Wales felt as though a bolt from the blue had struck him, leaving him scorched inside and out.
“Wales, take a good look at this ladybug. Is there a significant difference in its size, color, and behavior compared to ordinary ladybugs?”
As he spoke, Ren Yuanhao casually grabbed a common ladybug. Indeed, the ordinary ladybug differed from the one in the container in both size and agility.
The ladybug in the container had a translucent sheen, a raised ridge on its tail, and was about fifty percent larger than a regular ladybug. It was an allochroous ladybug among ladybugs!
With the database granted by the system, Ren Yuanhao not only identified this little creature but had also mentally constructed an entire food chain through the system!
“Wales, I admit, most people, even those with high academic qualifications and vast knowledge, would first think of the word ‘kill’ when it comes to pest control, correct?”
Ren Yuanhao spoke unhurriedly.
Wales nodded. Those who had previously mocked Ren Yuanhao were now silent, daring not to utter another foolish word.
“You are correct. Continue.”
Wales was anxious, but Ren Yuanhao was not. He brought over a chair for Yu Yue to sit comfortably and said, “What’s the matter? Don’t you even have a subordinate to fetch you water? Miss Yu, your position seems rather frustrating.”
“You two idiots, why are you just standing there? Go fetch your boss some water!”
Wales kicked Baldy’s leg. Baldy and another person jolted as if from the dead. No, it was more like drowning victims grasping at a straw. Even a mere straw was enough to make them subservient and willing to do anything, let alone fetch water.
“Kid, are you satisfied now?”
Ren Yuanhao nodded and said, “Good, let’s continue. We were talking about ‘killing’. I imagine in your minds, you’d only think of directly eliminating aphids with pesticides. You probably never considered using the simplest ‘food chain’ relationship, the most straightforward, fastest, and most effective way to eradicate aphids, correct?”
Not only did Wales lower his head, but Yu Yue did too. They were both highly educated, brimming with knowledge, but having read a lot didn’t mean they could apply what they learned at crucial moments, let alone utilize it effectively.
At this point, Ren Yuanhao had become the center of everyone’s attention. Among Wales’s entourage, there were also professors well-versed in zoology and botany. Finally, a middle-aged man nearing fifty asked, “The allochroous ladybugs indeed have a longer survival time than ordinary ladybugs, but once the aphids are eradicated, these little fellows will surely migrate. What will we use to keep them here then, to prevent future pest infestations?”
“Exactly. Moreover, their diet is extremely specific. Once they’ve eliminated the aphids, if this place can no longer provide them with food, they will surely perish. How will we withstand the next season’s pest damage?”
Ren Yuanhao smiled. “Feeding a group of ladybugs is far simpler than feeding a group of people.”
He finally brought over the vines he had carried back earlier.
“Everyone, take a look at this.”
Everyone looked in unison. On the vines, there were other, larger ladybugs, their numbers so dense they were unnerving.
“What is this?” Those who claimed to be experts were puzzled, completely missing Ren Yuanhao’s point.
“Kid, stop being coy. Just say what you have to say directly.”
Wales’s perception of this man had changed dramatically.
Ren Yuanhao was direct. “These are also a type of special aphid. They are larger, reproduce quickly, and are sufficient to satisfy the voracious appetite of the allochroous ladybugs. Furthermore, allochroous ladybugs have a lifespan of up to ten months. Combined with these special aphids, they can be retained here. In this way, wouldn’t the damage from aphid infestations be resolved?”
As soon as Ren Yuanhao finished speaking, Wales scoffed, “Hmph, you brat, are you testing our reactions? This tactic, as you would say, isn’t it called ‘inviting a tiger to drive away a wolf’? You drive away one, and another comes. Kid, do you take us for fools?”
At Wales’s words, those old scholars and professors all sneered, indignantly stating, “You brat, though we may be old and senile, we are not so foolish!”
“Indeed, aren’t you deliberately toying with us?”
“This kind of garbage should be chopped up and fed to dogs as soon as possible!”
Suddenly, the voices demanding Ren Yuanhao be dealt with grew louder.
Yu Yue’s bright eyes remained fixed on Ren Yuanhao, and she was also very curious about what Ren Yuanhao was planning.
At this moment, Ren Yuanhao smiled instead of flinching. “Yes, yes, you are not old or senile, your brains are just a little rusty.”
“Hmph, you piece of trash, you’re angry because your trick has been exposed. I say, we should just deal with you now and not waste time. We’re busy, and we can always re-evaluate the situation. It’s better than listening to your nonsense here.”
“Exactly. We thought you were a king, but you turned out to be a bronze,” Baldy snatched the water cup from Yu Yue’s hand. “Drink, drink what? Wait to be chopped up and fed to the dogs!”
More than a dozen A-level staff members were ready, five or six blocked the exit, four or five surrounded him from front, back, left, and right, with two or three behind. They were confident they could capture this nonsensical man.
But at that moment, without a word, Ren Yuanhao directly placed the vine with aphids onto the plants in the cultivation room!
“What are you doing!”
Ren Yuanhao said nothing, simply standing quietly in front of the vine.
Wales’s subordinates had already surrounded Ren Yuanhao, and Yu Yue had been captured. The situation had become extremely precarious, beyond salvation.
But at this moment, Wales suddenly raised his hand and stopped their actions.
“You, you guys look!”
The experts, scholars, and professors followed Wales’s gaze and saw that the aphids, which had been attached to the vines, seemed to have no interest in the fresher plants. They remained on the severely damaged vines, continuing to gnaw on them with apparent interest!
This discovery stunned everyone!
“What is going on?” Wales’s jaw dropped in shock.
“It seems these aphids only prefer this type of vine plant!”
“In other words, they are monophagous aphids. If that’s the case, we only need to supply them with this type of vine in the future, and they won’t bring irreparable disaster to the entire cultivation room!”
At this moment, the cultivation room seemed to echo with the deafening sound of humbled faces. Baldy sulkily placed the water cup back into Yu Yue’s hand, his face plastered with sycophancy, as if he had ripped off his own face and stuck it onto another.
Ren Yuanhao took a breath and said, “So you old fellows aren’t blind after all. This method, it finally works, right?”
“Biological aphid control, excellent!”