Chapter 26: The Solution
In the meeting room, a group of people turned their eyes toward Su Ning, their faces filled with confusion and curiosity.
They wanted to know more about the issue and hoped to get specific information from Su Ning.
Su Ning, seeing their expectant gazes, didn’t waste any words.
She directly explained, “Officer Liu, although this type of mushroom does indeed contain toxins, that’s not the root cause of the widespread diarrhea. The real culprit is other components within the mushroom.”
As she spoke, Su Ning took out a sharp knife and, under the surprised eyes of the crowd, carefully cut open the insect mushroom.
Pointing to some tiny particles she had removed that closely resembled mushroom spores, she said, “Many people might find it hard to distinguish, but these are not mushroom spores—they are insect eggs! And these eggs are the true culprits behind the diarrhea.”
“This mushroom’s scientific name is insect mushroom. It naturally attracts various insects to breed and lay eggs within it.”
After hearing Su Ning’s explanation, everyone turned their eyes to the cut-open mushroom, horror reflected in their eyes.
“So, the reason for those stomach aches is… bugs in the stomach?” Liu Jianjun frowned deeply, his voice heavy.
Before he could finish speaking, everyone’s faces in the room turned pale as paper.
Su Ning nodded, but not everyone in the meeting room was fully convinced.
An elderly man with white hair, Bai Yonghe, raised a question, “Comrade Xiao Su, I don’t mean to doubt you, but isn’t your ability limited to detecting whether food is poisonous? How do you know the scientific name insect mushroom and its characteristics?”
At that moment, everyone began to notice something unusual about Su Ning.
Su Ning, instead of panicking at the suspicion, actually looked relieved.
She had come fully prepared.
When Zhang Xing had invited her, she had packed a special backpack.
Now, she took out a jar from it, inside of which was a insect mushroom.
In fact, this was not the first time Su Ning had encountered this mushroom.
At the breeding farm, she had seen it in the death worm breeding zone.
“Please look here.”
Su Ning presented a transparent jar, inside of which was another insect mushroom. But unlike before, two death worms were entwined around it.
It was clear what they were doing.
Soon, many insect eggs were laid under the mushroom.
Su Ning had not wasted her week in the [Breeding Farm] instance. In her free time, she had explored and collected various items, placing them in her scavenger’s backpack.
The insect mushroom was one of them. That’s why she knew about its dangers.
“The instance I entered was called the Breeding Farm. Inside, many breeders were cultivating insect mushrooms.
So I am very familiar with their habits. Their main function is to provide a breeding ground for insects!”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room gasped.
Liu Jianjun, being the head of the shelter base, had refused the system’s offer to enter any instances in order to remain and protect the shelter.
Still, through discussions with logistics personnel, he had gathered a fair amount of information.
Of the five instances that had appeared recently, two had the highest mortality rates: [Ghost Invasion] and [Breeding Farm].
After Su Ning clearly explained how she knew about the mushroom, Liu Jianjun decisively waved his hand and said, “Now that we’ve found the problem, we must act immediately to solve it!”
Bai Yonghe added, “If we’re sure there are parasites in their stomachs, then the only solution is to use deworming medicine.
However, as long as insect mushrooms exist, people might still consume them.”
Obviously, the most urgent problem was still food shortage.
After all, hunger was the most pressing challenge facing humanity.
“First, solve the diarrhea issue among residents. The shelter construction must continue, but we’ll add one deworming pill per day to daily rations to see if it can help those who’ve already eaten the mushrooms.”
As for the insect mushrooms, Liu Jianjun wasn’t sure how to handle them.
They were technically edible despite being “toxic,” but once consumed, the insect eggs would hatch inside the body, causing diarrhea—or possibly worse.
With current medical conditions being difficult, Liu Jianjun directly decided, “Collect and destroy all insect mushrooms!”
“I don’t think that’s feasible.”
“I have a suggestion!”
Suddenly, two voices rang out simultaneously.
Liu Jianjun looked at the two people who had spoken at once.
Su Ning also looked toward the man who had spoken at the same time as her.
The man wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a refined, scholarly appearance.
“Researcher Yan, do you have a question?” Liu Jianjun asked.
Yan Wenshou adjusted his glasses.
“Destroying them outright is wasteful. The insect mushroom has significant research value. We can cultivate useful insects from it.”
Su Ning agreed with Researcher Yan.
Food was scarce, but some insects were edible—and rich in protein and nutrients—making them a crucial source of sustenance now.
Liu Jianjun looked to Su Ning, as if asking for her opinion.
“I share Researcher Yan’s view. Although the diarrhea issue is caused by the mushrooms, that doesn’t mean the mushrooms are entirely useless.”
After Su Ning gave her opinion, Liu Jianjun began detailed discussions with the leadership of Shelter No. 6. Su Ning had no further part in that meeting.
As she was about to leave, Researcher Yan called out to her.
“Miss Su, please wait a moment!”
“Yes, Researcher Yan?” Su Ning asked, puzzled about why he had stopped her.
Seeing that Su Ning was a bit wary of him, Yan Wenshou awkwardly rubbed his nose and wondered, “Am I really that scary?”
He was actually rather confident in his appearance—but that wasn’t the point of this conversation.
“I’m quite curious about the insect mushroom and the insects within it.”
Then he introduced himself, “I’m a researcher at the Breeding Institute, working on new ecological crops and animals.”
He wanted to know about Su Ning’s experiences in the [Breeding Farm] instance. He regretted not having entered that instance himself—had he gone in, he could’ve brought out valuable resources and learned a lot that might help save Earth.
After the unknown magnetic field attack and the arrival of extreme temperatures, Earth’s soil had become contaminated and unsuitable for farming or breeding—an enormous challenge for humanity.
Su Ning understood Researcher Yan’s intent and admired it, but she couldn’t hand over the jar.
The death worm inside was currently laying eggs. If it accidentally parasitized Yan, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Though disappointed, Yan Wenshou respected her decision and did not insist.
After returning home, Su Ning found that the same crisis faced Shelter No. 6 was happening all around the world.
With the rising number of insects, deworming medicine had become the most desperately needed resource.
(End of Chapter)
