It seemed the old belief that only steady practice could upgrade the Rubik's Cube Space was not absolute. A lucky encounter might also accelerate the process. Did bloodlust and killing count? She didn't know yet. If it did, the Rubik's Cube Space might jump to seventh or eighth tier in a short time.
Her strength would climb again. Her dream was simple. One day she wanted to stash the RV and everything else straight into the Rubik's Cube Space. The more fields she had, the more vegetables she could plant. The larger the space, the more poultry she could raise, instead of counting every cubic meter like now.
Perhaps one day the Rubik's Cube Space would merge fully with reality. If she could hide inside it, she would never again fear the world ending or any accident. Until then, she had to stay sharp for every curveball the apocalypse might throw.
After the attack, her control over the Rubik's Cube Space rose another notch. She felt perpetually on the verge of a breakthrough. It was a bottleneck. So close, yet not quite.
Aside from the attempted robbery, Wei Zheng's wedding had been a success. The guests were shaken and a few injured, but they were satisfied with the feast. Originally there were two cold dishes, three hot dishes, and one meat dish. Adding two more meat dishes instantly raised the entire banquet's level. Many could not bear to eat much of it.
So they split the meat piece by piece and, when they left, almost everyone carried a bag packed with food. In the apocalypse, pork was worth far more than the gifts they had brought.
When the crowd finally dispersed, the three aunts began cleaning up the chaotic mess. Eldest Uncle took the bodies to the station and brought back 330 virtual coins, which he handed to Jing Shu. The spoils were hers by right.
When people heard, jaws dropped, not just outsiders but even Jing Pan and Wei Zheng. Qiao Lian's mother gulped hard. Thank goodness she had not crossed this girl.
Jing Shu was pleased that Eldest Uncle handled it properly. "They came to rob you. Take this to offset the losses," she said. Eldest Aunt's family had suffered most.
He refused flatly.
"Fine. Then give all the spoils to Eldest Aunt for factory start-up and operations. The pickup, the virtual coins, everything. Consider it ours collectively. Just give me the drugs and the smoke grenades."
"Thank you so much, Jing Shu," he said, eyes bright.
The haul was decent: a pickup truck, several basic thermal imagers, machetes and clubs, knockout drugs that worked fast, and eleven smoke grenades. She kept the drugs and grenades for emergencies. After today, she had seen just how effective smoke grenades could be. The raiders were only eleven, yet with smoke they dared to strike. With no weapons at hand and no way to tell friend from foe, most people would not move. Then a few Molotovs to sow chaos. If those eleven had come with only blades, there would have been no sequel. Jing An could have driven them off with a few shots.
Jing Pan's family had to learn from this. Food was priceless now. They had beat drums and made a spectacle of the wedding, practically advertising that they slaughtered a pig and were feeding dozens. Unlike Su Mali, they didn't have a home full of servants and bodyguards. Of course that would stir envy.
Hadn't Jing Shu hired four guards just to stand watch at the villa gate whenever she went out? If not for her, losing food would have been the smallest problem. What if someone had died? Thankfully Qiao Lian's mother had dragged the bride into the house at the critical moment. Otherwise a happy day might have turned into a funeral.
Jing Shu had planned to leave on the afternoon of the first day of the New Year, but that didn't happen. The knockout drug was strong. She made the family drink tons of water to flush it out. That night they held a formal meeting. Lesson learned. If they had grain, they needed strength to protect it. Grandpa Jing taught Wei Zheng how to set traps.
At eight in the morning on the second day of the New Year, the red nematode feed factory Jing Shu funded officially opened.
The factory sat at the foot of the mountains in Wu County, among rows of prefab shacks. It was right where the refugees lived.
It was also beside the government canteen.
At dawn, Jing Pan posted a big notice on the shed wall: 1 virtual coin for 200 jin (100 kg) of red nematodes, unlimited.
The notice electrified passersby. They gathered to talk. Wu County's government could only process so much. On most days it bought a little over ten tons. Anyone lining up late wasted their day and had to come back tomorrow. The cycle bred poverty and kept families on subsistence rations.
This changed everything. A family could dredge up 300 jin (150 kg) a day, swap for 1 to 2 virtual coins, and at least afford a daily bowl of porridge. With porridge on the table, who would choose mushrooms full of bug eggs?
Jing An personally oversaw the harvesting of the red nematodes to prevent fraud, while workers began the steps of processing and split up tasks with clear lines. Production got underway.
As soon as the factory opened, people carried in red nematodes they had collected over the past few days. Other workers moved quickly through the feed-making process. The place buzzed with energy. Jing Shu nodded to herself. This was one contribution she could offer the apocalypse, at least. She was storing some grain for the future.
Jing Zhao's husband lived up to his merchant instincts. "Eldest Sister, I can source red nematodes from elsewhere and ship them to you. Count mine as 180 jin (90 kg) per virtual coin. Wu County's small. Even if intake increases, it will only add a dozen tons a day. You cannot process enough."
Jing Pan thought it over. It was true. Wu County was small. The dredge might not yield enough. She nodded. "Alright. But if we find stones or other fillers mixed in, there will not be a second deal."
A ton of raw red nematodes shrank to less than half once turned into feed. Even so, the finished product would sell for at least ten times more. Jing Shu didn't intend to squeeze profit, but she could not break the rules of the market either.
There was a real problem, though. The factory could produce over a dozen tons of feed a day. Storage in the rainy season was tricky. One mistake and the feed would mold. Jing Shu set her sights on the government's warehouses. She wanted to pay rent and store large volumes. Her own space could not hold it all. Even if it could, moving it openly was not wise.
The government had secret depots with proper facilities, but she didn't know the right people. Minister Niu Mou oversaw the Planting Industry R&D Management Department. She didn't know if reserves fell under his remit.
Maybe Zhou Bapi could help. He should have some authority over medicinal stockpiles through the Medicinal Herb Association.
She was still thinking it through when, to her surprise, the matter was settled that very afternoon.