Chapter 240: Chapter 240
Never mind 10,000 Virtual Coin; she didn’t even have a few hundred left. Jing Shu’s entire personal stash had gone to the previous factory. The small amount she had now came from the various bounties she earned daily by working with the salvage team.
Money certainly didn’t last, regardless of the era. Jing Shu’s spending habits were astounding: broke or rich, she’d spend whatever she had, buying anything and everything, never managing to hold onto her money.
However, fortunately, Jing Shu had good reason to boldly spend 10,000 Virtual Coin this time.
Initially, she had dug up six Blood Mushrooms: one was given to Yang Yang, two were used for soup, and one was fed to the unconscious Grandma Jing. Adding to the twelve Blood Mushrooms Jing Shu excavated later, she currently had fourteen intact Blood Mushrooms and three with only the roots remaining.
After several days of cultivation, Jing Shu was thrilled to discover a tiny Blood Mushroom growing from one of the root-only specimens. At this rate, it would only take another week to mature.
Mushroom propagation differs from typical grafting; they reproduce through spore separation and sterile cultivation. Jing Shu’s success with this method was unbelievable, likely due to the specific environment and the presence of leeches.
The previously small Blood Mushrooms were also growing larger, all proving that Jing Shu’s co-cultivation method was correct.
Discarding the smallest and the largest, Jing Shu decided to take out ten Blood Mushrooms to give to Su Malie for auction. She would only somewhat trust Su Malie with such precious items, believing that this spendthrift, at least, wouldn’t embezzle them or resort to underhanded tactics.
After discussing matters and signing the contract at her Uncle’s house, the family members began their respective tasks.
Wang Gang first took Jing Shu to the reserve storage, surprisingly located deep in the mountains. It resembled a bomb shelter and was very well hidden. This place had several entrances; military personnel seemed to be stationed on one side, so the entrance Wang Gang used must have been a different one.
There were military guards at the base of the mountain. Wang Gang and Jing Shu both had to have their identities scanned before entering. Of course, Jing Shu guessed Wang Gang probably had the authority to bring guests.
This was Jing Shu’s first visit to the local reserve storage. The sheer thickness of the lead door indicated an immense project. She also met Liu Dabo, the manager responsible for the grain reserves, a steady-looking man in his forties who wore glasses that made him appear quite refined.
"This storage facility was secretly established according to national standards," Liu Dabo explained. "It can withstand a direct hit from a 500-pound bomb, the shockwave from a 600,000-ton hydrogen bomb airburst, and even resist destruction from an 8.0-magnitude earthquake. It was once secretly used for nuclear weapon production and is a former military stronghold.
"If a cataclysmic disaster strikes in the future, the government can arrange for hundreds of thousands of Huaxia people to take emergency refuge inside. All the lead doors can be completely sealed within a second of catastrophic danger approaching, forming an absolutely safe space. It’s not just a storage facility; it’s the culmination of our ancestors’ painstaking efforts."
Liu Dabo’s explanation left Jing Shu deeply impressed. She felt proud to be a Huaxia person. Though she never had the chance to seek refuge in such a place in her past life... being fortunate enough to witness its strength in this life was quite wonderful. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn NoveI★Fire.net
"The warehouses over here are all idle. I’ll take you to see them."
In the dim cave, Jing Shu could see thick warehouses made from special materials, nothing like the leaky stone structures of the ecological garden. This place was devoid of a single drop of water or any insects, indicating a significant investment in its construction.
Liu Dabo led Jing Shu to her private storage unit, secured with a dual-lock system requiring a key and a fingerprint scan. This was the storage Liu Dabo had promised her. It was spacious, dry, and cool, perfectly suitable as cold storage. However, this year, it might be necessary to add some lime desiccant to prevent dampness.
"Okay, this is quite good," Jing Shu said.
Jing Shu felt a great sense of security just thinking about it. With her supplies stored alongside the national reserves, how could it not be safe? Moreover, an independent storage unit with double locks was quite reassuring. The only concern was the possibility of Liu Dabo engaging in pilfering from his position, but of course, Jing Shu had to take her own precautions. Right now, red earthworms were worthless, but give it a year, and you’d see how valuable they would become.
Besides, compared to building a large warehouse herself or finding one prone to leaks and mold within days, this place was definitely the most hassle-free option. Liu Dabo’s only requirement was for her to take the red earthworms he procured daily off his hands.
As for this insistence on practically handing her money... AHEM. Jing Shu decided she would reluctantly accept. In her previous life, around this time, she only wished for a bowl of rice every day and hadn’t cared much about Virtual Coin. But in this life, she realized that Virtual Coin was also spent quickly; it was better to have more to exchange for other things.
After registering her fingerprint for the private storage unit and finalizing the deal with Liu Dabo, Wang Gang indicated the factory could start operating within two days. Jing Shu only needed to provide the Virtual Coin and Fuel for the first batch of collected red earthworms within three days.
Having sorted everything out, Jing Shu finally returned to her villa from the distant mountains and immediately went to Su Malie’s house without stopping.
By the way, the four security guards Jing Shu had hired were back at their posts. Jing Shu even greeted them when she arrived at Mary’s house.
Su Malie blinked her large eyes. "Jing Shu, I heard you have ten Blood Mushrooms to auction?" Beside Su Malie stood three other people, also gazing at Jing Shu with wide, expectant eyes.
Su Malie is so dramatic, Jing Shu thought, referring to them by ’stalk’ as if they were as precious as Lingzhi...
Jing Shu recognized most of them: Chen Nan, who had modified her vehicle; Ah Yu, the government official who had helped with a previous auction; and a few others.
Are these people always having gatherings whenever they have nothing better to do? Jing Shu mused.
"Jing Shu, are you short on Virtual Coin?" Su Malie ran over and held Jing Shu’s hand. "Just name your price, and I’ll buy your high-priced Blood Mushrooms. I’ll definitely pay more than the auction price. You really are my lucky star! I was just thinking about getting a batch of Blood Mushrooms. My father hasn’t been well lately and urgently needs something to build up his strength."
"How about this, Jing Shu? I’ll give you 20,000 Virtual Coin, 5,000 more than the estimated auction price. If that’s not enough..." Su Malie said hastily, seeing Jing Shu remain silent.
"That’s enough, that’s enough," Jing Shu said, a slight headache forming. She wasn’t the type to take advantage of others; a fair price was sufficient.
Chen Nan, his eyes practically bulging with anticipation, watched as Jing Shu took out ten—ah, ten stalks of Blood Mushroom—and handed them to Su Malie. He finally couldn’t hold back any longer. "Mary, you have to make it up to me somehow! I’ve been so miserable lately; I got completely ripped off by that Chu Zhuohua!"
Jing Shu was taken aback. "???" Wait a minute, isn’t that Wu You’ai’s mentor? What happened?
"Hold on, hold on... you were ripped off by Chu Zhuohua? What happened?" Jing Shu asked quickly.
Chen Nan looked embarrassed. "It has nothing to do with you. I covered all the materials for your RV. The problem is, Chu Zhuohua also modified a vehicle and used up all my advanced materials—space-grade aluminum alloy, memory metal, all of it—and it still wasn’t enough! The worst part is, I couldn’t even tell what he modified was supposed to be a vehicle..."