Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 158: Absorption (6)

Hwa-eun initially agreed with my suspicion about the O-dok Clan, though it was mostly due to geographical reasons.

If we assumed it was indeed the work of the O-dok Clan, it made sense. Imagine throwing a few bedbugs onto the many boats crossing the Yangtze River at night, and in no time, they could spread across the entire Central Plains.

‘Using boats to deliver bedbugs across the Central Plains... Seems like a plausible method. After all, one of the main ways for pests or diseases to spread is through boats.’

Even from the perspective of my previous life, boats were one of the best tools to spread pests or diseases, making this a reasonable theory.

However, my suspicion about the O-dok Clan came from an entirely different perspective.

As I refined my thoughts in my mind, I heard Seol, who had agreed with Hwa-eun’s statement, suddenly exclaim in surprise.

“Wait, really!? Then shouldn’t we immediately report this to the Tang Clan or the Martial Alliance!?”

“No, no, there must be solid evidence first,” Hwa-eun interrupted her. “But, why do you think it's the O-dok Clan? Explain quickly!”

Seol asked, urging me to explain why I suspected the O-dok Clan. I calmed her down and began my explanation.

“Seol, please calm down. Let me explain why I think that. First, the small pest ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) we know is a bloodsucker that used to parasitize flying squirrels (bats).”

“Flying squirrel? The ones that fly? The ones we saw in the cave?”

“Yes, exactly. However, as people began living in caves or eating flying squirrels, the pests moved on to feed on the blood of larger hosts, like humans.”

The bedbug, classified under the Cimicidae family, refers to bloodsucking insects. Most people, however, refer specifically to Cimex lectularius when they talk about bedbugs.

Their origin, as I explained to Seol, traces back to bats. Scientists believe that, like I mentioned, they moved from bats to humans, thriving as human hosts.

They only feed on blood, and thus humans, being much larger than bats, were far more attractive as a food source.

“Hmmm... That makes sense. It's definitely better to live among humans, with their larger bodies and more blood, than with bats.”

“Exactly. As Seol said, that's why. These creatures only consume blood, and humans are far more appealing than bats. While they might occasionally feed on other animals, humans are their primary prey.”

“So, these pests mainly feed on human blood? They're so small and harmless, and we didn’t investigate them much in our family, but I’ll have to note this down.”

Unlike earlier, Seol listened attentively with a look of curiosity as I continued explaining.

After glancing at the large bedbugs lying dead in the village, I shifted my focus and continued the explanation.

“And now, these large pests are essentially the same as the small ones we find at home. Well, they’re basically the same.”

“What? Are you serious? You’re saying the two are the same?”

“Yes, probably.”

“Wait, how can they be the same when they’re so different in size?” Hwa-eun and Seol exchanged surprised glances.

It was hard for them to believe that the same creature could have such a size discrepancy. But I had confirmed it thoroughly, and there were virtually no differences.

The only differences were in the antenna length, body size, and variations between individuals. The proportions and appearance were almost identical.

“They’re just bigger, but it’s the same creature. And that means their food source is blood. Human blood.”

“That much we know, considering we saw them crawl over to suck blood at night...” Seol, still puzzled, didn’t seem to grasp the abnormality.

I asked again, “Think about it. Have you ever seen or heard of such large bedbugs before?”

“No, never,” they both responded, shaking their heads.

Smiling, I pressed further, “So, how have they survived until now, if such large creatures have always existed in the Central Plains? Why have we never encountered them before?”

“Oh!”

“Ah! Now I see!”

When they finally grasped the meaning of my words, they nodded. I took the opportunity to explain further.

“To elaborate...”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The reason it was impossible for these creatures to have naturally appeared in the world, as I had already explained, is that bedbugs are parasites that only feed on blood. While they may occasionally feed on animal blood, they mostly feed on human blood. If these pests were this large, they would have been known to people long ago.

If a parasite is capable of threatening human lives, it would have been noticed.

Of course, perhaps not everyone would have known. In an age where knowledge about insects was limited, some might have remained unaware.

But at least one of us should have known.

Who are we, after all?

I was the walking encyclopedia of poisons, Spicy Fabre, and Seol from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, as well as Hwa-eun from the Tang Clan, one of the most knowledgeable experts in venom and poisons.

It was impossible that none of us had recognized these creatures.

If these bedbugs had grown this large, human blood alone would not be enough to sustain them. They would have had to start feeding on beasts as well, something Seol should have known about, and with such paralyzing venom, Hwa-eun should have been aware too.

But that wasn’t all.

There was another strange point.

Even if large bedbugs truly existed, their size was completely unnatural.

It wasn’t just about them being too large.

Forget genetics or biology—bedbugs are bloodsuckers. But if a parasite grows so large that it can kill its host, what should we call that?

From an evolutionary standpoint, parasites are supposed to feed on their hosts without killing them to ensure their survival and reproduction. If the parasite kills its host, it’s no longer serving its purpose.

So, such a massive bedbug couldn’t have come about naturally.

“This is why I’m sure someone must have interfered, and the only ones capable of doing this in the Central Plains are...”

I casually threw out a hypothesis, and the answer came flowing out.

“It’s the O-dok Clan.”

“Of course, it’s the O-dok Clan bastards.”

Hwa-eun and Seol, both with their eyes sparkling from hearing my logical deduction, praised me.

“As expected, So-ryong!”

“So-ryong, you're amazing! Sometimes, I think you're not just a prodigy, but a true genius!”

‘Well, genius? If you add up my past life, I’d be a 40-year-old genius by physical age. But is this right? And right now, I'm still in my growth period... fifteen years old... Wait a minute. Growth? Heh!’

Just then, as I awkwardly smiled at their compliments, one fact popped into my head.

It seemed like something unimaginable was happening, so I said with a serious expression.

“However, if it’s the work of the O-dok Clan, there’s a chance that something even more dreadful has occurred than we thought.”

“A dreadful thing? What do you mean, So-ryong?”

“A dreadful thing? Has it already happened? Apart from those pests swarming over here?”

Both of them asked, their eyes wide in surprise at my mention of something dreadful.

I nodded to their questions.

“Yesterday, weren’t all the pests that swarmed here adults?”

“All of them were adults? But...? What does that have to do with something dreadful?”

“Adults? So-ryong?”

Seol’s follow-up question about why the fact that they were adults would be dreadful continued, but there was a reason why I suspected something dreadful had happened.

“You see, adults of those pests...”

Bedbugs, upon hatching, can immediately start feeding on blood, but they don’t die if they don’t feed.

The nymphs of incomplete metamorphosis insects, such as bedbugs, are capable of surviving for a couple of months without feeding. However, adults can live for up to a year without feeding.

But the thing is, bedbugs need to molt five times before becoming adults. And to molt, they must feed on blood.

Each time they molt, if they don’t feed, they cannot progress from nymph to adult.

That’s the reason why if the pests that came yesterday were all adults, it means they had to have fed on blood at least five times. And that suggests there may have been large-scale killings of either animals or people to allow them to grow to adulthood.

Considering how much they ate yesterday and how many of them showed up, it’s not just a few animals or people that would have been needed.

“...In order to raise those pests to adults, a substantial amount of blood, either from humans or animals, must have been consumed. And that means...”

As I trailed off, unable to continue the dreadful thought, Hwa-eun and Seol’s expressions turned serious.

Both of them nodded in agreement with my thoughts.

“If it’s the O-dok Clan, they’d definitely do something like that.”

“Considering everything so far, it’s not surprising.”

Then came Hwa-eun’s question.

“By the way, where did they come from? It doesn’t seem like they were bred and spread from somewhere nearby.”

“Hmm... I’m not sure. Behind us is the mountain, and in front is the river. It doesn’t seem like there would be any villages around here.”

As we pondered where these pests could have come from and where the blood might have been sourced, a cautious voice called out to me from beside.

“Excuse me, So-ryong?”

I turned my head to see Lee Tae approaching cautiously, his expression tense.

“What is it? Something you need to say?”

“Uh, well... I wasn’t intending to overhear...”

Lee Tae struggled to speak, but Seol, growing impatient, snapped at him.

“Come on! Spit it out! We’re all waiting!”

Taken aback, Lee Tae stuttered and continued, “Yes, well, didn’t we say we were part of the Yangtze River Waterway Guild?”

“Oh, I heard that.”

“Yes, well, the heroes of the Central Plains...”

“Heroes? You mean the bandits...?”

Seol snapped back at him as he referred to them as "heroes," causing Lee Tae to frown, looking embarrassed.

He pouted and continued, “Yes... well... the bandits can be roughly divided into three groups: the Dongjing Eighteen Villages operating around Dongjing Lake, our Yangtze River Waterway Guild, and the Lulin Seventy-Two Villages.”

‘Wait, are there really this many bandits? Is the land just that big, or are there just so many bandits?’

I was shocked to hear that there were ninety bandit leaders even without counting the Yangtze River Waterway Guild.

This was not something you’d expect in the Central Plains.

“So, what’s the point?”

“Well, over the mountain behind us, beyond the small mountain where the bedbugs came down from, is a bigger mountain. It’s called Seokhwang Mountain. And beyond that, there's a narrow river crossing to Guandao. There are some bandits active in that area, and their group is one of the Lulin Seventy-Two Villages.”

I nodded slowly as Lee Tae rambled on about something that didn’t make much sense, and Seol’s eyes burned with frustration.

“Tch!”

Her frustrated tongue-click made Lee Tae continue in haste.

“Yes, that’s Seokhwang Mountain, where one of the Lulin Seventy-Two Villages operates. If you cross another mountain and a narrow river, you’ll reach Guandao. There are about three hundred bandits in that group.”

Judging by the number of bedbugs that had swarmed in yesterday, three hundred didn’t seem like nearly enough, but anyway, it was clear that there was a settlement with people living there.

“It looks like we’ll have to investigate.”

As I muttered to myself, Seol replied with a gloomy expression.

“Where are we going? We need to stop the ones who are coming tonight first... Ugh, I don’t want to.”

Despite her concerns about the bandits arriving tonight, it seemed like today would be relatively calm.

“You don’t have to worry too much tonight, Seol.”

“Why!? Do you have a good idea?”

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Seol's face lit up as she responded, hopeful.

I smiled and replied, “They can’t swim, and bedbugs can't cross water.”

The terrain where we were located was protruding, and with that advantage, I planned to set up a defensive waterway once the bedbugs returned.

And thinking about it, we had a natural insecticide.

“Let’s see what happens if we sprinkle that muddy water from Hyang. I wonder what the bedbugs will do.”