I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords-Chapter 43 - 0. Protein is three times that of chicken_1
Chapter 43: 043. Protein is three times that of chicken_1
Chapter 43: 043. Protein is three times that of chicken_1
Atop the ruins, a bus was speeding along.
It made its way relatively smoothly toward its destination, passing through dilapidated buildings whose age was beyond reckoning.
Outside, there was not a glimmer of light; darkness had devoured light, sound, and all hope.
Inside the bus, however, the sound of something appetizing being prepared could be heard.
Lu Ban had simply processed some rat meat, as the biologist Mary had said, discarding its propensity for erratic movements; it was a common creature that just happened to have well-developed muscles and a plump body.
With a knife, Lu Ban had removed the intact rat meat, washed away the blood, and sliced it into thin, tough strips.
A small amount of oil had been placed in the frying pan, and under the caress of the flame from the portable camping lamp, the temperature of the oil rose, releasing an enticing fragrance.
He fried the prepared ribs until fragrant, the fatty parts of the ribs crisping up when they touched the hot oil, filling the bus with an aroma that triggered primal human urges.
Lu Ban then threw in ginger and garlic to stir-fry, the spices releasing pungent aromas when heated, mixing with the meaty scent and further enriching the layers of fragrance.
Lastly, Lu Ban poured water into it, covering the ribs and creating a shallow soup.
He then added some tomatoes and spring onion segments to the pot, seasoned with salt and pepper, and simmered for a while until the soup became rich and irresistible.
Lu Ban didn’t know much about cooking; he had simply made a pot of soup and planned to use the rat meat for hot pot.
He picked up a slice of the cut rat meat with chopsticks and lightly swished it in the pot.
The near-transparent rat meat immediately turned white and curled up; Lu Ban popped the meat into his mouth and closed his eyes.
In a normal world, rat meat might have a musky odor, sour taste, and easily become tough.
But the rats of the Abandoned Capital, always in a struggle for survival and with such powerful leaping abilities and larger body size, had firm, elastic flesh rich in fat, resembling high-quality beef. Roughly estimated, the protein content was probably over three times that of chicken.
“Delicious!”
Lu Ban couldn’t help but exclaim.
The three people watching him also involuntarily swallowed their saliva.
“Do you want some? This rat is quite fat,”
Lu Ban said, seeing their reaction.
“No need.”
The biologist Mary sat back in her seat.
“Give me some.”
Hunter’s left shoulder was indented; it seemed to be broken, but he didn’t care. Instead, he took out his cup used for eating in the wild and filled it with a piece of rib and a few slices of rat meat.
“Can I really eat it?”
Stone, who had been scared silly, was also famished. Nervousness could make one feel tired and just as well, hungry.
He simply caught the rib Lu Ban handed over with his hand and started to gnaw on it eagerly.
Only the corpulent driver, who needed to drive, was deprived of this feast. He could only take a deep breath, pretending he had sampled the food.
“How can we not eat something while traveling at night?”
Lu Ban chewed and swallowed the boneless rib meat, then suddenly had an idea.
“These rats are huge, and their meat is edible. Why don’t we build a high wall on their migration path? That way, the rats would crash into it and die, providing us with a lot of protein.”
He let his thoughts wander.
“Or we could use a net. That would not only ensure the integrity of the rat carcasses but also allow some rats to continue moving forward through the mesh, ensuring sustainable development.”
“That’s right,”
Hunter said, nodding his head continuously as he enjoyed his meal.
“…”
Only the biologist Mary by his side seemed hesitant to speak.
After finishing the meat, Lu Ban added potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and other vegetables to the soup, and after drinking a bowl of it, he felt a great satisfaction both physically and spiritually.
He extinguished the camping lamp and set the pot aside, then leaned back in his chair, awaiting the end of the journey.
He didn’t believe that things would end here; if they did, it would greatly underestimate the most difficult tasks.
After dressing Hunter’s wound, Lu Ban moved to the passenger’s seat.
He looked ahead at the road, illuminated by the high beams, stretching continuously toward an empty horizon.
“Have you driven this road many times before?”
Lu Ban struck up a conversation.
“Hmm.”
The driver replied with a grunt, still maintaining focus.
Lu Ban did not continue the small talk to disturb the driver, and instead, he too turned his attention to the front.
These ruins spread out one after another with few open spaces between, hinting at the grandeur of the once-great civilization that must have existed here.
The bus had been driving for two hours.
Stone, having eaten, succumbed to fatigue and fell into a deep sleep.
The rest, however, remained alert, especially Lu Ban.
If he hadn’t felt it odd to take out his phone at this time, he might have played some music.
Driving late at night without some background music just didn’t feel right.
Just as Lu Ban was sitting in the passenger seat, carefully examining the crowbar in his hands, he noticed a slight brightening ahead.
Looking up, he saw a face pressed against the car window, murky eyes staring intently at him.
It was a face that could hardly be called human.
The eyes were small, with yellow irises and dark vertical pupils, and the head was pointed, like some kind of wild beast.
But behind that face were elongated limbs and a body resembling a monkey, yet pale and hairless. Its fingers were long, tipped with sharp claws, patting against the window.
Screech—
The driver, startled by the sudden intrusion, jerked the steering wheel, and the vehicle lost balance, careening forward and flipping over.
After a tumble, the wheels touched down on the earth again, but the inside of the vehicle was in disarray, the lights went out, and darkness enveloped them.
Lu Ban gripped the crowbar tightly and immediately looked up.
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But the creature that had been at the front window had vanished.
It was only then that Lu Ban noticed a faint glow around them.
He warily looked outside the windows, which revealed not ruins but a stretch of vegetation.
The plants grew wildly, as tall as a person, emitting a dim green light that slightly illuminated the interior of the car.
“Hunter” shakily stood up, quickly roused Stone from his startled awakening, and then checked on Mary’s condition.
Mary was slumped over the front seat backrest, still not recovered.
“Are you okay?”
Lu Ban turned to inquire of the driver, only to find the driver’s seat empty, the window shattered; the corpulent driver seemed to have been thrown out.
“What are these plants?”
“Hunter” approached the front door, forcefully pushing it open, then stepped out.
Lu Ban followed behind him, the ground beneath their feet was soft, like mud soaked with water.
He glanced back at the vehicle, the steel behemoth had left some traces, showing they weren’t too far from the road.
But Lu Ban then noticed that the pressed path seemed to be slowly closing up.
The eerie green plants swayed as if alive, rustling in the wind.
“Incredible…”
Mary followed down from the vehicle, looking at the grass and trees taller than herself, reaching out to touch them.
She pushed aside a clump.
Behind those flickering, luminescent plants, a face suddenly appeared.
*
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