141: Go to a higher level

The issue of processing the Ten Gold-rank Carapaces was settled.

Ye Tian should have rested, but he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

He felt brimming with energy.

Left with no choice, he climbed back up.

He fed a drop of blood to the extra Gold-rank Gu Insect. Once again, he harvested a Gold-rank ootheca.

When he was finished, he still didn't feel satisfied.

He took out a piece of tissue paper and soaked it with his blood.

Only then did the restlessness within his body finally settle down.

It seemed that while Blade became a ten-Gold-rank Gu Insect, it had also brought a slight boost to his own physical constitution.

This extra drop of blood today was the best proof.

In this way, the speed at which he could push toward the King-rank would clearly be much faster.

After using that paper to synthesize more than ten Ten-Strong-rank Cockroaches, Ye Tian was finally able to sleep contentedly.

Early the next morning, Ye Tian got out of bed.

Just as he finished making breakfast, Zhang Liang arrived at the Breeding Farm right on time.

His face was beaming with joy.

“Liang Zi, what's with that grin so early in the morning? Did you hook up with some girl?”

Ye Tian couldn't help but tease him.

“Yeah, that girl's name is Ye Tian! I'm just waiting to live off you.”

“Get lost!”

Ye Tian snapped back playfully.

Zhang Liang continued to waggle his eyebrows.

“Brother Tian, I told my family about the waste processing plant last night. My parents said they're very interested and might come in a few days to inspect the situation. Also, they transferred 5 million to me, telling me to work hard with you first. This 5 million is considered my internship fee.”

“Damn, does your family own a gold mine? You're throwing around 5 million just like that!”

Ye Tian was shocked and couldn't help but stare in amazement.

“Heh, this is nothing. I talked to my dad until midnight last night. He said if our business is for real, he wouldn't even blink at 50 million, let alone 5 million. After all, compared to money, my eldest uncle is the family's hope. Brother Tian, I'll transfer the 5 million to you in a bit. I have no other request except that when my parents come, let them see our true strength.”

“Fine, but this money isn't for me. It'll be used for the Cockroach expenses for your family's future processing plant.”

Ye Tian pondered for a moment and didn't refuse.

This was something he had already promised Zhang Liang. If he didn't take the money, knowing Zhang Liang's personality, he definitely wouldn't accept the help later on.

“Hehe, you call the shots, Brother Tian!”

Seeing Ye Tian agree so readily, Zhang Liang's face lit up, and even his breakfast tasted much better.

The old man listened to the two friends' conversation with a smile, nodding slightly.

After eating, Zhang Liang excitedly headed out.

Not long after, Ye Tian received a bank text message. It notified him of a 5 million deposit.

No doubt about it, Zhang Liang must have rushed to the bank to transfer the money.

Ye Tian chuckled to himself.

He also drove out and returned to the Breeding Farm a short while later with several oversized crates.

“Brother Tian, the money arrived, right?”

Zhang Liang was already waiting at the gate and asked.

“Yeah. Congratulations, President Zhang, on successfully becoming the largest shareholder of our Cockroach Breeding Farm.”

Ye Tian joked.

“Hey, Brother Tian, don't talk nonsense. This Breeding Farm has nothing to do with me. I'm just an intern.”

“Fine then, Intern. Please begin your internship.”

Ye Tian smiled slightly, knowing exactly what Zhang Liang was thinking.

He opened the car trunk and dragged out the oversized crates he had brought back.

He shoved two into Zhang Liang's hands and carried the rest himself. The two of them walked toward the warehouse.

Arriving at the entrance, Ye Tian opened one of the crates and placed it at the small warehouse door.

He took out the bait he carried and pretended to drip some into the crate.

Before long, swarms of Cockroaches crawled out and converged toward the crate.

“Whoa, Brother Tian, did the product get an upgrade?”

Seeing a single drop of bait generate such a massive attraction, Zhang Liang's eyes lit up.

“Yeah, I combined the Insect Gathering Technique with the old man's bait. I came up with a bait specifically for attracting Male Cockroaches. It saves the trouble of having to light a fire every time we catch them, and it avoids a lot of accidents.”

“This is great, leave it to you, Brother Tian. I was still wondering yesterday how we were going to tell the males from the females now that the warehouse is built like this. I didn't expect you to come up with this in just one night.”

Zhang Liang said happily.

“Hehe, do you think my title as the Heir of Witchcraft is just for show?”

Ye Tian raised an eyebrow and said proudly.

“Pfft. Still trying to use that rhetoric to fool me? I already asked the old man. Your 'commanding cockroaches' is just something that can be done with bait.”

Zhang Liang looked at him with disdain.

Ye Tian rolled his eyes. He certainly wasn't going to explain. It was better if Zhang Liang thought that way.

As they talked, the large crate was already filled with Male Cockroaches.

“Brother Tian, are we just going to kill these cockroaches directly?”

“Otherwise?”

Ye Tian asked, puzzled.

“Shouldn't we wait for Sister Bing's trash to arrive and let them have a last meal?”

“Haha, you're surprisingly kind. The cockroaches we're attracting are already adults. Even if they eat, they won't grow anymore, so there's no point. Besides, with the number of female cockroaches in our warehouse now, the daily increase in Small Cockroaches is over several million. There's absolutely no need to worry about waste disposal. The more we kill, the more it promotes the growth of the Small Cockroaches.”

“I see. So do we carry them over to the old man now?”

“Carry them? Do you have too much energy to burn? With our volume, we need to get used to mechanization. Go drive that small loader we left over here and just use the loader to carry them.”

“Makes sense!”

Zhang Liang chuckled and hurried to the vegetable garden to drive the loader over.

Ye Tian waited until four full crates of cockroaches were loaded into the loader's bucket before having Zhang Liang transport them to the front yard.

They made two trips back and forth like this before stopping.

The eight oversized crates Ye Tian brought back were all full.

He asked the old man for an electronic scale to weigh them.

Each full crate of cockroaches weighed about 200 catties.

Eight crates meant 1,600 catties.

Estimating that this should be enough for the morning, Ye Tian and Zhang Liang began the processing directly.

When they actually started...

Ye Tian felt lucky that he had obtained the Great Strength of the Ant yesterday.

Otherwise, just with these 200-catty crates, he and Zhang Liang would have had to exert a massive amount of effort just to get them to the top of the separator.

But now...

While the old man and Zhang Liang watched in stunned silence, he simply hugged and pushed the massive crate with both hands, hoisting it to the top of the separator.

Zhang Liang only needed to stand on the ladder to help open the lid and guide Ye Tian as he tilted it.

A massive amount of cockroaches was poured into the separator.

As the hum of the two machines sounded...

Zhang Liang jumped down from the tripod.

He circled Ye Tian several times with wide eyes before swallowing hard.

“Brother Tian, how did your strength get so incredible?”

“I told you to exercise more, but you didn't listen. Why are you so curious now?”

“Is this even about exercising? 200 catties! With your build, I'm not surprised you can lift it, but hoisting it up like that... it's a bit shocking.”

The old man also nodded in agreement. “Little Ye, your strength is indeed quite astonishing. If you weren't busy with the Breeding Farm, I'd really like you to go to my third son's place for some proper training. You might even come back with a title like Soldier King.”

“Soldier King? Old man, do you read novels too? Like those 'Crooked-Mouth Dragon King' types?”

Ye Tian laughed.

“Don't dismiss it. Based on the strength you just showed, I can't say for sure about Soldier King, but you definitely match the quality of a special forces soldier. If you have time in the future, I'll take you to see for yourself.”

“That sounds good!”

Ye Tian nodded, feeling a bit of interest. If he hadn't encountered Gu Art before, he might have naively believed the world was purely based on science.

But now, he somewhat suspected that he might not be the only extraordinary existence in this world.

Having a chance to see true powerhouses might bring him great benefits.

The three of them chatted while continuing their work.

Their hands didn't stop.

Ye Tian packed the cockroach meat from the processor directly back into the crates.

After separation, a crate of cockroaches became half a crate of cockroach meat.

Other essences took up about one-third.

Over an hour later, Ye Tian moved five crates of cockroach meat into the car.

He left Zhang Liang to help the old man process the essences and stomach sac extract.

He then hit the gas and drove toward the Great Green Mountain Farm.

From a distance, Ye Tian saw many vehicles of all sizes parked on the road outside the Chicken Farm.

The open space outside Xiao Wen's house was piled with bricks and other materials.

Dozens of workers were busy.

Soon, Ye Tian spotted Li Ming among the crowd, supervising the work.

He parked the car and walked up.

“Brother Li, this is quite a setup!”

“Xiao Tian, you're here early too?”

“Well, I was thinking we have thousands of chickens to feed, so I processed some cockroaches and brought them over early.”

“Okay, wait a moment. The initial greenhouse area will be ready soon. Once the road is cleared, you can drive the car in.”

“Initial greenhouse?”

Ye Tian glanced ahead.

The shed already built on the open space in front of Xiao Wen's house was about twice as high as her house.

The roof of the large shed was made of color steel tiles, supported by steel pipes on all sides.

Under the shed, rows of chicken coops had already been built.

Although it still looked a bit empty, such a large shed could easily house three to five thousand chickens.

“Yeah, this initial greenhouse was originally intended for about ten thousand chickens, but now it looks like it won't be enough. So we discussed it with the village chief. We'll continue to clear land on the mountain and build nine more greenhouses of the same scale. Eventually, not just this mountain, but the one behind it will also be part of our farm.”

“Brother Li, you're really going all out!”

Ye Tian smiled.

“Didn't you push for this? Originally, your sister and I only had a budget of two or three million. But with a few words, you secured 800 million for us. Of course we're going to go big.”

“Fair enough. But Brother Li, I see you've left quite a bit of empty space under the chicken coops. What's that for?”

“That's space left for automated cleaners. We'll be installing conveyor belts and automatic cage cleaning systems. When the number of chickens increases, we won't be able to manage without modern equipment.”

“That's great. I was just about to suggest that. I didn't expect you to have already planned for it.”

Ye Tian nodded in surprise.

“Actually, we didn't plan on these things originally since they significantly increase costs. But when we talked to the village chief, he immediately spotted the most important issue. If our flock reaches over a hundred thousand, the amount of chicken manure produced daily will be astronomical. Without a unified plan, it will definitely cause pollution. Installing cleaning equipment will help, but my current headache is how to handle all that manure.”

“Handle it? Isn't chicken manure a natural fertilizer?”

“It is, but once there's too much, it's a different story. Even if we give it to the villagers for free, they can't use that much.”

Li Ming smiled bitterly.

Ye Tian's eyes shifted toward the depths of the woods.

Because the greenhouses were being built, the chickens Li Ming had collected earlier had all been moved into the forest, with nets surrounding them.

But it was clear that on the ground where the chicks were active, quite a bit of manure had already accumulated.

Even from this distance, Ye Tian could smell a noticeable odor.

And this was just from a few thousand chickens.

In the future, when there were tens or hundreds of thousands, who knew what this forest would become.

Let the cockroaches eat it?

That was the first idea that came to Ye Tian's mind.

But soon, he shook his head inwardly.

The number of cockroaches needed to process the manure of a hundred thousand chickens would be no small amount.

Besides, cockroaches weren't something that could appear in large numbers in an open-air environment. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done so much 'face-saving' work to open a waste processing plant.

Furthermore, whether the cockroaches would eat the manure or become a feast for the chickens was another matter entirely.

So, the best solution he could think of right now was Earthworms.

They stayed underground and wouldn't attract attention. They should be able to dispose of the chicken manure without anyone knowing.

Once their numbers grew, they could be dug up to feed the chickens. It might even be another source of high-potency protein feed.

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed to Ye Tian.

“Brother Li, leave the chicken manure disposal to me.”

After a moment of hesitation, Ye Tian spoke up.

“You'll handle it? How?”

“Didn't I say I opened a waste processing plant? The cockroaches I raise can eat anything. Chicken manure shouldn't be an issue. If it really comes down to it, I'll build a small-scale waste processing plant here. Manure feeds the cockroaches, and cockroaches feed the chickens. It's completely ecological and pollution-free.”

“That could work?”

Li Ming's eyes lit up. Thinking about it, it really did make sense.

Ye Tian nodded. “Besides cockroaches, I also raise some Special Earthworms. Their main food is also chicken manure. They can even purify the soil. Using these two together might even take this forest's environment to the next level.”