This proved that as long as the radish sprouts could take root, they could grow just fine, even in the extreme cold.

Jiang Si hurried back to tell Jiang Linhai the news. "Dad, the radish sprouts grew, but the Snow Monkeys pulled them up."

Jiang Linhai laughed. "If they pulled them up, they pulled them up. It’s not like we’re short on a few radishes." Then, a thought suddenly struck him. "Hey, if the radishes can grow in such low temperatures, why were there only a few plants by the hot spring?"

Jiang Si smiled. "Dad, have you forgotten? In weather this cold, all the bees and butterflies have frozen to death. What insects would be left to pollinate the radishes? It was incredibly lucky that they even survived long enough for us to find them."

Suddenly, Qin Shen spoke up. "The radishes by the hot spring... it’s almost as if they were planted by the troop of monkeys."

Jiang Si froze for a moment. She recalled the neat rows of giant radishes. ’What Qin Shen said... it might actually be true.’

She theorized aloud, "The radishes are only found by the hot spring because the Snow Monkeys are afraid of the cold and can’t stray too far. Plus, the temperature around the spring is higher. They don’t know how to nurture seedlings, so the radishes they just randomly bite off and plant have a higher chance of sprouting there."

"But as the temperature has risen over the past few days, the monkeys have become more active and less dependent on the hot spring. That’s why they ventured over to our area and dug up those few sprouts."

When Jiang Linhai and the others heard this, they all looked incredulous.

"Monkeys with human-level intelligence... that sounds a little terrifying."

There were so many of them, and they reproduced so quickly. Perhaps they would become a huge threat to their survival in the future.

The memory of the swarming rats, mosquitoes, Weasel Crocodiles, and spiders cast a dark shadow over everyone’s hearts.

Jiang Si said, "It’s just a theory. It could also be a coincidence."

Qin Shen asked, "Want to go take a look?"

To be honest, the idea that monkeys could farm made her genuinely curious about what other skills they might possess.

As soon as Qin Shen suggested it, Jiang Si happily agreed.

Jiang Linhai, however, frowned deeply. "You two be careful. The apes in *Planet of the Apes* killed without batting an eye."

Jiang Si waved her hand. "Alright. We’ll be quick. Don’t worry."

Qin Shen lifted Jiang Si onto his back. Moving at lightning-fast speed, they reached the hot spring area in no time.

With the rise in temperature, the layer of ice that had previously covered the surface of the hot spring had clearly melted.

It was as beautiful as the Queen Mother’s legendary multicolored jade pool. If the water weren’t so hot, Jiang Si would have been tempted to step into the mist-shrouded spring for a soak.

Qin Shen glanced back at her. "Hold on tight."

Jiang Si clung to him like an octopus. WHOOSH! They shot off like a firework.

Jiang Si was stunned. It was as if Qin Shen’s jumping ability had no limit.

Soon, they were standing atop an enormous, ancient tree.

The troop of Snow Monkeys came into view. Some of the higher-ranking ones were leisurely soaking in the hot spring, while others stood guard like sentinels. A few more were eating. None of them had noticed their arrival.

Jiang Si held her breath and whispered in Qin Shen’s ear, "You have good eyes. Can you see what they’re eating?"

There weren’t that many radishes, and the number of fish in the hot spring was also limited.

The troop was quite large, which made Jiang Si very curious about what else they ate.

Qin Shen said, "Insects."

"Insects?"

As soon as she spoke, Qin Shen leaped to another ancient tree so she could get a better look.

This time, Jiang Si could see clearly. The Snow Monkeys were digging through the accumulated snow and licking its surface.

The insects would be drawn to the blood in their tongues, and the moment they tried to feed, they became the Snow Monkeys’ meal.

Jiang Si was alarmed. "Those things don’t burrow into people, do they?"

She’d never seen an insect like this in her past life.

And to be able to feed the entire monkey troop, there must be a staggering number of them in the soil.

Qin Shen said, "We didn’t find any of these insects when we were digging the foundations. They must require a specific environment to live in—either near the hot spring or under these ancient trees. The tree roots would provide them with shelter."

Jiang Si frowned. "Let’s catch a few and take them back for a closer look."

"Alright."

Qin Shen leaped down with her, startling the troop of monkeys, which scattered in all directions.

Jiang Si crouched down and placed a piece of bloody pork on the spot where the monkeys had been feeding.

Instantly, several plump, pale white insects, resembling a cross between silkworm pupae and leeches, latched onto it.

Jiang Si used a pair of forceps to pick them up, sealed them in a glass jar, and quickly left the area with Qin Shen.

When they returned, Jiang Linhai came forward to ask, "How did it go? Did you notice anything else strange about that troop of monkeys?"

Not wanting to worry him, Jiang Si said, "No, not really. They’re just a bit smarter than ordinary monkeys, with a more clearly defined social hierarchy. Learning to farm for survival is no different from them learning to use rocks to crack nuts."

Her explanation eased everyone’s worries about the monkeys mutating.

Jiang Si made an excuse and pulled Qin Shen back to the Icebreaker.

Onboard the ship was a laboratory for studying Antarctic fossil organisms. They took two half-grown chickens inside, selected one of the insects, and placed it on a chicken.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, the white insect began to drink the chicken’s blood, its body swelling up.

Fortunately, once it had had its fill, it released its sucker, dropped onto the lab table, and curled into a ball.

Jiang Si then took the other chicken, made a cut on its back, and placed another insect on the wound.

The insect latched on, greedily drinking the blood from the cut while simultaneously trying to burrow deeper into the wound.

The color drained from Jiang Si’s face. If a person had an open wound, this type of insect would burrow into their body and feed on their blood repeatedly.

A situation like that could lead to multiple infections.

Even more terrifying, if several insects burrowed in at once, it could be life-threatening in an instant.

Jiang Si looked at Qin Shen. "If one of these got inside someone, is there any good way to get it out?"

Qin Shen shook his head. "Only with surgery."

It would be fine as long as they avoided contact with the insects, but she was afraid they would multiply and become pervasive.

Jiang Si sprayed the remaining insects with insecticide. They curled up, but they wouldn’t die.

The only way was to crush them or eat them, like the monkeys did.

Sensing her anxiety, Qin Shen comforted her, "The monkeys like to eat them. If that’s the case, we can just raise a few monkeys to keep the insects in check."

Jiang Si’s head shot up. ’That’s right! The best way to eliminate them was already there, wasn’t it?’

She had been so focused on finding a way to biologically eradicate the insects that she’d overlooked the obvious.

But then another worry struck her. "What if the monkeys are carrying parasitic eggs from these insects inside them?"

Qin Shen said, "I can go catch one. We can bring it back and check."

Then Jiang Si had another idea. "Let’s see if the chickens and ducks will eat them."

Jiang Si placed an insect in front of the chickens and ducks. The birds saw it as a delicious feast, squabbling over it before gobbling it down in an instant.

Qin Shen immediately took the chicken and the duck to be X-rayed, wanting to see if the insects they had eaten were still alive inside them.