"Good news, everyone! Though honestly, it sounds like that director might have been bribed," someone muttered suspiciously from the middle of the crowd. None of them looked convinced; their hollow eyes remained fixed on the stage with a deep-seated distrust.
"The abandoned factory has been bought out," Manager Tuo announced, his voice booming through the loudspeaker and echoing off the cold walls. "It's a joint project with the government. Together, we're opening a large-scale Red Nematode Breeding and Processing Factory here. After my repeated persuasion, the boss decided to hire every single resident living here as factory workers. No one gets left behind!"
A wave of noise, a chaotic mixture of gasps and frantic whispers, swept through the cavernous factory hall.
"For real?"
"Come on, there are over two thousand of us here! What kind of factory needs that many people? You're not fooling us, are you?"
"Do you take in women with kids? I promise the child won't affect my work!"
"What about women without kids; do we get priority?"
"What kind of benefits are we talking about? Does it include food? How many meals a day? If you don't feed us, count me out."
"Wait, did I hear that right? A Red Nematode Breeding Factory? Aren't red nematodes extinct because of the zombie virus infection? The ones left are zombie bugs! You're not joking, right?"
The place exploded with noise as people shouted over one another to be heard. Most people had stopped working today, worried they would be driven out into the freezing air. Some even brought their babies along just to hear the first-hand news, the infants wrapped tightly in makeshift rags.
"Good," Jing Shu thought as she watched the chaos from her vantage point. "A crowd with energy meant hope." At least they weren't numb corpse diggers anymore. She stood quietly while Su Yiyang nervously recited his lines beside her. He had been practicing for hours, but most of what she had written was way too professional for him to deliver naturally.
Still, everything was going well. Once this factory stabilized, she could finally let go and focus on her real work.
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes slightly. Her consciousness was inside the Cube Space, experimenting with different ways to cultivate red nematodes. She could feel it; she was standing right at the door of truth.
Manager Tuo was very satisfied with the reaction. He raised his voice and shouted for quiet a few times before speaking again.
"Let's take this step by step. First, let me introduce you all to the factory director, Director Su. He will be in charge of everything from now on. Everyone, please welcome him as he explains the factory's operations and output."
A half-hearted round of applause followed the introduction, the sound weak and scattered in the large space. No one looked too excited yet. For most people, there were only two things that mattered: a place to live and something to eat.
Several glass bottles had been placed on the table at some point during the noise. Su Yiyang took a deep breath, his chest swelling as he spoke seriously to the gathered masses.
"Hello, everyone. I will skip the small talk. Our factory has only two goals: to breed and process red nematodes like crazy, and to turn them into ready-to-eat food for distribution across various markets. This will help ease Wu City's food crisis during the famine.
As for our employees, the policy is simple. We will provide free meals and lodging, new cotton clothes, new quilts, and daily essentials. You can even bring your kids to work. Some roles let you do up to three jobs at once, and whether you are a government temp or full-time worker, you can still take on tasks here as a side job. We won't set fixed working hours either; work as many hours a day as you like."
At first, people didn't take him seriously. They thought it was just another official speech, but as they listened, their expressions started to change from doubt to genuine interest.
"No way, that can't be real."
"There weren't even jobs that good before the apocalypse! You're not trying to trick us, are you?"
"Sounds like one of those pyramid schemes. Lure us in, then force us to recruit more people."
Su Yiyang smiled slightly at the skepticism. "That's something Manager Tuo will explain later. What I'm going to show you now is the core of our technology. Take a look at these two bottles of red nematodes. Each contains twenty mature specimens. Please pass them around carefully, and don't drool into them."
After the bottles made a round through the eager hands of the crowd, he took out a small vial of water. "We have spent millions of virtual coins and gathered the country's top researchers to develop this special reproductive solution, code-named ZS880. One drop is enough to trigger massive reproduction. Watch closely."
He dripped the liquid in, and the red nematodes instantly began to stir within the glass. Within moments, they were wriggling wildly, laying clusters of eggs that looked like tiny black dots filling the bottle.
"These eggs hatch faster than last year's. They will become full-grown red nematodes in just one hour. Of course, the ZS880 solution is too expensive for mass use, so we will pair it with supplemental feed to cut costs. This was just a quick demonstration. The point is, we have already mastered rapid reproduction.
Now, think about it. With this technology, we can produce several tons of red nematodes a day. Do you think the factory will make a profit? Wu City is just our first site. One day, we will open branches all over the country. By then, everyone sitting here today will be our core staff!
So let me ask you, are you willing to join us and start living like real human beings again?"
Jing Shu kept quiet, her mind deep in thought as she observed the impact of the demonstration. Of course, they weren't using ZS880 for breeding. That was just her cover story. Anyone with ulterior motives would focus on ZS880 instead of her actual cultivation method. This demonstration was a perfect smokescreen, sparing her a lot of trouble from greedy observers.
It wasn't that she didn't want to share the technique, but it only worked for her. It required the Spirit Spring, several synthesis formulas, and most importantly, the green algae Wu You'ai gave her. Miss one ingredient, and mass breeding became impossible for anyone else.
Anyone who tried to steal her live red nematodes would soon find they died within seven days, unable to reproduce no matter what they tried.
By this point, she had basically perfected the real breeding method. It was complex and occasionally required both the Crimson Spirit Spring and ZS880 as catalysts, but in truth, the process relied on the green algae as a biological converter and the massive chain of carrion scavengers. After all, every species' growth depended on devouring another.
If she wanted large-scale, rapid breeding, she had to rely on the carrion scavengers, the dominant species of the apocalypse with no natural predators.
The crowd was buzzing with excitement at the potential. Of course this would make money. Of course they would join.
If the factory could produce tens or even hundreds of tons of red nematodes a day, there would be no way for the workers to lose. Some people in the crowd, however, already had greed flickering in their eyes as they stared at the bottles. If they could just get their hands on that formula, they would make a fortune. In the apocalypse, anything edible was gold.
"I'm in!"
"When do we start working, boss? What is the deal with the meals and lodging? Can we start today?"
"Director, there are so many people here. You will need someone to handle the labor division, right? That's perfect for me."
"Director, red nematodes are precious. You will need guards, right? My brothers and I can handle security. No outsider will ever get in."
Director Su laughed at the sudden enthusiasm. "Then let's have our HR Manager, Manager Tuo, explain the details. By the way, he has officially joined us too. From now on, he will handle personnel scheduling and recruitment."
The crowd let out a collective groan.
"Damn, he has already switched sides!"