Chapter 336: Chapter 336
Someone asked, "An insect for some food?"
"Yes, provided I haven’t collected it before. To be fair, those who arrive at the base first get to trade with me first."
The chat quickly got flooded with these two topics. Jing Shu didn’t look any further but privately asked Su Malie, "Are you really collecting, or is it just for show? I wouldn’t believe it’s just to give some classmates extra food without beating around the bush."
Su Malie quickly replied with a tearful laughing emoji, indicating her helplessness. "You don’t know; the higher-ups have ordered it. They want to genetically reengineer these insects to make new food. But for now, only silkworm pupae, cicadas, and stick insects have proteins and fats that best meet human consumption needs. At worst, it involves massively breeding cockroaches and then turning them into compressed protein food, but progress is poor. Someone found Dark Pigment in some slowly mutating insects, which contains a lot of protein, so they thought of doing more research on it."
Jing Shu then remembered these experiments had started a few years ago. It was fortunate because these genetically mutated foods were developed during the extremely cold times when nothing else could be cultivated.
Turning cockroaches into compressed protein food... I’d really never heard of that. Wait, wait, holy shit—is that the protein food from my past life fried in corpse oil? Ugh... Knowing the truth, Jing Shu almost threw up.
Jing Shu had no choice but to gulp down a few marinated eggs to calm her nerves. Still unsatisfied, she mixed all the marinated beef with Chili Sauce and ate a whole basinful, which made her feel a bit better.
Dammit, how many things is the government still hiding from us, the ordinary citizens? Jing Shu didn’t dare to think about it and didn’t want to anymore. After discussing relevant matters with Su Malie, she began to practice with her Magic Cube. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
The news reported another piece of bad news: a global catastrophic earthquake. It was likely not accidental and wouldn’t stop soon. It might even continue for a long stretch, like heavy rain.
"Due to changes in its trajectory and gravitational disturbances, the Earth’s rotation and orbit have become irregular, leading to seasonal disarray. According to the data, this global catastrophic earthquake isn’t due to external influences but is very likely a self-regulation within the Earth. The Earth’s previous rotational period was too fast; now it’s too slow. The two forces tearing at each other have created a swirling energy body. We are calling this seismic event the Tornado Earthquake."
"Simply put, once the Earth completes its self-regulation, the apocalypse will end. So please, everyone, hang in there for a while longer..."
That poor news broadcaster. They always had to find some reason to suggest the apocalypse was ending whenever there was a disaster. It almost made me believe it myself.
The ground began to shake violently again. The thunder and lightning outside didn’t weaken over time but seemed to be intensifying.
People hiding in the wetland park were gradually becoming restless. Some tried to leave and return home but were buried alive halfway. This frightened another group, who hurriedly came back. The story spread, growing more exaggerated with each telling—from one person to ten, then ten to a hundred. Eventually, the rumor was that hundreds of people were buried alive by the earthquake just by stepping outside.
I knew how this went. Although the Banana District hadn’t collapsed, if I said I wanted to go back and live there, I’d probably be buried under an avalanche of my family’s protests. Sometimes life is just that painful. I knew the Banana District wouldn’t collapse, but I couldn’t go back. I still had to pretend to be very scared; I wasn’t prophetic, after all.
「On the third morning」
When Jing Shu was about to leave, she met significant resistance. Only after eating over twenty pork and vermicelli buns and guaranteeing countless times that Su Malie’s bodyguards would protect her family did she finally get into Su Malie’s extended-length van and head to West Mountain.
Before leaving, Mr. Jing insisted that Jing Shu carry a black, backpack-like device he had designed over the past two days based on her ideas. In moments of danger, it would deploy, instantly shooting out long, thin claws that would anchor themselves to the surroundings like a spiderweb, and then catapult Jing Shu to safety.
"How is it?" Mr. Jing asked, his face full of anticipation.
Jing Shu wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Grandpa, this is a great device, but I’m afraid I’m the only one who can use it. It weighs dozens of kilograms; who else among you could carry it?"
Mr. Jing replied, "...This is just for you to try first. If it works, I’ll modify it and make it out of aluminum alloy. It will be much lighter."
Su Malie watched with envy as Jing Shu shouldered the large, black, frame-like backpack, remarking that if it were successfully developed, she would buy one too.
By the time Jing Shu and Su Malie arrived, more than twenty people were already waiting at the entrance of Xishan Base. It could be said that, aside from those who had died, most of Jing Shu’s high school classmates were present.
Due to the freezing weather, everyone was huffing, their breath misting in the air, stamping their feet, and some were even jogging in place to stay warm. Seeing them again on the second day of 2025, they all looked much thinner, just like in my previous life. They were starting to become skin and bones.
Su Malie, as always, wore a bubble dress made from the latest high-tech thermal materials, complete with a matching hat and gloves. Her outfit was both fully functional and adorably luxurious. She exuded vitality, looking like a delicate pink princess, her attire as light and airy as a spring outfit.
In contrast, Jing Shu’s attire was far more ordinary: a white down jacket from before the apocalypse, paired with black leggings. For extra warmth, she had layered thermal underwear and woolen pants underneath. Before the apocalypse, this outfit would have marked her as a neat and tidy girl. But now, in the third year of the apocalypse, after experiencing droughts, floods, and earthquakes, to still be wearing such a pristine white down jacket... It really screamed ’my family is loaded.’
"You’re finally here!"
Classmates in peculiar outfits hurried over, though a few were neatly dressed—a rare sight these days.
However, before they could chat for even a minute, Jing Shu’s phone rang. It was Yang Yang!
What should have been a lively scene of greetings instantly fell eerily silent. Everyone’s gaze shifted to Jing Shu. People instinctively stopped talking, unable to explain why, but there was a palpable fear of disturbing the big shot on her call.
Jing Shu frowned and answered the phone, an unsettling premonition washing over her.
"Get ready, quickly. We’re about to pull off something big."
On the other end of the line, Yang Yang’s voice was a mix of suppressed yet irrepressible excitement. He sounded like a fierce beast trapped in a cage, roaring with all its might, desperate for freedom. It was the sound of something trying to keep its growls low before breaking out, fearing it might alert an enemy, yet unable to fully contain itself. He was clearly struggling to keep his emotions in check.