CHAPTER 135: DEATH IN AUGUST

August arrived in the blink of an eye. As high temperatures persisted, coastal nations were busy taking precautions against the floods from rising sea levels, an inevitable consequence of the heat. Meanwhile, a distant Western country had already relocated its entire population. The second batch of relocations in Hainan was ongoing, and Japan was also negotiating for temporary residence in South Korea.

The Science Channel was still harping on the same old issues:

1. When will the Dark Day end? With the decreasing amount of soil falling, some predicted that when no soil falls at all, it would be the moment the Sun is restored.

2. When will this high temperature come to an end? The World Alliance had recently developed a new thruster that could utilize magnetic fields to alter the Earth’s orbit back to its original path.

3. Water is becoming scarcer; what to do? The Artificial Sun was under construction and was expected to be operational by early October. By then, the pure energy generated from nuclear fusion would be inexhaustible.

Recently, the News Channel had been reporting fewer arrests of criminals. Apart from a few lucky offenders who hadn’t been recorded, those who had committed crimes and were on record were mostly dead.

The news had been reporting on the severity of droughts in various places. Wu City was still relatively okay. Some places had experienced the collapse of nearly half the city due to excessive groundwater extraction, while some individuals had their water sources confiscated for illegally digging wells. Of course, drilling wells was futile now, as all water sources had dried up.

Jing Shu knew that they had now entered the most difficult two months of the first year of the apocalypse: a time of extreme water scarcity, where the entire earth was cracked and arid.

Wang Qiqi: "@everyone, the free water supply in Wu City has been reduced from 500ml per person to 300ml, and the water price has been increased to 2 work points for a 300ml bottle. Everyone, try to reduce outings during the day, or skip a meal."

Fatty Girl: "It’s so hot and they’re not giving us water to drink, how are we supposed to survive? My frog is going to die."

Zhang Cuihua: "I used to earn more than ten work points a day by catching maggots. Had I known, I wouldn’t have exchanged them for rice. Maggots are worthless now."

Wu You’ai: "Everyone, anything wooden, kitchen knives, or steel products at home can be exchanged for work points. We can also contribute to the construction of the Artificial Sun. The sooner it is built, the sooner we won’t lack water."

Zhang Bingbing’s young husband: "I used to be able to pee for three seconds a day; now it’s just two drops."

Big Head: "I even took the door off to exchange for work points. ’Bare-walled’ doesn’t even begin to describe my house; there’s nothing left. I swallow more saliva than I drink water; 300 ml is not enough, this is killing us."

However, some families, despite their desperation, held onto their kitchen knives, unwilling to trade them. Eventually, the severe water crisis forced them to exchange the knives for water.

By then, the collection of knives and iron implements, which had lasted three months, was essentially over. Throughout Huaxia, ordinary people’s homes were devoid of sharp objects, setting a solid foundation for a peaceful decade to come. Perhaps the most formidable weapons they would see in the future would be bricks or glass bottles?

Those who used to have two meals a day now reduced to one. The work points saved were used to buy water; otherwise, people would truly die.

Regardless of the chaos outside, things at Jingshu’s house remained much the same. A few days later, Third Aunt Jing Lai brought back some good news.

"The director said I did a good job as team leader, and if nothing unexpected happens, I could be promoted to supervisor. After one year, I could become an official employee and also enjoy the benefit of having vegetables every day." Third Aunt Jing Lai gulped down a bowl of yogurt. Employees at her workplace also received only 300ml of water per day, and she was dying of thirst.

The next day, Grandma Jing held a celebratory banquet for Third Aunt. However, when Third Aunt returned on the third day, she was as dejected as a frost-bitten eggplant. It was only when Jing Shu asked that she learned someone else in her group had pushed her out of the position by giving the director a handful of spinach.

Holding a plate of vibrant garlic sprouts and two bottles of mineral water, Jing Shu handed them to Jinglai. "Aunt, even officially announced lists can be changed, right? For instance, what if a name was written incorrectly? Look at what we grow here—it can be harvested, and it just regrows. Isn’t that much better than spinach? Besides, your director needs to consider carefully. Should he make an enemy of, or try to befriend, a family that can still access mineral water these days? If that doesn’t work, aren’t my parents’ jobs intimidating enough?"

Offer a blow, then a sweet; Jing Shu was a master at this trick, and any smart person knew what to do next. This also prevented people from taking benefits without delivering, ensuring interactions remained balanced. When people were on an equal footing, they wouldn’t dare scheme; otherwise, they would inevitably show their fangs.

Therefore, Jing Shu rarely played the fool to catch the wise.

"Oh, thank you, Jing Shu. I know what to do now." Jinglai’s awareness was high. She didn’t want to be the dead weight in the family. Jing Shu was right; when it was time to leverage her connections, she should. Why not use such a powerful ’tiger skin’ when she had it?

Jinglai would never forget the director’s greedy and delighted eyes when she entered his office holding a plate of lush, verdant, and thriving garlic sprouts.

"Jinglai, ah, look at you, being so courteous. However, the slots have already been announced..." The bald man’s words caught in his throat before he could finish, because Jinglai then presented two bottles of mineral water.

Upon closer inspection, the bald man noticed that although Jinglai was tanned, her lips were moisturized, without a trace of dryness. What did that imply? It meant she wasn’t short of water. Therefore, these two bottles of mineral water were clearly not something she had painstakingly saved up, begrudging every drop.

"Jinglai, ah, what do your family members do? How is it that you still have such excellent things as garlic sprouts?" The bald man increasingly felt the garlic sprouts looked wonderfully healthy, showing absolutely no signs of water deprivation.

"My younger brother works at a poultry farm, my sister-in-law is the Director at the Agricultural Management Department, and my daughter is currently serving as a visiting specialist in the residential community."

"Oh, those are great positions! You’ve come just in time. Come, sit down, I was just looking for you. The cafeteria supervisor job really isn’t suitable for you; I was thinking of moving you to the Goods Recycling Department as the supervisor. The work there is much easier."

In mid-August, hundreds of people in Wu City were dying of thirst every day due to the high temperatures and lack of water. Their cracked lips told just how desperate they were. In a situation where even humans couldn’t get water, let alone plants and other life forms, the few tenacious creatures remaining on Earth were on the verge of extinction.

This month was also dubbed Deadly August.

Huaxia faced a new challenge.

That night, Jingshu’s family held a meeting. The five tons of water they had previously exchanged for was now down to one ton. Besides this, the water in the tank on their balcony was only a quarter full, despite Jing Shu’s daily refills. There was still some recycled water for daily use, but it was all non-potable.

"I propose that starting today, we bathe only once a week. For daily hygiene, a quick wipe-down will have to suffice. Let’s not wash clothes for now; we have plenty of changes. As for dishes, let’s wash them only once every three days," Mrs. Jing began. "Yes," she continued, "and the water we save can be used for the livestock and to irrigate the crops. With this heat, they need daily watering and the grow lights, or they’ll die."