The officer frowned and waved his hand. "Enough. Take a squad and split up. Load all supplies from houses with death records and from criminals' homes onto the trucks. I will conduct an inquiry here."
"Yes, sir."
Shi Zi was forced away by two officers. At the same time, one team of police, accompanied by the four rows of criminals, began dividing up the address list. They moved out in groups of five to haul items.
Jing Shu explained to Grandpa Jing and Grandma Jing, "These criminals were brought for reeducation through labor. They empty the homes of the dead and the homes of those who committed crimes."
Grandpa Jing took out a cigarette, then thought better of it and put it back. "Those families ran out of food and knives. Even sheets, cloth, and usable bowls have been taken. What valuable things could be left?"
"Beds, sofas, cabinets, even doors and tables. Anything portable is taken," Jing Shu said. "There is no sun now, drought is severe, water is scarce, many forests have burned, the trees are gone, and other materials are gone. For years to come, production will be impossible. Of course they have to stockpile in advance."
Jing Shu felt the government had finished hoarding grain and was now hoarding cotton, linen, cloth, and wood. Whatever the reason, these things were useful. At the very least they would fuel stoves in future blizzards and keep many people alive.
On the ground, Zhou Xiang twitched at first. Blood pooled around him. Soon he stopped moving and life left him completely.
Within minutes, carrion scavengers gathered densely on the corpse to lay eggs. A little later, flies arrived and laid eggs in the blood.
It was the first time the community had witnessed a human body being consumed. They were so frightened they did not dare speak.
The officer snapped to attention and saluted. "My surname is Li. My given name is Yuetian, the 'yue' as in Confucius said. You may call me Officer Li. I am also in charge of your community's security."
Officer Li Yuetian then briefed everyone on the new laws, clarifying heavy penalties. Anyone caught robbing or killing would be executed on the spot.
He publicized government-worker benefits as well, establishing a visible hierarchy that made the public envious.
Finally, Officer Li Yuetian summarized: as long as you obey and actively respond to national directives, if you have no record on file, you may eventually enter the system. Do not cause trouble, or the consequences will be dire.
Then each household was registered and questioned.
When it was Jing Shu's family's turn, Officer Li Yuetian took notice. It was not just because the family was clean and did not smell. It was the advanced age of Grandpa Jing and Grandma Jing. Both were already eighty, yet in this heat they had only sweated a little and looked healthy.
In the apocalypse, the hardest to keep alive were the elderly, followed by children.
"You have hypertension. Are you still taking your medicine?" Officer Li Yuetian asked Grandma Jing while reading the file.
"How could I not take it? Thankfully my granddaughter bought quite a lot of blood pressure medicine some time ago."
Officer Li Yuetian jotted notes quickly. This family was fortunate. The girl named Jing Shu had been a food streamer before the Earth's Dark Days, so there were many purchase records. She had also sold food and earned money, which was why they had managed to live well these six months.
"A lucky girl," Officer Li Yuetian thought, without overthinking it. He had already seen more than a dozen people who had bought food like mad in that period. One boy who believed the apocalypse theory sold his house and bought over two million worth of food, most of which spoiled in the heat and filled with carrion scavengers. A pity.
Jing Shu's attention was on a man who kept sneaking glances at her. When she looked back, the man collapsed to his knees and begged for mercy, which left Jing Shu speechless. She did not even know him.
Chou Chou felt he might die on the spot. Fortunately, Officer Li Yuetian spoke again.
"Who is Zhang Bingbing?"
Wang Qiqi brought Zhang Bingbing forward. At last, Zhang Bingbing wore a dirty dress whose original color could not be seen. Zhang Bingbing looked down, touching her slightly rounded belly, and clung to a man in his fifties. A youth in his twenties stood beside the man.
Reading Wu You'ai's report, Officer Li Yuetian's brows knit tightly. He knew about the vile situation in this community. By his usual methods, he would have executed the two men outright. The woman had been tortured into insanity. What meaning was there in continuing like this?But she was pregnant. The child was innocent.
Officer Li Yuetian forced his tense face into a smile, the kind that could scare neighboring children to tears. He pulled a candy from his pocket. "Here. Have some candy."
Zhang Bingbing blankly accepted the candy and handed it directly to the older man.
The older man looked smug. He had trained Zhang Bingbing well and had taught Zhang Bingbing to threaten suicide if anyone dared bully the pair.
Officer Li Yuetian ground his teeth. "To hell with this. I cannot endure it. Cuff them." With a wave, two officers surged forward, restrained the father and son, and led Zhang Bingbing to the other side.
"Zhang Bingbing, they are going to kill your husband. Your belly's child will have no father."
Zhang Bingbing went berserk, yanking her hair, slapping her own face, struggling to break free. "I want my baby's father. I want my elder husband and my younger husband. Ahhh. Without them I cannot live. I do not want to live. I want to die, I want to die."
Jing Shu had not expected the former white-collar Zhang Bingbing to become like this. The insanity was so deep it was as if she had been fed a sorcery brew.
With no other option, the police knocked Zhang Bingbing unconscious.
Seeing the killing intent in Officer Li Yuetian's eyes, the older man did not dare gamble with his own and his son's lives.
"Sir, sir, we and Zhang Bingbing love each other freely. We get along very well. Without us, Zhang Bingbing will kill herself. Will you tie her up for life to stop her? And if you separate us, who will take care of her?"
Officer Li Yuetian stared at the man with a chilling gaze and waved for the nth time. "You. Come here."
Wang Qiqi scurried over.
Officer Li Yuetian whispered a few words in Wang Qiqi's ear. Wang Qiqi nodded hard. Officer Li Yuetian waved for the n plus first time. "That will be all. Dismissed."
Though standing some distance away, Jing Shu still heard the order: "Keep them under watch. Whether the child is born or not, report to me. Leaving scum like this alive sits wrong with me."
Jing Shu sighed. In the years after the apocalypse, such cases would only multiply. All kinds of grotesqueries. The moral baseline of humanity had fallen to a new level.
Grandma Jing muttered "What a sin" all the way back to the comfort of the villa. Jing Shu got busy drying vegetables. The first batch of daylilies and radishes had been harvested and finished, stored inside the Cube Space.
The second planting was eggplant and cucumber, and Jing Shu had also planted some in the villa courtyard. From now on, the dried vegetables would have an official channel to appear.
Today, Jing Shu harvested fresh cucumbers and eggplants.
Dried eggplant was delicious. Slice it and dry it until moisture is gone. Cook it any way you like later.
There were many ways to eat dried cucumber. Scoop out the pith and discard it. Dry the rest for a day. You can jar it for pickling or soak it later for use.