Yes, the carrion scavengers that had been a headache for over a month and were supposed to be contained had not only survived but thrived. Resources were far too abundant. In the past six months, countless creatures and animals had perished, entire species wiped out. The scorching heat and lack of water meant many people had died in their homes, undiscovered, their bodies becoming breeding grounds for carrion scavengers.
There were so many corpses that the carrion scavengers evolved, becoming even more formidable. Soon, there would be an even greater disaster caused by these pests.
Science programs constantly preached that Earth was on the brink of extinction, that carrion scavengers would soon rule the planet. However, no one expected that another species would also display astonishing reproductive power: maggots. That story would come later.
For now, let us establish Jing Shu's bottom line: you can choose not to eat, but do not waste food. Give it to someone willing to eat it.
Having survived ten years of apocalypse, Jing Shu knew the value of food, especially after the fifth year. Even though she was no longer short on supplies, she still enforced the "clean plate" policy. Every scrap of leftover food in their home was licked clean.
Clenching her fists, Jing Shu forced herself to calm her rising anger, then joined the others in collecting water.
The water distribution area was noticeably emptier. Some people, without bottles, simply drank straight from the communal containers. Without water or power at home, drinking raw water was their only option.
After scanning their ID cards and faces, the family received their ration. Each person got only 500 milliliters of water per day. The five of them received a total of 2.5 liters, filling barely half of a four liter water bottle. For Jing Shu's household, this was not even enough to water their apple trees.
The family exchanged helpless looks.
Grandma Jing clutched the precious water in her arms. "We spent half an hour for this little bit of water? At least it used to be a liter per person."
"Do we even bother queuing for the food then?" Wu You'ai murmured sleepily. She really could live without meals if it meant more sleep. Wu You'ai was the definition of a laid back homebody.
"Judging by this line, it will take an hour. And the food…" Grandpa Jing winced. His tooth, which had been growing back for half a year, had finally emerged, only for another one on the opposite side to start growing. The pain made it impossible to chew anything hard.
Sometimes Grandpa Jing wondered aloud, "Why am I growing new teeth at this age? Can't I at least enjoy a good meal?" He smoked to ease his frustration, regretting not hoarding more cigarettes. Now he avoided arguing with his son out of fear of losing his supply.
The family turned back, deciding against the food. Other than Wu You'ai, none of them wanted to touch the unappetizing meals. On the way, they debated whether it was worth coming every day just for water.
Jing An, who did not manage household water, underestimated its value. "Maybe we should stop coming all this way for such a small amount. Lately many charging stations have lost power, and charging the energy car is getting difficult."
Grandma Jing disagreed. "We just lost a batch of vegetables, and we planted new ones. They need water every day. We now have two more pigs, and the cow needs feeding. The third floor water tank is only half full. At this rate, we won't last months. Even this ration is enough to keep the cow alive."
Jing Shu had stored tens of tons of water and built a recycling system, yet it still was not enough. Water for bathing and laundry could be reused, but irrigation and livestock consumed too much.
She still had 14 tons of bottled water in her Cube Space, plenty for drinking, but far too expensive to waste on pigs or crops.
"No, we need to find another water source," Jing Shu thought.
After dropping her grandparents off, Jing Shu and Jing An went to charge the energy car. They needed to recharge every two or three days. It was less convenient than gasoline cars, but those were long obsolete.
Hyperinflation had rendered money worthless. Gold prices had skyrocketed to 3,000 yuan per gram, ten times the previous rate, higher than any historical peak. The gold standard was abolished, triggering a gold rush that would soon collapse.
Cash was even more worthless now, forcing many charging stations to shut down.
Jing Shu remembered that charging stations would not restart until the following year, once stability returned. The government would take over, replacing money with a new virtual currency known as work points. People would only earn them by labor.
"This station is out of the way. It worked a few days ago," Jing An said, pulling the car in. The headlights illuminated three men, an electric hammer, and a small generator. They had already excavated around the charging station, preparing to steal it.
Both sides froze. Jing Shu and Jing An had not expected to catch thieves stealing a charging station. The thieves had not expected to meet an energy car owner here.
Jing Shu stepped out. "Brothers, you have a bright future. You already figured out you can make money by stealing charging stations." By the second year of the apocalypse, a wave of private operators had made fortunes swapping stolen stations for food or work points.
"Hey, there are only two of them! Brothers, let's take the car and the charging station!" The bald man raised his electric hammer with a sneer. The other two grabbed machetes, grinning wickedly.
The electric hammer looked deadly and intimidating.
Jing An drew his crossbow. Jing Shu hefted her massive spiked mace and slammed it down. The ground shook violently, a crater forming where it landed.
The three men gawked, swallowing hard.
"Er Mao, try hitting the ground. Maybe it's soft here?"
Er Mao smashed the ground with his hammer. A crack appeared with a dull thud.
"Still… her mace is scarier."
They swallowed again. The bald Er Mao was quick to recover, stammering nervously, "T-This charging station is yours! We won't touch it. Water flows its way; wells keep their place. S-See you around!"
Boom!
Jing Shu slammed the mace down again, the ground collapsing further. She nodded in satisfaction. "Leave your tools. Take yourselves and get lost."
"Sure, sure!"
"We're leaving!"
The three fled so fast they vanished in seconds. Jing Shu felt exhilarated. She had not expected pure intimidation to be so effective. It was… refreshing.
Jing An opened his mouth, speechless. He could no longer understand his daughter. "So, what's the plan?"
"We're taking this charging station home. From now on, we'll charge at our doorstep. How convenient," Jing Shu said with a satisfied smile. When migration came, she would just stash it in the Cube Space. Perfect.
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Handbook Update!
My third guide, "The Webnovel Handbook: A Guide to Slang, Tropes, and Inside Jokes" has passed vetting and is now available on my profile!
It's your go-to for decoding slang like "tea art" or "golden thigh," understanding popular tropes, and all those fun cultural footnotes. For now, the entries are still few, but I'll keep adding more as I find interesting misc info!
Add it to your library so you don't miss updates! Happy reading! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ