Chapter 96 Thunderous Assault

Chapter 96 Thunderous Assault

Just a day after the astonishment caused by the Wood Psychic Ability Users' Guild of cultivators, a video of a special forces team exterminating locusts became a hot topic again the next day.

The video showed a vast plain where a dense, dark swarm of locusts rolled across, blotting out the sky, like a thunderous storm cloud bearing down on the camera, descending on a sorghum field filled with fiery red ears.

The camera zoomed in, capturing these terrifying demonic offspring up close. Their serrated hind legs and wings rubbed together, emitting a sound so grating it set teeth on edge.

Even the viewers of the video were chilled by the sight of their huge, grotesque compound eyes, the slender antennae swaying slowly in the air, and the powerful mandibles beneath their heads that seemed capable of devouring everything.

The incessant rustling noise of wind and rain enveloped the entire sorghum field in an eerie atmosphere. These locusts not only gnawed on the sorghum but also defecated, mated, and inserted their abdomens into the soil to lay eggs.

The stalks, leaves, and sorghum field were crawling with locusts as large as eggs, their wings glossy, their sounds like thunder.

The howling wind blew past, and the green curtains of sorghum swayed. In no time, the green stalks bore red and golden plump ears, completely gnawed bare, the glossy leaves riddled with jagged holes, trembling in the wind like tattered fishing nets. Meanwhile, endless swarms of locusts flew over and landed from the sky, a scene that sent shivers down one's spine.

On the distant horizon, a dazzling flash of lightning split the dark sky. For a moment, the world was illuminated brightly, and the people watching the video suddenly exclaimed, "It's a tornado!"

A massive tornado erupted from the ground, roaring and sweeping up sand and stones, swirling like a muddy torrent, twisting and towering, advancing with an unstoppable force, shaking and howling.

Boom, boom, the wind roared and surged like an angry lion, a furious black dragon, fiercely rushing forward!

The whirlwind danced across the sky, and wherever it passed, locusts were swept into it. The locusts struggled helplessly in the fierce wind but could not escape the tornado's powerful suction.

Within the hazy tornado, streaks of cruel lightning lashed out like fierce whips, heavily and swiftly striking the mutated locusts caught within, tearing them apart and burning them.

The tornado seemed to have eyes, completely bypassing the green curtains, only sweeping up the swarms of mutated locusts in the nearby plains, destroying them.

What about the locusts in the sorghum field? The sorghum had already been gnawed bare, so why hesitate and hold back?

The camera panned to a group of special task force members standing tall by the field ridge, with the corpses of several mutated beasts and zombies scattered nearby. The young commander at the front waved his hand, and one of the psychics stepped forward, extending his arms. Suddenly, an enormous frog composed of shadows emerged from a black hole!

This eerie cave frog crouched by the sorghum field, its body surrounded by black mist, its bulging eyes deep and sinister.

It kicked its hind legs, leaped, and shot out a long, forked tongue like a flying spear, licking up countless locusts and swallowing them. The mutated locusts seemed stunned by the sudden appearance of such a formidable predator, frozen like statues.

"Ribbit!" The shadowy frog, satisfied with its meal, puffed its cheeks and croaked. The locusts in the sorghum field seemed dazed by the sound waves and fell to the ground. At the same time, numerous small shadow frogs appeared beside the shadowy cave frog, as if summoned from hell.

They surged into the sorghum field like a tide, leaping like cannonballs, croaking incessantly, and began devouring the locusts like gluttons at a feast. Their thin, forked tongues firmly stuck to countless locusts, rolling them into their mouths.

The frogs' croaks merged into a continuous chorus, "ribbit, ribbit," like the thunderous drums of war pounding across the plain, rising and falling. The locusts flew up, only to be swept away and torn apart by the waiting tornado.

Soon, the locusts in the field were completely devoured, and the shadow frogs, having consumed a large amount of energy from the mutated Crystal Cores, vanished into the void, satisfied.

The wood psychic ability users returned to the sorghum field, standing at the four corners, drank, formed a formation, and channeled the power of nature. Under the green light, the tattered leaves of the green curtains, which had just been gnawed to pieces, quickly regrew.

Within the green sorghum stalks, red ears reappeared, large and plump, golden and heavy, hanging down, shining in the sunlight like clusters of hopeful torches.

After the wind passed, the green curtains rustled, as if the disaster had been just a nightmare.

At this moment, the viewers of the video finally let out a long breath, feeling as if they had watched an incredibly thrilling nature documentary. This time, the protagonists were not the humans who once stood above, watching animals survive in nature, but humans who had also become a link in the food chain.

Humans, who prided themselves on their wisdom and ability to use tools for large-scale farming, seemed to have suddenly become the lowest in the hierarchy in the post-apocalyptic world.

The crops they had painstakingly planted, having survived the scorching heat and floods, were about to be harvested when they were struck by a locust plague just as the cold was approaching. Everyone felt fear.

But in this video, humanity achieved an overwhelming victory with unimaginable power, which filled all viewers with genuine excitement.

The video's views, downloads, and comments skyrocketed, reaching astonishing numbers.

The top comment with high likes, "The Special Forces are awesome!", is ranked first, followed by exaggerated praises like "I want to marry him!" and "I’m totally in love!".

The second most liked comment is "I want that shadow frog!", which includes discussions about the abilities of psychics, especially the enthusiastic discussion about the shadow psychic ability seen for the first time.

Comments like "It feels like the world is leaving ordinary people behind" are quite common, expressing a sense of loss and despair.

A few people seem to have seen the combat power of psychics so directly for the first time, questioning, "Are psychics too powerful? Shouldn’t there be some limits? If psychics break the law, who can stop them?"

"Psychics are powerful, but aren’t they protecting humanity? And those wood psychics quietly restoring the sorghum fields, they are also full of glory, right? Why only look at combat power?"

"Ha, some people are such bootlickers, their descendants will surely get a secure job carrying bags or opening doors for the young masters and ladies of psychics."

"It’s survival of the fittest—weren’t there always lower-class citizens? Now it’s just a reshuffling—losers will always be losers."

"Not necessarily losers, maybe it’s the former elites who are now scared of being exploited later. At least the Special Forces have been working tirelessly to fight disasters here, and the base commander gave up military rations and fainted from hunger. Why stir up trouble between psychics and ordinary people now? Is there an agenda?"

Below, a heated argument broke out, turning things chaotic.

Zhou Yun closed the comments, downloaded the video, and repeatedly watched the brief appearance of Guan Yuanfeng. Even though he was covered head-to-toe in protective gear, Zhou Yun recognized him from the familiar movements and could even guess his expression at that time.

He sent a text to Guan Yuanfeng: "Just saw the locust video—the Special Forces are amazing, and Captain Guan is a total hero."

Guan Yuanfeng replied with: "..."

Zhou Yun sent him a daily update: "Most patients have made it through the worst of withdrawal and are starting to eat again."

Guan Yuanfeng said: "Then you and Teacher Yao can take it easy and get some rest."

Zhou Yun replied: "Yes, we can breathe a sigh of relief. Once detox is done, it’s all about mental and emotional recovery, which doesn’t require such intense care, it’s all up to their own willpower."

Guan Yuanfeng added: "Qin Mu’s been doing tons of interviews—apparently, orders for agave wine and mutant silk clothes are through the roof. The locust crisis is pretty much handled, and most crops are saved. Their rescue team should be returning in a couple of days."

Zhou Yun couldn’t help but laugh: "Thanks, Captain Guan, for the shout-out."

Guan Yuanfeng replied: "Thanks to President Dongjun for his kindness and big heart."

Zhou Yun laughed out loud, and Zhu Zhuan and Shen Lan, who were discussing industrial arrangements, looked up.

Shen Lan, who entered the withdrawal period first, has now recovered the best. Probably due to sufficient willpower, after regaining consciousness, he hardly complained of pain, enduring silently. After the uncontrollable self-harm and hallucinations of the withdrawal period disappeared, he and Li Ming left the cell and began to assist Zhu Zhuan with some daily management tasks.

They cleaned out a conference room in the special cell building, where daily treatment plans, management of the Nanshan Herb Garden, and some research work divisions are discussed.

Zhu Zhuan asked: "What are you laughing at, Dr. Zhou?"

Zhou Yun laughed: "Watching the Special Forces take down those locusts, there’s also a clip of Qin Mu releasing the shadow frog. The comments are hilarious."

Li Ming nodded, super envious: "Ah, when can I join the Special Forces? It looks really cool, the uniforms are even cooler than firefighters!"

Zhu Zhuan: "He can finally show off. He was such a show-off back in school. Our classmates used to discuss, thinking he was the type who deliberately slept in class, was late and left early, and studied hard at night."

Zhou Yun laughed: "Really that cool? He seems very approachable now."

Zhu Zhuan said: "He was very cool in class. When the teacher called him up to solve problems, he could write them out quickly, with a super cold expression. But later we heard that his parents were seriously ill, and he worked nights as a driver for shady bars, studying and reading while waiting for rides, so he was sleepy during the day."

Zhou Yun: "..."

Zhu Zhuan said: "So it’s really a pity that he dropped out."

"But fortunately, it’s all good now. I also have to work under him."

Zhou Yun smiled, "It's a team effort. He's secured a lot of orders, and we need to significantly ramp up production."

Zhu Zhuan said, "Luckily, Shen Lan is helping me out—oh, and there's something else."

He printed out a couple of documents: "City Lord Gong has issued a recruitment notice, stating that the Psychic Research Institute has invited Dong Jun, the president of the Growers' Guild, to Central Base to conduct specialized research on psychic abilities. They will provide state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and substantial project funding, offer competitive salaries, and provide a comprehensive package of senior expert benefits, including housing, vehicles, logistical services, and security."

"There is also a recruitment notice for Yao Lao."

Zhou Yun took it and saw the familiar red header of the recruitment notice. The benefits in this life are surprisingly much better than in the past life.

Zhu Zhuan said, "City Lord Gong mentioned that he certainly wouldn't want to lose the two experts, but the terms are indeed quite attractive, so he didn't dare to withhold it and forwarded it immediately upon receipt."

Zhou Yun casually set the recruitment notice aside, "We should decline both offers. For me, say it's difficult to leave my homeland."

"For Yao Lao, state that due to his age and being an ordinary doctor, he can't tolerate Central Base's cold climate and plans to recuperate in the south."

In this life, the Psychic Research Institute lacks the psychic affinity test paper he developed, nor does it have the zombie repellent and lure he created. Nor has it quietly trained a significant number of wood psychic talents for Central Base. They have made no headway in psychic activation experiments and have failed to secure full support from the Central Base alliance government and military.

What else can they offer to attract research talents from major bases?

Heh, just thinking about it makes him gloat uncontrollably, and he can't help but laugh. He feels like having an extra bowl of rice tonight.