NOVEL NEXT Chapter 85: Biomass Everywhere
In the vast expanse of the Land of Wind desert, where the sun reigned supreme and the wind whispered tales of ancient secrets, a lizard scurried across the scorching sand dunes.
Its sleek scales glinted with a touch of iridescent green as it sought nourishment amidst the unforgiving landscape.
Unbeknownst to the unsuspecting creature, danger lurked just beneath the shifting grains of sand...
Fwoosh! Suddenly, a scorpion erupted from the arid ground. Its stinger, dripping with venomous potency, struck the defenseless lizard, injecting a lethal dose of poison into its veins.
The lizard convulsed, its life force fading away with each passing second until it finally succumbed to the toxic invasion.
Yet, before the scorpion could claim its victory and feast upon its prey, a disturbance rattled the desert floor!
Like a thunderclap, the sand parted ways, revealing a massive zerg drone that pierced its claws right through the scorpion!
Towering above the lifeless reptile and the vanquished scorpion, the monstrous creature flexed its claws, as if declaring its indomitable might.
Of course, no one was watching. No one cared.
So, the zerg drone scooped up the scorpion's corpse. The lizard, slain by the scorpion, was also not left behind.
With prey in its maw, the drone descended back into the sandy depths. The desert sands swallowed the disturbing scene, erasing any evidence of the struggle that had unfolded mere moments ago.
In the labyrinthine tunnels snaking deep beneath the Land of Wind desert, the zerg scurried forward along the branching paths, picking his route with a single-minded determination.
Coming across a narrower tunnel, its chitinous exoskeleton scraped against the rough walls, a symphony of eerie echoes reverberating through the dark passageways.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of subterranean travel, the zerg drone arrived at its destination - a hidden cave nestled within the bowels of the earth.
The air within the cavern was heavy with the stench of decay, a putrid reminder coming from the countless lives that had met their end under their sinister claws, now forming an grotesque mound in the cavern.
Needless to say, the sight here was chilling - a horror scene frozen in time. The bodies, in various stages of decomposition, formed an eerie mosaic of death.
Alas, the zerg drone felt no horror. It mechanically approached a mound of decaying corpses, and nonchalantly deposited its hard-won spoils atop it.
As if paying homage to the fallen, the drone's appendages strangely danced over the rotting flesh before it turn to depart.
Just when the zerg drone was leaving the cavern, an unnatural disturbance rippled through the ground.
The cavern floor gave way to a gargantuan zerg drone. Towering over its smaller brethren, it exuded an aura of malevolence, its gaping maw a black void hungry for souls.
Out from the colossal creature's shadowy depths emerged a figure clad in a trench coat. It was Kano, Shino's persona for external activities.
His dark eyes, brimming with malice and amusement, scanned the eerie cemetery before him. "Oh, the harvest this time shouldn't be bad."
Retrieving a sealing scroll from the depths of his coat, Kano's steps echoed through the chamber as he made his way through the sea of corpse, storing away piles of soon-to-be biomass into scrolls, pulling out a new scroll when needed.
With each completed seal, the cavern seemed to tremble in acknowledgment, as if whispering the count of the harvest to the wind.
When the last scroll was used, Kano's lips curled into a grin. "Onwards to the next location."
Kano's ride arose from the ground, its gaping maw devouring all traces of his existence, leaving a blood-stained cavern where drones mechanically continued to deposit new harvest.
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure...
Having just returned from a mission, Temari and Kankuro strolled along the familiar sandy streets of the Sand Village, keeping a step behind Gaara, their footsteps lost amidst the murmurs of the villagers.
Training their eyes on the villagers, their ears caught fragments of the conversations drifting through with the sand.
"Sigh, what is going on lately? Did the creatures of the desert all go into hiding?"
"Yeah, I heard the hunters came back with even less than last time."
Hearing his companions' disheartened voices, another man assured, "Comon, there's no need to worry. It's not like we will starve if we have some bad hunts. The imported food is enough to keep us well-fed."
"Hey, that's not what I'm worried about. You know we don't just hunt for food. Those creatures are also our source of poison. If there isn't enough, there will be a shortage of poison for the ninjas..."
"Suka is right. That isn't the only problem though. I heard the Daimyo used this as an excused to lodge a complaint with the village to cut down our support funds."
"What?! Again?! Damn, we are already running on scraps, and that stingy bum is still-"
"Hush! Don't curse him, lest the wind carries the sand into that man's eyes. Maybe he'll cry over our disrespect and use it as another excuse."
"Tch." The weight of the villagers' concerns settled heavily upon Temari's shoulders, casting a shadow of unease upon her features.
Kankuro attempted to assuage his sister's worries. "Don't fret, Temari. It's probably just a temporary lull in the desert's ecosystem. These things happen from time to time. It'll get better."
Temari glanced at him skeptically, "I hope you're right, Kankuro. But it seems more than just a coincidence. Although not a lot, the desert has always provided for us, but now it's as if nature itself has abandoned us. You know the dangerous creatures are one of the Sand Village's natural barriers against foreign enemies. With them dwindling..."
Gaara, walking a few steps ahead, seemed lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly, his usually unreadable eyes flickered to the side of the road, and he raised his hand.
Instantly, a swirling cyclone of sand materialized, engulfing a minuscule bug that had unknowingly strayed too close. The sand tightened its grip, reducing the insect to nothing more than a mere memory.
The siblings paused, their attention captured by the sand grains cascading back to the ground.
After a moment, Temari's voice broke the silence, "Gaara, is something bothering you? Your control over sand has always been remarkable, but lately, it feels... a bit disturbed."
Gaara turned to face his siblings, his gaze intense and introspective. "I can feel the pulse of the desert. It's troubled, just like the villagers. The desert itself is suffering, and I can't ignore its call."
Temari and Kankuro exchanged perplexed glances. What nonsense is their brother up to now? He's been different ever since he came back from Konoha. Well, it seems to be better than before? So, let's not worry about it, and just play along.
Kankuro casually made his puppet wave his hand. "Whatever you say, Gaara."
"You're right, Gaara." Temari similarly agreed, yet she considered more than her brother, "We cannot ignore any signs. Let us gather information from others and request the elders for a mission to find the answer in the desert. Maybe solving this issue may help you gain the recognition of the others."
As the wind whispered ominous secrets through the streets, the Sand siblings embarked on a path that would eventually lead them deep into the heart of the cause.
Will they be encountering an enemy that may perhaps change their fate? Who knows, but the decision is in the hands of one man.