath Beetles, with no dung to eat, were forced to abandon their dung-rolling work.
They could only come to the Eve Swarm's pastures to feed.
In the darkness, such a scene unfolded silently.
On the dung mountains, a mixture of soil and feces, there were countless small holes; with their innate extraordinary architectural abilities, the Eve Swarm had built the dung mountains into complex mazes and castles.
Eve Swarm members entered and exited every hole; they were constantly busy, maintaining the operation of the castle, repairing it, keeping the environment at a suitable temperature, ventilated, and clean, and eliminating other invaders, while the castle housed a large number of Goliath Beetle larvae.
These larvae fed carefree, and every so often, Eve Swarm members would come to check their status; when they reached their plumpest moment, the Eve Swarm would come and move the larvae.
Emptying the feeding spot for the next batch of larvae.
Some of them would grow into adult Goliath Beetles, while the rest served as reserve meat.
Adult Eve Swarm members do not eat meat; they only eat two things: one is honeydew, which is sugar water, and the other is fungi, also known as mushrooms.
However, Eve Swarm larvae need nutrients for rapid development, and meat is indispensable.
And don't let the grubs look small; in reality, the meat production of this pasture is extremely astonishing.
For the Eve Swarm, relying on primitive marching and hunting to gather food, its efficiency simply cannot support the vast swarm.
Naturally, new survival methods emerged, and the pasture is a manifestation of its ongoing evolution.
This evolution is also one manifestation of the Insects's infinite evolutionary ability, which is its adaptability to nature.
This place, in Miki's eyes, is a masterpiece.
Naturally, its function is not merely simple.
It is a complex, giant ecological recycling and breeding system built by the Eve Swarm itself.
Simply put, one dung, multiple uses.
Feces are extremely easy to obtain in nature, and the quantity is enormous.
Not only can they be used to raise grubs, but they can also be used to grow mushrooms.
A type of fungus.
This fungus absorbs nutrients from the feces to grow and is the main food source for adult Eve Swarm members.
It forms a white velvety layer, covering entire sections of the dung mountains.
This is one of the abilities the Eve Swarm possessed before, namely leaf-cutting and mushroom cultivation, but now they no longer cut leaves.
In addition, after sufficient fermentation, organic fertilizer can be obtained.
Rich in protein, fat, organic acids, cellulose, etc.
Although it is the most primitive composting method, it takes up a lot of space and causes air pollution, but for the Eve Swarm, it is not difficult to process and is highly efficient.
The resulting organic fertilizer will be transported to irrigate the forest; compared to the Goliath Beetle's effect on the land, it is not only more efficient but, most importantly, planned.
There will be no phenomenon of some areas being over-fertilized and others having no fertilizer.
However, it is very dangerous.
Referring to methane.
Which is natural gas.
After continuously dying from poisoning and iterating, the Eve Swarm now has the ability to utilize methane.
Referring to fire-breathing from their rear.
Therefore, this place also serves as an armory.
At the same time, it is also an energy production facility.
Referring to burning natural gas to heat water and generate electricity.
Figuratively speaking, this place is both a pasture for sheep, a garden for growing vegetables, and a workshop for weapon production.
The Eve Swarm has several other similar places, all chosen in spaces with poor air circulation to prevent large-scale environmental pollution; such places are inherently hidden.
Unobtrusive.
That's why Miki chose to establish her research base near such a place.
For convenient electricity access.
It's not like she can just light candles, right?
The passage where the Flamebug reside is the last line of defense for the base; after passing through this passage, the view suddenly opened up.
A spacious and enormous underground space appeared before their eyes.
Nearly fifty meters above their heads, huge lights were suspended, their bright white glow arranged regularly, illuminating the entire underground space.
Orochimaru was a little unaccustomed; the huge lights stung his eyes, making them ache and wanting to tear up.
His base used candles.
And he couldn't keep them lit all the time; although candles weren't expensive, he used a lot of them.
It was evident that this was a naturally formed underground cave; huge stalactites hung upside down, lining the space before them, and rows of compartments were carved into the stalactites, with countless glass bottles placed inside the compartments.
Nearby, the sound of an underground river flowing echoed continuously in the vast cave.
Orochimaru looked down at the solid ground; a layer of smooth tiles covered the floor, and the clean white tiles were reflective, so he no longer had to worry about muddy ground on rainy days.
Orochimaru scratched his toes; his nails were a little black.
He felt a bit unworthy of stepping on these clean tiles.
Tiles were something Orochimaru had never paid attention to before; only when he needed them himself did he realize, this is money!
Following Miki's figure, they continued forward, and after turning a corner, they arrived at a cleared-out space.
Orochimaru stared blankly at the things before him.
All sorts of the most advanced instruments on the market were quietly, neatly, and regularly arranged.
There were too many, and they were too beautiful.
That ultra-low temperature freezer, also called an ultra-low temperature storage cabinet, Orochimaru had always wanted one, but he couldn't afford it.
He thought about gritting his teeth and buying one…
Alas, no electricity!
But what was before him was an array of ultra-low temperature freezers, arranged in rows; he couldn't even tell how many there were.
"You…"
Orochimaru asked Miki with a complex expression.
"Are you very rich?"
Miki crossed her arms, nodded, and said indifferently, "I suppose I have a little."
Many years ago, the Three-Color Bugs had already outcompeted everything on the market.
The cultivation of the Three-Color Bugs itself was neither complex nor difficult; it was work that ordinary people could do.
They had never been stolen because they were a swarm controlled by Miki; they would starve themselves to death if they left a certain designated distance.
"Is there a problem?"
Orochimaru looked at the things before him, deliberated for a long time, and asked, "Big sis, what do you want me to do?"
"Hm?" Miki hummed softly.
"I'll help you!" Orochimaru said, "No matter what!"
I have only temporarily sold my body, but my noble soul has not yet bowed.
Orochimaru looked at Miki expectantly.
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