Chapter 331: Chapter 331

Jing Shu quickly ran the numbers in her mind. The price of 15,000 coins was actually equivalent to about a hundred tons of red worm cakes, enough to feed all the refugees in Xuanwu Lake Park—some hundred thousand people—for one day.

One must understand that humanity’s consumption of food is truly terrifying.

One might think that a hundred tons sounds like a lot. However, consider this: Jing Shu, by merely offering a rate of one Virtual Coin for every 200 jin of red earthworms to collect various types, had already poured hundreds of thousands of Virtual Coins into this endeavor. The red worm cakes she produced were expectedly numerous, and it took her several days just to tally the accounts with both sides, nearly filling the entire warehouse.

Of course, Jing Shu had one major advantage. The government’s list comprised finely processed items, whereas Jing Shu’s were coarsely processed—one for human consumption, the other for Domestic Poultry. But in critical times, who would distinguish between food for people and poultry? Having anything to eat was good enough, and Jing Shu believed the government wouldn’t mind this detail.

Indeed, after this incident, she believed that the government officials would no longer want to invite her, for their warehouses were already filled to the brim with this low-quality, nauseating food.

"16,000," Jing Shu raised her bid sign, silent no more, striking with a bang.

The popularity of rocket launchers was clearly not as high as that of bullets. Rocket launchers were weapons suited for individual combat, not passive defense, and more appropriate for offensive actions. Those present all had property in the apocalypse; who would lug a rocket launcher around to kill people? Their thoughts were focused on how to protect their own supplies; firearms were more convenient.

Jing Shu’s need for a rocket launcher was distinctly different. She had guns, Hand Grenades, and even a cannon with a range of one kilometer. She was equipped with weapons for both close and long-range combat, but she lacked a highly mobile weapon with great destructive power and armor-penetrating capabilities. The cannon shells from her motorhome were for area attacks, while the rocket launcher was an armor-piercing weapon.

It was very handy for hitting military tanks, those tough-skinned and thick-fleshed behemoths; cannon shells were clearly ineffective against them. Thus, the rocket launcher was excellent for striking and destroying enemy military hardware.

Jing Shu needed it not only to prepare for the various eventualities of the apocalypse but also to guard against some of the unique, hardy creatures known in the apocalyptic Dark Creatures realm as Tan Ke. Newest update provıded by 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍

In later years, the reckless use of hormones and DNA led to the engineering of certain creatures. Some were successfully designed for human consumption, ending up on dining tables. Others, however, were failures, resulting in anti-human Dark Creatures.

Humans originally intended to create these creatures to provide a large amount of meat protein as food, but the experiments failed, and humankind paid a heavy price. These creatures were characterized by high meat protein content and an extremely fast growth rate. Starting palm-sized, they could grow tens of thousands of times larger within a year. They consumed anything, growing with the help of Dark Pigment and incorporating genes from the Huaxia panda.

They could grow to the size of a Tan Ke in just one year when fully matured. Initially, to more safely control this food source, human scientists deprived them of cognitive function; that is, these Dark Creatures inherently lacked consciousness. However, this also meant other life forms could control them more easily, which is why they were hailed as the most successful synthetic organisms.

It succeeded in becoming a shelter for humans in the cold apocalypse, comfortably housing seven or eight people. If hungry, one could even conveniently dig out some meat from its insides. These creatures were tame and lacked both thought and the sensation of pain. If necessary, when wanting to move, they could even transport themselves—truly the most ideal species for humans at present.

But all of this merely provided a convenient shell for Dark Creatures, becoming dwellings for species that evolved over the years, successfully allowing large numbers of Dark Creatures to survive the extreme cold.

Ordinary firearms, explosives, and the like struggled to damage these copper wall and iron wall defenses. Considering all the armed forces currently at Jing Shu’s disposal, even her most powerful cannon would likely require several shots to be effective, which would be a waste of ammunition.

In her previous life, she had encountered these Tan Ke a few times. They weren’t dangerous themselves, but the creatures living inside them were far from benign. She had managed to escape by luck every time, but this time she was determined to take precautions.

A Tan Ke is like several tons of meat, right? How much could the meat sell for back then? Moreover, these creatures possessed an extremely tenacious life force; as long as their hearts weren’t damaged, even a fragment of remaining flesh could recover and continue living. If I could catch a few of them, that would definitely be a big score in the future! As a businessperson, how could I allow myself to be at a disadvantage? Encountering such creatures would be a brilliant opportunity for an ongoing Qian Shengqian business! Jing Shu’s mind began to whir, abacus beads clicking, as she rapidly calculated.

It was said that millions of palm-sized dark Tan Ke creatures were bred at the time, but two-thirds were lost. They would grow progressively larger. The biggest ones were rumored to be as tall as buildings—practically moving mountains, spelling a disastrous end for humanity.

It’s all money. Anyway, she had to get her hands on the rocket launcher. This is such a good opportunity for early investment; how could I miss out? The thought of raising a few of these "beasts" in the future inspired her; she, a reincarnator, was now determined to become the largest farm owner in the apocalypse.

The chubby police officer asked with a smile, "Are there any other bids? If not..."

Just at that moment, the man in the suit beside her snapped his fingers.

The scene started to liven up, a stark change from the previous atmosphere of reluctant participation, like stubborn ducks being forced onto a perch. Huaxia people have an innate love for excitement.

"Thirty thousand." Jing Shu was adamant about getting the rocket launcher. Although it was likely available in the United States too, she couldn’t afford to take the risk. Most importantly, she had to spend money today.

The suited man blew on his fingertips, then casually inspected his nails, raising an eyebrow in surprise as he glanced at Jing Shu. "I say, helmeted lady, the current spending of the person in last place is only 12,000. There’s really no need for you to go all out ."

"Hah, ’lady’?" Jing Shu scoffed, removing her gas mask to reveal an astonishingly delicate face.

In Jing Shu’s own words, apart from her good looks, she had no other strengths. She wasn’t good at studying, had no special skills, and possessed an average personality—her only advantage was her beauty.

Even layers of cotton clothes couldn’t hide her inherent beauty, nor the two braids she wore to keep her hair from flying about. The moment Jing Shu removed her mask, she amazed many people. In the apocalypse, even the daughters of wealthy families lacked skin as delicate and fair as Jing Shu’s, or such refined and sculpted features.

They say clothes make the person, but in Jing Shu’s case, whatever she wore seemed fitting.

Actually, Jing Shu was a low-key person, but she had genuinely been annoyed with the suited man next to her for quite some time.

"She looks very pretty, but so what? Forty thousand," the suited man said. Although momentarily stunned by her beauty, he quickly regained his composure. "Let me tell you, this young master here has plenty of money. Compared to me, you’re far from being in the same league."