Chapter 547: Chapter 547

"No need, no need, I’ll do it. I’ve brought my own food and Fuel, enough for a few of us to make do with. You don’t need to save any; more supplies will be sent down from above." It was also a gesture to reassure An’an and the others. Jing Shu felt that these people had endured hardships for so long and deserved a good meal as a reward for their efforts.

Li Dayou then said, "Should we ask Aunt Wang to help you out?" Follow current novels on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝗂𝗋𝖾⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥

Jing Shu frowned. Having someone around would make it inconvenient for her to sneak things out of her space. Besides, she didn’t like outsiders watching her cook, as it could expose her food stash.

Just as she was about to refuse, a large group of people came straggling over. They all shared one common trait: they were miserable, even more so than the Beggar Gang. Most were men, with very few women, and Jing Shu only saw two children among the roughly forty people.

Li Dayou frowned and said, "What’s happening here? Why has everyone come over? Didn’t we say we’d all have dinner together in the evening?"

Someone in the crowd shouted, "We want to eat Compressed Biscuits! We don’t want biscuits soaked in water!"

"Just now, another rescuer was sent from above. We all saw him carrying lots of food, and we were lucky enough to pick some up. With so much food, it’s definitely enough for us!"

"We want to eat the old hen! Are you going to keep that chicken for yourselves?"

The fat chicken trembled and clung to Jing Shu’s leg, drawing people’s attention.

One of the men from the group stepped forward and called for silence. He smoothed his shoulder-length, disheveled hair, looking somewhat like an elder from the Beggar Gang, and said, "Captain Li, that’s not very upright of you. A rescuer was sent from above, and you didn’t even inform us? We people from Ga Mountain Valley should be properly hosted too. Oh, by the way, I’m the village head of Ga Mountain Valley. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m here to discuss some important matters."

Jing Shu looked at these aggressive-looking people. She could guess with her toes what they were here for. If they weren’t here for food, she’d twist off her own head and kick it like a ball.

What was infuriating was that these people even wanted to eat her fat chicken.

Jing Shu’s gaze lowered as she said indifferently, "I think you’re mistaken. I’m not a member of the rescue team, nor am I from the government. I’m just an ordinary person."

In the apocalypse, could someone dressed like her be an ordinary person?

Feigning surprise, the village head pointed at Jing Shu and then at the fat chicken. "If you’re not a rescue worker, why would you risk your life coming down here? And bringing so many supplies? Aren’t you here to rescue us?"

"I am the owner of these Seeds. I came here only to check on their condition; nothing else concerns me. As for these supplies, they are mine personally. How I distribute them is my own affair. If you have issues, you can wait another two days for the rescue team to arrive. You can make your requests to them; talking to me is useless," Jing Shu said calmly.

In the apocalypse, Jing Shu had no intention of selflessly donating her food. The food she had openly displayed was just enough for the ship’s crew. If it were shared with so many more people, they would hardly get a mouthful each.

The village head frowned. "But the chicken that first landed and those Compressed Biscuits were from the rescue team above, weren’t they? Look, there are so many of us—the old, the weak—trapped here for so long without any food. The government is supposed to save us, right? You can’t just watch us starve to death."

Jing Shu said with a hint of amusement, "Unfortunately, that chicken is mine personally. As for those Compressed Biscuits, they were given to the ship’s crew by the rescue team, which didn’t account for rescuing other refugees. Refugees are the government’s responsibility to manage. Others won’t, and can’t, interfere, as that would involve the issue of forming unauthorized factions."

The other villagers were dumbfounded; their plans were completely disrupted. They had concocted several schemes to get more food, but what was this? What kind of maneuver was this?

The village head reacted quickly, speaking with earnest gravity, "To be honest, young comrade, it was actually us in Ga Mountain Valley who saved your boat full of Seeds. If our row of houses hadn’t happened to catch your boat, all those Seeds would have been smashed to bits by the waves. Now, are you really going to watch us, your saviors, starve to death?!"

Jing Shu feigned surprise. "I recall Captain Li already violated regulations and gave you quite a few Seeds to eat, didn’t he? A life for a life. I won’t pursue the matter of you eating the Seeds anymore. But do you realize what kind of Seeds you ate? Those are the nation’s last reserves; they are now effectively extinct. You consumed a nationally protected Grade A species! Before the apocalypse, that would have meant execution. If the higher-ups were to investigate..."

Wang Dan’s mouth fell open in shock, and he secretly clenched his fists. He had been worried that Jing Shu, like Captain Li, would be swayed by the villagers’ clamor and hand over all the food. Unexpectedly, Jing Shu had managed to corner these people with just a few sentences, leaving them unable to even offer their usual shameless excuses.

A commotion rippled through the crowd.

The village head’s eyes darted around. After giving a subtle signal, he threw himself to the ground and began to wail, "So we ate them! There’s nothing to be done about it now! We don’t even know if we’ll make it out of here alive! We can’t just starve to death, can we? Look at all of us! Please, have a heart! Even if you don’t give us the old hen, at least give us some Compressed Biscuits so we can fill our stomachs and die with something in them!"

"Yes, we’re starving to death!"

"Please, give us some food!"

Suddenly, a large number of them knelt, still appearing to have energy—at least enough to howl.

Li Dayou sighed. "Maybe we should..."

Jing Shu waved her hand dismissively. "No! If you keep howling, I’ll wash my hands of this."

The crowd instantly quieted. The village head exclaimed joyfully, "You’re willing to take charge? To give us food?"

"I didn’t say that," Jing Shu replied. "This food is for the fleet members. If they are willing to share, I have no objection."

"They’re willing! Of course, they’re willing! It’s already been agreed upon."

Jing Shu then said, "But it won’t be free. You know that people on the outside aren’t much better off than you are. From today onwards, the fleet members will employ you. You must follow the fleet’s management. Only those who perform their tasks satisfactorily will receive a daily food ration. No work, no food—regardless of age or gender."

More cries of dismay rose from below; they were unwilling to work and felt constrained.

Jing Shu sneered. "There are only so many Compressed Biscuits, and the rescue team won’t arrive for a few more days. Those willing to work, have Wang Dan take your names and start immediately. Those who are unwilling can stay here and howl. In any case, those who are late to sign up will definitely get no food."

A few quick-witted individuals in the crowd immediately stepped forward. The village head was still wailing on the ground. This wasn’t going as he had envisioned at all; wasn’t this stripping him of his authority?

"Who is Aunt Wang?" Jing Shu called out.

As soon as she finished speaking, a tall, thin middle-aged woman stood up.