Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

Ursus wants to expand into warmer regions, so it either has to go to the Kazdel Imperial graveyard, fight Victoria, or fight the Great Yan—it's a three-way choice.

Lateran, Iberia, and Colombia are truly unbeatable. Militarily, that's manageable, but the key concern is what strange, powerful weapons they might unleash, especially Lateran.

Frankly, if this were a large-scale anti-bandit operation in one of these countries, the general would honestly think that if the emperor didn't provide some "Ursus arms of dubious origin" to their resistance forces, he must have drunk too much vodka the day before and overslept.

So, the thought of his enemies transforming from unarmed mobs into a semi-regular army wielding "unknown Da Yan weapons" and wearing "mysteriously missing Victoria armor" made his head start to buzz.

The nobles were persuaded by the Duke to fight this war, but not for the current situation. They were only acting because the Emperor had shut down the mines on a large scale and the infected had shown that they might have the ability to breach fortified cities.

Because the infected wouldn't travel thousands of miles to attack Saint-Germain; they would definitely seek trouble with these northern nobles.

Therefore, the suffocation plan was launched to prevent war, and although it seemed wasteful and extravagant, it was actually profitable.

Whether it's plundering the property of the infected or taking advantage of the relocation of towns to exploit and plunder, it's all beneficial. Not to mention that these towns that were moved to the south are essentially turning a portion of the people under the emperor's control into his own subjects.

In addition, it can prevent the infected from becoming too powerful and attacking their home cities first, looting the mines, factories and towns under their control. This is beneficial to the nobles and warlords in every way, so they naturally showed a great deal of sincere cooperation and did not shirk their responsibilities in sending personnel, using fortresses and so on.

If I had to use an analogy, it would be like how nobles and officials are usually very enthusiastic about participating in river management, but when it comes to disaster relief, they tend to stay out of it.

The former means a huge share of the project funds, and you can also use this as an excuse to make money, while the latter means you have to pay out of your own pocket to do the work—unless the imperial court allocates funds, then it's a cushy job.

If this were applied to Ursus, the imperial court wouldn't allocate any funds. The emperor would rather they be decimated by the infected so he could step in, play the role of the "little father," and take control of this force.

Now, the "river management" plan has clearly failed, because the infected can actually breach the fortress. The nobles have started to consider two things. The first is that if the infected can breach the fortress, it means they can also breach their own residence and castle and hang themselves from the lampposts.

The second issue is that if a large number of troops are expended on the snowfields, our defenses will weaken, and if infected individuals enter the south, they might be planning a major operation...

Even without this incident, the increased firepower of the infected means greater losses of troops and armed forces on the ice plains. Without soldiers, what difference is there between nobles and warlords and easy prey?

Therefore, the nobles naturally used high-sounding reasons such as "thinking about the big picture," "not giving Victoria and Da Yan more opportunities to carry out their conspiracies," and "we are the northern bulwark of Ursus, and it is not advisable to lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of the small things" to... go through the motions without putting in any real effort.

Moreover, they've already squeezed most of the profits out of the wealthy infected and civilian settlements near the south, so they don't have much motivation to implement the next phase of their strategy. Even if Old Black Snake convinces them that they can continue to make money this way, they won't budge.

As for Old Black Snake, although he was surprised by the Patriots' offensive capabilities, he wasn't particularly moved, and many people didn't understand his purpose.

To put it simply, his goal is to fight a war; who he fights is completely unimportant.

If the plan goes smoothly, Talulah will have control over the mob-like infected. Her next step will be to orchestrate the Chernobog incident near the Great Yan Kingdom and then declare war on Lungmen. Even if the plan fails, she will still have achieved her goal.

Because of the terrible ordeal of being beaten by the infected, the black snake will soon spread its influence little by little through its scales.

At that time, pressure from neighboring countries will follow, no matter how much the young emperor doesn't want to fight now.

But in order to prove that Ursus, this raging bear, still has strength and is not just a dying piece of fat, he must start a war just like the old emperor.

As the "bookmaker," Old Black Snake has no chance of losing in this betting game; the only difference is how he wins and how much he wins.

It's just a matter of whose money you win; unless you have the ability to overturn the entire gambling table, it's not a question. Clearly, neither Patriot, Xia Lin, nor Talulah currently possess the power to do so.

Just as Lao Xia said, given Terra's productivity, especially Ursus's level of awareness and education, skipping the bloody accumulation phase of early capitalism would be the best outcome; going any further is out of the question.

Indeed, this is the case; it is simply a matter of relying on interstellar-age production capabilities around the farm.

It does allow them to maintain a false sense of goodness, so they don't have to rely on those wealthy businessmen and factory owners.

However, if we expand this to the entire snowfield, and even the whole of Ursus—uniting the forces of the factory owners and the emerging bourgeoisie is essential.

Regardless of the fierce extermination efforts or the resistance of the infected, the heat of the war gradually subsided on the snowfield. The planned attacks on various production areas to disrupt the infected's production work were also abandoned due to the procrastination of the noble warlords. Only a symbolic operation was carried out to drive away the infected guerrillas near the green zone.

Late spring is coming to an end, and summer is gradually approaching. Under the scorching sun, the muddy ground has dried up once again, allowing vehicles and people to pass through. The warm temperature has caused the planted crops such as wheat to sprout green shoots.

The sugar beets planted in summer, as well as the soybeans and corn bred in the greenhouse, are all growing very vigorously. With plenty of water and fertilizer, any farmer who has ever done farm work can see that a bumper harvest is coming in September.

The necessary tasks adjacent to the bumper harvest include expanding irrigation canals, digging reservoirs, leveling the ground, installing food and fertilizer processing equipment, and building numerous specialized crop warehouses.

Another piece of good news is that the draft horses and calves, which have finally grown to almost a year old, are barely old enough to enter the labor training stage. The former has solved the problem of insufficient vehicles, allowing the surrounding infected people and civilian settlements to carry out simple commercial activities through the transportation lines established by these draft horses.

The biggest reward of the upcoming summer is that Xia Lin's beehives are finally entering the honey-making stage.

The consequence is that every now and then, a few naughty children get stung by bees and cry loudly.

Chapter 85 Chirping Grasshoppers, Leaping Grasshoppers

Chapter 85

Ursus is a vast country, which means that it would take the Patriots about half a month just to withdraw from the front lines, not to mention that they would also need to gather the infected guerrillas who were bloodthirsty. More accurately, after the last battle at the fortress, a considerable number of the infected guerrillas could hardly be considered the original guerrillas anymore.

They followed in the footsteps of the Patriots Shields, operating with relatively strict military discipline compared to other guerrilla groups and resistance fighters.

Although they haven't yet transformed from a simple resistance force of the infected into protectors of the oppressed, they have taken a significant step in that direction.

When they returned to the vicinity of the farm, spring was almost over. The empty snow-covered forest and the perimeter of the cordon were dotted with numerous infected settlements of varying sizes, and even some ordinary settlements. However, they remained quite wary and hostile, keeping their distance from one another.

"Buzz buzz buzz—" Black bees flew among the blooming pale purple flowers, making a dense buzzing sound. Around the pasture where alfalfa was planted, there were one polymer box after another, and swarms of worker bees went back and forth.

"A bee?" Patriot stretched out his hand. A worker bee circled halfway around the iron glove before landing in his palm to rest for a moment, and then flew to a new flower bush.

"That's really good..."

"There's honey!" The shield guards were able to maintain a basic level of composure, but the infected guerrillas who had returned with them were not so calm. They had originally planned to endure a period of hardship, toiling away in the cold, barren, and food-scarce northern plains, barely managing to survive by sweating profusely. However, upon arriving at their destination, they discovered a beautiful place with flowers as beautiful as a screen and green grass as lush as a field.

The farm security guards, standing beside an SUV-like vehicle, waved to the Patriots. These days, their main task was catching honey thieves. The adults, however, maintained a semblance of rationality, only glancing at the honey from afar and inhaling its sweet aroma.

The children didn't care about anything else. Some were injured while stealing honey, some were stung by soldier bees, and some were caught on the spot by traps placed near the hive to prevent wild animals from stealing honey. At first, we encountered two of them every day, but things have gotten a bit better these days due to increased patrols and security.

"The supply depot and trading post are over there, follow this sign..." Seeing the dense crowd behind Patriot, they knew it was another group of refugees. The Yeti team, who were already somewhat experienced, pointed directly to the supply depot or convenience store with the Reunion Movement flag hanging over there.

"They will arrange a place for you, rent seeds and tools, and you can buy anything you need from their exchange."

Whether it's LMD, Ursus silver, or other currencies, they all work. If none of these are available, you can use labor or output as collateral.

"They are recruiting transporters and liaisons; they need people familiar with the Ursus snowfield terrain and various trails..."

"Hmm," Patriot nodded. That was good. This way, they could promptly notify the infected settlements and guerrillas to avoid Ursus's strangulation, and also send them supplies to prevent them from turning into rioters.

"Where's Talulah?" Patriot was worried about her, not about her safety, but about whether she was another trick by the old black snake.

Theoretically speaking, excluding Old Xia whose strength is unknown, the only ones around the farm who could kill her are Patriot and Skadi. Frostnova is still a bit too young to grow—of course, this is assuming all means are used and she is fighting for her life.

In a pure fight, the White Rabbit and Talulah, both fully equipped, could probably maintain a roughly 50/50 chance of winning. After realizing the performance of the armor on the White Rabbit, Talulah stopped trying to outmuscle her and started using jujitsu techniques instead.

After all, fighting isn't war; whoever gets knocked to the ground has basically lost half the battle.

"Miss Talulah should be at the school."

"A school?" This time it was Patriot's turn to be stunned. Did this place even have a school?

"Swordsmanship is not only a technique for killing with a sword, but also a technique for training your limbs coordination, physical strength and wrist dexterity, and your willpower."

A group of mischievous kids stood obediently in the playground, holding wooden swords. Originally, Skadi had taught them swordsmanship.

However, after parents repeatedly complained that their children were breaking things with sticks, Talulah was replaced as the teacher.

Skadi used standard battlefield swordsmanship, emphasizing wide, sweeping movements where the body never remained in one place for more than a second.

Otherwise, Hai Si's poisonous stingers and claws could tear her apart; the physical and technical requirements are actually very high.

Children who don't learn properly either end up breaking bottles and jars at home, or throwing sticks at their parents, and then are sent to space to become astronauts.

Finally, Talulah couldn't stand it anymore and decided to teach standard Ursus noble swordsmanship herself. While noble swordsmanship wasn't unusable in battle, it was more for self-defense, dueling, and performance. It was relatively more basic and progressive, with a complete tutorial starting from the basics.

Instead of Skadi's approach, which teaches basic sword grip and force application, throws soldiers onto the battlefield, and makes them good warriors if they survive.

Talulah had virtually no authority at school; the children weren't afraid of her because they thought she was a bit simple-minded.

Skadi may be a bit goofy, but she's incredibly good at fighting, and she transforms into a completely different person the moment she picks up a weapon, terrifying the kids.

However, Talulah was much stricter when teaching swordsmanship. If she saw something wrong, she would lash it with a stick, and the naughty child who was beaten didn't even dare to cry.

Because their father was squatting nearby watching them, anyone who dared to lose face at a time like this would get a beating when they got back.

"Who is this?" To be honest, Patriot didn't recognize Talulah at first glance. He didn't know if she had finally figured it out or if Alina had finally started doing something serious. Wearing a black and red dress and with her naturally curly silver hair slightly longer, Talulah looked completely different from the tomboy she used to be, dressed in an Ursus officer's uniform or overalls.

"How did she become like this?" Patriot was confused; the change was too drastic. Then, he turned around and saw another person who was also very strange.

"I don't know," Yelena said, arms crossed, watching Talulah teach swordsmanship. Unlike before, she wasn't wearing a knitted sweater and a short skirt, or simply a thick winter coat with a plain long-sleeved shirt.

A plain white dress without any patterns or extra embellishments, with a pendant like an ice lotus hanging on her slightly protruding chest, the skirt fluttering like a lily blooming in the wind. Even with such a simple outfit, her personal charm and temperament still made it stand out.

The only flaw was his shockingly grim expression. There was nothing he could do; Old Xia really wasn't good at costume design. It wasn't his job. He couldn't exactly dress Yelena in a cosplay outfit, and even if he did, he wouldn't know how to make one.

Compared to Talulah's ever-changing dresses, White Rabbit always felt like she had lost in some way, especially to Talulah, who would never be a bit womanly without Alina watching over her.

"Well, that's fine too." Patriot didn't have many thoughts on this. Talulah seemed normal now, normal in every sense of the word, which reassured him a lot.

How's the situation in the fields?

"It's still the same, but the alfalfa has matured and the beehives have entered the honey production stage. The yield is not high, and for the time being, it is only provided to Kal'tsit's medical station for the wounded and sick."

Honey water, to be honest, is an incredibly luxurious patient ration, not just in Ursus, but everywhere else. It can't be industrially produced like artificial sweeteners.

"Where's Boss Xia?" Normally, Xia Lin should be driving around in his tractor or researching something in the workshop right now. But he's nowhere to be seen.

"He took Amiya and the others to the mountains to catch insects..." Yelena kicked a clod of dirt on the ground, "but he didn't take me—" There was a hint of resentment in her voice, as if her father had only taken her to play since her younger sister was born.

"Hmm..." Patriot is not good at this kind of thing at all. In fact, he was never good at communicating with children and rarely interacted with his son.

After all, he spent almost 90% of his first half of life on the battlefield, either fighting or on the march.

“As expected…” Xia Lin squatted down beside a clump of bushes, using tweezers to examine a bright green larva. “Is a new natural disaster coming…” The larva’s abdomen had an obvious abnormal bulge, and a small section of Originium cluster was protruding from its tail.

In nature, when a certain element is in excess, the first to be affected are the bottom of the food chain, and apart from plants, the bottom of the food chain is insects.

"What's this?" Amiya wobbled over carrying a transparent insect box, and Little Red grabbed her from behind to prevent her from falling.

Xia Lin carefully placed the locust larvae into the insect box. As an agricultural technician, preventing pests and diseases is a basic skill, and investigating harmful insects in the soil and fields is also a necessary part of daily work. Otherwise, if a locust plague occurs, all the work for the whole year will be in vain.

What are locusts?

"A nutritious, high-protein food that can be deep-fried..."

"Is it delicious?" The little brown rabbit didn't seem to feel anything at all, but the red-haired sister behind her was about to throw up.

"Yes, but when there are too many, they shouldn't be eaten." When locusts live in swarms, they secrete a pheromone that attracts the swarm, making themselves poisonous and avoiding predation by natural enemies.

Therefore, once a locust plague occurs, there is no way to stop it except by spraying powerful insecticides from the air.

Even using locusts' phototaxis to light fires only prevents the damage from spreading, but cannot completely stop the locust plague, and locust eggs and larvae can live underground for a long time.

If the climate is unsuitable for several consecutive years and no locusts hatch, a sudden surge in hatching in a particular year can turn into a locust plague.

"By the way, Amiya, did you catch any interesting bugs?"

"We caught a beetle—" Xia Lin skillfully changed the subject; the next question was not suitable to be discussed with the children.

Inside the workshop, "Recently, I discovered that locusts and several other insects on the nearby mountains and in the fields have been enriched with Originium. This confirms my previous theory that the concentration of Originium particles in the air affects natural disasters. Originium is deeply involved in the planet's weather and life activities, and human use of Originium itself will disturb these things. Even without human activity, this is a natural phenomenon."