Chapter 280: Chapter 280

Applause rang out from below the stage.

Wang Daxian was invited to speak first. As a member of an old medical family in Wu City, who had been planting various medicinal materials since childhood, he had a natural affinity for them. He was considered amiable, but the first thing he said on stage was, "I hear Chairman Tie praise Jing Shu every day. The younger generation really surpasses the former; it’s true that ’blue is extracted from the indigo plant, but is more vivid than it.’ Chairman Tie has a unique vision, and I indeed have great admiration for this young friend, Jing Shu."

Wang Xiaoxian rolled her eyes from below the stage.

"If we don’t score based on what the market needs, just on planting techniques alone, I admit that my planting isn’t as good as Jing Shu’s. Jing Shu’s planting skills have reached a new level. Moreover, her plants can be used as medicine within about half a year, whereas mine take longer to mature and require more investment. The medicinal materials I grow are rarer and not affordable by ordinary people, so I feel undeserving of such high scores from all of you."

Louder applause erupted from below. They were competitors, so Jing Shu hadn’t expected this. Is he actually praising me?

"From what I’ve observed, Jing Shu is more suited to planting a variety of plants; she has a broad scope. I, on the other hand, only specialize in cultivating valuable medicinal materials like ginseng and codonopsis, which aren’t suitable for widespread promotion. Perhaps I’m truly not suited for this position. Instead, I believe Jing Shu is more fitting for the role of Vice Chairman.

"For example, the plants Jing Shu cultivates are highly appropriate for our country’s current conditions in the apocalypse. With bacteria rampant, we urgently need medicinal herbs like Bodhi, tobacco, and honeysuckle. Promoting their cultivation genuinely requires Jing Shu’s guidance. Therefore, I trust everyone will cast their votes for Jing Shu."

What on earth? What kind of trick is this? Jing Shu wondered, stunned. Isn’t he here to compete with me? Why is he constantly speaking in my favor?

Chairman Tie wiped the sweat from his face. What in the world does this old man mean? After saying all that praising Jing Shu, is he really intending to give the spot to her?

Having finished speaking, Wang Daxian stepped off the stage and even winked at Jing Shu. There must be some reason behind all this,

Jing Shu, a bit confused, stepped up to the podium and looked out over the crowd—curious, admiring, disdainful, or reveling in others’ misfortune; every kind of expression was directed at her. After several incidents, her name, Jing Shu, had gradually become known within the Medicinal Materials Association.

Not to mention, the people from Ta City now numbered in the hundreds after the integration with the medicinal base. They were present because Jing Shu had defeated them, so some loved her while others hated her in equal measure.

Unfortunately, this time the selection for the Vice Chairman position had nothing to do with Ta City, so the few familiar faces from last time weren’t present.

Jing Shu cleared her throat and was about to speak when a shrill emergency alarm started blaring. Chairman Tie and Zhou Bapi hurried to the control room, while the audience, originally there for the entertainment, started murmuring among themselves.

"What emergency has occurred now? Is it another directive issued directly by the central government?"

"It must be. The last time was four months ago. I remember it was an emergency order to produce a batch of casein calcium for distribution to all citizens. Since the power outage, no one has seen sunlight for a year. If we go that long without sunlight and don’t supplement with calcium, our bodies will suffer."

"Any directive from above must be treated as the top priority."

Jing Shu narrowed her eyes, listening to the discussions around her. So the alarm isn’t signaling danger, but an order from the central government, she gradually understood.

Speaking of calcium, she recalled, the government used to distribute vitamins and calcium tablets to all citizens every year. So that’s how they were urgently produced.

The speech naturally couldn’t continue. Chairman Tie and Zhou Bapi had already gone to the control room to retrieve the documents, and Jing Shu listlessly waited for news.

Soon, Chairman Tie returned with a sweat-soaked face alongside the ebullient Zhou Bapi. Jing Shu saw that Chairman Tie’s legs were trembling and beads of sweat were streaming down, yet he still put on a forced smile.

Zhou Bapi made several phone calls in succession before finally saying to Chairman Tie, "Then, you handle it. It’s up to you whether to go up and announce it yourself or if I should declare this matter."

Chairman Tie clenched his teeth, exhaled gently, and closed his eyes. "I’ll make the announcement."

"Heh." Zhou Bapi smoothed the few strands of hair on his head before stepping onto the stage. He turned on the projector at the lectern and said, "Apologies for the interruption, everyone. We have a document just issued by headquarters."

The document was displayed for everyone to see, its blood-red letters giving everyone a sense of oppression.

Holding the microphone, Zhou Bapi continued, "The Jiangnan Region has had heavy rains for several months, and the uncleaned moss has led to the breeding of various insects and poisonous mushrooms. These insects have entered homes, some carrying HPV infections, others with H25 virus. As of now, the daily death toll has reached tens of thousands, with hundreds of thousands infected."

"Therefore, the central government has issued an order: each provincial capital must urgently cultivate a batch of insecticides. Priority will be given to planting medicinal herbs containing specific materials. Furthermore, they must produce the required quantity of qualified insecticides within two months. This task will serve as the preliminary test for this session of the Medicinal Materials Association. The top ten provincial associations that meet this target will be eligible for the next stage of the competition."

Jing Shu understood Zhou Bapi’s implication. Why had they considered giving the key task—and by extension, the vice-chairmanship—to Wang Daxian of the established medicinal family? It was so he could represent them in this provincial competition. Obviously, the goal of the competition was to secure resources. Winners would get a larger share, while losers would receive far less. The Wu City government was desperate for these resources. Even though they were just medicinal resources, in this apocalypse, medicine was a lifeline. That’s why they had to fight for it.

But now, the competition’s parameters had changed abruptly. The preliminary test was now a race to see which provincial capital could first produce a sufficient quantity of effective insecticides to qualify.

Jing Shu frowned. In my previous life, she recalled, it took Wu City more than two months to produce insecticides, and only after many people had died. Even then, I heard the quantity was very small.

That must mean that in my previous life, very few people in the Medicinal Materials Association were able to produce insecticides.

The document continued to scroll down, displaying a demand for dozens of medicinal herbs, with tobacco prominently listed at the top, indicating a significant need for it.

At this point, the atmosphere at the scene turned very strange and quiet.

Everyone’s faces were flushed, momentarily at a loss for words, especially Pharmacist Liu. He had just finished claiming that Jing Shu’s tobacco was only worth a point, and now, in no time at all, the central government had issued a directive placing tobacco at the very top of the list of herbs needed for planting.

Wu City hasn’t experienced that situation yet, Jing Shu mused, but the moss here has also grown quite a bit. It probably won’t be long before insects run rampant here too, right? For more chapters visıt 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽

Dean Zhang glanced surreptitiously at Jing Shu but ultimately said nothing.