CHAPTER 654: FISHING (EXTRA FOR SU RUAN LIN JUANJUAN)

That day, the weather was gloomy, with a cold wind blowing sharply.

It was getting colder, but there was no sign that the mudstone flow would freeze, which was completely unscientific.

Jing Shu had secretly wrapped an extra sweater around herself and put on some thermal underwear, making her look a bit bloated.

Many people in the building were shivering and huddling together for warmth—there was no helping it. The building was as cold as an ice cellar.

They couldn’t run either, as that would consume too much food, so they could only cling to each other in the hall like stacked toys. Everyone had stopped bathing and changing clothes for a long time, and even though it was very cold, there was inevitably an odd smell.

The entire building was filled with this stench.

That day, ever since Jun Jia returned, he had urgently convened a meeting and devised several self-rescue plans. As Jun Jia had said, he became very busy, implementing several plans at once. Consequently, many people could be seen with tasks on their hands.

That day, following the routine roll call in the private room, Jing Shu gave Liu some instructions before she stood up with her tool in hand and left.

"Hey, wait, Jing Shu, where are you going?" Gold Dominator called out from behind.

Jing Shu turned her head and, pointing to the homemade fishing rod in her hand, said, "Fishing."

"Fishing??" Gold Dominator pointed at the rebar in Jing Shu’s hand, wanting to say something but stopping himself, his expression odd. Seeing Jing Shu about to walk away again, he said, "Wait for me, I’m coming too." He wanted to see what Jing Shu was up to.

Jing Shu walked on ahead without a care, with Gold Dominator closely following behind.

Only after the two had left did their classmates start whispering:

"What are those two up to? Didn’t you see that thick rebar? Jing Shu holding it as if it were a real fishing rod—it’s terrifying."

"When did Brother Tyrant become Jing Shu’s shadow? Young Master Lan, you’re close with Brother Tyrant, what’s going on?"

Young Master Lan rubbed his swollen hands and said through clenched teeth, "I don’t know."

"I really envy Brother Tyrant. He has connections at home, so no one assigns him any tasks. Look at Young Master Lan, even he has to work with us."

"And I envy Jing Shu, too. She can leave the building whenever she wants without having to work."

"Why don’t they have to work?"

"Because we have to eat, so we have to work."

"It seems like Jing Shu doesn’t even go to the cafeteria to eat."

"Maybe she’s running a private cafeteria."

Jiang Changke shifted his sore elbow and said, "The bigshots naturally eat like Brother Tyrant, with small biscuits. Speaking of which, the food these days seems to be mixed with red worm cake. I eat it often and am quite familiar with it."

Many of their classmates’ eyes brightened, especially Young Master Lan, who now also had to eat the same food as everyone else.

"I heard there’s a reward for reporting hidden food supplies."

"But we’re talking about our classmates here."

"Aren’t you curious what Brother Tyrant and Jing Shu are eating? Why won’t they share some with us?"

There was a patrol team outside the building to prevent the tragedy of that day from happening again. No one was allowed to go out, and there were twenty-four-hour patrols both outside and inside, covering every corner.

"Sister Jing, got a moment?" Li Chenglong handed her a steaming hot earthen bowl of water, chuckling. "Have a drink, it’ll warm you up. It’s cold outside."

"No thanks, I have to make a trip to the periphery." Jing Shu watched as Li Chenglong called over dozens of soldiers to start a major project: filtering water. The filtered water was boiled on-site, and the soil nearby was conveniently used to make bowls.

Fuel had been resolved only recently; someone had used professional knowledge to make biogas from feces. However, it was said to be very dangerous, and a careless mistake could lead to a BOOM! Therefore, it was set up on the outermost perimeter.

This was barely a perfect cycle: over two thousand people’s daily feces were used to produce biogas for fuel, mud from the mudstone flow was filtered for water, and the remaining earth was fired into various supplies for everyday life.

However, now that everyone was eating less, even their feces had decreased significantly, with many people only relieving themselves once a week.

"Sister Jing, I’ll go with you. It’s dangerous outside, and who knows, a monster might pop out." Li Chenglong put down his hand-warming cup and walked towards the outermost area with Jing Shu.

Gold Dominator looked disdainfully at Li Chenglong, Such a sycophant, he thought, while quickly following Jing Shu.

The wind was strong, and everyone wrapped their clothes tighter. They quickly reached the boundary, marked by a one-meter-high wall. Jing Shu easily jumped up onto it, watching the roiling black mudstone flow continually shake and surge.

It was as magical as waves.

Their current location was akin to the stern of a large ship, with the building traveling at a thirty-five-degree angle upward, so the mudstone flow couldn’t pour in. Otherwise, I’d really think this building was some kind of powered ship, Jing Shu mused.

Li Chenglong also easily climbed up, scratching his head. "It’s pitch black, can’t see a thing. But my uncle says, Sister Jing, you are meant to observe the stars and do great things. If you have any difficulties, just find me, and I’ll definitely help you."

"Fishing. Let’s see if we can catch some fish." Jing Shu swung the steel bar in her hand—long, good, exactly what she needed. Then, she twirled her homemade fishing rod a few times and, using inertia, cast out a long steel wire fishing line baited with Insect Cake.

The ’fishing line’ quickly disappeared into the mudstone flow, engulfed swiftly by the black Mudstone Flow Sea as the building swayed.

Gold Dominator’s mouth fell open. What the hell? Are they really here to fish?

Li Chenglong blinked. Indeed, everything Sister Jing did was out of the ordinary. Though I don’t understand it, I just need to know she’s doing something important.

RUMBLE...

Li Chenglong’s stomach made an untimely noise, and he coughed awkwardly. "How about I go back for a drink of water?" At least I can fill my stomach with water, he thought.

Gold Dominator snorted even more disdainfully and clumsily climbed up.

RUMBLE...

Gold Dominator’s stomach growled too.

He also felt awkward. I must have overexerted myself just now, he thought. The food lately has been worse than pig slop; I can’t even stomach the canteen meals.

RUMBLE...

At that moment, Jing Shu’s stomach growled as well.

This was embarrassing. The three exchanged glances for a while until Jing Shu sighed and took out some black, hard yogurt balls from her pocket, handing them to the two. "Eat this."

Li Chenglong chuckled and took a big bite. Sister Jing truly is Sister Jing! To still have food at a time like this—impressive!

CRACK.

He almost lost a tooth, the pain bringing tears to his eyes.

"...Suck on it," Jing Shu advised. "These are yogurt balls, hard as rocks. Don’t you want your teeth anymore?"

Soon, the three of them sat on the wall, each holding a yogurt ball, sucking on it. They couldn’t rush it, nor could they bite through.

"It’s tasty but tough on the tongue," Li Chenglong complained a bit.

"Shut it," Gold Dominator said. "You’re training your tongue skills. Master that, and which girl couldn’t you charm?"

"Little Tyrant, you sure know a lot. Can tongue skills really be trained this way? Like this?"

"Be more flexible, not stiff. Use the tip of your tongue."

Jing Shu said, "Keep making such a fuss while eating these yogurt balls, and I’ll kick you both back."