Chapter 364: Chapter 364: Mutated Animals 5
The others pieced together what had happened from Paul Pence’s fragmented words and rushed forward, pinning Henry Hansen to the ground and beating him violently.
"Leader, I want to kill them." Paul Pence’s eyes were filled with hatred.
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Do as you please."
She had wanted to kill them both anyway. In Evelyn Ford’s eyes, molesting a woman was a crime punishable by death.
Holden Turner and Henry Hansen tried to beg for mercy, but Paul Pence ended their lives with the kitchen knife from Aunt Crane’s hand.
Paul Pence dragged their bodies away. No one knew where he took them.
Evelyn Ford looked at the crowd and said coldly, "Anyone who steps out of line will meet the same fate as Holden Turner and Henry Hansen."
A full belly stirs wicked thoughts. It had only been a few days of eating their fill, and already, someone’s true colors were showing.
Perhaps because Evelyn Ford’s gaze was so cold, no one dared to make a sound. She gave a cold snort and glanced at the cockroach corpses outside.
"I’ve decided we’re clearing the cockroach corpses from the farm. Everyone, grab a shovel and clear out the ones by the cabins. We’ll burn them directly—burn them all before they start to rot."
"Should we use some gasoline?"
Evelyn Ford shook her head. "No need. A torch will be enough."
Wearing masks, gloves, and hats, everyone immediately grabbed hoes and shovels and began to clear away the cockroach corpses.
Evelyn Ford returned to her cabin, her expression still grim. She decided to rearrange the farm’s living quarters, separating men and women. Even fathers and daughters would have to live in separate quarters.
"Where’s Evelyn Ford?" Ian Yates asked, standing outside while clearing cockroach corpses with a shovel.
Ronan Kendrick walked up to him, looking down at him imperiously.
"You little brat, have you no manners?"
Ian Yates looked up to meet Ronan Kendrick’s gaze. "Am I not allowed to say Evelyn Ford’s name?"
"You’re not."
Ian Yates looked completely unafraid. "It’s fine. Evelyn Ford can just get used to it. She saved my life. I’m twelve now. When I grow up, I’m going to marry her."
Ronan Kendrick... ’What am I, dead?’
"Are you trying to die? Evelyn Ford is my wife. You’re going to marry her? Believe me, I can and will throw you right out of this farm."
Ronan Kendrick’s face darkened. Staring at the little punk in front of him, he raised his hand, tempted to kill Ian Yates right then and there.
"I know that. But there’s no rule saying Evelyn Ford can only be one person’s wife. I’m not trying to steal her from you now. By the time I’m grown up, you’ll be an old man. You won’t be able to compete with me then."
Ronan Kendrick was about to lose his mind. Quincy and the few others who had witnessed the entire exchange didn’t dare speak, terrified that Ronan’s fury would spill over onto them.
Still, everyone admired Ian Yates’s audacity. To think he would dare challenge Ronan Kendrick’s position as the one-and-only.
Ronan Kendrick sent Ian Yates flying with a kick. He would kill this little homewrecker today, or his name wasn’t Ronan Kendrick.
"What’s going on?" Evelyn Ford had just stepped outside when she saw that although the people nearby were holding shovels, pretending to work, their eyes were glued to Ronan Kendrick and Ian Yates.
Ronan Kendrick had Ian Yates by the throat, lifting him clean off the ground.
"Evelyn Ford, help me!"
Evelyn Ford didn’t move, simply staring at the two of them. Ronan Kendrick set Ian Yates down, shot him a warning glare, and then walked over to Evelyn.
"He said he wants to leave."
Ian Yates, rubbing his neck and coughing nonstop, scrambled over to Evelyn Ford upon hearing this.
"I did not! I just told him that I want to be with you in the future, and he got angry. What’s there to be angry about? He’s not even happy for you."
Evelyn Ford’s head began to throb as soon as she heard that.
’What kind of outrageous nonsense is this?’
"Ian Yates, are you trying to die?"
Ian Yates flinched. "No... but... shouldn’t I repay you for saving my life by dedicating myself to you? Is that not allowed?"
"Of course not."
Ian Yates looked a little disappointed. "I know I’m not very good-looking right now, and I’m short, but I’ll get taller."
"If you keep spouting this nonsense and making trouble, I’ll throw you out myself."
Seeing Evelyn Ford’s expression turn serious, Ian Yates didn’t dare say another word.
"Get to work! More cockroaches will be here any minute, and you’re all still dawdling."
After a single sweeping glance from Evelyn Ford, everyone quickly lowered their heads and got back to work.
Ronan Kendrick was in an excellent mood. This feeling of being the favored one made him want to gloat in front of every single person.
Once the cockroach corpses along the cabin walls were shoveled into a pile, Evelyn Ford lit a Pine Torch and tossed it on top. The insects’ wings sizzled and crackled in the flames.
To prevent the massive fire from reaching the cabins and sheds, everyone used their shovels to create a firebreak.
"What happened to all the livestock?"
Officer Graham glanced at Nathan Xavier. "There are other cellars on the farm. We moved them all inside."
"Won’t they suffocate in there?"
"No, they won’t. You don’t need to worry about that."
The fire lit up the farm’s sky and a foul stench filled the air. It burned for a full day and night before the last of the cockroach corpses were incinerated. The resulting ash was swept into the greenhouses to be used as fertilizer for the vegetables.
However, more cockroaches and crows soon arrived, so Ronan Kendrick threw a few more Smoke Bombs.
Over the next few days, Evelyn Ford focused on planting rice in her pocket dimension, while Ronan Kendrick went out every night to deploy a Smoke Bomb. Once a week, everyone gathered to incinerate the bodies of the cockroaches and crows.
A month passed in this manner, and the number of cockroaches and crows finally began to dwindle.
"All day today, I only saw one crow and maybe seven or eight cockroaches. We took care of them with a handheld net."
Evelyn Ford, however, felt things weren’t that simple. The sun was still red, after all, and the temperature had risen from negative one degree to five degrees Celsius.
"Clear out every last cockroach corpse. Check the farm’s fences and patch up any and all damaged sections."
Evelyn Ford’s eyelid was twitching violently. That only happened when a true crisis was imminent.
She worried that a wave of mutated wildlife would be next. A beast tide was a terrifying prospect. The frenzied animals would be completely irrational, and with their massive size, they could break into the farm with ease.
Evelyn Ford distributed the long rifles, then arranged for several people to begin patrolling in two shifts.
Officer Graham found Evelyn Ford to ask what she was thinking.
"I’m worried the real beast tide has yet to come."
The color drained from Officer Graham’s face. "More mutated animals?"
"It’s possible."
Evelyn Ford sighed. ’If only we had a plane,’ she thought, ’we could just fly away.’
’But I can’t afford the fuel, and besides, no one here knows how to fly a plane.’
’On top of that, those mutated Eagles are still up there. Right now, there’s nowhere safe to run, not in the sky, not on the ground.’
"What happened with Holden Turner and Henry Hansen... that was my fault."
Officer Graham felt deeply guilty about the incident. He felt he’d been a poor judge of character, bringing such scum to the farm. He had a daughter of his own. If something had happened to Penelope Parker, he would never have been able to forgive himself.
"It has nothing to do with you," Evelyn said. "When people are starving, all they want is a full belly. But once they have that, all sorts of other desires crop up."
Officer Graham still couldn’t shake the guilt, even though Paul Pence didn’t blame him.
"Mr. Graham, there’s still a lot to be done on the farm, and we need you to handle it. This matter is in the past."
Officer Graham nodded. "I’ll manage the farm well from now on."
He was so diligent for two reasons. One was to be worthy of Evelyn Ford’s trust. The other was for Wendy.
