Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Mutated Animals 8
When Ronan Kendrick returned after putting away the truck, Evelyn Ford had already set their meal on the table. As long as they were alive, rebuilding a farm was just a matter of time. The priority was simply to live well.
Outside the farm’s fence, the herd of wild boars began to frantically ram and tear at each other. The boars’ shrill squeals carried into the farm. Inside the cellar, everyone sat together, no one daring to make a sound.
After breakfast, Evelyn Ford got out her crossbow and longsword, changed into a functional outfit, and the two of them locked the wooden cabin and headed outside the farm.
It wasn’t Evelyn Ford’s style to be a sitting duck. Each carrying a basket of Smoke Bombs, they stood just inside the farm fence and tossed them over. The herd of boars outside erupted into chaos. Once the smoke spread, they collapsed into the thick fog.
Evelyn Ford opened the farm gate. Piles of dead cockroaches were stacked high at the entrance. Stepping over them, Evelyn drew her longsword and finished off the few boars near the gate.
From noon until nightfall, Evelyn Ford’s protective suit was torn to shreds, and her clothes underneath were caked in sticky boar blood.
After 8:00 PM, the boars had been cleared out, but then the crows appeared.
Ronan Kendrick pulled Evelyn Ford back into the wooden cabin as a swarming murder of crows swept in. The air outside filled with their hoarse, desperate caws. They devoured the boars outside the fence and even tore at their own kind. Ronan Kendrick threw two Smoke Bombs out before quickly shutting the door.
Evelyn Ford placed her longsword on the table. After taking off her protective suit, she sat in a chair, staring blankly.
Ronan Kendrick went to the bathroom to run a bath. When he came out and saw her exhausted state, he carried her into the bathroom.
"I’m here. Don’t worry."
Evelyn Ford rested her head on Ronan Kendrick’s shoulder. "I’m a little tired."
Ronan Kendrick raised a hand and stroked Evelyn Ford’s hair. "Since you’ve already distributed the guns, why not let the others come out and help deal with the animal swarm?"
"Even with the Smoke Bombs, most of the boars don’t pass out. Instead, they just get more agitated and aggressive, and their attacks become stronger. They could certainly come out and help us deal with the herd, but most of them are poor shots. It would just be a waste of bullets."
Ronan Kendrick chuckled lightly. "Why not ask if they’re willing to come out and fight the boars? I think we should let them try."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Okay."
Turning on the walkie-talkie, Evelyn Ford heard a commotion on the other end.
"What’s wrong?"
"Zoe won’t stop crying. She probably can’t stand the conditions in the cellar. She’s not doing well."
Evelyn Ford had no experience with children.
"Evelyn, what’s the situation outside?"
"A herd of boars showed up during the day. Ronan Kendrick and I have been dealing with them all day, but there are too many. Does anyone want to come out and help us kill them? It’s dangerous. The boars are very strong, extremely aggressive, and they might bite or kick you. The Smoke Bombs don’t have much effect on them."
"I’ll go."
"I’ll go too. I’m strong. Killing a few boars will be no problem."
"Miles Vaughn, Paul Pence, Austin Moss, Peter Owens, Nathan Xavier, Drako. It’ll be you six, then. I’ll use a whistle to call you tomorrow morning."
"Should we bring our guns?"
Evelyn Ford shook her head. "No need. I have longswords ready here."
"Evelyn, I want to go too," came Ian Yates’s weak voice. Before Evelyn Ford could refuse, Ronan Kendrick took the walkie-talkie from her.
"Can you even lift a longsword?" Ronan Kendrick tossed out the question and then cut the connection.
They were almost out of Smoke Bombs. After getting out of the bathroom, Evelyn Ford immediately started mixing herbs to make more.
Early the next morning, Evelyn Ford checked the situation outside. The crows had mostly dispersed, and there was movement outside the fence again. After blowing the whistle to notify the others, she and Ronan left the cabin with their longswords.
"Where in the world are all these boars coming from? How can there be so many?"
"There are fewer than last night. Their numbers are already decreasing. Plus, the sun’s halo is much fainter today. The animal swarm should be over soon."
Evelyn Ford handed out the longswords. "Be quick and clean. Go straight for the neck. If you get infected with their pathogens, there might be no way to treat it."
"Don’t animals have a very keen sense of smell? I’ve noticed they seem to be heading for the farm with a clear purpose. There are no signs of boars running rampant on the nearby mountains."
Evelyn Ford had noticed that as well.
"They don’t just attack humans. They attack other animals, even their own kind. After mutating, their senses of smell and hearing are enhanced, but they also lose their reason. Animals have a kind of reason, but from the looks of it, their brains are now running on a single command: attack all living things."
"Perhaps, once the red sun disappears, all the mutated animals will die."
"The pathogens inside them need the sun’s poison for nutrients."
Nathan Xavier’s eyes lit up. "That’s great! The red sun’s halo is starting to fade, which means the sun poison’s toxicity is weakening. Things should be back to normal within a week, right?"
Evelyn Ford nodded. "I’m guessing ten days at most, and the sun will be back to normal."
The aggressive boar herd was still roaring and snarling outside the fence. Evelyn Ford opened the farm gate, and everyone, fully armed, began to clear out the boars.
At 3:00 PM, the boar herd was mostly dealt with. Evelyn Ford had everyone return to the farm to clean up the crow carcasses. She then took out a spray bottle containing a new poison she had developed and sprayed it on the few remaining small boars. When they returned to the main boar den, it would certainly cause chaos within the herd.
The boars would kill each other, and other animals would then devour their corpses. Through this cycle, the mutated animals nearby would be wiped out within a week.
By the time Evelyn Ford returned to the farm, the others had already finished clearing away the crow carcasses.
"Alright, you all head back to the cellar. I’ll handle the incineration."
"Maybe we shouldn’t burn them." Everyone was still uneasy.
"It’s fine. We have gas masks."
Once they had returned to the cellar, Evelyn Ford took out a torch and lit the crow carcasses in the incinerator pit.
「Eight days passed in a flash.」
The sun gradually returned to normal, and fewer and fewer crows and boars appeared.
The Gilded Tortoise that Ian Yates had given to Evelyn Ford had shed its shell. The woodlice and ground beetles were dead.
Everyone moved out of the cellar. Evelyn Ford had already cleaned the livestock area and let the animals out.
"It’s been almost two months. We can finally see the light of day again."
Evelyn Ford assigned tasks to everyone: repair the farm gate and fences, clean up, and clear out all the wooden cabins.
"Nathan Xavier, Drako, go take a look at Fairgate. See what the situation is with the refugees there."
"Alright."
Officer Graham took Peter Owens to feed the livestock. Seeing that the argali sheep had all grown a size larger, Peter Owens was a little confused.
"Weren’t the animals supposed to be locked in the cellar? How are they so fat? And... since when does our farm have a livestock cellar? I never knew about it."
Officer Graham smiled. "Only I know about this place. But I’m not going to tell you."
