Chapter 4, The Reuse of Corpses

The striped cloth consumed the shed shell and stepped out of the nest chamber to observe the situation outside

Banbu does not intend to excavate the corpses of his kind; he merely plans to carve out a small space beneath the stones to serve as a new nest, where he intends to reside permanently

Seeing that Mother Cockroach finally stopped to rest, Banbu asked again: "Are you hungry?"

In a state of stupor, various disordered ancestral knowledge is instilled into the soul's memory: during the day, one should be cautious and hide; at night, one must not go out alone; fresh leaves should not be consumed, only soft, decayed leaves are to be eaten; after eating to satiety, one must exercise, and then continue to eat, as this can promote faster growth; search for the corpses of other insects, as carnivorous food can aid in rapid growth; decayed meat must not be consumed, as it is toxic; the earlier one completes 18 molts, the greater the chance of transforming into a warrior of the red cockroach tribe; then continue to eat, as this can promote faster growth; search for the corpses of other insects, as carnivorous food can aid in rapid growth; decayed meat must not be consumed, as it is toxic; the earlier one completes 18 molts, the greater the chance of transforming into a warrior of the red cockroach tribe

The slumber and shedding of the shell lasted an entire day

It has not forgotten that there are more than twenty cockroach corpses buried underground, and still wishes to dig them out to consume.

The snake bones, covered in a large amount of minced meat, were gnawed down to smooth white bones within just a few seconds after hitting the ground

The mother cockroach is once again perplexed

Rest, rest...

The mottled cloth can sense the desire of those young and robust adult cockroaches to continue their metamorphosis, to break free from the shackles of their genes, and to evolve into warriors of the Blatta tribe

Upon closer observation, the color of the cockroach mother's exoskeleton remains dull and lacks any signs of improvement

The mother cockroach finally gave up digging and turned to walk out of the nest.

The place where the body is buried, the Force emanates, forming a very weak "radiation field" that possesses a slight and gentle ability to modify genes, a type of modification that is within the tolerance of ordinary cockroaches

After a moment of anxiety, the mother cockroach ultimately complied with the request of the spotted cloth and settled down to rest in the nest chamber

It is clearly intentional, throwing out more meat to feed the weaker groups, hoping that warriors similar to itself will emerge within the tribe

The nutrients stored within the exoskeleton are recycled and can be supplied for the next molting growth

Not hungry

Danger, danger

Common cockroaches must not consume Force fruits directly, not even a tiny bit, as they will die due to their inability to withstand the cellular transformation caused by the Force.

The effect should last for about one more day, should I retrieve it?

The mother cockroach immediately responded, feeling very happy; it seemed that being with her son brought her great joy

Banbu let out a slight sigh of relief, moved away from the cave entrance, stepped forward, and examined the severed leg of the mother cockroach

However, after the original force fruit of the book matures, if there is no special method of preservation, the contained original force will gradually dissipate

Banbu was afraid that it would run out and snatch the snake meat; if it were to get injured again, there would be no hope at all, so it simply blocked the entrance to the nest.

Language is scarce, communication is too difficult, wisdom is lacking, and it is hard to explain clearly

As the body ages, the long journey indeed becomes exhausting. After the mother cockroach settles down, she no longer attempts to dig up the corpse or venture out to scavenge for food, instead resting quietly until dawn

Banbu continued to urge, blocking the exit of the nest chamber, not allowing any movement.

Banbu was anxious

The wound has long since healed, and fortunately, there are no signs of infection

As night falls

Banbu discovered that communicating with the cockroach mother is truly laborious; a single piece of information must be conveyed repeatedly, about ten times, before the other party will act as requested

The mother cockroach swayed her antennae, conveying a message of confusion and uncertainty

Generally, even if explained clearly, the mother cockroach would not be able to understand

Danger, danger

The striped cloth urged the cockroach mother to eat and rest in the nest.

The cockroach tribe warriors are still crouched beside the raspberry thicket, leisurely cutting up the corpse of a serpentine creature. It seems they particularly enjoy eating snakes, as there are two decapitated serpentine corpses lying nearby

The mottled creature consumed small pieces of leaves, and then began to chew on its own shed exoskeleton

Come in, come in...

Banbu carefully observed for a while and completely abandoned the thought of joining the fray for food. In such fierce competition, even adult cockroaches might end up missing limbs, and as a mere 5-day-old nymph, he had no chance at all

The weak cockroach, with its low intelligence, has a scarcity of pheromonal "language" for information exchange, making it unable to clearly explain the function of the Force fruit

Nearby, thousands of cockroaches formed a surrounding circle, eagerly waiting. Whenever a snake skin or a bone with scraps of meat was thrown out, they immediately chirped and swarmed forward, frantically competing for food

These are survival skills ingrained in the genetic makeup of the race, reappearing with each instance of shedding and growth

Feeling a bit stronger and more grown, a sense of joy fills my heart.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, and it is already midnight. Banbu is preparing to set out in search, when Mother Cockroach returns on her own.

Eat

The mother cockroach is missing; she has not only one unripe son with spots but also nearly a hundred nymph daughters who equally require care

The spotted cloth transmits information, regardless of whether the cockroach mother responds, and immediately goes out to continue cutting leaves, transporting them to the nest until the entire chamber is covered with a layer.

Rest, rest...

The snake meat was too scarce, and the mother cockroach was well aware that she could not compete with those young adult cockroaches. Without hesitation, she burrowed into the nest chamber, following the requirements of the patterned cloth, and consumed some leaves. However, soon after, she became restless and began to dig into the soil

Sigh ... ...

The mood of the spotted cloth has declined, and the effect of raspberry fruit on enhancing cell activity is limited, unable to reverse aging, and is beyond remedy

Return to the nest, silently gnawing on dry leaves, after eating to satisfaction, emerge from the nest, climb along the stones, then flap wings and glide down to the ground, repeatedly practicing, consuming energy, and then return to the nest to feed, in a continuous cycle

Simple, original, practical

The striped cloth was intercepted, and the information continued to be transmitted

The original force contained within a single raspberry fruit, when dispersed into the bodies of more than twenty adult cockroaches, can be considered an effective dilution

The reason is quite simple: the Force fruit is rich in forces that promote genetic evolution, and these forces also come with special directional transformation abilities. Previous observations of the red cockroach tribe warriors consuming raspberry fruit led Banbu to roughly conclude that this Force fruit possesses the ability to enhance cellular vitality, which can be considered a form of "longevity" at the genetic level.

Unfortunately, Mother Cockroach was unable to understand the intentions of the spotted one and, driven by instinct, returned to the peak where her daughters resided

... ...

One can also observe the warriors of the red cockroach tribe during their meal, as they perform the skinning with rather "rough" movements. The discarded snake skins are covered with a considerable amount of snake meat, and their eating habits are quite "picky"; after cutting off a piece of snake meat, they merely take a couple of hasty bites before discarding it.

Rest, rest...

The striped cloth prevents the cockroach mother from moving, repeatedly releasing dangerous pheromones

5 years old

Banbu felt a sense of helplessness in his heart

The banded bamboo decisively built its nest under the stone blocks suppressing the corpse, on one hand, to take this opportunity to improve its own genes, and on the other hand, to hope to assist the cockroach mother in slightly reversing the aging condition of her body, enduring through this year's harsh winter

Last night, having consumed ample meat, I was on the verge of molting and, despite feeling drowsy, devoured many leaves. I repeatedly warned Mother Cockroach not to dig up and consume the corpses below. Upon receiving an affirmative response, I finally felt at ease and fell into a deep sleep

At the same time, silently feeling, as if guessing, the activity of one's own cells has significantly increased. The brain no longer experiences the phenomenon of immediate cell death and subsequent heaviness and discomfort when contemplating complex issues as it did before

Eat, eat, eat ... ...

Banbu could not feel any happiness at all, hurriedly running out of the nest, quickly searching for and cutting a piece of decayed leaf, then hastily returning with it

The nest chamber is covered with a thick layer of decayed leaves, which should have been brought in by the mother cockroach while it was asleep

Continue to survey the surrounding environment