After leaving the laboratory, Miki rested for a day, and the next day, she began her unfinished mission.
Alone.
If she wasn't allowed to leave the Village, would she not leave the Village? The Village was like Miki's backyard garden.
Rather, the entire Ninja World was, in Miki's eyes, her important flower garden.
Taking a hidden route, Miki secretly slipped out of the Village.
As long as she was fast enough, no one would notice that Miki had left the Village.
That same day, Miki rushed back to the River Country and released the Eve Swarm she carried with her into the wilderness of the River Country.
As the lid of the bug box opened, the Queen Bug dragged her plump body out, surrounded by a large group of highly vigilant Eve Swarm.
They would establish a sub-base in the River Country.
At a secluded location, the Eve Swarm began excavation work.
They would create a temporary small burrow where the Swarm would reside, using it as a starting point to expand underground in all directions.
Miki watched over them nearby until the sub-base was safely excavated several hours later, then she set off again.
The Eve Swarm carried a sufficient number of members, and in the early stages in nature, self-preservation was more than enough; if they were just scavenging dung, there were few competitors, and even if there were, they couldn't win against the Swarm.
The purpose of this base was not only to expand territory and seize resources, but also to survey and explore wild species and resources.
There were many rare and special products in the Konoha Forest.
Most were large in size, mostly mammals, but there were also anomalies, such as a miniature fragrant pig.
Very fragrant, tender, and smooth.
And the River Country was no exception.
Miki's main goal was to find them, so she needed a forward research base.
In addition, the River Country had waterways connecting the inland to the ocean, reaching directly to the Land of Rain.
This could be developed as the Swarm's first transport port.
It could then be routed through the Land of Rain to various locations.
As the Swarm expanded, the waterways would serve as important and hidden transport channels.
Connecting the Swarm like blood vessels.
It was a lower-tier substitute for Tunneling Bugs.
Not perfect, but usable.
This meant that they could launch surprise attacks on the Five Great Nations via the waterways.
Although currently, there were no aquatic units.
Three days later, Miki arrived deep in the Land of Wind, having endured the harsh sun and blowing sand all the way.
Under such harsh natural conditions, the organisms that could survive possessed unique abilities.
The current Eve Swarm could not survive here.
The day-night temperature difference alone could take half the life out of the Eve Swarm.
It also caused Miki a lot of trouble.
The desert was scalding hot!
She wondered how the Sunagakure Shinobi endured it.
Miki measured it; the daytime temperature was often above forty degrees Celsius, reaching up to seventy degrees, and unprotected skin exposed to it would suffer severe sunburn.
At night, it was deadly cold.
Miki could still solve the temperature problem, or rather, the Eve Swarm could solve it themselves.
Living nocturnally, choosing suitable temperatures to become active.
This was the cheapest solution; they would usually hide under the sand.
Most desert creatures were nocturnal.
During the day, it seemed lifeless, but at night, it became extremely lively.
Not only were there scorpions, bugs, spiders, birds, cats, lizards, and camels, but there were even fish.
But there was an unavoidable problem.
Scarce water resources.
Humans chose to settle in oases where water resources were relatively abundant.
Other creatures in the desert could only rely on their unique abilities.
One type was the storage system.
Plants like cacti and desert roses stored water and nutrients, and many animals would raid them.
The second type was the conservation system.
The ancestors of cats were in the desert, even in the Ninja World, hence cat habits conformed to the characteristics of desert animals.
Nocturnal, naturally using litter boxes, the desert lacked plants, cats were sensitive to plant toxins, and finally, cats' powerful urine concentration ability could enhance the reuse and absorption of water, so cats rarely drank water, and normal wild cats could survive without drinking water.
The third type was the collection system; Miki caught this little guy during the day, a ground beetle.
The hydrophilic elytra of this beetle could collect moisture from the air, and the moisture condensed into water droplets, accumulating over time.
This beetle would become key for the Swarm's survival in the desert.
If a small number of the Swarm were released now, without Miki's long-term logistical support, they would not be able to adapt and evolve quickly and would be completely wiped out in a short time due to various problems.
Therefore, Miki did not spend the effort or time on this, nor did she have the spare capacity to do so.
Once the Swarm in the River Country developed to a certain scale, they would spontaneously come to the desert's border.
At the same time, they would begin adapting to desert, ocean, and freshwater environments.
Along the way, Miki encountered several oases with large populations, and Miki infiltrated one such gathering place to scout.
It turned out they were very hospitable.
Miki bought a pile of local specialties, mainly spices, raisins, wine, and camel milk.
There were also dancing girls for sale.
But Miki didn't need them.
Miki wasn't looking for these kinds of local specialties; Miki wanted to find a giant desert death worm.
But since she was already there, she might as well buy some.
She stayed there for a day and then inquired about the giant worm.
The locals said there were legends, but they had never seen one.
Besides giant death worms, there were also giant scorpions.
Scorpions as big as mountains.
Miki didn't have any particular thoughts about these giant scorpions; although scorpions had a unique respiratory system that resisted low oxygen, allowing them to grow very large.
But the problem lay in nerve transmission speed.
As the body expanded, it would take several seconds for the muscles to receive a nerve signal and lift a foot, making them sluggish targets.
A spinal structure would need to be created to serve as a nerve center, and the most crucial part was the myelin sheath, and mammals could also grow very large.
As long as there were sufficiently strong muscles and bones to support them, preventing them from collapsing under their own weight.
And for the giant Summoning Beasts in the Ninja World, the key factor supporting their size was Chakra.
Gamabunta possessed powerful Sage Mode Chakra.
Manda and Slug were the same.
Therefore, these giant beasts in the Ninja World must have mastered the use of Chakra.
Miki left the oasis; she wasn't in a hurry to find these special desert species now.
Midway, Miki glimpsed Sunagakure in the sandstorm from afar.
There was not a trace of greenery; plants were the most precious luxury in this Village.
But it was certain that there were underground water sources, like subterranean rivers.
Otherwise, the entire Village could not be sustained.
Miki did not delve too deeply into Sunagakure, continuing to advance into the depths of the desert.
During this time, she encountered a peculiar desert tribe.
They migrated by following underground water sources.
Miki hitched a ride for a while and finally arrived at what these desert people called the end of the world.
A continuous mountain range.
Towering snow-capped mountains blocked her path.
Miki did not give up and continued deeper, eventually seeing the ocean.
And fragmented, desolate, scattered small islands.
Miki ran across the sea, checking one small island after another.
She then confirmed it was a dead land.
There were migratory birds, though, leaving behind bird droppings.
"Seriously…"
This place beneath her feet was sunk by the Six Paths Sage.
This was within the range of Chibaku Tensei's impact.
Miki looked towards the distant horizon.
The island she was on was a stopover for migratory birds, and the accumulated layer of bird droppings beneath her feet was proof.
There were abundant resources in the sea.
And across the sea, there was definitely a continent.
"So that's how it is…"
Miki mused.
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