That afternoon, Shen Cong first went to where the dragon-claw pagoda tree was. Having a truck was convenient — he could husband his strength inside it.

The pagoda tree was still in its original spot, ceaselessly absorbing nutrients, seemingly in no hurry to go find whatever it was after. It made Shen Cong think of the Snail Traveler, which, at the moment, also seemed in no hurry to go searching.

"What exactly are they looking for? One moment anxious, the next unbothered."

Shen Cong observed the pagoda tree carefully and decided that the thing they were after perhaps wasn't urgent. The Snail Traveler had been beaten into fear — once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of a coiled rope — and now clung tight to Shen Cong's leg.

As for the pagoda tree—

"Very likely the newly-sprouted branches haven't fully metallized. The pagoda tree wants all its branches and leaves metallized before it pulls up its roots again."

The pagoda tree wasn't leaving, and Shen Cong had no idea when it would, so he could only leave first.

Returning along the Beijing–Shanghai Expressway, on reaching the Laiwu City district ruins he forked onto Wenhe Avenue, scouting the Xihai Park settlement from a fresh direction. This side, sure enough, had far more sentry posts than the side that morning — the density was considerable — but relying on his camouflage, Shen Cong still slipped into hiding near Xihai Park with ease.

Over the course of one afternoon, he had the Bug Warriors' distribution and behavior, and A-Tai's and the Master's respective residences and main movements, all figured out.

The Xihai Park settlement had agricultural production, cultivating several kinds of iron fruit.

But most of the time, Bug Warriors still had to go out hunting. The local produce here was rich, jin beasts everywhere; the Bug Warriors didn't need to travel far to complete a hunt.

This was also why ordinary people couldn't leave the Bug Warriors and live independently. There were too many jin beasts outside; without the Bug Warriors protecting the settlement, they'd be serving themselves up as…