As for the restless dino-chicken pacing nearby, Jing Shu decided to put that particular anomaly aside for now. She still needed to run more rigorous tests on its oversized eggs before figuring out their full potential for her settlement. She picked up a pen and scribbled a deliberate note in her research journal, the ink soaking into the paper:
The usefulness of the dino-chicken and the value of its eggs.
Still, the undeniable fact that a normal rooster had turned into a prehistoric-looking dino-chicken made one thing very clear—the Crimson Spirit Spring's effect was fundamentally tied to time. It must have activated the creature's strongest genetic state, forcing it to survive in its most powerful ancestral form. The algae didn't change at all because that was already its peak form.
As for the red nematodes, the Crimson Spirit Spring had effectively rewound their genetic state back to their most frenzied breeding phase, fixing their previously established inability to reproduce. From now on, as long as they were soaked in water that had been diluted tens of thousands of times with just a single drop of the Spirit Spring, they would return to that hyper-reproductive state.
But there were significant drawbacks to this method. The red nematodes that had been soaked could only reproduce in their first generation. The second generation would naturally have much weaker fertility, and by the third generation, the specific trait would disappear entirely. Since their individual lifespan was less than seven days, a single drop of the Spirit Spring in several tons of water wasn't enough to sustain them over the long-term.
The Crimson Spirit Spring mainly acted as a genetic trigger. It was a catalyst that could be reused dozens of times until the few tons of water it infused finally evaporated. It would probably take soaking dozens of tons of red nematodes before that finally happened. For her, that production cost was practically nothing.
In other words, once the first generation of red nematodes finished their crazy breeding cycle and died off, she would just soak another batch to continue the cycle.
To maximize the final results, she decided to add trace amounts of the ZS880 reagent into the first-generation breeding pool. That should double their reproductive output since the reagent promoted additional cell division, allowing the nematodes to multiply even faster than before.
However, what the red nematodes needed most right now wasn't chemical reagents, but plenty of food. Algae, which could expand rapidly in the right conditions, was the perfect option for them. If only the nematodes could eat carrion scavengers or creatures infected with the zombie virus directly, she wouldn't have to bother with all this extra work. Thankfully, she had the algae to act as a biological converter.
That said, the red nematode breeding process was still quite complicated. Her plan was: first, collect carrion scavengers and zombie flesh—free resources, since they were everywhere after the apocalypse. Then, she would feed those to special algae that could neutralize the toxins, turning the biomass into safe material. Finally, she would feed that algae to the red nematodes, let them reproduce wildly, and process them into edible food to help feed famine-stricken survivors across the entire country.
So why couldn't anyone else simply copy this method?
It was simple. Algae could only divide a limited number of times before its cells stopped splitting, which meant it would eventually stop growing. It needed the ZS880 reagent just to keep reproducing.
Alright, say someone else also had access to ZS880 and managed to breed the algae. Even then, they would never be able to reproduce her red nematodes without the Crimson Spirit Spring. Both components were absolutely essential.
Someone might ask, "Well, is the mutated algae useful on its own?" Sure, it was a little better than eating carrion scavengers as food, but it didn't fill the stomach much. Using it to feed chickens or pigs wasn't worth the high cost either.
Anyone who had raised livestock before knew about the feed-to-meat ratio—the specific amount of meat gained from each kilogram of feed provided. If the animal ate less, grew much faster, and yielded more meat, then it was worth breeding.
The genetically enhanced red nematodes could grow up to twenty centimeters in just two days. Their short growth cycle, rapid maturity, and high feed efficiency were completely unmatched. One kilogram of algae could yield several dozen kilograms of red nematodes. The return rate was insanely high, far better than raising poultry or ducks. Nothing else could match that kind of cost-efficiency.
So, her breeding model in this apocalypse had two irreplaceable elements: the Crimson Spirit Spring as the genetic trigger, and an abundant supply of algae as feed. Without either one, it wouldn't work—and that made her method impossible for others to replicate.
Speaking of the Crimson Spirit Spring, she suddenly remembered something. She had recently found that the orange tree she planted in the Cube Space had reverted to its hybrid stage—half pomelo and half tangerine. After searching through several archived agricultural databases, she finally figured it out.
The Crimson Spirit Spring had the ability to rewind biological genes!
Wait a second. If it could revert things to their earlier genetic states, then maybe, just maybe... she could use it to restore extinct species or pre-apocalypse crops and vegetables in the future.
Her eyes lit up. She quickly jotted down another note:
Continue testing the Crimson Spirit Spring. It might restore extinct organisms to their pre-apocalypse forms. Try experimenting with zombie creatures first.
If that really worked, it would be incredible! So far, aside from collecting a decent variety of seeds, she hadn't managed to gather enough samples of extinct plants or animals. Even certain fish species she used to love were gone, and not being able to eat what she craved was torture.
Extinct species were always the most precious. If the Crimson Spirit Spring could restore them by reverting similar ones to earlier forms, then it was truly a badass treasure.
"Looks like this Spirit Spring is way more powerful than I thought. Shame there's so little of it, I have got to use it carefully. And those Crimson Spirit Crystals... once they're gone, they're gone."
Her phone had been buzzing nonstop against the tabletop. Now that she had finished solving the factory's red nematode reproduction issue, she finally picked it up—only to find hundreds of unread WeChat messages and a flood of comments under her recruitment post.
Apparently, someone had even shared her post to a group chat from her old university. The place had completely exploded with activity.
[Ferris Wheel Girl]:"Wait, isn't that Jing Shu, our classmate who tried to be an influencer before the apocalypse? Guess being a net idol really pays off these days."
[Shorty Mao]:"What are you talking about? I heard from a high school friend that she owns shares in Xingfu Shiyuan. Her family is loaded, they eat chicken legs like snacks. Unlike you, who filmed a garbage short movie that never even aired before the world ended."
[Ferris Wheel Girl]:"You simp. Think defending her is going to get you a chicken leg? Please, even your math is trash. You think she would want you?"
Jing Shu rubbed her chin, smirking as she typed with one hand: "@Shorty Mao, report to this address tomorrow. I will bring you a chicken leg next time."
"666!"
"Boss move! Please share some chicken legs!"
"What is she doing now? She sounds so confident!"
She closed that group chat and checked the comments under her recruitment post instead.
"Boss, I used to be an auditor before the apocalypse! Sent my data already, how do I get a chicken leg?"
"My aunt's nephew's wife's brother is a lawyer. Can I get a chicken leg if I refer him?"
She skimmed through them. A few familiar names actually had decent résumés and good reputations, so she sent them her location. They would still need to pass her "assessment" before being officially hired, though.
Then, another message popped up in the high school group:
[Xie Zihao]:"@Jing Shu, heard you're looking for a lawyer? My wife is a first-tier one, want to try her out? Oh right, @everyone, I'm getting married tomorrow at Xingfu Shiyuan! Come by for the wedding feast, no need for fancy gifts. Actually, why don't we make it a reunion? Boss @Jing Shu, Boss @Maria!"