Chapter 237: Chapter 237

It seemed the traditional notion that one must practice the Magic Cube’s techniques to upgrade wasn’t mandatory. Fortunate encounters could also expedite the Magic Cube Space’s leveling process. Could bloodlust and murder be included? I don’t know yet; that remains to be discovered. But if it were possible, my Magic Cube Space could level up to the seventh or eighth level in a short time.

Her strength would also increase significantly! My dream is that one day I’ll be able to randomly put things like my motorhome into the Magic Cube Space. The more fields I have, the more vegetables I can grow; the larger the space, the more domestic poultry I can keep, rather than having to count every few cubic meters like now.

Perhaps one day, when the Magic Cube Space completely overlaps with reality and I can take refuge in it, I’ll no longer fear the end of the world or any accidents. But until then, I have to remain vigilant and ready for any potential mishaps.

In any case, Jing Shu’s control over the Magic Cube Space had improved this time. She could faintly sense an imminent breakthrough; she was just on the cusp. My current situation must be hitting a bottleneck, she concluded.

Aside from the robbery, Wei Zheng’s wedding could be considered quite successful. Despite the fright and injuries, the guests were very satisfied with the food. Originally, there had only been two cold dishes, three hot dishes, and one meat dish. But after two more meat dishes were added, the quality of the entire spread was significantly elevated. Some people were so impressed they hesitated to partake.

They ended up sharing the food, with everyone taking a portion. By the time they left, nearly everyone carried a bag filled with various foods. In the apocalypse, this pork was worth far more than any gifts they might have brought.

After everyone had left, the three aunts began to clean up the mess. Her uncle took the bodies to claim 330 Virtual Coins, which he then gave to Jing Shu—after all, these spoils were hers alone. This update is available on novel~fire~net

When they learned about this, not to mention outsiders, even Elder Aunt Jing Pan and Wei Zheng gaped in amazement. Qiao Lian also swallowed hard, thinking, Good grief, thank goodness I hadn’t provoked Jing Shu.

Jing Shu was quite pleased with her uncle’s astuteness. "They came to rob you, so consider this compensation for your losses," she said. Elder Aunt Jing Pan’s family had suffered the most.

Her uncle absolutely refused.

"Alright, today’s spoils, including the pickup truck and the Virtual Coins, will go to Elder Aunt for her factory’s startup and operational costs. Consider it a collective asset. Just give me those sedatives and the Smoke Bombs," Jing Shu proposed.

"Ah, I really can’t thank you enough, Jing Shu."

There were quite a few spoils: a pickup truck, several simple thermal imagers, weaponry such as machetes and clubs, and fast-acting sedatives. Jing Shu took these, along with 11 Smoke Bombs, in case they might be useful later.

Today, she had witnessed the benefits of Smoke Bombs firsthand. Their opponents, merely eleven of them, had dared to attempt a robbery. Once a Smoke Bomb was deployed, moving recklessly without weapons became extremely risky, as it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe at that time.

Throwing kerosene bottles to create chaos at such a moment was, needless to say, a highly effective tactic. If those eleven had only come with machetes, the subsequent events probably wouldn’t have transpired; Mr. Jing could have driven them off with a few shots.

Regarding this incident, Elder Aunt Jing Pan’s family needed to learn their lesson. In the apocalypse, food was incredibly precious. Yet, they had been beating drums and gongs, as if afraid others wouldn’t know their family was celebrating a wedding and had slaughtered a pig to feed dozens. Of course, possessing food without the protection Su Malie had—many servants and bodyguards—naturally drew envy.

Hadn’t they noticed that Jing Shu hired four security guards at her villa gate every time she went out?

If it hadn’t been for Jing Shu, having the grain stolen would have been a minor issue; but what if someone had been seriously hurt or worse? Fortunately, when the incident occurred, Qiao Lian had quickly taken Qiao Lian into the house, ensuring nothing happened; otherwise, a happy occasion could have turned into a tragedy.

Jing Shu had originally planned to leave on the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year, but that didn’t happen. The sedatives were still potent. Her family members had to drink a lot of water before they finally metabolized most of it. That evening, the family solemnly held a meeting to take this as a lesson learned, realizing the importance of strengthening their own power while possessing food supplies. Mr. Jing specially taught Wei Zheng how to make traps, among other things.

「At eight o’clock on the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year」

Jing Shu’s investment, the Red Worm Feed Factory, officially opened for business.

The factory, consisting of rows of simple prefab houses, was located at the base of the mountains in Wu County—right where all the Wu County refugees were.

It was also near the government’s cafeteria.

Bright and early, Elder Aunt Jing Pan posted a large notice outside the prefab houses: "1 Virtual Coin for 200 pounds of red earthworms (unlimited supply accepted)."

This notice excited many passersby. They gathered to discuss it because the Wu County Government had limited processing capacity, typically only buying ten-odd tons per day. This meant those last in line often ended up with nothing for their efforts, forcing them into a vicious cycle of waiting for the next day.

Consequently, these refugees were impoverished, barely scraping by on subsistence welfare.

Now, things were different. A family could easily collect 300 pounds of red earthworms a day, trading them for one or two Virtual Coins. This meant they could afford a daily meal of wheat paste. And with wheat paste available, who would want to eat mushrooms full of insect eggs?

Elder Aunt Jing Pan personally oversaw the collection of red earthworms to prevent fraud, while other workers, with clearly defined roles, began the production process.

As soon as the factory opened, many people brought in the red earthworms they had gathered over the past few days. The workers quickly began the feed-making process. It was a scene of bustling activity. Jing Shu couldn’t help but nod. Isn’t this one of the contributions I can make in the apocalypse? At least, I’ve stored some food.

The second aunt’s husband, who was business-savvy, said, "Elder Sister, I can collect red earthworms from other places and transport them to you. How about you pay 1 Virtual Coin per 180 pounds? Wu County is so small; at most, it can only provide an additional ten-odd tons each day, which isn’t enough for your demand."

After some thought, Elder Aunt Jing Pan agreed. Wu County was indeed too small to harvest such a large quantity of red earthworms. "Fine," she said. "But if we find stones or any other adulteration in the shipment, there won’t be a second deal."

A ton of red earthworms processed into feed yielded only about half its original weight. However, when sold, this Red Worm Feed would fetch at least ten times its production cost. Although I don’t want to profit from this, I can’t disrupt the game rules, Jing Shu thought.

With the factory producing over ten tons of Red Worm Feed daily, storage became a significant issue. During the current rainy season, improper storage could lead to mold. Therefore, Jing Shu considered renting storage space from the government for the large quantities of Red Worm Feed. It’s not that my Magic Cube Space can’t hold it, but even if it could, bringing it all out into the open would be problematic.

The government had secret, well-equipped storage facilities, but she seemed to lack the necessary contacts. Minister Niu is in charge of the Agricultural Department; I wonder if he has connections for item storage? Perhaps Zhou Bapi could help; he might have some authority regarding the storage of medicinal materials.

As she was mulling over these thoughts, Jing Shu didn’t expect the issue to be resolved that very afternoon.