Matrix Survival: I Get A Random Chest Every Day-Chapter 756 - 524 New Species in Beast Cage_2

"So it's a pregnancy; no wonder the belly is so big. I thought it was just fat."

Li Zheng remembered that after breaking open the ant nest, besides the fertilizing gland fluid, he also found a small heap of things that looked like insect eggs, which he casually put into the capsule without a second look.

[Leaf-Cutter Ant Eggs

Tier: None

Type: Insect

Status: Gestating (Advanced Stage)

Description: Eggs of the leaf-cutter ants, which can only successfully gestate in the presence of the queen. If separated from the mother for too long, they will lose vitality and become dead 'embryos'.]

The ant eggs weren't big, only the size of two grains of rice, with a crisp green color that looked somewhat like emerald.

A total of two hundred and thirty-three ant eggs were harvested earlier, eighty-three of which were in the advanced stage of gestation, eighty in the middle stage, and seventy in the early stage.

Distinguishing by different statuses shows that these are actually the cumulative eggs from three batches.

Inferring from the rough number of leaf-cutter ants just killed and Kang'er's mentioned timing, the queen produces a wave of eggs every three to five days.

Each batch of eggs requires five to eight days to hatch.

Of course, this presumes Kang'er wasn't lying, so the timing might not be entirely accurate.

After finishing the study, Li Zheng put everything back into the capsule and threw a batch of chopped wood and rotten leaves from earlier, which the three tiger brothers shredded, into the small beast cage, letting the queen leaf-cutter ant handle the clean-up herself.

"Finished?"

Mirel saw Li Zheng coming over from the next room, clapped her hands, and said, "If you're done, come eat. I figured you wouldn't have to deliver food to others, so I made a little less of everything."

Gotta admit, the little Enchanting Demon Mirel has a bit of the good wife and loving mother vibe. In this short time, she managed to make three delicately crafted dishes, all of which Li Zheng hadn't tried before.

"Why are you just standing there?"

Mirel sat cross-legged, "I've had people in your legion try these dishes and confirmed they're tasty and non-toxic before recording the recipes. Eat without worry." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Li Zheng: "..."

I was wondering why you were so enthusiastically cooking for so many people.

Well, look at that, using the won't-kill-you chance for poison testing, huh?

Poor legion members, having no hesitation over these unclear-effect dishes; if they were poisonous, wouldn't they have gone peacefully?

Getting some clean water to wash his hands, then putting the water basin in front of the Red Poli to let them replenish a bit of water themselves, and pouring the rest back into the bathroom's circulation system without wasting a drop.

Afterward, accompanied Mirel and little Sakura for dinner, and the three tiger brothers returned with Basil.

As soon as he came in, Hu San sniffed the air, puzzled, "It smells so good. I smell food."

Before the words were out, his stomach started rumbling loudly.

Hu Er jumped up and gave him a flick on the head, scolding, "All you think about is eating and that girl. When will you grow up a little?"

Just after scolding, his stomach also started rumbling...

Hu San rubbed his belly, with a pitiful face, "But I've only had one meal today and I'm still hungry. Isn't it normal to be hungry? Brother, you be the judge..."

"Judge my ass! You think I'm not hungry?" Kota covered his belly and cursed, "If you two idiots hadn't spent money where you shouldn't have, would I be starving with you?"

"So what do we do..." Hu San's eyes brimmed with tears, "Brother, I'm hungry..."

"Get lost, get lost, get lost!"

Kota waved his hand impatiently.

Hu Er also said, "Brother, I'm hungry too. Let's find something to eat first?"

"What do you mean?" Kota watched them cautiously, "Didn't get enough beating, huh? Today Old Catfish has already warned us. If we go to his place for a free meal again, tomorrow's menu will have 'Tiger Whip Special' for three!"

"Tiger Whip Special?" Hu San drooled, "Is it tasty?"

Kota couldn't stand it anymore, "Why don't you cut it off and try it yourself?"

"Oh..." Hu San lowered his head, looking as if he was tempted.

"Forget it, I'll figure out something for you two to eat later." Kota was at his wit's end, truly afraid his idiot brother would lose his mind and actually cut it off to taste.

Hu Er complained, "Old Catfish is really not being reasonable. We helped him so much back then. Now we just eat a couple of free meals, and he's turning his back on us."

"Shut up!"

Hearing this, Kota got furious, "We three brothers were doing fine working for Old Catfish, and you got greedy, heard robbing makes big money and stole fifty chargrilled fancy chickens from his kitchen.

If Old Catfish didn't remember our old friendship and overlook it slightly, would he still let us occasionally freeload food from him?"

"So what if I stole fifty fancy chickens from him?" Hu Er retorted, "We brothers worked for him for years, did he ever give us any salary?"

Hu San grumbled to agree, "Exactly, no salary means I can't even afford to see the girl."

"How do you know he didn't pay?" Kota angrily said, "All the money is with me!"

"The money?" Hu Er's eyes lit up, "You should split mine and the third brother's share with us, don't you think?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Hu San nodded vigorously, "Give us back our money, I still need it to see the girl."

"Look." Kota pointed at Hu San and said to Hu Er, "Look at your third brother and then at you; the moment you have money, you squander it. The little salary Old Catfish gave is gone because of you two, and you have the nerve to ask me for it?"