Yuzhou and Sichuan Province had already been ravaged by locusts. Countless farmlands were left bare, with young sprouts immediately devoured by the insects. The locusts were also laying eggs as they flew, and even after they were killed, their eggs would quickly hatch into more locusts. It seemed impossible to eradicate them completely.
However, the farmers couldn't stand by and watch. They knew that without grain, they would starve. Furthermore, if they couldn't pay their grain tax, they wouldn't be allowed to farm the following year. The locusts had ruined their lives, and curses against them could often be heard in the fields.
Almost everyone hoped that the City Lord's Mansion would solve the locust problem. Yet, the mansion's final answer was to wait for rain. They claimed that the locusts would disappear once it rained, but they didn't specify when that would be. Everyone felt that this suggestion was unreliable. What if Yuzhou truly didn't receive any rain for an entire summer? Would they really just wait for a whole season?
Thus, countless people chose to bring their wives and children to the fields to catch locusts. Their reasoning was simple: "You damned locusts, you ate my crops before I even had a chance to eat them. Since you dare to eat my grain, I will eat you!"
The reason locust plagues are terrifying is not because locusts eat people. Even mutated locusts are only about two fingers long, posing insufficient threat to humans. Locusts bring famine. Their bodies are light, allowing them to fly easily with the wind. Wherever they pass, nothing grows; all crops are devoured, leading to the complete destruction of agriculture. In ancient agricultural societies, some places even worshipped locust gods.
This year's climate has been abnormal, with both the north and south experiencing severe droughts. It might take another two months, until the active monsoon season in summer, for rain to arrive. During this period, many areas in the south have also been attacked by locusts.
Under these circumstances, Shen Feng became an eighth-tier ability user, making him the strongest among ability users. No human had evolved further than him. Shen Feng discovered that his flying speed in the sky had also increased. While he couldn't match a supersonic jet, he was no slower than the Swift aircraft he used to ride.
"A Feng, how are you feeling now?" Chu Chaoyan asked anxiously as Shen Feng emerged from the basement.
Shen Feng felt the strength in his body and then closed his eyes, sensing the wind around him. He could clearly feel both the gentle breeze on the ground and the strong winds thousands of meters in the sky. Furthermore, Shen Feng could control these winds.
"I can feel that the range of my ability's influence has greatly increased. I can definitely control a typhoon now. I'll head to the Indian Ocean to gather enough water vapor and then bring it back to Yuzhou!" Shen Feng said with a smile to Chu Chaoyan.
Chang Jianyi also found Shen Feng at this moment and said, "My sister has been pestering me for a job these past few days. I've decided to let her manage Yuzhou's orphanage. After all, the children in the orphanage will be our confidantes in the future. Letting my sister manage it should be fine, right?"
Shen Yu had already moved out and was living with Xiao Sheng, also taking care of the paralyzed Xiao Sheng. Although Shen Feng had hinted that his sister could divorce Xiao Sheng, Shen Yu pretended not to hear, instead telling Shen Feng, "I am a sentimental person."
Therefore, Shen Yu continued to care for the paralyzed Xiao Sheng. Xiao Sheng could move his upper body freely and was indeed an ability user. However, his inability to move his lower body rendered him unfit for the battlefield. In his current state, if Xiao Sheng were to go onto the battlefield, he would be killed immediately.
Shen Yu had also been requesting a job in Yuzhou. Although she wouldn't starve or lack anything if she did nothing, she would be looked down upon by others. Thus, Shen Yu always wanted to be self-reliant, at least to shut up the gossips.
Upon hearing his elder sister's decision, Shen Feng nodded and replied, "That can be arranged. It's good that my sister doesn't have children. Little Long and Little Tiger mentioned that my sister really wants a child. Managing these orphans would be an opportunity to interact with children."
Shen Feng knew that Xiao Sheng was a good husband; he had broken his lumbar spine protecting Shen Yu's family. However, Shen Feng also needed to consider his sister's future. He had hoped his sister would divorce and marry a more outstanding man, but Shen Yu had refused. With Xiao Sheng paralyzed, it was clear he couldn't have children, and Shen Feng couldn't arrange for a child to be adopted into their family. Thus, he could only let his sister go to the orphanage, perhaps finding a child she liked to adopt.
Li Keyi also said to Shen Feng at this time, "If you want to bring enough water vapor, you'll have to fly very high. At tens of thousands of meters in the sky, clouds will appear. Then, just bring these clouds back from the sea. Don't linger outside for too long."
Shen Feng nodded and then flew into the sky. The three children in the distant garden saw Shen Feng ascend and looked up.
"Dad flew away again," Du Fansheng said, looking at the black dot in the sky.
"He also said he'd take us fishing earlier. He's not keeping his promise!" Shen Xingzhi grumbled.
Shen Yishi climbed onto the rockery, cupping her hand over her eyes to look for her father in the sky, but she couldn't see him. Shen Feng's flying speed was now vastly different from before; he had disappeared in the blink of an eye. Seeing her father's distant figure, Shen Yishi could only reluctantly climb down from the rockery.
Shen Feng rapidly headed towards the sea in the Indian Ocean. He could reach the skies above the Indian Ocean in just one day. Although his speed was much slower than an airplane, being able to achieve this with just human flesh and blood was quite remarkable.
Shen Feng quickly arrived at the sea. It was already late at night. Shen Feng found an unknown island and rested there for a night, feeling the immense power within him. At this moment, he felt he had surpassed all humans; he was an omnipotent god!
"Since I'm already here, I might as well find some sea beasts to deal with and replenish my insufficient evolution crystals," Shen Feng mused. When he went out to sea before, Shen Feng had only brought back thirteen evolution crystals. Shen Feng himself had consumed ten, and he still had one left as a wedding gift for his brother-in-law. Calculating carefully, Shen Feng only had two evolution crystals left in his hand.
Therefore, Shen Feng had other plans at this time, which was to take advantage of his trip to the sea to kill some giant sea beasts and obtain a few evolution crystals.
However, the next day, Shen Feng spent the entire morning searching but couldn't find any giant sea beasts. Time was not on his side, and Yuzhou was still waiting for rain. This year, the subtropical high-pressure system was particularly strong, suppressing the transfer of water vapor from the sea to land as early as spring. Consequently, even the Yangtze River basin didn't receive much rain. Otherwise, the locusts wouldn't have been able to ravage the south.
Shen Feng looked at the clouds in the sky. These were formed from water vapor evaporated from the sea, so wherever clouds gathered, there was abundant water vapor.
"This is a good place. I'll make my move here," Shen Feng thought to himself. He then soared into the sky, flying towards a patch of white clouds. He flew to the top of the cloud layer, where the sunlight was scorching hot, and the wind blew, making Shen Feng feel quite cold.
Fortunately, Shen Feng was still within Earth's troposphere. If he were in the stratosphere, he would have frozen by now.
The altitude Shen Feng could reach was limited to this. No animals could survive in the stratosphere. Even humans using airplanes to traverse the stratosphere had to rely on the aircraft's thick outer shell to resist the cold. If something went wrong in the stratosphere, such as an air leak, it went without saying that the people inside the plane would not survive.
"It's a pity I can only fly this high. If I fly any higher, I won't be able to breathe," Shen Feng said, looking at the pale sky above. The scorching sunlight shone on his face, making his skin feel hot.
The temperature on Earth is related to latitude and altitude. The relationship with latitude is simple: the closer to the poles, the colder it feels because these regions receive less solar radiation, resulting in year-round snow cover. The relationship with altitude is that for every hundred meters of increase, the temperature drops by 0.6 degrees Celsius. Mount Everest's summit, for example, is covered in ice and snow for the same reason.
Shen Feng was now feeling the cold. If he stayed here for too long, his body wouldn't be able to withstand it. Shen Feng understood this and immediately used his ability to stir the surrounding clouds.
The clouds at high altitudes began to move slowly. Shen Feng had studied typhoons over the years because the super typhoon he encountered at sea back then was too awe-inspiring. A giant underwater blue whale could change the climate. Although it was an alien being, not human, Shen Feng still admired such power and always dreamed of being able to change the climate one day.
Shen Feng had consulted information and learned that due to the climate of the Northern Hemisphere, typhoons in the Northern Hemisphere generally rotate counterclockwise. Knowing this, Shen Feng now unleashed his ability. The wind began to rotate around him, drawing the surrounding white clouds into it. The water vapor in the sky continuously increased, and the cloud layer thickened, eventually forming a massive typhoon. Beneath the typhoon, lightning flashed, and the wind howled relentlessly. Fishermen dared not venture out to sea at such times, as they could easily perish at the bottom of the ocean.
Shen Feng hoped his ability could influence a vast area, ideally forming a super typhoon. One of the characteristics of a super typhoon is the appearance of a clear eye within it. However, despite Shen Feng's efforts, the typhoon eye did not form in the end, indicating that the typhoon he could form was merely a large typhoon, not reaching the level of a super typhoon.
Nevertheless, even if the typhoon's intensity did not reach that of a super typhoon, it was still not to be underestimated. Rain began to fall continuously from the sky. Water vapor from the surrounding seas was constantly being drawn away, and the typhoon finally grew to a terrifying extent. If this typhoon were to reach land, it would undoubtedly cause immense disaster.
Shen Feng had already informed Qian Bufei of Dian Province about this matter, advising him to be cautious of the typhoon landing in the coming days. This typhoon would pass through southwestern Myanmar and reach Sichuan Province and Yuzhou.
As the typhoon formed, Shen Feng then controlled it to move continuously northward. Before the typhoon even reached the shore, the leading cloud systems collided with the continental high-pressure system, forming a warm front. Heavy rain immediately began to fall in the coastal areas.
Meteorological satellites detected this event, and then news of Yuzhou's statement was heard. It turned out that this typhoon was being artificially controlled. Many people were so shocked by this news that they were speechless.