Chapter 97: Keta Rō
Boss Tang looked pale and listless as he explained, “This is Keta Rō.”
“That guy Gao Ming, the one you saw at the last auction, raised it. This is his treasure, and he entrusted it to me.”
Huai Yu: …
She didn’t really understand what was trending with city folks nowadays. So, is something like Keta Rō really popular in the Capital?
What was the introduction again?
While other dung beetles roll dung balls with their hind legs, Keta Rō uses its front claws—its mutation seems to have occurred in the forelimbs.
Hiss…
Huai Yu instinctively took two steps back. That round ball Boss Tang just picked up—she stepped further away from it too.
Outside the door, Keta Rō stood about 40 cm tall, its entire body in a glowing fly-like green. Honestly, Huai Yu didn’t know what color a normal dung beetle was—who in their right mind would stare at those things?
Still, this Keta Rō’s green, fly-head coloring just made it look super unapproachable.
Then she noticed Boss Tang’s full-body raincoat and rubber gloves, and suddenly it all clicked.
But…
“Shouldn’t you hide Keta Rō? I mean, you’re selling food here—what if a customer sees it…”
Huai Yu believed Boss Tang kept things clean, but still…
Boss Tang looked bitter. “It’s fine… it doesn’t push dung balls.”
“Don’t worry, I bribed the guys at the public toilets. They’ll make sure Keta Rō doesn’t go in.”
“What about that…” Huai Yu looked at the black ball Keta Rō was holding.
Boss Tang sighed. “I’m not exactly sure what it is either—just scraps of rotten veggie leaves, stalks, tree leaves. It picks them up on its own from the streets.”
“Gao Ming told me dung beetles love rolling stuff back to their burrows and slowly eating it.”
He looked truly defeated.
Every day, he had to find ways to hide Keta Rō while keeping it clean. He swore he aged several years in the process. Even the fat he’d carefully built up during the cataclysmic era had dropped by several kilos!
Once Gao Ming comes back, if he doesn’t at least give me a banner that says “Loyalty Beyond the Clouds”, I’m not giving Keta Rō back—nah, never mind the banner. Just take it back ASAP!
Actually, Keta Rō did seem to have a bit of intelligence after mutating.
When it saw Huai Yu standing at the door, it stood upright holding the ping-pong-sized black ball. Its fly-green shell shimmered with dark blue hues, and its yellow film wings fluttered in greeting.
—Kind of gentlemanly.
Huai Yu instinctively nodded and smiled back. A moment later, she realized what she’d done and felt numb.
Anyway, after that brief gentlemanly gesture, Keta Rō was hustled away by Boss Tang into a small room.
Once everything was cleaned up, Boss Tang finally sighed with relief, took off his raincoat, gloves, and boots, washed his hands thoroughly, and sat back down.
Seeing this, Huai Yu felt a bit guilty. “If it’s not pushing dung, maybe it’s not that dirty?”
“Yeah,” Boss Tang replied, sounding like an emotionless machine as he countered sharply, “You could fill your stomach with poop too, but would you actually eat it?”
That logic was unarguable!
Huai Yu couldn’t hold it in anymore—she burst out laughing.
Only then did Boss Tang remember the bean sprouts and began weighing and calculating, “They look like a lot, but accounting for water loss, let’s call it 28 jin (about 14 kg).”
Mutant value 9 still fetched a good price, just not as crazy high as after the rain.
With over 800 points in hand, Huai Yu felt her household stash growing again.
Thinking for a moment, she asked, “When the Defense Army goes out on missions in the Wastelands, how long do they usually take to come back?”
Boss Tang thought. “It depends. If things go smoothly, maybe just over a week. If not, could be up to three months.”
He remembered she said her two older brothers were in the Wastelands—whether in the garrison, the Defense Army, or as adventurers, he wasn’t sure. So he tried to comfort her:
“Try not to worry. There’s a complete safety protocol in place now—accidents are rare.”
Huai Yu nodded and said nothing more.
Just then, Boss Tang brightened with a too-friendly smile and asked, “By the way… you’re farming lately, right? How’s that going?”
Remembering her cover story, Huai Yu nodded: “It’s fun. Why?”
Boss Tang chuckled. “Need fertilizer?”
Huai Yu: ???
“Not for now. I can’t carry much, and too little won’t help.”
Boss Tang’s eyes lit up. “So you do need it eventually, right? C’mon, this stuff’s really light—you can carry it no problem!”
He opened the storeroom and pulled out a big plastic bag, the kind that could hold a quilt. Inside were countless ping-pong-ball-sized black spheres.
Huai Yu’s eyes widened: “Is this…”
“Yep!” Boss Tang grinned sycophantically. “The real deal! Keta Rō rolls and ferments these—totally decomposed, top-grade organic fertilizer!”
“I’ll give you gloves. It’s super light—try it!”
“What do you say, Little Yu? It’s free!”
Huai Yu struggled to find words.
After a long pause, she finally asked, “So this is its week’s stash?”
Boss Tang smiled bitterly. “Don’t say that—Keta Rō is very hardworking. That’s just three days’ worth. If I didn’t make it sneak around, give it two more days and the Health Bureau would give me a banner—because the streets would be spotless.”
Huai Yu: … As impressive as it was, she swore she’d never use Keta Rō for housework.
She hesitantly lifted the bag—it was indeed light, like a sack of ping pong balls.
She thought for a moment. “Okay, I’ll take it. Thanks.”
Boss Tang waved her off. “Don’t mention it. Come by next time, and I’ll have more—oh, those two geese still alive?”
“They are.” Huai Yu’s expression turned complicated. “But their beaks are sharp, and they’re pretty destructive.”
Boss Tang thought of the hole on his counter and actually looked relieved. “A sharp beak is a blessing… Look at Keta Rō—even mutated, it’s still just rolling balls!”
Sadness really is comparative. Thinking of her two geese poking at bamboo shoots like Whac-A-Mole, Huai Yu nodded in agreement.
Also… this Gao Ming friend of Boss Tang? He’s really something else.
And so, this time at Boss Tang’s shop, Huai Yu not only didn’t spend a single point but actually left with a full sack of dung balls.
Well, they were wrapped in plastic. Through the translucent bag, they almost looked like medicinal pellets.
She hoisted the sack to head home but decided to swing by Uncle Zaozi’s store first. No one was there, but it didn’t matter. Just as she was about to leave, someone called out:
“Girl! That chick you bought last time still alive?”
Huai Yu turned and smiled. “Uncle Zaozi!”
He was already numb to the nickname. Glancing at her sack, he asked curiously:
“What’s all this? So many! Medicine pellets? For what?”
“No,” Huai Yu quickly shook her head. “Just some dry fermented fertilizer.”
Uncle Zaozi laughed. “Come on, we’re all friends here. You don’t have to pretend! Medicine pellets it is. Who else could afford this much fermented fertilizer and make it this fancy?”
“Let me see!”
Huai Yu hesitated. “It’s really dirty. Not edible.”
“Oh, don’t be so shy! Just let me see.” Uncle Zaozi seemed surprised by her modesty—she wasn’t like this before.
Left with no choice, Huai Yu opened the bag.
The smell of sealed, fermented grass wafted out. Uncle Zaozi inhaled deeply, eyes lighting up:
“Mmm! Rich aroma… Wait, is this aged compressed tea?”
As he spoke, he picked up a ball and inspected it under the sunlight.
The black ping-pong-sized sphere had streaks of dark green and grass green. Keta Rō was indeed talented at fermentation—the color and texture were well-blended and looked… oddly elegant.
So…
Uncle Zaozi clenched one in his hand: “Expensive? If not, give me one? It’s been years since I had good tea.”
Huai Yu sighed, half amused, half speechless. “Uncle Zaozi, this stuff is worthless. I’ll pour you a dish of it if you want—but you really can’t drink it…”
“Tsk.” He got it. “So you really did get it cheap, huh? I understand! Come, sit with me in the shop. Let’s taste some tea!”
As he spoke, he held the ball and tugged her sack into the store.
Huai Yu struggled. “No, really, I need to get back—I’ve got things to do… You really can’t drink this… Fine, fine, if you like it, I’ll give you some.”
“Great!” He let go immediately. “Deal! Wait here—I’ve got a bundle of coarse rope. If you can carry it, take it too.”
Huai Yu was too embarrassed to take more freebies. She was truly afraid he’d drink it like real tea. She waved her hands frantically:
“This stuff is all made from trash…”
“Yeah, yeah—trash. I love a little trash!”
“You really can’t drink this!” Huai Yu was getting desperate.
Uncle Zaozi sighed:
“Girl, I’ve been in the market for years. I can tell good from bad with one taste.”
“Remember that mutant jujube from last time? I said it wasn’t fit for a dog. You tried it, right? Wasn’t I right?”
“I don’t know what your stuff is made from, but even if it’s not tea, it brews up nicely!”
“Trust me—I’ve got experience. Won’t get sick.”
Huai Yu was at a loss.
She couldn’t spill the secret about Keta Rō, but she couldn’t explain it properly either. She quickly said:
“Uncle Zaozi, if you want tea, I’ve got some! I’ll bring you a pack of Bamboo Core Tea tomorrow—it’s dried and brewed light and sweet, with a lovely bamboo aroma.”
“Sigh, I don’t like that light stuff. I prefer compressed tea, Dianhong, Pu’er…”
“Come on!”
He pulled out a bowl and asked excitedly:
“How many will you give me?”
Huai Yu: …
She dumped in two balls.
Uncle Zaozi looked disappointed.
She dumped in three more.
He sighed again.
So finally, she gave in and dumped a full layer into the bowl.
“Uncle Zaozi, I’m not kidding. This really can’t be drunk. It’s fermented fertilizer. Try it if you don’t believe me.”
“Good!” he patted his chest. “Don’t worry—I won’t drink it! I’ll take it to the field tonight!”
Then he grabbed a bundle of rope and shoved it into her sack.
“Take it! Whether this stuff is good or bad, I’ll judge for myself. If I get sick, it’s not on you. Come on, take the rope—it’s my treat!”
As he spoke, he pushed her out the door, clearly not wanting to hear any more protests.
Standing outside the shop, Huai Yu didn’t know what to say.
After some thought, she went back to Tang’s store.
“Boss Tang, can I tell someone about Keta Rō?”
“No no no! Absolutely not!”
Boss Tang shook his head violently. “Gao Ming still needs good behavior points during his labor term. If people find out Keta Rō can clean up trash, its value goes up.”
“Plus, the way he got it wasn’t exactly… legit…”
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Huai Yu hesitated: “An uncle I know insisted it was compressed tea and took some to brew. I couldn’t stop him—I’m worried it might make him sick…”
“HISS—”
Boss Tang looked like he’d just inflated, eyes wide in shock: “Which uncle? He’s really going to drink it?!”
Huai Yu’s expression was complicated. “Yeah. Last I saw, he was already boiling water.”
Boss Tang: …
He wasn’t sure now either. “This stuff should be non-toxic, but I don’t know where else Keta Rō’s been gathering leaves from… I can’t follow it while it rolls poop balls, can I?”
He quickly asked for the shop’s location and promised:
“Don’t worry. I’ll stake out the shop and keep watch! If something happens, I’ll rush him to the hospital.”
Only then did Huai Yu feel slightly relieved.
Boss Tang, on the other hand, looked excited: “Honestly, I kinda want to know what drinking that stuff feels like—Little Yu, which store is it? I’ll go check it out right now!”
