Shipping Not Included

Several pictures were downloaded and opened in the ambassador's email inbox.

Warning: This may trigger trypophobia.

The first thing you see is a buzzing and crackling sound. At first glance, you might think it's snowing. The streets and the sky are filled with countless white objects that dance like snowflakes. Only upon closer inspection can you see the faint outlines of flapping wings. They fill the sky and dominate the streets.

Everywhere there were crowds fleeing, screaming, and crying.

The house was gnawed to pieces, looking like it had been eaten by worms, and the car was crawling with insects.

And a video.

The video contains fearful whispers and rapid breathing; it is in French.

"They're everywhere! My God, these are definitely not locusts, these are absolutely not!"

The king translated it in a low voice from the side.

The video only lasted for a little over a minute.

Chaotic streets, people abandoning their cars and fleeing, screams everywhere, flames, and swarms of insects gathering and scattering like a sandstorm. Some people waved their burning clothes in an attempt to drive them away with Flame, some drove their roaring motorcycles in an attempt to disperse them with noise, some stomped their feet in an attempt to crush the nasty insects, and some drove away in their cars.

But none of this worked.

Unafraid of Flame.

Hearing the noise of the motorcycle, the locusts rushed over and covered the entire vehicle at an extremely fast speed. The rider fell and scrambled away in panic. The motorcycle was covered by a dense swarm of locusts, and you could even hear the soft gnawing sounds. The vehicle was also engulfed, and the slightly rusted body was covered with locusts.

The dense swarms of insects, swaggering in the sky, blotted out the sun, resembling terrifying demons, sometimes revealing their forms in the sky, sometimes swooping down to the ground to prey on the earth.

In the distance, houses were collapsing, and a huge satellite antenna snapped with a loud roar.

At the end of the video, only a silvery-gray gust of wind was captured rushing towards the person filming.

The phone's camera captured the sounds: in addition to the panicked shouts and hurried footsteps of the person filming, there was also a terrifying buzzing sound that sent chills down one's spine.

The phone fell to the ground in the chaos, making a clattering sound.

The photographer's terrified cries of escape faded into the distance.

The phone, still in shooting mode, with its lens pointing upwards, remained operational and continuously transmitted images. The lens captured a stained ceiling and a small section of a window.

In the scene, a dense cloud of insects shatters the window and rushes in like a gust of wind.

The buzzing sound of wings filled the entire sound system; just hearing the sound made one imagine the scene, the situation, which made one feel uncomfortable and numb all over.

The voices of the photographer, who had already fled, gradually faded into the distance and disappeared.

Or perhaps it was suppressed by the chirping of insects.

The world in the lens became very quiet, with only one sound remaining.

Then, the screen began to vibrate slightly.

The clicking sound gradually began.

The image in the shot changes, sometimes blurry, sometimes clear.

Then, in the world captured by the Leica lens, a giant insect head slowly appears from below, slowly crawling up until it is in front of the lens.

Because of the distance, it was so huge and so clear. Its slightly parted upper lip revealed a large jaw like a bull's horn, and its chewing mouthparts, incisors and molars, gleamed with an inexplicable light, proclaiming its ferocity and hunger. From this angle, you could also see its eyes on both sides of its head, glowing with a crimson blood light, as if looking at the camera, as if looking at everyone in front of the screen.

If most insects and fish in this world were enlarged to a size similar to that of a human, or even the size of a medium-sized dog, their external structure would be enough to awaken the most primal fears in everyone's heart.

Monster.

With its open mouthparts, whiskered appendages, hardened winged ends, segmented blades, and central sac-like tongue, it trembled, swayed, and undulated right in front of the screen. You could even see the liquid dripping from its open salivary tubes, and its sharp cutting teeth pierced down like a guillotine.

Snap! The outer glass of the lens shattered. The locust chewed, tore, and gnawed at it, while the lens continued to record everything. From this perspective, it looked like the last scene a person saw before death: a terrible insect gnawing and tearing him apart, eating him piece by piece.

The people in front of the computer all looked away.

After a dozen seconds, the ambassador said with difficulty, "It... it's eating the phone?"

Kang Jinzhu to say, even someone as noble as a king or as distinguished as an ambassador is merely a politician, not the head of an intelligence agency or a violent institution. Such a scene made them uncomfortable.

They all looked at Kang De simultaneously.

Kang De displayed a mix of expressions, resembling a white cat, an old man on the subway with his cell phone, and so on.

Kang Jinzhu then remembered his son's personality traits—this guy was afraid of insects.

He wasn't afraid at first, but Kang De had two strengths: a rich imagination and a love of reading. After reading an insect encyclopedia, he became afraid of insects.

Then the books in the house took on another function: in addition to reading, they also served as a kind of "sky-turning seal." Whenever an insect appeared in the house, whether it flew or crawled, it would die under Kang De's long-range, dimensional-reducing attack. From his hometown to the city, countless insect corpses increased Kang De's proficiency in throwing skills. He was a delicate boy who would scream and run away at the sight of a cicada.

... But don't you have superpowers?

Kang Jinzhu, believing he had discovered the key point, was secretly pleased and asked, "Afraid?"

Tomorrow I'll go outside and catch some bugs to toughen my son up.

This is called fear therapy.

Kang De frowned and said, "I'm not afraid face-to-face, but watching it on video makes me feel disgusted."

Because you can't do anything just by watching videos.

This is normal.

For example, in horror games, whether or not players are allowed to carry guns makes for two completely different gaming experiences.

A prime example is a certain horror game series that claims to be making a comeback, but despite saying that, it still gave players power gloves in the DLC story.

So the game was renamed "Ip Man 7".

Kang Jinzhu then asked, "So... do you have a way to handle this?"

As a father, he really didn't want to see his son do dangerous things, but after these past few days of experience and inner struggle, Kang Jinzhu had to painfully admit a fact: he could no longer make decisions for his son; Kang De now had enough ability and rationality to decide his own future path.

Even so, even knowing it's useless, I still insist on saying it, I still keep rambling on.

These are parents.

"I don't know, but be prepared," Kang De replied. "If these bugs are Big Bob's doing, do you think they'll just stay put in Gambia?"

Kang Jinzhu was speechless for a moment and could only sigh.

The king's face was pale... Yes, a black man's face was pale, clearly in extreme shock and even fear. His people had just experienced a nightmare, and a new crisis was looming.

Such a blow and pressure would be difficult for even a king to withstand.

Chakat II murmured, "Could it just be a locust plague...?"

Kang De glanced at the pictures, shook his head, and said calmly, "Have you ever heard of any insect that eats concrete, metal, or even a cell phone?"

Yes, there are some, but only a few different species. They don't eat metal to fill their stomachs, but to build a stronger shell. As for locusts, the locust plague that has plagued human Civilization for thousands of years, if they could feed on cement and metal, then human Civilization would hardly have developed to its current state.

He considered for a moment, then said to the ambassador, "No concrete intelligence yet? Satellites, reconnaissance planes, intelligence agents, videos, telephones, the internet—what are the France still doing?"

After seeing the photos, the ambassador realized the seriousness of the matter.

"I'll make the call."

"Okay, the first thing to ask is," Kang De said, "Whether they eat people."

If you're going to eat people, then go ahead and use nuclear weapons this morning.

After all, although those above knew that the matter in Gambia involved supernatural powers, they had not experienced it firsthand. The ambassador, on the other hand, had witnessed the mad riots in Gambia a few days ago. Civilians, soldiers, Gambia, Comora People, and France, all lost their sense of self under the control of the artifact Tacitus, fighting madly regardless of death and injury. If Kang De hadn't killed Little Bob in time, Moyani would likely have turned it into a living hell. He believed that all those who were controlled were puppets, devoid of fear, mercy, and tireless.

If Big Bob unearthed a similar artifact to the Little Bob obtained from the tombs of the kings of Gambia, and caused this locust plague, then its power must have been immense, and it could not be taken lightly or carelessly.

He immediately ran into the inner room and dialed his superior's number again.

The king took a few steps back, sat down on a chair to the side, his lips were pale, and sweat slowly dripped down his face.

"Don't be afraid," Kang De said. "Things aren't beyond repair yet. At least there's no sign of cannibalism in the photos. Didn't you see some black guys still trying to drive them away?"

Chakat II looked at Kang De, as if to say something, but suddenly his eyes reddened. He rubbed his nose, bit his finger, and sobbed, "Oh God, why us, why us again..."

What else could be said? Kang De could only pat him on the shoulder. "There's no point in talking about this now... Let's face it head-on."

The king looked at him with red-rimmed eyes.

Kang De shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. I was just made a chieftain, and it would be too disloyal of me to run away like that... You haven't delivered on your promise of the territory you gave me yet."

The king gazed at Kang De, remained silent for a long while, then suddenly choked up and said, "I wish I were a woman..."

"... puff!"

Kang Jinzhu, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but spit it out.

"What are you saying!" Kang De shouted, "I have no interest in black people!"

"Oh my friend, that's racist..."

"Pah!"

I even want to sleep with elves and dragons; when it comes to being philanthropic, who can compare to me?

Kang De kicked the chair under the king's buttocks. "Get up! Look at the map! Prepare for the worst. Once the locusts cross the border and attack humans, I won't be able to fight fires everywhere like I did that night. Comora only has a population of about 800,000. I think you should order them to concentrate near Moyani as soon as possible."

Strong walls and clear fields.

Only by evacuating everyone can we effectively utilize our abilities. If a large-scale invasion, like a locust plague, were to occur, and all civilian units were evacuated, humanity would have the opportunity to unleash its traditional supernatural powers.

Whether it's carpet bombing, planting mushrooms, Kang De casting spells, or throwing stones.

We can't let it affect ordinary people.

He took the map and shook it. "Comora only has a little over 2,000 square kilometers of land and a population of over 800,000. Moyani has tens of thousands, and the remaining hundreds of thousands... let's gather them all in Moyani. In case Big Bob really does lead his little bugs into Comora, it'll be better to concentrate them together for defense."

Getting back to the main point, the king sighed, his face showing difficulty. "Kang De, I must remind you that not all countries have the same level of executive and operational capabilities as your central government."

Kang De frowned and said, "But Comora is only a little over 2,000 square kilometers, with a population of only over 800,000. Those who own cars, cattle, horses, or mules, those who live near Moyani, and those who can walk—besides these, the rest are the ones you need to send people and vehicles to pick up. Can't you do that? A little over 2,000 square kilometers is just a square about 140 or 150 kilometers wide. You can't expect them all to live in remote, desolate mountains, can you?"

After some analysis, the king gradually calmed down. He looked at the map, the distribution of villages, towns, and cities, and the situation of major settlements—all of this was in his mind. Kang De was right; dividing a seemingly difficult goal into smaller parts could indeed simplify things step by step, but...

"But it still doesn't work."

After some calculations and estimations, he sighed, "Lack of fuel, lack of convoys, over 800,000 people have all come to Moyani, food, medical care, housing, security, administration—these are all things that Comora, which has just experienced war and is already battered, cannot afford..."

Before Kang De could speak, the ambassador pushed open the door and came out. "We don't eat people! But that's all the intelligence we have. The France don't know anything either. They only heard that their satellite, which just completed its orbital change, is currently reconnaissance of Gambia, but it has detected large areas of spectral interference. The technicians are still troubleshooting, so it probably won't be of any use for the time being."

Kang De frowned and asked, "What about the internet? What about the telephone?"

After making the call, the ambassador's expression grew even more grave. "No signal, no way to connect. We can't get through via internet, telecommunications, or even satellite phones. The photos and videos we just saw were from the last wave of information sent out. The domestic analysis team says they haven't yet detected these locusts attacking humans. They don't eat food; instead, they gnaw on reinforced concrete, vehicles, various electrical appliances, and communication devices—like that cell phone that got eaten..."

Kang De stroked his chin. "So, you mean, Gambia's external communications have been forcibly cut off?"

"Currently, our coverage area is limited to the vicinity of the capital, Zhuerban. We can still maintain contact with other areas, but our external reconnaissance teams can't get too close..."

"Where are the locust samples?"

"They didn't succeed. Based on shared intelligence, a local police squad risked reaching the vicinity of Zhuerban and caught some locusts with insect nets. They intended to leave Gambia and hand them over to the outside world, but the locust swarm seemed to know about their actions. They were quickly surrounded, the convoy was blocked, and the locusts crawled into the vehicles through the exhaust pipes, causing widespread destruction, biting off the tires, and eating the car bodies... Then they lost contact."

This is too far-fetched. If the France government hadn't sworn an oath and provided a large amount of audio and video recordings, they wouldn't have believed anything the higher-ups said... It's ridiculous.

In short, we're completely in the dark right now.

The ambassador summarized. "We have almost no intelligence, we can't contact the local embassy, and Britain, France, the US, and Russia are all completely unaware of what's happening in Gambia. Secret meetings take time, joint operations require preparation, the country is developing a mobilization plan, and has also convened an advisory team for analysis..."

"The advisory team should remember to recruit a few online novel authors."

"Ah?"

"Never mind."

Kang De pondered for a moment, then said, "I'll go myself; one must know the enemy before waging war."

Kang Jinzhu sighed silently, looking at his son with a complicated expression. When it comes to their children, parents' thoughts are often the most complicated. They hope their son can stand out from the crowd, but they also hope he can live an ordinary life. They hope he can become a hero and be the center of attention, but they also hope he can stay out of danger and be an ordinary person.

The king said earnestly, "Comora, Gambia, whatever we have, just ask."

The ambassador remained silent for a moment. Even with his eloquent diplomat skills, he was at a loss for words. He knew that Kang De had taken charge of this matter, but he couldn't see through the other party's motives. Was it genuine compassion or youthful arrogance leading to an overreach? But in any case, what was done was done.

Doing it makes you a hero.

He said, "Please be careful."

Kang De noticed the three men's gazes and shook his head inwardly.

He still had selfish motives; he wasn't some selfless saint.

Little Bob kidnapped his father, and he killed Little Bob. The Kang Family and the Buruo Family were sworn enemies for two generations. If Big Bob were to find great fortune in the royal tombs of Gambia, he didn't think the other party would forgive and forget. Rather than waiting for the other party to fully develop, he might as well strike first.

Furthermore, Tacitus caused Horus to undergo a qualitative change, awakening his shapeshifting ability. According to the already deceased spirit, the two tombs of Gambia and Comora, one sealing his soul and the other sealing his body, together constitute his true power.

Now that his Iron Son is seriously injured and his condition is quite complicated, he wants to find an auspicious day to search the tomb of King Gambia and see if there is a way to treat his son's injuries.

Let's do it all at once.

"Anyway, I'll go to Gambia first to see what happened, and we'll agree on how to contact each other."

Kang De looked at the ambassador. "Secondly, Comora needs to prepare early. If all of this was Big Bob's doing, then a despicable war hyena, a selfish and cruel white mercenary, won his last gamble of life, gaining superhuman power. He must be extremely arrogant now. In terms of his soul, he's no longer human. Kindness, compassion, humanity—all of that is probably gone. Regardless of public or private grudges, I think he will definitely not let Comora go."

The ambassador solemnly asked, "How should we prepare?"

"Scorched earth policy." This is the advantage of a long history; with historical precedents, four words are enough to make the meaning clear. "Concentrate all 800,000- International of Comora in Moyani."

The ambassador frowned and said, "That's difficult to do."

"I discussed it with the king, and the main difficulties lie in the lack of supplies: transport vehicles, tents, medical supplies, food, fuel... Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; these problems urgently need to be solved."

After Kang De finished speaking, he looked at the ambassador.

The ambassador understood and said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid there isn't enough time. These supplies are nothing to the country, of course, but what we lack is the ability to deliver them..."

Kang De said calmly, "I don't need that."

The ambassador asked in surprise, "What?"

"Trucks loaded with medicine, fuel, tents, food, and other supplies should be prepared in H City as soon as possible, the more the better. The supplies are for the Comora People, and the trucks should go directly to pick them up."

Kang De said, "I'll go back and get it once it's ready."

Papa Kang and the king were speechless for a moment, and the ambassador was also dumbfounded, pointing at Kang De and stammering, "You... you can still..."

Kang De shrugged and said, "Of course I can bring things, otherwise I'd be naked every time I teleport."

Can a few pieces of clothing be compared to a truck weighing tens of tons?!

As a qualified diplomat, the ambassador always prioritizes national interests. Comora is halfway around the world from China, and the fact that Kang De was able to achieve such a massive, instantaneous delivery, even if it was only a few tons at a time, is quite astounding. After all, the real constraint on strategic airlift capabilities and the combat effectiveness of deployed troops is logistical issues. With this courier...

Kang De nodded, and said seriously, "That's right, just as you thought. If a suitable price is negotiated, I can also help the higher-ups mail a nuclear bomb to the White House."

"... That's not what I thought at all!"

Kang De chuckled, "By the way, AWSL Company also planning to set up a logistics business. They can deliver anything and anywhere... as long as the price is right."

... This young man is really shrewd.

I always come up with something new for him.

But every time, they manage to scratch the country's sore spot.

He looked at the king and said seriously, "Since Kang De has a solution, then there's no problem. I will apply to have these supplies donated to your country free of charge as humanitarian aid..."

Before the king could even express his gratitude, Kang De said, "Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean 'free'? Even with such a large and powerful family, you can't just waste things like this."

He looked at the ambassador and said earnestly, "We are still China. When supporting foreign friends, we must act within our means. Although we are a responsible major power, we cannot be infinitely responsible, right? We are not the world's policeman, and the RMB is not the world's currency. Why should we clean up the mess the France made for free? No, you tell the higher-ups that the France have to pay for this shipment..."

The ambassador shook his head and said, "The France might as well just ship them directly from Africa..."

"No way! Tell them they absolutely must buy China goods. Those bastards, it's not up to the Gallic Rooster to decide whose goods we use, it's up to me!"

Kang De clapped his hands and said arrogantly, "And then you still have to pay me for shipping; I don't offer free shipping."

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: This is a 6,000-word chapter. I was so upset yesterday watching the news that I was in a terrible state. I'm feeling a bit better now. I'll just leave it at that; after all, I'm just a novelist.

PS2: Just a quick science lesson: In the previous chapter, some friends questioned whether drought was the only cause of locust plagues. That's not true. While drought does promote locust migration and spread, and the drop in water levels caused by drought can double the survival rate of locust eggs, abnormally heavy rainfall before and after larval hatching is more conducive to locust plagues. First, rainfall causes plants to grow rapidly, providing food for the larvae. Second, moist soil is also conducive to locust hatching. Therefore, both prolonged drought and short-term heavy rainfall can cause locusts to multiply rapidly. When these two conditions are combined, they can create a massive locust plague.

PS3: If you haven't seen a locust plague, you can search for it on Bilibili. It's truly terrifying, and you can even imagine the despair and fear that people in ancient times would feel in the face of such a scene.

PS4: The above is the portion beyond the main text of 6,000 words, and it's free.