Wilderness: I Tame Beasts to Survive-Chapter 49 - 48: New Exploration Targets

Han Ning shared his thoughts, "I do have an idea. You know how I used to watch that cartoon, *Pocket Monsters*? It seemed like the creatures in it could sense what was happening outside even when they were still in their eggs. If we start raising it from this stage, couldn’t we form the strongest possible emotional bond?"

"Are you talking about prenatal education? That seems to make some sense, but even though Soul Beasts are more intelligent than ordinary wild animals, can they really sense what’s happening in the outside world?" Liu Yueming was clearly skeptical.

Human babies can indeed develop their perception, learning, and creative abilities through prenatal education, among other things.

But for Soul Beasts, which aren’t as intelligent as humans, whether prenatal education would work was still a question mark.

After all, *Pocket Monsters* was also just something people made up.

"Let’s give it a try. It’s not like I have anything better to do. When I go back every day, there’s no internet. Besides playing with Yin Yi for a bit, I don’t know what else to do," Han Ning said with a smile.

"No problem." Liu Yueming chuckled and began to explain, "The ideal temperature for incubating Gecko Eggs is between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius, with humidity around 70 to 90 percent."

Han Ning took out a notebook and carefully jotted down notes.

"Both high and low temperatures will affect the eggs’ incubation. So, to maintain the temperature, you’ll need to find an incubator. If you don’t have an incubator, you can use a fish tank. Do it like I have here: pour clean, moist soil inside and place the eggs in it."

"The soil shouldn’t completely cover the Gecko Eggs. You have to leave half exposed. If you look closely, you’ll see tiny pores on the surface of these eggs that are hard to see with the naked eye. Too much soil will affect their breathing."

"With artificial incubation... the hatching time will be a bit shorter. The Little Guardians will likely break out of their shells in a little over 20 days..."

"..."

Liu Yueming spoke for a full ten minutes, explaining all sorts of details about incubating Gecko Eggs, before he finally picked up his glass and took a sip of water. "That’s about it... For now, that’s all. If you run into any unusual situations, just let me know right away."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Teacher Liu." Han Ning closed his notebook and thanked him sincerely.

"Which egg do you want? Pick one and take it back with you." Liu Yueming picked up a small dip net, the kind used for catching goldfish, and walked over to the glass tank.

"Yin Yi, what do you think?" Han Ning said with a small smile, looking at Yin Yi, who had pressed its face against the glass wall and was carefully observing the five Gecko Eggs.

Before the Guardian mother died, Yin Yi had helped look after its babies, so Han Ning wanted to let Yin Yi choose which Little Guardian to raise.

"Lingling!"

Yin Yi extended a delicate vine and pointed to one of the Gecko Eggs, one that was neither too big nor too small.

"Alright, we’ll choose that one then."

Seeing this, Liu Yueming scooped out the Gecko Egg, placed it in a small box, and handed it to Han Ning.

"Ling~"

Yin Yi took the small box from him instead of Han Ning. It clutched the box in its embrace, looking as if it was holding something precious.

After bringing the Gecko Egg back to the dorm and adjusting the soil’s temperature and humidity according to Teacher Liu’s instructions, Han Ning temporarily placed it in a large porcelain bowl.

The Gecko Egg wasn’t large, so the space in the porcelain bowl was more than enough.

...

「Two days later, in the morning.」

Han Ning brought Yin Yi to the conference room in Dorm Building A.

By this time, the conference room was already packed with no fewer than 30 people.

Seeing Han Ning arrive, Dean Wu, who was presiding over the meeting, nodded. "Since Han Ning is here, let’s begin the meeting."

"Establishing a firearm production line requires a stable and secure environment. The situation at the machining center is unknown. We must ensure there are no other Soul Beasts inside, and the route there must be relatively safe."

The "machining center" was the name for an integrated, automated processing facility, and it was also the large workshop where the mechanical engineering department stored its various machine tools.

Each piece of equipment in the workshop weighed several tons at least. Trying to move them by hand to the relatively safe dormitory area was impossible in a short amount of time.

Besides, the workshop’s wiring was already in place. As long as it was connected to a power source, it could be used immediately.

"I plan to dispatch 50 people shortly to clear out the Soul Beasts along the route and near the machining center. Lü Xiuning, you will lead the team as before. Han Ning and Liu Yueming will serve as deputy leaders."

Normally, the job of leading the team would be given to Teacher Zhou, but he was still recovering from his injuries, so Lü Xiuning had to take his place.

Next, Dean Wu read out the names of all the personnel assigned to the exploration mission.

Among them were the 10 elites who had explored the East Gate yesterday.

"And I’ll say it again: safety is the top priority. If you encounter a Soul Beast you can’t handle, retreat immediately. We can always come up with another plan."

As soon as Dean Wu finished speaking, a teacher next to him spoke up:

"Based on our drone surveillance over the past few days, the Silver-Scaled Python that was living in the Ninth Canteen has been gone for several days. The Ninth Canteen is in the northern part of campus, while the machining center is to the northeast. You must be prepared for a possible encounter with the Silver-Scaled Python."

"It’s best to scout ahead with a drone first. Only proceed once you’ve confirmed it’s safe."

"Understood," Lü Xiuning said gravely.

Dean Wu continued:

"Second, starting up the various machine tools will require a massive amount of electricity. I’ve heard there’s still a large quantity of diesel fuel inside the train outside the South Gate. I will dispatch another 30 people to the train’s location to try and retrieve the diesel and transport it back here."

Industrial production would inevitably consume a huge amount of power. Without electricity, producing firearms was just a fantasy.

"There are two locomotives. Each one can store at least 7,000 liters of diesel. That’s 14,000 liters total. Even accounting for what’s already been used, that should be enough to last us for a while."

The diesel in those two locomotives would be a great relief for their energy crisis.

"Frankly, given our current situation, the diesel is more important than exploring the machining center. However, the situation near the train has already been scouted, so the danger level should be lower. Therefore... the following teachers and students, please get ready to head to the South Gate to retrieve the diesel."

As he spoke, Dean Wu read out the list of personnel assigned to the South Gate mission.

The remaining elites were assigned to this team.

With both teams moving out simultaneously, plus the dozens of people in logistics, this was the first official large-scale operation within the academy.

Building a firearm production line didn’t conflict with raising Soul Beasts.

While clearing out Soul Beasts, they would also be training their own Soul Beasts. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Every teacher and student whose name was called couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of nervousness.

"Additionally, students, please pay attention. During the exploration, keep an eye on your surroundings. See if you can find any natural saltpeter, or even metal ores. If you do, bring them back with you."

A teacher with a good grasp of chemistry raised his hand and began to explain some of the characteristics of saltpeter to the group.

"Natural saltpeter is mainly found in the dry soil of alkaline regions. It can also form on cliff faces or cave walls with well-developed fissures that have been steeped in potassium nitrate-rich water for years..."

Every teacher and student took notes on what the teacher was saying.