Chapter 472: Chapter 472

Wang Fang gritted her teeth. "Sure, I’m definitely going to take this temporary job. Humph, when they beg me to become a permanent employee, I might not even be willing."

Wang Fang had already figured it out. When she had worms to sell, she could offer them to whichever department she pleased. Hmph! That way, she’d get back at them for all the humiliation she suffered today! Let’s see if those people wouldn’t try to suck up to her then.

Seeing the dairy cows in the yard pregnant again, and some black pigs, Wang Fang’s thoughts drifted. Before the apocalypse, Jingshu’s house had financial difficulties and asked them for a loan. If only she had listened to her husband and lent them 300,000 instead of 100,000. Then, after the apocalypse, they would have received three pigs in return! Ah, such regret. Look at her grandma—now she had foresight, immediately lending several hundred thousand. And now, after the apocalypse, look how comfortably they’re living.

Jing Shu smiled without saying another word. Her expectations for her aunt were low. As long as she didn’t cause trouble or disrupt family harmony, that was enough.

Before going to sleep, the whole family squeezed into the German MAN RV, not daring to sleep in the villa. Wu You’ai slept in her beloved space capsule. Meanwhile, Jing Shu practiced with her Magic Cube on the second-floor bed and continued her experiments with the red earthworms. Everyone else crowded onto the first floor.

There was good news. The reproduction rate of the red earthworms treated with the Blood-colored Spiritual Spring had significantly increased. Similarly, those treated with the ZS880 solution were also reproducing much faster. Jing Shu mixed samples from these groups together for another experiment. As for the Blood-colored Spiritual Spring, she already had a vague guess, just waiting for final verification.

The night passed uneventfully. They had even grown accustomed to the regular aftershocks during their sleep. Then, Su Long’s screams woke Jing Shu. Wrapped in a thick padded jacket, she went to see what had happened. She found out that last night, six or seven people had stealthily set up a scaling ladder, bypassed the temporarily built backyard wall, and tried to climb in.

The intruders had unexpectedly triggered the high-voltage electric net deployed by the RV. They ended up like skewered grasshoppers, a line of people, all electrocuted. By morning, their bodies had frozen stiff.

Uncle and his family of three were pale. Uncle muttered, "How could so many people die without a sound? And I slept so soundly."

Jing Shu rubbed her eyes and said, "When people get electrocuted, their nervous system reflexes cause them to fall like logs. They can’t make any movements, let alone sounds." Don’t ask how this slacker knows; if you must know, it’s because I’ve been shocked before.

Mr. Jing, however, efficiently threw the bodies out. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. The heavy sound of corpses hitting the ground could be heard. Soon after, people gathered outside and began fighting over the bodies and stripping them of their clothes. It was a chaotic scene.

"Some people still don’t know any better and try to steal things. Everyone says the place is full of deadly traps, yet they still court death."

"Perfect for us. These guys were pretty well-off. Look, they even had professional tools."

Mr. Jing clapped his hands and sighed. "We still need to find time to improve the yard’s defenses. Otherwise, people will keep targeting us."

Jing Shu nodded. She also had to proceed with her other plans to prevent landslides.

Jing Shu, with Mr. Jing driving and Uncle accompanying them, went to the Golden Land Factory. It was located at the boundary between West Mountain and the new district, a rather secluded suburban area. Before the apocalypse, it had been an industrial complex employing thousands of workers. After the apocalypse, a lack of raw materials forced it to close down. The owner sold off everything salvageable. Only the large iron machines remained, as they were too heavy to move and too difficult to dismantle.

Nearby stood a few dormitory buildings for the workers. Due to the local topography, the Government was now using them as temporary shelters, and they were crammed full of people. Some of the factory buildings themselves also housed people. The factory couldn’t restart operations without dealing with these squatters. Theft was one concern, but more importantly, all outsiders had to be completely cleared out before the factory could open.

"There really are a lot of people here." Uncle got out of the car. He looked at a row of old, brownish-red, low-rise buildings. They were surrounded by people in strange clothing, curious onlookers who craned their necks, whispered quietly, and pointed.

Driving a car in the apocalypse created such a sensation; it felt like being transported back to the eighties when an entire village would turn out to gawk at a single vehicle. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⟡𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵

Only then did a few uniformed personnel arrive, led by a middle-aged man of average height.

Mr. Jing, however, was astonished by the factory’s sheer size. He had thought it would be a few hundred square meters at most, but this looked like tens of thousands! What a huge factory!

"Hello, hello! You must be Miss Jing. I am the outreach director for this area. Just call me Lao Tuo... Yes, yes, the paperwork and transfer procedures mandated by the higher-ups have been processed. You just need to verify it and then confirm via video on the big data system."

The ownership transfer process was very simple. It took less than five minutes to complete all the steps. Jing Shu breathed a sigh of relief. This Golden Land, regardless of the harsh winters or various disasters it might face, was now hers, Jing Shu’s!

The chattering outside the door grew louder, and snippets of conversation drifted in:

"It’s true! The authorities sold this land to those people! The contracts are already signed!"

"Really? Then where will we live? Our old houses in the city collapsed in the earthquake, and the other shelters are full. It’s not easy to find a place to live these days! It’s so cold; people will freeze to death if they have to live outside!"

"Who cares? This shelter was designated by the authorities. So what if she bought the land? We just won’t leave! If we all stick together, we’ll stay right here!"

The noisy commotion outside made Lao Tuo frown. He shouted, "Why aren’t you out working? If you don’t search for bodies or dig for stones, you won’t eat! What are you all doing gathered here?"

With that, he closed the door with a THUD, then turned around, his expression switching to a smile as he asked:

"Miss Jing, as you see, the higher-ups’ intention is that this land is yours. However, the surrounding residential buildings are still designated as part of the shelter. How about this: you run your factory, and these people continue living here? If your factory needs workers, you could even pick some from these 2,000 people..."

Jing Shu shook her head. "I made it very clear to the authorities that this entire piece of land is mine. I never said these buildings would remain part of a shelter."

Lao Tuo’s face immediately stiffened. He forced a smile. "But you also said you would resolve the housing issue for these thousands of people. You can’t just kick them all out now, can you?"

"Hmm... Yes, that’s correct," Jing Shu conceded. "But I hope you’ll stop using the word ’shelter.’ From now on, this is private property. It’s true I said I would resolve the housing issue for these thousands of people. My factory dormitories are for my workers, and I intend to hire everyone currently living here."

Of course, the dorms wouldn’t be free. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

How fortunate, Jing Shu thought. Starting a factory, and so many potential laborers were delivered right to her doorstep! It might seem like a lot right now, and there were undoubtedly many troublemakers and delinquents among them, but Jing Shu wasn’t afraid.

She would apply the rules of the tyrant from her past life. Troublemakers? They wouldn’t exist. People wanting to freeload and take advantage? Even less of a chance.