Jing Shu blinked. Why such a fuss? It’s just a grand opening and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Why are they waiting specifically for me? Can’t they start without me? And there seem to be more people than I invited. Who are they all?
Just as she pondered this, a slight cough sounded from the crowd. An elegantly poised man stood up and walked towards Jing Shu. "You’re finally here. Let’s get started quickly then."
With a flurry of movement, the surrounding crowd began to stir.
What’s going on? What are we going to do? Jing Shu was a bit confused.
However, she soon recognized Jin Tianci, the current de facto leader of Wu City. His complexion had improved tremendously, regaining a healthy rosiness. He looked much more spirited, almost like a normal person again. The medicine had clearly worked wonders.
CLICK. The camera took several close-up shots of Jing Shu, who subconsciously smiled.
Jin Tianci then cordially shook Jing Shu’s hand, and they both smiled for the cameras. Jing Shu, though maintaining her smile, was thoroughly bewildered. The leader himself has come to inspect the work!
It made sense, after all. The land had been acquired with a massive loan from the Government. The workers were from the factory itself, various pieces of equipment had been converted from borrowed tools, and even the Virtual Coin was funded by government money. The Government had invested a great deal into this factory. If Jing Shu’s factory lost money, the Government wouldn’t recoup its investment. That was why all the "apocalypse business licenses" had been fast-tracked and approved in half a day.
Considering this grand display, are they trying to build momentum?
Before Jing Shu could get an explanation, Manager Tuo had already set up the ribbon-cutting ceremony, inviting various leaders from Wu City to participate. Only then did Jing Shu get a chance to exchange a word or two with Jin Tianci.
"For years, Wu City has placed great importance on supporting food processing plants, promptly addressing the difficulties they face in production and daily operations. We hope that through this assistance, we can make a humble contribution to Wu City’s food industry," Jin Tianci said encouragingly.
Applause rippled through the crowd. Chapters fırst released on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽
Jing Shu was stunned. How am I supposed to respond to such an official-sounding speech? Is there time to search online for an answer? But she didn’t need to reply, as a reporter spoke up for her:
"During the event, the head of the food factory expressed her sincerest gratitude for the support from Wu City’s leadership. She vowed not to disappoint the expectations of Wu City’s citizens, pledging to strive for success and provide the people of Wu City with fresh, delicious red earthworms. Now, please follow our reporter for an in-depth look at Wu City’s only red earthworm breeding facility."
Jing Shu thought, Well, thank you very much! You said it perfectly!
Inside the vast, brand-new red earthworm breeding facility, most workers were already seated neatly on small benches under energy-saving lights. They curiously watched the leaders inspect the premises, having heard that their small factory had attracted considerable attention from high-ranking officials.
Factory Director Su delivered the opening speech. Then, music simulating firecrackers and horns played. Amidst enthusiastic applause, Factory Director Su, Jing Shu, Jin Tianci, and Jun Jia—four prominent figures—were invited onto the stage to cut a red ribbon whose origin was unknown.
CLICK. CLICK. The cameras flashed incessantly.
The simple ribbon-cutting ceremony concluded. Though somewhat modest and overly formal, it featured Wu City’s most influential figures. With Jin Tianci present, who would dare to look down on it?
To Jing Shu’s surprise, Jin Tianci had another gesture prepared: a plaque inscribed with "Wu City Outstanding Enterprise," bearing the seal of the Wu City Government, was hung at the factory’s main entrance. Its gilded, copper-like paint gleamed, attracting the attention and murmurs of onlookers.
"Looks factory has some serious backing."
"No kidding! So many leaders showed up. This factory is bound for great things."
"No one else in the country could breed red earthworms, but our Wu City did! We even saw cameras; this is going to be on TV! How do you think other places will react when they find out?"
"They’ll be so proud of Wu City! If we can really breed this many red earthworms, the whole country won’t have to go hungry. It’s a great thing!"
"But if the red earthworms are fed rotten corpse insects and various zombie-infected remains, won’t they get sick too? It’ll be just like last year with those zombie-diseased red earthworms. How could we eat those?"
"Are you stupid? They must have solved that problem. Otherwise, the Government wouldn’t allow the factory to open!"
Regarding this, Jin Tianci hadn’t commented publicly. However, Jun Jia had visited multiple times to collect samples of the green algae, red earthworms, and processed red earthworm products cultivated over the previous days. These were tested repeatedly, and only after their absolute safety was confirmed was the expedited approval granted.
As for why they made such a big spectacle this time, even inviting camera crews and journalists... Is it not just because of the huge debt I owe, but also for performance metrics? Jing Shu mused. After all, any region that invented a new edible food source these days would undoubtedly receive positive news coverage and become the envy of the entire nation.
Huaxia, after all, was a vast nation. With such diverse resources, anything could be researched for consumption. Recently, Guangdong and Zhejiang had been in the spotlight. The year red earthworms became rampant, coupled with flood disasters, people all over the country were catching them.
Even Scavenger fish, which were an invasive species before the apocalypse, had been almost entirely caught and domesticated.
However, because the red earthworms proliferated and the Scavengers themselves bred rapidly after feeding on them, that year Guangdong and Zhejiang not only had red earthworms to eat but also grilled Scavengers. It was a time of relative abundance.
When the zombie disease infected all species, many of the domesticated Scavenger fish in Guangdong and Zhejiang became infected. The few that remained uninfected were in dire straits, lacking a food source to sustain them.
However, local research discovered that this small population of Scavengers could be fed various types of zombie animal remains. As a result, they developed stronger immune systems. Furthermore, even if some were reinfected, they showed no ill effects.
After removing the heads and the zombie flesh within, the remaining dry skin and tailbones were still edible and did not transmit the zombie disease. However, the skin was too tough to chew, and the tail was mostly bone with little meat. Not to mention, the taste was far from good.
But the people of Guangdong ingeniously boiled the skin, bones, and tails until tender, then dried and ground them into a powder. They used this to create the "Ten-Perfect Scavenger Nourishing Brew," which became a resounding success, launching a new perception of Guangdong’s resourcefulness throughout Huaxia.
For instance, it could be mixed with hot water to make a "Scavenger paste." Steaming it was said to produce delicious "Scavenger rice noodles." It could even be made into "Scavenger noodle sheets" or "Scavenger flat noodles." At least dozens of recipes were invented, and the taste wasn’t bad at all. Television programs advised everyone to learn from Guangdong’s food creation abilities, even claiming there was nothing people from Guangdong couldn’t, or wouldn’t, eat.
Inspired by this, Jing Shu decided that once the Red Worm Factory was running smoothly, developing new food products would be a priority. The solitary red worm cake was no longer sufficient to meet the burgeoning market demand.