Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Like the Western Chili, the Swallowtail larva was like Gu Tian Le and Huang Bo, like Leonardo De Caprio and Nicholas Cage’s rotten movies. These were things that some found rather disgusting and ugly. Letting it touch one’s body was gross. Merely looking at it could make one’s eyes water.
This bug may be more suitable to grow in the depths of the ocean. If no one could see it, it could grow in any way it wanted.
The Western Chili was covered in defensive burrs which were thick and hard. Its bottom was covered in thin and dense burrs. The most concise description of it was a moving prickly pear.
The fat boy should’ve been thankful. When the bug had fallen on him, it was probably the thin and dense burr that had hit him. If it had been the thick and hard burr, he would probably be in such pain that he would be rolling on the ground.
After the pain, it would begin to itch, and people couldn’t help but scratch. Once they scratched the skin, they may have an infection and eventually bruise. Fortunately, the boy’s arm was short and couldn’t reach the red and swollen patch. Otherwise, he would only set off circles like Queen Elizabeth’s neck puff around his neck…
Everyone saw the ugly shape of the Western Chili, and they felt sick. At the same time, they were suspicious. This worm should be toxic. How could applying its body fluid to the red and swollen part work? Would it not aggravate the symptoms? It sounded like a folk remedy that was not reliable.
As the saying went, where there was poison, there must be an antidote within five steps. This was wrong most of the time, but it couldn’t be entirely dismissed. In some unique cases, it made sense.
In old-time novels and folklore, it was often said that after a fierce man was bitten by a poisonous snake, he immediately seized the poisonous snake that had bitten him. He cut open the snake and swallowed it all. It was said to neutralize the toxin. Obviously it was based on rumor, because after the snake bit, the venom entered the blood. Eating a snake brought it to one’s digestive system instead. If they waited until the snake was fully digested, the person may be long dead. If the person wasn’t dead, perhaps the snake wasn’t poisonous at all.
The situation of the Western Chili sounded somewhat similar to the above example, but it was also somewhat different. This was because the part that was affected was the skin, and the fluid would be applied directly to the wound. There was no contradiction, in theory.
As for the practicality of the method, there was very little research on this aspect. After all, one would not die after an accident with the Western Chili. The toxins of many even more poisonous organisms had yet to be studied, much less those of the Western Chili. The guess was that there were some ingredients in the body fluids that could neutralize or break down toxins, in the event that the Western Chilis poisoned themselves with their own toxins.
Zhang Zian looked up at the dense canopy and reminded everyone, “This is not the place to talk. Let’s leave here first. If there are other Western Chilis falling on us, it will be disgusting.”
Everyone agreed, and he didn’t have to repeat himself. Everyone was afraid to have the same fate as the fat boy.
They quickly left the greenspace and returned to the front porch of the pet shop.
Zhang Zian made Lu Yiyun prepare things such as soapy water and alkaline water. These were in case the fluid did not work. He also asked for thick rubber gloves that parents used to bathe cats. Only then was he willing to touch the Western Chili.
He used a knife to slice up the body of the Western Chili. A green fluid slowly flowed out. It was enough to fill a small box.
If a human lost all their blood, they would have died. However, the Western Chili wasfull of vitality. It continued to struggle and did not die. There was a chance that it may even survive if it was returned to the tree.
Zhang Zian threw the half-dead Western Chili aside, picked up the green fluid with a cotton swab, and smeared it on the fat boy.
He was not sure this would work. After all, he had never had such an experience before. It was only because he’d heard students speak of this as an antidote when he was in college.
He’d grown up in Binhai City, and he had often played around in his childhood. In his memory, he had not encountered the Western Chili before, and neither had his childhood friends.
There were old and young people in the crowd, neighbors who had lived in this neighborhood for half a lifetime. They had also never heard of this bug. Otherwise, they would have had experience in how to deal with its sting. They would have intervened by now and not waited for Zhang Zian.
Was this the so-called invasion of alien species?
With the increasing convenience of transportation, some animals and plants that had originally lived in specific areas would be brought to areas that they were completely new to. These new areas may also be more suitable to their living habits, so they would thrive. What was even more troublesome is that they may have had natural enemies in their original habitat but no such predators in the new area. Without this, their numbers would explode rapidly.
The release of snakes, fish, and turtles exacerbated this problem. Even niche pets, ditched by humans who no longer wanted to raise them, contributed to the problem as well.
Zhang Zian had this worry, but it was obviously too early to make such a judgment. With only one Western Chili, the sample size was too small and unscientific. He decided to keep this to himself and not alarm others.
The fat boy didn’t care much when dealing with adults, but when faced with a disgusting insect, he was a changed boy. Seeing the green fluid, he almost peed his pants. His face turned pale, his legs wobbled, and he pleaded, “Ah… Send me to the hospital instead…”
“You have to go to the hospital for at least three days. Maybe you will hurt your ass in the process as well.” Zhang Zian held him down with one hand because he was twisting his body and resisted him applying the fluid to his body.
“Why… Why would my butt hurt?” The boy did not understand. “Transfer?”
“Of course, it’s because your dad will spank you. Do you think that going to the hospital does not cost money?” Zhang Zian asked.
The fat boy was suddenly speechless because it was very possible. Even if his father did not beat him, at least some of his money would be confiscated.
“That… Then come!” He gritted his teeth, and the fat on his body jiggled. “Light…lightly… Yes, let the pretty sister do it, not you!”
He stared at Snowy, his eyes wide open.
Zhang Zian said, “Nonsense! What’s wrong? Don’t you know that the more beautiful the nurse is in the hospital, the more painful it will be? Just stay still!”
The crowd laughed, and Snowy covered her mouth and laughed as well.
Helpless, the fat boy closed his eyes. He could only wait.
Under the watchful gaze of the public, Zhang Zian used the cotton swab that had absorbed the body fluid of the Western Chili to draw a circle on the red and swollen patch. When the cotton swab touched the fat boy’s skin, he tightened up his shoulders.
The fluid had an immediate effect. The fat boy felt the pain on his back disappear completely.
