Heavens, Jing Shu had been dreaming about getting a mobile mansion for a very long time. Back when she first set up the Red Nematode Breeding and Processing Factory, she was already thinking about it.
And the reason she'd chosen that exact spot for the factory was simple. In the ten years of the apocalypse, that location barely suffered any disasters. Even after the migration, people would eventually return a few years later.
Sure, life after the migration had been comfortable for a while, but the apocalypse never let any place stay livable forever. Sooner or later, people would have to move again, and for many reasons, they'd end up coming back.
By then, Wu City was already battered to the point of collapse. The number of places still livable and suitable for people had become painfully small, and the factory grounds were one of the rare remaining treasures. Compared to it, even the villa she lived in now didn't feel that safe.
Although Jing Shu had upgraded the Red Nematode Breeding and Processing Factory a lot, she hadn't built anything new. There was still a space behind the main facility about the size of a football field. She'd kept that space for herself from the beginning.
It had been her little selfish plan back then. She wanted a place reserved in case something happened in the future. It was her fallback plan. So she'd been thinking about getting a mobile mansion for years. An RV was fine, but it wasn't nearly as comfortable as a mansion.
She never expected she'd actually get one.
But today, Li Yuetian told her there was a mobile mansion available.
"Are you serious? What kind of mobile mansion? Don't tell me it's one of those cheap modular houses. Those things are everywhere." Jing Shu leaned in, not even noticing how excited she sounded.
Li Yuetian pulled up some promotional material from the Elite Club and handed it to her. "Take a look. These are some of the big items at the Elite Club. The models, sizes, and materials of the mobile mansions are all clearly listed."
Jing Shu quickly studied the information. As she kept reading, her mouth slowly dropped open. She couldn't help whispering, "Holy shit." These mobile mansions were ridiculously high-end. There were ten custom units available, each one a double-story house with huge living space. They were already fully furnished, top-tier in every way, and buyers could inspect everything on-site.
Li Yuetian cleared his throat. "You really got lucky this time. The real estate company owed debt and couldn't repay it, so they went bankrupt. But they want to exchange their assets for food or apocalypse supplies. They don't want virtual currency. So even if you don't have money, you'll be fine. Just bring some of your Red Nematode Patties and you'll get one."
Jing Shu casually wiped the drool at the corner of her mouth. She'd already looked through the mobile mansion summary. She hadn't gone into every detail yet, but she could already tell it was exactly what she needed.
She tried to act composed. "You make a good point. When does the Elite Club start? Is the trade done on-site or through a trustee?"
"Tomorrow. It's usually on-site. The government isn't involved this time. They're just taking goods. They need food desperately, so they're scraping together whatever they can. If not, there's no point hosting an Elite Club."
He didn't explain where the goods originated, but that part didn't matter anymore.
Jing Shu nodded. Looks like tomorrow she'd have to bring a lot of bugs. She felt a little embarrassed. She didn't have anything fancy to exchange, so she'd have to rely on bugs. But she didn't care. She had to get that mobile mansion no matter what.
After setting everything with Li Yuetian, Jing Shu didn't even remember the drama in her college group chat anymore. Her entire mind was filled with thoughts of the mobile mansion. This thing would determine her quality of life for the rest of the apocalypse. Everything depended on how extravagant this mobile mansion turned out to be.
So, after parting with Li Yuetian, she immediately called the Red Nematode Breeding and Processing Factory. "Prepare the patties. We're heading out tomorrow. Yeah, bring five trucks."
She knew a mobile mansion would require tons of patties. If this were the capital, she'd bring rare stuff like dried blood mushrooms, honey, or fire ham.
But this was Wu City. Jing Shu didn't want to attract dangerous attention. Any edible supply was a luxury here. Bringing out rare food wasn't showing off, it was begging to be killed.
Better wait for the fifth year of the apocalypse. By then, food would be even more valuable. Anything edible would be hard currency. But she didn't want to gamble on the future. She'd get the mobile mansion tomorrow.
She didn't mind spending a huge amount of patties. Patties weren't on the same level as rice or flour. Even if she brought a lot, people wouldn't get too jealous.
Besides, daily production was extremely high now. Even though half of it was sent throughout Wu City every day, she still kept the other half in storage in case of a food crisis. She'd even built several extra warehouses.
Since she was determined to get the mobile mansion, she made full preparations. She even contacted her friends to ask about the Elite Club's info on mobile mansions, their estimated exchange price, and how many people were interested.
Besides, the Elite Club was using three big items as its main attractions: the mobile mansion, the nearly extinct Jinhua sow, and the entire New World Mall building of Wu City.
Any one of these would shake the entire city.
"If I wasn't so busy, I'd want to go see it myself." Su Lanzhi shook her head in regret. Lately, she looked a bit worn out. She'd been stressed about agricultural production and all sorts of big issues.
Jing An wasn't doing any better. Running the Livestock Breeding Center wasn't easy anymore. Temperature control, breeding difficulties, feed issues, everything was stressful. Taking care of what used to be ordinary poultry felt like tending national treasures now.
Poultry were supposed to be easy to breed and keep alive, but in the apocalypse, they were fragile to the point of becoming endangered.
Recently, Jing An reported that several poultry had developed black pigment in their bodies. They'd mutated and could survive in the apocalyptic environment. But every mutated bird was taken away for study.
Natural selection meant the weak would be eliminated, but the mutated poultry didn't gain special abilities. They simply developed pigment that allowed them to survive. They still couldn't reproduce freely.
"Tsk tsk, a Jinhua pig, and a sow at that. Do you know how famous Jinhua ham used to be? Now Jinhua pigs are almost extinct. This Elite Club isn't a bankruptcy auction, it's a spectacle." Jing An sighed.