Chapter 489: Chapter 489

"Sigh, we need to get the factory up and running quickly, or we’ll be so poor all we’ll have left is our underwear." Jing Shu sighed; the money that had just arrived was about to be gone. "In three days at the latest, we can definitely start full-scale production, and within a week, we’ll be making money."

The Melt Iron tools that Jin Tianci had arranged for were about to arrive. Starting today, the craftsmen could prepare all the equipment according to Jing Shu’s requirements within two days. After the final adjustments, production could begin.

Wang Chao swallowed hard and, with trembling hands, enabled the fee-free transfer channel at the transfer station. As workers around him swarmed, they started experimenting on their phones to see if they could really transfer Virtual Coins.

Jing Shu was hit by a storm of messages, with the rate increasing at one per second.

"Your personal Virtual Coin account reported a Big Data expenditure of 11 Virtual Coins at 12:32 on the 25th, with a remaining balance of 999,989 Virtual Coins. [Big Data]"

Jing Shu’s face turned terribly grim. Though the expenses weren’t large, watching her money drain away like water was inexplicably painful.

She just couldn’t understand it. Other people’s factories received notifications of XX Virtual Coins every second, while her factory’s notifications were about spending XX Virtual Coins every second...

"Turn off those messages for me. Out of sight, out of mind."

By this time, Wang Chao finally realized Jing Shu was a true big shot, with at least eight hundred thousand Virtual Coins in her Big Data account! When he got back, he could brag about this to the skies.

Meanwhile, as those around them confirmed that Virtual Coins could indeed be withdrawn, they became overjoyed, spreading the word rapidly.

"You idiot, one test is enough! Don’t transfer all your points. Virtual Coins can’t be turned back into points, and you still need to eat, drink, and cover other necessities at the factory. Points are very important!" After someone reminded them of this, the number of exchanges from Jing Shu’s side decreased significantly.

"Damn it, the bricklaying jobs are almost gone! There are so few positions; it’s nowhere near enough."

"Stop yapping! If you keep at it, you’ll be left with nothing but watching."

Manager Tuo didn’t even need to remind them. Once they learned about the app’s features and how to accept jobs independently, they picked their work types and immediately dashed to the site, disappearing before long.

Everyone’s enthusiasm was sky-high; seeing the piles of resources firsthand motivated them all. Jing Shu’s factory didn’t have stringent work requirements; even women with children could take on cleaning jobs, looking after their kids while they worked. Some could even take on inspection jobs, which, although tedious, offered a steady income stream. Women, with their meticulous nature, often found many issues, earning them multiple times the rewards. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩

The dormitories emptied out too. The bustling scene of arrivals from earlier that day was gone, as nearly everyone was out working.

Jing Shu’s first batch of Big Stones was intended to surround the entire factory, first to claim more land and then to form a barrier. These Big Stones, over three meters tall, were being placed one by one, taking root firmly to form tall, wall-like barriers. With such enthusiastic workers, the pace was incredibly fast.

Moreover, considering the possibility of people targeting the factory in the future and the problems of the Ice Age expected in the fifth year, Jing Shu planned to create a very tall, private space. After enclosing the perimeter and completing the work on mudslide diversion channels, Qian Duoduo would send professionals to help Jing Shu build a fully enclosed factory. That way, during heavy snow or hailstorms, at least people wouldn’t be hit.

It was crucial that the factory remained functional after they migrated and returned; otherwise... her substantial investment couldn’t just be abandoned after the migration.

However, since this was Jing Shu’s first time starting a factory, she lacked experience and wasn’t as proficient as Jin Tianci’s professional personnel. That afternoon, a group of them arrived, taking over a small section of the factory and bringing a lot of professional equipment.

They expected to start extracting sulfuric acid from the Sulfuric Acid Ants the next day. This was somewhat of a relief for Jing Shu, as she considered these ants future money-printing machines and valued them highly. She had already transported the Sulfuric Acid Ants’ nest by truck and informed the workers that sulfuric acid could be extracted from them again every three days, and that she would deliver more Sulfuric Acid Ants regularly.

The Sulfur Ant Queen, meanwhile, would stay in the villa. This tiny creature had developed a bond with Jing Shu and enjoyed playing with the little ones. Once, Jing Shu sneakily had her subordinates take it out for a black light bath in the sun. Upon discovering it, Grandma Jing nearly beat it to death with a broom. Fortunately, fat chicken heroically stepped forward, CLUCKING loudly and spreading its wings to protect the plump insect.

It was only after Jing Shu returned that she explained this was her new pet, a Sulfur Ant Queen.

"What’s it good for? Can it lay eggs? Spin silk? Or maybe produce milk?"

In the apocalypse, Grandma Jing was a practical homemaker. Anything that didn’t create value wasn’t a good Domestic Poultry. She also asked out of habit, surmising that Jing Shu, who was as thrifty as she was—practically cast from the same mold—wouldn’t keep a worthless pet.

"It produces sulfuric acid."

"What’s that good for?"

"It produces a lot of sulfuric acid every day, which can be used to make fertilizer and so on. In short, it helps generate thousands of Virtual Coins daily."

Grandma Jing immediately brought over some peanuts with a smile. "Eat up, eat up! So it’s a money-maker! Look at this cute little thing, so capable. I almost killed it just now. What a sin, what a sin."

fat chicken felt its status was threatened again!

In the following days, Jing Shu stayed in the villa. As the earthquakes gradually lessened, she knew the third year of quakes was coming to an end.

She took advantage of this time to accelerate her plans. She and Mr. Jing began daily work at home, sealing the roof over the villa’s 300-square-meter backyard with thermal insulation layers and steel frames. The materials were very hard to find; Jing Shu paid a high price to have them dismantled from other buildings.

Meanwhile, Xiao Liz led a renovation team to surround the villa with Big Stones, all placed at curious angles. However, no one paid much attention, dismissing it as the villa owner’s eccentricity.

These slanting Big Stones were positioned around the villa and had even been secretly waterproofed. Due to this expansion, Jing Shu spent another one hundred thousand Virtual Coins to purchase the enlarged area of land. After that, the director from the Banana Government completely stopped caring about Jing Shu’s shenanigans.

Qian Duoduo delivered the super-giant stones Jing Shu wanted, just as she had hoped. These were two rectangular behemoths. In accordance with Jing Shu’s requirements, deep inverted V-shaped pits had already been dug. Using a crane and with many people helping to adjust their positions, the two Big Stones were placed into these pits right in the middle of the road behind the villa, looking like giant tombstones.