9: Cockroach Wars

"Is there even a need to check the market? It's absolutely incredible. Look at the mess upstairs. If you were to step in and handle it now, I wouldn't dare say more, but charging 1,000 yuan per cleaning would definitely be no problem."

Xu Yan smiled.

"So after all that acting and smoking, you think 1,000 yuan can just brush me off? Do you think I'm doing charity?"

Ye Tian clicked his tongue.

"1,000 isn't enough? How much do you want, kid? Normally, few people would be willing to pay that price."

"Exactly. It wasn't easy to get someone to pave the way for me. If I'm not a bit more ruthless, I'd be letting down their hard work, wouldn't I!"

The corner of Ye Tian's mouth curled into a cold sneer.

"Uh, this... you should still take it easy. After all, you said yourself that your methods are just a supplementary product for housekeeping. If you want long-term development, it's best not to offend people too much. After this incident, they definitely won't be able to stay in this area anymore. You'll have to take over those housekeeping tasks."

"Haha, Sister Yan, you're thinking too simply. I haven't offended anyone, nor is it possible for me to. The good show is just beginning; just you wait and see. It's getting late today, I should head back."

As he spoke, Ye Tian took off his shoe covers and prepared to leave.

"You're really just leaving like this? What about upstairs?"

"No need to worry about it for now. Just wait."

"Then wait a moment!"

Xu Yan nodded and didn't ask further. She turned and went into the kitchen.

She brought out a large, packed lunch box.

"I made a bit extra just now. Take it back for dinner!"

"Sister, you're being too polite again!"

"Just say if you want it or not!"

Xu Yan said crossly.

"I want it! Why wouldn't I? I dream about Sister Yan's cooking every day."

"At least you know how to talk, kid. Be careful on the road. Also, how much do you think is appropriate for killing the cockroaches at my place?"

"Haven't you already given it?"

Ye Tian lifted the lunch box in his hand and chuckled. He didn't give Xu Yan a chance to speak and turned to leave.

Xu Yan let out a laugh. Just as she was about to say something, she heard shouting from upstairs again.

Curiously, she put on her shoes and headed upstairs.

This time, however, the source of the noise was no longer the second floor, but the third.

Before she even got close, Xu Yan heard a booming voice roaring in anger.

"Zhang Guilan, you cursed woman! You damn well put so many cockroaches in my house too! If you don't fix this for me today, I'm not done with you!"

"And my house! Oh my god, you heartless wretch, I'll fight you..."

The rising and falling shouts and curses attracted everyone nearby.

Meanwhile, Ye Tian had already mounted his bicycle. Without looking back, he hummed a little tune and leisurely returned to the dormitory.

It was as if everything happening in the building had nothing to do with him.

Carrying his things, he went up to the dormitory.

He opened the door.

He saw Zhang Liang sit up from the bed with a look of deep resentment.

"What's wrong? More cockroaches?"

Ye Tian looked around, full of confusion.

"Brother Tian, it's all your fault! You've made it so I can't sleep."

"Blame me for what? You're just used to blaming me. If you can find a single Cockroach in this room, then I'll take the blame. Otherwise, I'm not taking the fall."

"It's because there are no cockroaches that I can't sleep!"

Zhang Liang said speechlessly.

"What? Is that even possible?"

Ye Tian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Who told you to make bugs appear everywhere a while ago? Now that it's suddenly quiet, I'm actually a bit unaccustomed to it. No, you have to compensate me."

"Forget it. It's clear you just enjoy being mistreated and you're blaming me for it. You're just blaming the pit because you can't take a dump."

"I don't care, I want compensation!"

As Zhang Liang spoke, he licked his lips with a rascal-like expression.

Ye Tian noticed his gaze and then looked at the lunch box in his hand.

He immediately glared.

"Don't even think about it. You stole and ate everything I brought back last time. There's none for you this time!"

"Tch. As if anyone cares. It's just a lunch box. Only an idiot would... not eat it!"

As he spoke, Zhang Liang sprang from the bed and snatched the lunch box away.

"Damn!"

Ye Tian gave a low shout and quickly chased after him... A few seconds later, the scent of food wafted through the dormitory.

Zhang Liang and Ye Tian each held a chicken leg, eating until their mouths were greasy.

"This is great! Brother Tian, your Sister Yan's cooking is truly incredible. After eating her food, I have absolutely no interest in the cafeteria or outside restaurants anymore. Why don't you ask her for me if she's interested in marrying a man ten years younger than her?"

"Get lost! Even eating can't shut your mouth!"

Ye Tian rolled his eyes at Zhang Liang and said crossly.

"Tch, so stingy. Why do you only go there once in such a long time? I've starved myself thin lately. I used to be 160 pounds, and now I'm only 159."

*Munch munch*

Ye Tian dragged his stool further away from this idiot, too lazy to talk nonsense with such an irreverent guy.

While eating, he leaned closer to the plastic box that previously held the cockroaches to take a look.

After an afternoon had passed.

The cockroaches in the box seemed to have regained their activity.

With a gentle shake, he could hear the rustling sound of them crawling inside.

However, he wasn't quite sure exactly how long it had taken for them to recover.

Thinking this, Ye Tian brought over the box he had used to catch cockroaches at Xu Yan's house.

He looked inside through the transparent window on top of the Fishing Box.

And then.

He frowned.

He turned the box over and over, checking everywhere.

What was going on?

"Didn't I plug those small holes? Why are there so few cockroaches left?"

It was no wonder Ye Tian was so confused.

Because before returning, Ye Tian was afraid the cockroaches would escape, so he had specially checked them once.

There were at least a hundred cockroaches in the box.

But now, they could be counted on one's fingers.

Aside from a few shiny red-black ones chasing each other.

The smaller ones and the larvae had all disappeared.

However, the remaining ones were quite large. They were actually fighting.

Cockroaches fighting? That was something he had never seen before.

In his confusion, Ye Tian leaned in to observe, wanting to see what it looked like when these weaklings of the insect world fought.

In his line of sight.

There were only five cockroaches left in the box.

Compared to average cockroaches, these few seemed quite a bit larger.

At least, in his previous research on cockroaches, Ye Tian had never seen this size before.

Moreover, it seemed he hadn't noticed any this large when he was catching them earlier?

Just as he was wondering, a few cockroaches began to fight in pairs, their two antennae touching frantically as they rolled around.

The lone one wasn't idle either; it actually began to attack the toilet paper Ye Tian had used to plug the hole.

Attack?

Ye Tian's eyes widened.

He leaned in even closer.

He found that the lone Cockroach was holding the toilet paper with its legs, frantically biting the reddish parts on it.

"Is that... eating the bloodstains? Are these cockroaches that hungry? They even eat blood?"

While he was speechless, the battle in the box also quickly reached a conclusion.

The two defeated cockroaches were bitten and flipped onto their backs.

Then, under Ye Tian's astonished gaze, the winners began to gnaw on the corpses of the losers.

And the Cockroach that had finished eating the bloodstains also joined the ranks of those fighting over the corpses.