NOVPUBGiven Chung Hwangeun's usual personality, he'd have been wandering off somewhere in the few days since his return.
However, the drastic changes in the Pyeongseong Safe Zone had even kept this notoriously restless top-ranking ability user grounded.
The safe zone had been enjoying a stable electricity supply during this time as well.
Kim Haru nodded.
He had no intention of heading out unprepared.
He needed to return to his small farm and get ready.
At the very least, he'd bring the Ginseng Spirit and Go Okrim along.
The former could act as a translator since no one knew if the ants were capable of communication.
As for the latter, since they were heading to his hometown, Kim Haru thought it might lead to new discoveries—or at the very least, it would allow Go Okrim to revisit his home.
As for the Cryo Wolf, they originally planned to follow Kim Haru.
However, as soon as they heard he was heading to a place infested with ants, each one immediately backed away.
"What's wrong?" It was the first time Kim Haru had seen his usually fearless Cryo Wolf acting like this.
They didn't seem scared exactly, more like they had learned their lesson after a bad experience.
"Woof!"
"Woof!"
"Woof!"
The Cryo Wolf started barking, each chiming in.
The Ginseng Spirit listened from the side and suddenly burst out laughing. "Serves them right."
Kim Haru grew more curious. "What happened? Tell me."
"What else? These dim-witted Cryo Wolf said that, at some point, they were running wild in some town. Naturally, they caused a lot of damage—breaking buildings and digging countless holes in the ground. By pure bad luck, they happened to mess with a colony of Antharion Giant Ant. These Cryo Wolf destroyed the ants' meticulously built homes. Of course, the ants didn't let them off easily, and a fight broke out between the Cryo Wolf and the ants."
Kim Haru: "..."
That does sound like something these foolish Cryo Wolf would do.
"And then what happened?" Go Okrim and Kang Hose, who had been listening intently, couldn't hide their curiosity.
Looking at the Cryo Wolf now, standing proudly in front of them, it was clear they hadn't suffered any major injuries.
However, their expressions also made it obvious they hadn't gained the upper hand.
So what exactly had happened?
Everyone was dying to know.
The Ginseng Spirit extended a ginseng root, mimicking a finger, and pointed at the Cryo Wolf' fluffy fur, which looked as soft and puffy as cotton candy.
"The Cryo Wolf said the ants crawled into their fur. They didn't bite them or anything—they just started building nests in the Cryo Wolf' fur."
Uh…
Everyone imagined the scene in their minds.
The Cryo Wolf were so big, and their fur so thick and deep.
If their bodies were covered with countless ant nests, with ants crawling back and forth, wouldn't that be unbearably itchy?
Even if the Cryo Wolf tried to paw the ants off, they could only reach their bellies.
Their heads, backs, necks, and tails would be out of reach.
Even if they helped each other, it would've been nearly impossible to clean out all the ants.
During that time, the Cryo Wolf must have been desperately rubbing against trees, sand, dirt, rocks, and even water, trying to get rid of the ants.
Just imagining the scene made everyone feel itchy all over, as if the ants were already crawling on their own bodies.
The Ginseng Spirit, still laughing gleefully, said, "The ants did a great job. After all, it was the Cryo Wolf who destroyed their homes first. Now the ants are just using the Cryo Wolf' fur as compensation—totally fair, hahahahaha!"
Kim Haru couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "Alright, alright, fine. You guys can stay behind, but don't get too rowdy on the farm. I can't afford for you to tear the place apart."
"Woof!"
The Cryo Wolf wagged their tails and happily stuck out their tongues, seemingly agreeing to behave.
Despite their assurances, Kim Haru wasn't too confident in their promises.
He specifically instructed Kang Hose, "If the Cryo Wolf start causing trouble, just let them run wild in the forest instead."
Better they wreak havoc in the forest than ruin his farm.
Besides, this forest wasn't an ordinary one—it was filled with mutated plants, tough enough to withstand the Cryo Wolf' antics.
Kang Hose nodded, promising to keep a close eye on the farm.
"Relax," Go Okrim reassured him. "There's a good chance no enemies will show up here. All you need to do is feed and water the chickens, ducks, and pigs on time. Check the crops in the Greenhouse occasionally. Everything has an automatic watering system except for that single ramie plant, which needs to be watered manually. It's not too much work."
Go Okrim passed on his experience to Kang Hose.
In fact, Go Okrim had already been guiding Kang Hose through these tasks on a daily basis.
But since this would be Kang Hose's first time staying at the farm alone, it didn't hurt to go over everything again.
After giving all the necessary instructions, Kim Haru and Go Okrim left with the Ginseng Spirit.
Shin Woncheon was already waiting at the foot of the mountain with a vehicle.
The vehicle headed toward Gokmul County, and the speed was not fast along the way, even on the ice; it didn't slip at all.
Kim Haru occasionally saw vehicles traveling from Gokmul County toward the Pyeongseong Safe Zone, also moving at a slow pace, passing by him.
These vehicles all had their windows securely fixed.
"This should be the last batch of glass," Shin Woncheon also noticed these vehicles. "The Greenhouse in the safe zone is almost done, and the river sand excavation has stopped. We should be preparing to send the withered plants over."
Kim Haru was aware of this as well.
His small farm didn't need coal for now, as various heating systems were in place, and electricity was also provided by the system.
