Originally, Jing Shu had wanted to find an excuse to build more traps, but unexpectedly, Wu You'ai provided her with a perfect reason first, saving her a lot of effort.
"Just traps aren't enough. What if we run into a gang of desperate criminals, or people carrying knives and guns?" Wu You'ai asked, her chuunibyou tendencies flaring again.
Jing Shu clapped her hands in agreement. "Exactly! Dad, think about it. What if dozens of people rush into our villa? Even if they just rob us it's bad enough, but what if they kill too? Even if it may not happen, we must prepare. Better safe than sorry."
Her words did unsettle the whole family. After all, right now everyone could still eat, but if starving people saw the villa's situation, what would happen? So instead of discussing other things, the family began brainstorming traps.
The next day, Jing Shu, Jing An, and Grandpa Jing started by placing a row of fences around the villa's perimeter. From the fence to the villa's wall, they dug a trench two meters deep all the way around, intending to cover it with spring-loaded wooden boards. Anyone who stepped onto those boards would immediately fall into the pit.
If the fence was there and someone still didn't use the main gate but climbed over instead, what could they be up to? Definitely nothing good. Let them fall into the pit.
The boards were designed to open only under downward pressure. Once someone stepped on them, the boards would instantly swing open, and the spring-loaded bolts would snap them back into place. This meant anyone who fell in would not be able to open it from below.
Jing Shu suggested installing spikes to cripple intruders so they would lose all combat power, but since the rest of the family had never encountered murderers or bandits, they could not understand the bloodthirst that drove such people. They thought simply trapping them was enough. Killing was unnecessary, and besides, killing could land them in prison.
Jing Shu said no more, but in her heart she already decided: once the traps were finished, she would modify them. If anyone dared break into the villa, she would make sure they were half-dead. This was one of the deepest grudges she carried.
In her previous life, Jing Shu had huddled in her tiny home, scrolling endlessly through posts while living in constant fear of a break-in. One moment, she would see how a community was stormed by mobs wielding machetes and steel pipes, slaughtering anyone they saw. Another moment, she would read about regions taken over by gangs who looted food, killed men, and enslaved women.
Everyone thought the apocalypse had come and they could do whatever they wanted. The government looked weak. Whoever was strongest could rule. Because of them, Jing Shu had spent half a year trembling in fear, and she now hated those kinds of people with all her heart.
Meanwhile, Jing An bought large amounts of composite wood boards from Lao Chen the decorator. Two boards formed one trapdoor, and it would take hundreds to encircle the villa. Luckily, the price was still cheap, so it didn't cost much.
The main gate was prioritized for protection. The entire villa was covered in reinforced glass, arranged in triangular patterns that were difficult to shatter. Even breaking one piece required enormous effort.
So the main entrance was the key. Jing Shu voiced her idea: "The best traps are controllable ones. For safety, they should not trigger by themselves but only when we manually activate them."
Out of concern for both safety and secrecy, the next day Jing Shu quietly shared her plan with Jing An and Grandpa Jing. They thought she was overreacting, but in the end her persistence won, and they agreed to build double-layered traps.
Around the main entrance they set up more than twenty foot-snare traps. These were simple and practical, with little danger.
Steel hoops were laid out in circles around the entrance. When deactivated, stepping on them felt like stepping on ropes, and careful walking would not trip anyone. But once connected to the trigger, springs would snap the hoops shut and pin down anyone or anything stepping inside, preventing them from moving or damaging the door. At that point, the intruder would be nothing but a sitting duck.
The second trap was inside the entrance hall. The villa had a high ceiling, so Jing An installed mechanisms there. Jing Shu then went to the zoo and obtained three nets designed to capture large animals. These nets were made of 304 steel wire, hung from four corners high above the entrance. At the push of a button, one would drop, smashing anything below and pinning it in place. The hooks at each corner would embed into the ground, making escape impossible.
To test it, Jing Shu lured Chicken No. 1 to the entrance. At her signal, the heavy net dropped instantly, trapping the fat chicken at the door, completely immobilized.
The fat chicken flapped desperately, feathers flying everywhere, but despite its increased strength in recent days, it could not break free. Jing Shu was very satisfied. She didn't need to hold enemies for long, just long enough.
She tried the fat chicken with other traps too, and all worked well. However, the once carefree chicken now seemed traumatized. Every time it passed the doorway, it trembled and clung to Jing Shu's heels, terrified of being suddenly crushed and pinned again. The chicken had become very obedient.
Jing Shu also added extras: small stones, chili powder, glass shards, and even strong sulfuric acid that could be released at the press of a button to give intruders a nasty surprise.
As the days passed and the villa became ringed with traps, Grandpa Jing and Jing An reinforced the chicken coop. Jing Shu spent nearly all her remaining money to buy several tons of coal and built a small coal storage house behind the villa. Meanwhile, conditions in Wu City grew worse.
Jing Shu could not remember exactly when the wave of robbery and murder began. In this life, she was still busy setting traps when a message popped up in the community chat group.
[Wang Qiqi No. 13]: "@Everyone, if you go out these days, carry a stick or something. Don't go alone. Be especially careful after leaving the supermarket with groceries! Today, our neighbor Feng No. 3 was robbed by a group. He resisted and got badly hurt. The hospital is out of medicine, so he has to tough it out. With this hot weather, wounds easily fester. Best not to get injured or sick now."
[Feng No. 3]: "Those bastards couldn't buy food and just waited outside the supermarket. They stalked loners. Inside the supermarket there are police, so they didn't dare, but once you leave, they rob you openly. I screamed for help but no one came. When I called the police, they only logged it since no one died. They're getting more arrogant every day."
[Wang Xuemei No. 2]: "Luckily I went at 4 a.m. to queue. Didn't get anything, so I went straight home."
Wang Cuihua sent a voice message: "You think that's bad? I queued for two days just to buy one kilo of rice."