CHAPTER 649: ALL FOOD CONFISCATED

If it was true, then there would be no need to fear these creatures anymore.

Of course, this third vaccine function of Bone Powder still needed to be tested. It would be a simple matter of waiting for the next Blue Mermaid attack and leaving some survivors for experimentation.

The most important thing was that, at this stage, she had monopolized all the bones.

Because everyone had previously thought these creepy bones were worthless and disgusting, of course, no one had developed a hobby of collecting them.

Especially after Li Yuetian saw that Jing Shu wanted the bones, he had instructed Li Chenglong to give all of them to Jing Shu in one go.

So, for now, it was a clear monopoly. As for next time... Jing Shu narrowed her eyes, guessing that Li Yuetian would probably take them directly, or that whoever killed the creatures would get their bones.

Thinking of this, Jing Shu couldn’t help but think, It would be great if these rotten mermaids visited often.

After testing out her ideas, Jing Shu made up her mind. She naturally didn’t want to stay in this environment, filled with pig-like squeals and reeking of blood, any longer.

Jing Shu turned to leave. Before she departed, Dr. Zhang stopped her, his expression complex. "Once we finish up here, we’ll report it. You’ve made a significant contribution this time."

Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. "I’m not providing Bone Powder for free, you know." She didn’t care about being recognized for her efforts; what use were commendations in the apocalypse?

Dr. Zhang affirmed, "Of course. Don’t worry, you’ll be properly compensated."

"What? Bone Powder isn’t free?"

"Yeah, they’re just monster bones, and they still cost money?"

Questioning murmurs arose from the surroundings. Dr. Zhang coughed. "Otherwise, who among you could bring us these kinds of bones? We’d buy them at a high price. More importantly, whoever discovered that Bone Powder can stop bleeding, I’ll definitely report it and ensure they get top honors."

Everyone fell silent then. The doctor was right; who could have imagined that monster bones could stop bleeding? And besides, who in their right mind would want so many creepy bones?

They then thought about the monsters, impervious to blades and bullets. They were lucky the Township Government had several hundred soldiers armed with torches, electric batons, and other weapons to kill them. Otherwise, anyone who encountered such creatures would have perished.

After quietly instructing Liu on a few matters, Jing Shu rushed back to her villa, excited.

Jing Shu was in a great mood, regardless of how others felt. After a comfortable hot shower, she got to work grinding the Bone Powder.

This was a huge undertaking. Even though the rotten mermaids’ bones weren’t very hard, and Jing Shu could effortlessly crush them into Bone Powder within her storage space, the main problem was the sheer quantity of bones.

She made a conservative estimate: a single two-meter-long skeleton weighed well over a hundred catties. So, with the skeletons piled up in the yard and those hidden in her storage space, just how many catties would that be in total?

If it weren’t for the preciousness of the Bone Powder, Jing Shu would have considered outsourcing the grinding. But she couldn’t bring herself to trust anyone else with it; it was better to do it herself.

Jing Shu also began feeding the Bone Powder to her chickens, ducks, fish, and shrimp in varying proportions, keeping them separated just as she had during her experiments with the Spiritual Spring. Her main goal was to see if the Bone Powder had any other functions, something that would take more time to determine.

Jing Shu had a persistent feeling—a hunch—that this Bone Powder had other uses.

The post-war restoration of the New World Building and its subsequent alterations took three to four days. Meanwhile, Jing Shu’s villa—its cabinets, under the bed, and cupboards—was piled high with gleaming white Bone Powder. A portion was stored in her space. These days, Jing Shu did nothing but grind Bone Powder. Aside from releasing more insects to stand guard, she paid no mind to anything happening outside her villa.

The official commendation hadn’t arrived. However, even though the higher-ups were overwhelmed, they had issued rewards to Jing Shu: some precious coal, some valuable mineral water, and cans of braised pork produced before the apocalypse.

Jing Shu was somewhat surprised. These were currently the most critical supplies. She hadn’t expected Jun Jia to still be able to procure them. That smiling tiger truly had some tricks up his sleeve.

That afternoon, Jing Shu was taken to an open-work meeting room on the second floor of the New World Building. Yes, this was the very place from which Boss Lu had looked down during the auction.

They hadn’t specified the purpose of the meeting, but Jing Shu guessed it wasn’t good news.

From the outside, it appeared as a relatively small, standalone glass room; whether one could see inside depended entirely on those within.

However, upon entering the glass room, Jing Shu couldn’t help but click her tongue and shake her head in admiration at the unobstructed panoramic view of the first-floor lobby and the corridors of the third and fourth floors. What an excellent vantage point!

The small room was already full, with about twenty people present. Some were observing the scenery, others were cautiously looking around, and some were feigning sleep. No one spoke. The atmosphere was strangely cold.

Boss Lu, lazily dressed in a bathrobe and cotton slippers, lounged in a large executive chair, spinning it left and right, causing it to emit a SQUEAK, SQUEAK sound.

Jing Shu found a seat at the very edge of the room and sat down, discreetly surveying the others in the glass room.

Jun Jia was seated to the left, in a prominent position among the attendees, with Li Yuetian standing quietly behind him. Surprisingly, Gold Dominator was also present, pouting unhappily as he sat beside Jun Jia. When Gold Dominator saw Jing Shu arrive, his eyes lit up for a moment, and he repeatedly tried to catch her eye.

Jing Shu pretended not to notice.

Glancing at the others, Jing Shu recognized most of the twenty-odd people. She had seen them at the previous auction, where they had all bid generously. They were prominent figures in Wu City, representing the upper crust among the auction attendees.

It was fair to say that everyone present had their own private room; they were all influential people.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Boss Lu swiveled his executive chair and said teasingly, "Brother Jun, hurry up and tell us why you’ve secretly gathered us all here."

Jun Jia stood up, smiling. "It’s nothing much. I just wanted to inform everyone that all the grain the Township Government managed to gather has been consumed. There’s not a bit left; we don’t even have provisions for dinner. I was hoping everyone could help out by contributing their private food stocks so we can all get through this difficult time together."

The expressions of several people present changed, but no one spoke. Who would dare to speak out in such a situation? They had initially thought they’d be rescued after drifting for a few days, but more than ten days had passed without any news. Food... it was far too important!

Jing Shu quietly observed the middle-aged man sitting beside her. He had pulled his cap down low and hung his head, his hands seemingly trembling.

An awkward silence fell over the room; no one spoke.

Jun Jia maintained his cheerful smile. "Alright, everyone, let’s not pretend anymore. According to our records for this period, none of you present have visited the cafeteria. Don’t tell me everyone has taken up immortal cultivation and is Fasting? Who would believe you don’t have private food stashes? If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have needed to trouble you all like this. Since you’re all conveniently gathered here, I’ve already ordered a room-by-room search throughout the New World Building. We’ll strive not to miss a single room. All food found will be confiscated for the collective good. It’s very fair; no one will be overlooked."

At these words, the faces of many present finally changed color. Jing Shu, however, remained as steadfast as Mount Tai. There was nothing edible in her villa—only piles of Bone Powder. The sole black box was in her possession. Most importantly, Jun Jia knew about her red worm cakes.

"You can’t do this!"

"This is illegal!"