CHAPTER 660: JING SHU WAS STUNNED

The building couldn’t be abandoned unless absolutely necessary. Even if they considered the worst-case scenario, Jing Shu did not want to experience another migration as arduous as trekking through a landslide, walking all the way back to Wu City.

However heavy a snail’s shell may be, it is still its home.

Jing Shu’s thoughts drifted far away. She hadn’t quite understood what they discussed later; she figured that given the limited conditions, they probably couldn’t have settled on much anyway. It wasn’t until Old Principal Wang gently patted her on the shoulder, reminiscing about the touching incident from the last graduation ceremony four or five years ago—when he and Jing Shu had even taken a photo together—that she snapped back to reality.

"I came to the auction this time too. Who knew it would be such a coincidence?" the old principal lamented his bad luck.

Returning to her senses, Jing Shu asked, "What are you here to bid for?"

Old Principal Wang looked like he had neither money nor power.

"Uh... the authorities agreed that I could take the last batch of wooden desks, chairs, and door panels to auction them off, so we could make ends meet and exchange them for some food... as payment for the teachers who taught online classes..." Principal Wang said with shame. Strictly speaking, they were part of the education department and considered official employees. Yet now, they had been reduced to selling school supplies.

There was no choice. Students now attended school without paying tuition, the supplies allocated by the higher-ups were scarce, and most importantly, the times had forced their physics teachers to learn how to develop APPs, and language teachers had to learn how to farm vegetables and correct homework on APPs.

Even he, as a math teacher, had to keep up with the times. It’s tough, he thought.

Jing Shu nodded. Aside from being a bit of a chatterbox and liking to lecture people, Old Principal Wang is a responsible and good principal.

"Have you sold the items?"

Old Principal Wang shook his head. "It’s not my turn yet."

"Send them to me later, alright? I’ll exchange Insect Cakes for them."

The expanded Insect Cake Factory just happened to need some desks and chairs, and the employee dormitories needed door panels.

Old Principal Wang excitedly agreed.

「...」

The atmosphere in the building was a bit cold. These days, their food was merely Insect Cake boiled with water into a paste; even foods like green algae were gone. It was evident that they were truly eating into their reserves. If they ran out of Insect Cake, they would genuinely have nothing left.

Li Yuetian had increased the workload, and after he dealt with a few people who didn’t want to work, it became even quieter.

Jing Shu could almost see the numbness in these people, their lives as unchanging as those of the walking dead. They didn’t realize that, at this moment, they were in great danger.

Even her usually chatty college classmates had become much quieter. The massive amount of work kept them constantly moving in the cold weather, and hunger and fatigue dominated most of their lives, leaving them no time to dwell on other things.

Except for that pest, Gold Dominator.

Every day, he held two energetic Jinhua Pigs in a private room in the first-floor lobby, talking to himself as he continuously stroked the pigs with gentle movements.

He even brought the sow with him wherever he went, abandoning the little bear he used to carry.

Jing Shu had initially thought Gold Dominator had some strange fetish for pigs. That was until she saw him drooling uncontrollably one time, hastily wiping it away when he noticed her looking.

Only then did Jing Shu realize this boy was craving meat—craving it so terribly he was on the verge of madness, his eyes practically green with desire. Look at this poor child.

That very night, Jing Shu roasted a suckling pig in her space, satisfying her craving. This was a new method she’d devised: barbecuing directly within her space.

The downside is that the smoke and smell can’t disperse, contaminating two cubic meters of my space. I’ll have to wait until I’m in an open area to vent it.

"Hmm?"

Having eaten her fill, Jing Shu had contentedly gone to bed. Tomorrow might bring a tough battle, but just at this critical moment, one of the snakes she had released sent her a signal.

Da Ji? He should be asleep. What mischief is he up to now? Jing Shu yawned as she got up and gathered her things. Leaving the comfort of her down quilt, Jing Shu shivered. It’s really cold.

Ever since she had started suspecting there was something off about Da Ji, Jing Shu had one of her snakes watching him. These past few days, he had been relatively well-behaved, aside from occasionally sneaking into the underground tunnel to pilfer some of his hoarded food. Jing Shu didn’t care for such petty thievery, so she hadn’t bothered with it.

Little Snake followed Da Ji out of his single room and up to the seventh floor of the building—Boss Lu’s territory.

Ever since the invasion of the rotten mermaids, the building was patrolled around the clock. But, whether due to Da Ji’s sheer luck or something else, he managed to reach the seventh floor without encountering any patrols.

Jing Shu followed quietly. I need to see what Da Ji is up to.

Apart from the sound of snoring, there were few other sounds in the building. With so much work to do during the day, not enough to eat, and no entertainment at night, everyone slept like logs.

Da Ji tiptoed to the first room—a conference room converted from a hotpot restaurant. He went to what used to be the back kitchen and began searching the wall, tapping here and knocking there.

Jing Shu followed him in, casually picking up a fairly clean mandarin duck pot from a corner. I’ll have a hotpot later, spicy on one side and mushroom broth on the other.

Although the building was pitch black due to a lack of resources, the darkness couldn’t obstruct Jing Shu’s vision; she could clearly see Da Ji moving with a specific target in mind.

He’s looking for Boss Lu’s sealed room! The one without even a seam, right behind that wall! Jing Shu’s expression turned peculiar. She had originally planned to just go back to bed; after all, that room was always kept shut. Her insects had scoured everywhere but had found no way to penetrate it.

Should I have my insects try to bore a hole? But what is that material? It looks like stainless steel rebar that even bullets probably couldn’t pierce.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, a commotion started in the building. Then, Jing Shu heard a rustling sound and, to her astonishment, a rotten mermaid fell from the ventilation duct.

One, two, three...

These rotten mermaids were slightly smaller than the previous ones, but not by much. Their objective was clear: they were all crawling toward that seemingly impregnable room.

Jing Shu was thoroughly shocked.

Holy crap! Holy crap! Could Da Ji be controlling these rotten mermaids? Just as she was wondering this, a terrified scream pierced the silence.

"Don’t come near! AAAHHH— Help me!" Da Ji’s screams echoed throughout the entire building. He cowered in a far corner, so scared he was trembling. Meanwhile, his voice drew the attention of the patrol and Boss Lu’s men.

Jing Shu clearly saw Da Ji’s terrified expression and his trembling legs.

What in the world is happening?! Jing Shu was stunned. So Da Ji *can’t* control these rotten mermaids?

CRACK! A rotten mermaid took a huge bite out of the wall plaster, revealing a bit of the steel room inside.