[Fei Niu]: "These unit jobs are so good. Not only do they earn daily work credits, but they also get vegetables to eat. Now, even during inspections like this, they don't need to show up. Even the cafeteria aunties are higher up than us."
[Luo Zhu]: "Yeah, but it's a pity you need a government worker as a sponsor to get in. Each government worker only gets two slots, and they're insanely valuable. I heard you can trade snacks and side dishes for a slot. @Young Madam With a Baby, did you manage to trade for one?"
[Young Madam With a Baby]: "I traded all the sweet potato slices from my house and got a security guard slot at Ai Jia Supermarket."
[Fei Niu]: "I regret it so much. Three months ago, my uncle said he could recommend me as a guard if I gave him two bags of rice, and I'd even get a free meal every day. I thought our grain would last until the Earth's Dark Days ended, but… sigh. If I'd listened, I might not be eating vegetables now, but at least I'd have a steady job and rice every day."
[Zhang Bingbing's Older Husband]: "It's exactly because of this corruption—connections and bribes everywhere. Why hasn't anyone reported it?"
Jing Shu was a silent observer in the group chat, but she always read every message. She couldn't stand unread notifications. She was surprised. Police inspections were about to start, yet these two dared to speak so openly?
The chat erupted with arguments over government workers openly trading grain for sponsorships.
Everyone knew about the new national law: government workers received daily vegetable rations and had two precious sponsorship slots. They could sponsor people for new jobs like security guards, cafeteria cooks, sanitation staff, or recycling workers.
Of course, only those without criminal records were eligible.
Sponsoring someone carried risk, too. If your sponsored person committed a crime, you would also be held responsible—an ancient concept of "joint liability" revived for these times.
With limited production in the Earth's Dark Days, these jobs did not require much skill. Loyalty was enough. Once hired, you basically had a lifetime job and were part of the system.
Those who performed well in these roles could be "converted" into full government employees and enjoy daily vegetable rations.
All of these laws were only valid for the duration of the Earth's Dark Days.
[Wang Qiqi]: "I think it's a good system. How can you expect to compete for jobs thousands of people want without offering something in return? Why should someone take on risk to recommend you? And once you've paid the price, you'll cherish the job more. Otherwise, you'll lose both the job and your investment."
[Fei Niu]: "Exactly. This joint liability system is a way for the government to deter crime. It really raises the stakes."
Jing Shu agreed with Wang Qiqi's viewpoint.
At noon, Grandma Jing made winter melon, radish, and pork rib soup, and baked flatbreads served with pickled cucumbers and garlic shoots. Jing Shu, Grandma Jing, and Grandpa Jing had a simple lunch together.
But Jing Shu's appetite was too large. The big pot of ribs wasn't enough, so she cooked another pot of dragon whisker noodles, cracked six eggs into it, and added greens from the soup pot.
It became a full bowl of rib noodle soup. She slurped it down, gnawed every rib clean, and even chewed up the ginger slices.
Water was becoming scarcer. Every bowl in their home was marked with a name. Each person used their own bowls for every meal, and the dishes were washed together in a dishwasher. The dishwasher water was filtered and recycled but still lost about 10%.
In the villa courtyard, over twenty barrels of ice were set out to lower the temperature. Without them, the yard would feel like a sauna. They switched out the ice as soon as it melted, or it would evaporate too quickly.
After feeding the livestock, Jing Shu took Grandma Jing and Grandpa Jing down to the underground garage. Wang Qiqi had already organized the community members into neat lines, and the Second Squad police officers had arrived.
The weather was scorching at 52°C. The moment Jing Shu opened the villa's door, a wave of heat slammed into her like a furnace. It felt like stepping into a sauna. Recent news said the atmosphere was now so saturated with evaporated water that torrential rain was imminent. People just needed to endure a bit longer.
Jing Shu knew the atmosphere was currently a mix of water and dust—perfect conditions for breeding the new red nematode species.
Down in the underground garage, it was a few degrees cooler. The community members had gathered, whispering quietly. Half a year of apocalyptic hardship had left them dirtier than refugees. They reeked, especially their hands, which were coated in a hard crust formed by a mix of soil and bug juices from digging up maggots.
Then ten military trucks rumbled in, their headlights illuminating the garage. Two rows of police officers stood tall, rifles in hand. Behind them were four rows of criminals, shackled and slouched.
This was Jing Shu's first time seeing police after the apocalypse. They stood firm and gave off an aura of unshakable safety. The criminals, in contrast, looked like wilted vegetables, faces pale and sallow.
Grandma Jing, Grandpa Jing, and the rest of the community were terrified by the scene.
"What's going on?"
"Are they here to scare us?"
A young officer approached Wang Qiqi, who was holding the attendance sheet. "Is everyone here?"
The once-chubby Wang Qiqi, now dark and gaunt, handed over the list. "Captain Li, only Wang Jin from Building 14 and Liu Qin Yi from Building 18 are missing. Everyone else is present."
"Good. Zhou Xiang, Shi Zi, Luo Zhu—step forward!" the officer barked. The crowd fell silent. The three named individuals froze, but the others instinctively backed away.
"Who is Luo Zhu?"
A young woman, unable to avoid it any longer, raised her hand.
"Take her. Cuff her and bring her back for questioning," the officer ordered. Police stepped forward and handcuffed her, leading her to a truck.
"Shi Zi?"
A man in his thirties with sores all over his body raised his trembling hand.
"Chain his legs. Revoke his housing rights. Confiscate all his supplies. As for the other two, they ran fast, but treat them the same. Mark their IDs and confiscate their homes and possessions. Do they think they can escape? Unless they die of thirst outside, they won't get away." The officer's voice was cold.
Two officers cuffed Shi Zi's ankles and dragged him aside. Shi Zi's legs shook violently. "W-what did I do? Why won't you even question me?"
The officer glanced at his file, then turned to the last man, who stood frozen in fear. "You're Zhou Xiang? Is this Zhou Xiang?"
The man nodded blankly. Wang Qiqi confirmed it.
"Execute him on the spot. Confiscate all supplies."
The officer's voice was as cold as a death sentence. Two officers rushed forward with practiced precision—one pinned Zhou Xiang down, the other drove a blade into his heart and pulled it out in a single motion. The entire process took less than five seconds.
The scene stunned the entire community. Shi Zi's trembling legs gave out, and a puddle formed beneath him. He collapsed to his knees, sobbing.
"N-no… please don't kill me!"