Chapter 299: Chapter 299

Jing Shu raised her eyebrows. Could things really coincide so conveniently? Unfortunately, she had left the high school chat group early in her previous life and had never contacted them again, so she didn’t know what had happened afterward. Could it be that the big money-making plan Su Malie mentioned last time they went to Xishan Base was this very plan?

Timing-wise, the red earthworms were drastically diminishing toward extinction at that time. The timing matched up perfectly!

"Right, what was the first thing you asked me?"

"Jing Shu, where are you?"

"At the Medicinal Materials Association, why?"

Su Malie said, "... My father got a batch of pigeon meat. How about I treat you to roasted squab and pigeon soup tomorrow?"

As Jing Shu listened, she started to drool. Damn it, what could she even say? She had been in the apocalypse for ten years and realized her horizons were still too narrow. After being reborn, she had busied herself thinking of every kind of chicken, duck, and fish imaginable, but she had overlooked so many other delicacies Huaxia had to offer!

This was one of the things that caused her the most heartache. Now that her space was growing larger, she could raise more varieties of creatures, and she had the time. But alas, most species destined for extinction were already nearly gone, and she couldn’t find their kind anymore.

Speaking of this pigeon soup, Jing Shu calculated that it had been at least thirteen years since she had last tasted it. Add some gastrodia and goji berries, and you’ve got yourself a pot full of nourishing food that replenishes qi and benefits the lungs!

"I have some gastrodia and goji berries here too. Let’s stew them in the pot!"

"That’s settled then. What about... that old classmate stuff?"

"I’ll go have a look, but let me be clear: I’ll just go take a look to make sure they don’t get themselves killed. I’m not responsible for anything beyond that."

Jing Shu ate a few more meat sandwiches and suddenly thought the crucian carp soup she had been drinking every now and then was not as tasty as pigeon soup. She wondered if she could raise some pigeons. Even if she couldn’t take them out in the open, she could keep them in her space and roast the squabs in secret; that would be great.

Night fell completely, and the rain poured down relentlessly. Jing Shu put on a cozy wool sweater and a raincoat over it. The wool sweater was made from wool that Zijin and Grandma Jing had recently combed off the sheep and turned into clothing, which was very warm.

Without hurrying, she made her way to the Second Team’s station and bumped into Zhao Shupi loitering and looking around in the cafeteria downstairs.

She knew this guy well—they had secretly clashed several times. Whether it was him paying a high price for the position of district distribution director or later being transferred to manage the Patriotic Restaurant, it all indicated that he was influential and wealthy. Afterward, a conflict arose because of the red earthworms in Zijin’s hair, but for some reason, there had been no word from him since.

It was late, the cafeteria was closed, and what was he doing lurking around?

Seeing Jing Shu, Zhao Shupi smiled awkwardly and turned to enter the Patriotic Restaurant.

Definitely up to no good, Jing Shu mused, raising an eyebrow. She finally went upstairs to carry out the task Su Malie had entrusted to her.

At that moment, the Second Team’s office was bustling. Jing Shu didn’t need to ask; she simply followed the noise to the large warehouse. Since it wasn’t a regular station, there was no prison, no place to guard prisoners, and no means to build new facilities. Fresh chapters posted on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝘯𝘦𝘵

After the apocalypse, there was no need for prisons. There were only two kinds of people: those executed on the spot and those who went through labor reform, shackled in groups of ten, eating and sleeping together.

So, suddenly detaining two or three hundred people was making this former shopping center somewhat unfit for its new purpose.

"You can’t execute us!"

"We want to expose your slaughter of ordinary citizens!"

"Yes, we haven’t broken any laws, let us out!"

The warehouse was filled with continuous noise, and Jing Shu found a line of people standing at the entrance. She saw a familiar face, Xiao Liz, making a report at the door.

Li Bailong was an old acquaintance, Li Yuetian’s nephew. They had known each other since the first year of the apocalypse. Whenever Jing Shu gave things to Li Yuetian, she would also include some items like Black Fungus for Li Bailong.

"What brings you here?" Li Bailong, with a worried frown on his face, managed to squeeze out a smile upon seeing Jing Shu. He was clearly happy about the arrival of Lady Luck.

"A friend asked me to check on the situation. What’s happening now? Oh, and here are a few names. Take a look and see if you can find them for me. I want to go in and ask," Jing Shu said, handing over the list from Su Malie.

Li Bailong grinned, showing his teeth, and said, "Alright, let’s see... Zhang Lingling, Wang Chao, Shi Lei, Liang Xin, Ni Ma, right? I’ll have Xia Liu take you to them."

Jing Shu nodded, and Li Bailong continued, "Now, Wu City is infected with over ten thousand cases of zombie disease, all caused by the spoiled red worm cakes these people sold. They were all arrested today, but the mastermind behind it all hasn’t been caught yet, so we’re waiting for a decision from above. As for these people, it’s hard to say. Some leaders are saying they should all be executed and their assets seized, while others argue that their intentions were good, and they did indeed stimulate the economy to some extent. You might say the unaware are not guilty."

"So, there’s no agreed-upon procedure yet, but my uncle says these people probably won’t end well; they won’t have a good fate. They can’t be held for long, especially since food is scarce, so a decision will be made soon. If you’re here to save someone, it might be difficult."

Jing Shu nodded, "Okay, then I’ll go take a look first."

The young man named Xia Liu opened the door of the large warehouse, shining a powerful flashlight down. "They should be in Sector C."

A foul stench gradually spread, and Xia Liu covered his nose, saying, "They’ve been here all day without a place to relieve themselves, so they just did it where they were."

Jing Shu was glad she wore high-topped rain boots. Otherwise... she might have stepped in shit.

"Here we are. The ones you’re looking for are numbered here." Xia Liu said as he shone the flashlight over them, "Hey, wake up, someone’s here to see you."

It turned out that they were still organized in groups of ten, each person shackled at the feet and hands, bound together in an area.

"Who, who’s come to save us? I said that phone call would be useful." The flashlight hit Zhang Lingling’s face; her entire body, including her face, was covered in some unknown filth.

"Is it Su Malie? Is that Su Malie?"

"Has she come to save us? I told you, she’s the most influential!"

Jing Shu curled her lip in distaste and said indifferently, "Su Malie hasn’t come yet. She asked me to come and see what’s going on."

"That voice... is that Jing Shu?" Ni Ma asked in terror.

Ni Ma was very familiar with Jing Shu’s voice.

"What, are you disappointed that it’s me?" Jing Shu’s mouth curled into a smile.

"Ah, no, not at all, how could we be? Jing Shu, we didn’t expect it to be you! We’re so happy you could come," Wang Chao stepped forward, trying to grasp Jing Shu’s hand.

Jing Shu coughed, and then heard a loud wail, "We... we’ve been so wronged!"