Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

When Kim Haru dipped his hand in to test it, the temperature felt comparable to regular tap water—not as biting as winter tap water.

If even Kim Haru found the water tolerable, the ducklings—equipped with mutated genes from the post-apocalypse world—certainly wouldn't mind. They cautiously tapped at the water with their beaks, testing for danger. Finding none, they flapped their wings excitedly and leaped in.

Sploosh!

One after another, the yellow ducklings tumbled into the water like golden dumplings, sending up small splashes.

At first, the ducklings seemed a little panicked, their wings and feet thrashing wildly on the surface. But when they realized they weren't sinking and were perfectly safe, they quickly calmed down. Soon, they found their rhythm and began to swim around with ease.

By the time Kim Haru finished releasing the ducklings into the third coop, he had turned back to the first coop to find its ducklings already swimming in circles like seasoned swimmers.

Kim Haru couldn't help but feel envious. "How could I ever swim as skillfully as they do?"

"It's fine, Hyung. This is just their innate talent. There's no point in being envious," Go Okrim reassured him. "I can't even swim at all."

At that moment, Go Okrim had no idea that, in the future, after witnessing Kim Haru swim, he would wish he could travel back in time to sew his mouth shut. When a big shot says they "can't do something," it's almost always just modesty.

For now, oblivious to his future embarrassment, Go Okrim pointed to the three new duck coops set up beside the chicken coop and asked Kim Haru, "So, what are we going to do about the damaged eggs?"

Kim Haru choose to buried the eggs that failed to hatch midway through incubation.

Such partially incubated eggs are edible and are known as "balut." Kim Haru knew that in some place, balut is considered a delicacy. However, he couldn't stand the idea of eating something like that. He couldn't fathom the mental fortitude it would take to eat an egg that, when cracked open, revealed a partially formed chick, possibly even with feathers.

In any case, Kim Haru wasn't about to eat it. Furthermore, balut is usually deliberately stopped mid-incubation to develop its unique characteristics, unlike these eggs, which had naturally failed during the incubation process. The former is nutritious, but the latter is more likely harmful.

Go Okrim didn't crave balut either. In fact, when they buried the eggs, he was worried that other mutated creatures might eat them. He specifically buried them near Little Oakie, to make sure that the burrowing animals like snakes or rats wouldn't sneak in for a meal.

Although, in a mountain forest teeming with mutated creatures, it was questionable whether any snake would dare show itself.

The little ducklings had just arrived in their new environment and were so tiny that Kim Haru and Go Okrim paid extra attention to their care over the next few days.

Kim Haru had meticulously looked up information in his study. The ideal living temperature for newly hatched ducklings was around 30 degrees Celsius. He adjusted the heating in each duck coops accordingly to ensure that he wouldn't wake up one morning to find the ducklings frozen to death.

Additionally, the straw in the duck coops, used as bedding for the ducklings, was thoroughly cleaned. Kim Haru had a simple yet effective cleaning method: he tossed the straw into the snow, rolled it around, shook off the snow, and then dried it.

Freshly cleaned straw, neat and pristine, was ready for use.

This was only possible because the snow had been softened and fluffed by the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree. For this, Kim Haru once again praised the utility of the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree.

Aside from temperature regulation and bedding, the ducklings could start eating on their second day out of their shells. However, their diet required careful attention. It wasn't as simple as tossing in chopped vegetables mixed with rice like they did for Little Nugget and Sir Peckington.

Ducks are omnivores, eating both meat and vegetables. For the first few days, Kim Haru strictly followed the diet guidelines he'd read. He fed them semi-cooked rice and boiled wheat several times a day. Gradually, he added vegetables and minced meat to their meals.

The guide also recommended adding small fish, shrimp, river clams, or earthworms to the duck feed. However, since the apocalypse began, Kim Haru hadn't seen any fish except for the occasional appearance in the system's beginner meals. He couldn't find anything resembling fish to feed the ducklings.

"I wonder if there are fish in that pond," Kim Haru said while staring at the small pond on the farm, deep in thought.

The pond wasn't stagnant, possibly connected to an underground river. However, Kim Haru rarely saw anything resembling fish in the water. He wasn't sure if he had missed them or if there truly weren't any.

Nearby, Go Okrim, who was busy dismantling an Igloo with the help of a Cryo Wolf, perked up at the comment. "Hyung, there should be fish! When I had the zombies dig for lotus roots in the pond, I saw something darting around really fast. I'm pretty sure it was a fish!"

Kim Haru's eyes were lit up.

That's great! He had something to do now.

"I'm pretty good at cooking braised fish. If we manage to catch some today, leave the kitchen to me," Kim Haru said with enthusiasm.

Go Okrim seemed tempted too. "Hyung, let me join you! This Igloo can be handled by the Snowball No. 1." After all, Snowball No. 1 was a master at breaking things.

"As long as Snowball No. 1 agrees, go ahead," Kim Haru said, waving his hand.

Go Okrim immediately ran off to negotiate with Snowball No. 1 while bringing along his share of an apple—clearly intending to use it as a bribe.

By "dismantling the Igloo," they didn't mean completely tearing it down.