Rebirth Stockpiling: The Little Girl Sweeps Through the Apocalypse

Her hand trembled as she reached out to take it.

The moment the soft, squishy worm touched her skin, every hair on her body stood on end.

She could feel her nerves tightening to the breaking point.

Ugh...

She had always hated these kinds of soft-bodied insects.

This was... so disgusting!

Was it too late to run away now?

"L-Little Base Leader, the food you mentioned... it’s not... this, is it?" Tao Mi'er lowered her gaze to the worm in her hand, her voice quivering.

Yun Xiaoxiao nodded earnestly. "Yes, exactly."

Tao Mi'er: !!!

She wanted to flee, but escape was impossible.

Hearing Tao Mi'er’s internal scream, Yun Xiaoxiao found it somewhat amusing.

"Don’t worry, these aren’t maggots. They’re bamboo worms—they live inside bamboo and feed on bamboo sap. They’re not dirty."

This was something she had discovered in her past life, after Lu Chen died and she was left wandering alone.

Back then, she had gone days without food, dizzy with hunger.

The weeds along the road were withered, impossible to chew.

After walking for what felt like an eternity, she finally stumbled upon a bamboo grove.

Though most of the bamboo had died, a small patch stubbornly survived.

At first, she had planned to gnaw on the bamboo itself.

But when she snapped a stalk open, she found the worms hidden inside.

At that point, she had been starving for days.

If dirt had been edible, she would’ve eaten it.

Who cared if it was a worm?

All she knew was—it was meat!

So she conjured a flame and roasted the worms right then and there.

In her past life, she had awakened two abilities.

Early in the apocalypse, she developed wood-based powers.

Years later, fire-based abilities followed.

As soon as the bamboo worms were cooked, she devoured them without hesitation.

To her surprise, they tasted pretty good.

So she gathered every worm from that bamboo grove, roasted them, and stored them away.

They became her sole sustenance for half a month.

Earlier, when they arrived at the city they were attacking, she had noticed a bamboo grove outside the walls.

She made a mental note to search for bamboo worms there once the battle ended.

And sure enough, she found them—plenty of them.

"I’ll help too."

Zheng Yuner smiled, picking up a skewer and threading several worms onto it.

She was far calmer than Tao Mi'er.

"Yuner, you’re not scared?" Tao Mi'er asked, astonished.

Zheng Yuner chuckled. "No, I’ve eaten them before."

Tao Mi'er: !

Was she out of the loop?

Were these things some kind of delicacy?

How had she never tried them?!

Zheng Yuner explained, "After the apocalypse, my parents and I hid in the mountains. There was a bamboo grove near where we lived."

A flicker of sorrow passed through her eyes as she spoke, recalling the warmth of her family before everything changed.

But now, those days were long gone.

Not wanting to dampen the mood, she quickly composed herself.

"Actually, bamboo worms are delicious whether fried or roasted.

They’re also highly nutritious—packed with protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.

Some people even consider them a health supplement.

I remember my dad saying they could sell for as much as a hundred yuan per pound at their peak."

Tao Mi'er listened, feeling like she’d stepped into a whole new world.

She couldn’t believe something so revolting-looking could be so expensive!

No way would she ever spend money on this.

Then again, her family back then couldn’t have afforded such luxuries anyway.

A hundred yuan per pound? Ridiculous!

But Zheng Yuner’s words piqued her curiosity—just how did these things taste?

The others in the room overheard and came forward to help.

They skewered the worms while Yun Xiaoxiao and Zheng Yuner handled the roasting.

Once cooked, they sprinkled on salt, Sichuan pepper, cumin, and other spices, filling the air with an irresistible aroma.

"Wow, that smells amazing!"

Just then, Qu Xiaobei—who had fled earlier after being scared off by Yun Xiaoxiao—returned from her stroll outside.

She sniffed the air and rushed over excitedly.

"What are you cooking? It smells so good!"

She squeezed her way into the crowd, eyes sparkling.

"Want some?"

Yun Xiaoxiao ‘kindly’ handed her a freshly roasted skewer.

Qu Xiaobei: !!!

She was on the verge of a meltdown.

Not bugs again!

"Hah... haha... I’m not hungry, so... no thanks."

She waved her hands frantically.

"Really? They’re delicious."

"N-No, I’m good." Qu Xiaobei forced a polite smile.

She loved food, but she had standards!

"Suit yourself."

Yun Xiaoxiao pretended to sigh, then distributed the skewers to the others, keeping one for herself.

Aside from Zheng Yuner, none of them had ever tried bamboo worms before, and they tentatively took their first bites.

Tao Mi'er, in particular, nibbled the tiniest bit possible.

Just a speck.

She ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍pressed her lips together, waiting for the flavor to hit.

Slowly, her expression shifted.

This... was... amazing!

She immediately popped the entire worm into her mouth, crunching down with gusto.

The more she ate, the more addictive it became.

Within moments, the entire skewer was gone.

"Little Base Leader, can I... have another?"

She was hooked.

Yun Xiaoxiao didn’t hesitate, handing her a second skewer.

"What’s this delicious thing you’re all eating?"

A sultry voice chimed in as Zheng Xin'er sauntered over, draping an arm over Zheng Yuner’s shoulder with a playful grin.

She had led the Yangcheng Base’s forces in the recent battle and often dropped by to chat with Zheng Yuner and Yun Xiaoxiao during breaks.

"Bamboo worms." Zheng Yuner offered her own skewer to Zheng Xin'er, who took a bite without hesitation.

"Mmm, not bad."

Seeing everyone enjoy the food so much, Qu Xiaobei grew puzzled.

Were they really that good?

"Mi'er, are they actually tasty?" She looked up at Tao Mi'er.

Too engrossed in her meal, Tao Mi'er mumbled through a full mouth, "Mhm, so good."

"Then you can have mine."

Liu Tao quickly held out his skewer to her.

Tao Mi'er’s ears turned pink.

After a furtive glance to ensure no one was watching, she accepted it.

"Thanks," she murmured.

Liu Tao grinned sheepishly. "As long as you like it."

An invisible cloud of sweet tension floated between them.