On the second day, Shen Feng immediately asked his disciple for his opinion. He wanted to know if Wang Feiying was willing to marry a woman he didn't know. Although Long Qian had guaranteed that this woman was exceptionally talented and beautiful, the exact situation was still unclear.
"Master, I only want to know one thing. If I agree, will it help you?" Wang Feiying looked at Shen Feng with bright eyes.
After a moment of hesitation, Shen Feng nodded and said, "That's right. If you agree to the marriage alliance, it will indeed be of great help to me, because I can obtain half of the precious meteorite."
"Alright, since it can help you, Master, then I am willing to enter into a marriage alliance," Wang Feiying said seriously after seeing Shen Feng's affirmative answer.
Wang Feiying had been an orphan since he was very young. He hadn't felt much warmth in the orphanage because people there tended to form cliques. Although they were all children, bullying was very serious. It wasn't until he was brought to Fengshen Palace and became Shen Feng's disciple that he finally felt the warmth of a family. This was a familiar yet strange feeling. Wang Feiying had always wanted to repay Shen Feng, who had given him the warmth of a family.
He hadn't found a good opportunity to repay his master before, but now Wang Feiying understood that it was time to repay his master. Therefore, he would marry a woman he didn't know at all, but as long as it could help his master, it was enough.
Upon seeing his disciple's reaction, Shen Feng felt a pang of guilt. His disciple's answer was clearly made to help him, and his actions felt like he was selling his disciple. However, it seemed there were no other options now.
"Then it's settled. I'll take you to meet the woman another day," Shen Feng replied.
In the following days, Shen Feng still had to find a way to deal with the army ants. Other matters were not particularly important. To obtain the meteorite, Shen Feng decided to take a gamble.
As long as he could get the meteorite, any price paid would be worth it. According to the existing information, mutated plants had appeared in the area where the meteorite landed, and the meteorite was likely taken away by mutated ants in the end. If this were just an ordinary meteorite, such abnormal situations would never have occurred.
Shen Feng had a ninety-nine percent certainty that the meteorite appearing in the cactus forest contained extraterrestrial elements, so obtaining it would definitely be profitable. If this meteorite came from the same place as the one in the sea, it would be even better.
During these few days, Shen Feng was simultaneously discussing the detailed plan for luring the snakes out of their holes with Long Qian and holding the engagement ceremony for his disciple Wang Feiying.
Long Qian was not lying, as his sister-in-law was indeed quite beautiful. On the day of the engagement ceremony, many guests came to congratulate the young couple. Although it was only an engagement, Shen Feng and Long Qian had already agreed that the wedding could be officially held once Wang Feiying's health recovered. This was a decision made by two ability users, and ordinary people could not change their minds.
Therefore, even though it was just an engagement ceremony, everyone followed the steps of a wedding, and many people offered their blessings.
However, while many people were outwardly congratulating them, they were secretly discussing Wang Feiying, the "ugly ghost." The reason was simple: he was once a handsome young man, but now his body had been severely damaged by radiation. His skin was festering, and his hair had almost completely fallen out. The pair of beautiful wings on his back had also become bare. At this moment, he looked like neither human nor ghost.
"To marry such a beautiful woman from our city to an ugly ghost, it's truly laughable," someone mocked the situation, and others nodded in agreement.
"But there's nothing that can be done about it. After all, he is Shen Feng's disciple. Let alone looking like a person now, even if he were just an idiot, this beautiful Atulya would still have to marry him," someone nearby offered their opinion.
When they discussed, they were afraid of being overheard, so they communicated in Persian. Even if Shen Feng heard these derogatory remarks, he wouldn't understand what they were saying.
Although the engagement ceremony was simpler due to the hasty arrangements, with Shen Feng and Long Qian present, everyone feigned happiness. Laughter and joy filled the banquet. Wang Feiying was also quite happy seeing the lively scene, especially when he saw his wife, his heart felt even more content.
Long Qian had not lied in this matter. The woman he had chosen for Wang Feiying was indeed a beauty. Atulya was a rare Central Asian beauty with a higher nose bridge than women from the Chinese regions. Perhaps because she had to wear a veil for a long time, her skin was fairer than that of ordinary people.
During the engagement ceremony, Atulya maintained a smile, but it looked somewhat forced. When she saw her future husband, all her beautiful imaginations about marriage vanished. Every woman hopes to marry a man of integrity, but the man standing before her was an ugly ghost, and it was uncertain if he would ever recover.
Faced with such a situation, it was almost impossible for anyone to remain calm, and Atulya was no exception. She felt that her life was ruined.
Moreover, her sister had repeatedly urged her to seize the opportunity, emphasizing that marrying a good man was more important than anything else. Furthermore, Wang Feiying was Shen Feng's disciple, and his future was bound to be limitless. Atulya had no way to resist and could only obey her sister's arrangements.
After the ceremony, Shen Feng had to discuss important matters with Long Qian. Killing the ant queen was not an easy task, and if they failed the first time, they might not be able to lure her out successfully the next time. The opportunity had to be seized.
Operating in the cactus forest was not easy, as a slight mistake could lead to a dead end. The mutated cacti were very different from the smaller ones before. The thorns on the original cacti were relatively short, but the current cacti could grow to twenty to thirty meters tall, and their thorns had become much sharper, capable of easily piercing human bodies.
Therefore, the biggest problem in this operation was the route for luring the army ants. Only by planning the route well could they successfully lure the army ants. During the process of luring them, they must not let the army ants pass through the city. Otherwise, once the army ants approached the city, even if they didn't harm humans, they would first devour all the farmland outside the city.
"The road we designed is to bypass the city and lengthen the route of the army ants. Ultimately, even if we can't lure the ant queen out, we will definitely reduce the number of army ants in the nest. Then, it won't be difficult to force our way into the nest," someone under Long Qian had also found a path in the cactus forest.
With this path in the cactus forest, they would not be caught due to insufficient escape time. This was a rare path in the cactus forest that could accommodate people.
Since the plan had been formulated, the next step was to execute it. First, the ability users responsible for luring the army ants would drive to scout the way and set up bait. Shen Feng, on the other hand, would be in the sky monitoring the situation below. As soon as the ant queen appeared, Shen Feng would have to act.
Long Qian was not idle either. He had a more important task. If the ant queen did not appear, the task of killing her would fall to Long Qian. The passages to the ant nest were very narrow; even the wider openings were only large enough for ordinary cats and dogs to enter. Humans had no chance of squeezing through such narrow openings. However, Long Qian could control insects within a large radius, and he had cultivated many insects during this time, among which praying mantises had very strong combat capabilities. If all else failed, Long Qian would control the praying mantises to kill the ant queen.
Shen Feng quickly flew into the sky and continuously observed the situation below, wanting to see if the ant queen would leave the nest. If the ant queen left her lair, Shen Feng was confident he could kill her in an instant. However, if the ant queen did not appear at all, Shen Feng's combat effectiveness would be somewhat reduced.
At this moment, the ability users responsible for luring the army ants had arrived at the designated location. They then threw a lot of meat from their vehicles, which contained special pheromones to attract army ants. Although army ants have no vision, their sense of smell is extremely keen, just as the old saying goes: "When God closes a door, he opens a window."
The pheromones on the meat were instantly spread by the strong wind. When the army ants smelled these scents, they knew it was a signal to find food. Thus, countless army ants crawled out of their holes and continuously moved towards the direction from which the scent was coming.
The vehicles then started again and moved forward along the predetermined path, throwing meat along the roadside as they went. After the army ants approached, they could divide the meat in just over ten seconds and quickly carry it back to their nests.
Finally, the underground army ants were continuously attracted out of their nests. Discovering that there was no danger around, the army ants joined the search for food. Army ants have very low intelligence and would not think that this was a trap. They were all deceived and advanced by following the pheromones in the air.
The other animals in the cactus forest were stunned when they witnessed this scene. Many mutated rats and mutated rabbits had never seen such a sight. An endless stream of ants appeared, like a tide. Even if they wanted to escape, they couldn't find a suitable direction.
Ultimately, the animals in the cactus forest suffered heavy casualties. Pythons, rabbits, and even mutated scorpions were all killed by these united army ants.
Seeing this scene from the sky, Shen Feng couldn't help but sigh, "It seems we won't be able to eat meat for the next few months."
The kingdom under Long Qian's command had no animal husbandry. After all, there was no place to grow fodder, and the grain was just enough for human consumption. At this time, there was no surplus food to raise animals. Meat had always been obtained through hunting. Now, with countless army ants active in the forest, any small animals living there that were discovered would inevitably be unable to escape being gnawed to the bone by the army ants.
Therefore, for the next few months, there would be no meat in the city. It would also take a long time for the animals in the cactus forest to recover their former numbers.
There were many bees in the sky, controlled by Long Qian. The situations seen by these bees were perceived by Long Qian at the same time. It was through this method that he always kept track of the city's situation. Using bees to monitor army ants was also normal.