“Why is your hand still shaking? If you’re scared, let’s head back home,” Jing Dad noticed Jing Shu’s trembling hands and said with concern.
“It’s probably from carrying up those two bags of rice I found. Those thieves dropped them in their hurry,” Jing Shu replied, masking the truth of her violent encounter.
At Wang Xuemei’s apartment, the scene was grim. Despite surrendering everything as Wang QiQi had advised, the thieves, driven by desperation and dark impulses, did not hold back. Jing Shu knew the terror of the moment: the parents seeing their child harmed right before their eyes led to a desperate struggle.
In the chaos, Wang Xuemei was immobilized, forced to listen to the horrific sounds of her husband and daughter being assaulted. Soon after, she heard one of the intruders exclaim, “Looks like I accidentally killed someone.”
The intruders hurried to leave as they heard more people approaching. “Let’s get out of here before the cops get involved,” one said.
By the time Wang QiQi and the others arrived, it was too late. The parents had bled out from severe wounds. Even a rush to the hospital would have been futile. Emergency services were unreachable, and the only number that responded was the one for corpse collection.
A team arrived not long after to take the bodies for immediate cremation, a necessity due to the rapid spread of corpse-eating bugs. The family was offered a small consolation of rice for their compliance.
“This wouldn’t have happened if I’d been a little braver,” Jing Shu reflected privately on her first real combat test outside. The violence was shocking, even to her, a stark contrast to her previous life’s desperation. Now, she was dealing with the fallout, not just the physical cleanup but the emotional toll it took to see a family destroyed.
In the following days, the community was tense. Wang QiQi proposed a neighborhood patrol, but participation was low. Everyone was preoccupied with securing their own food supplies from the increasingly sparse supermarket deliveries.
Back at home, the situation was a stark reminder of the scarcity gripping the city. Jing Shu and her family, now including her grandparents, discussed the heightened risks. “We can’t let others know how much food we have,” Jing Grandpa said, pacing worriedly.
Jing Dad suggested that the grandparents move in with them for added safety. “At least here, with reinforced doors and windows, we’re safer. And they can help with cooking,” he said, showing his concern for his parents in these troubling times.
Wu Youai, ever the individualist, brushed off concerns about her safety. “I haven’t bathed in three months. If any intruders can stand that, they’re welcome to try,” she quipped, highlighting the dire hygiene conditions.
Despite the tension, life had to go on. Jing Shu checked on her frog breeding efforts in the garden. The frogs were thriving, now numerous enough to require thinning out the population.
In the evening, she confirmed there were no signs of corpse-eating bugs in the secured areas of their home. The bees near the water source were doing well, helping to maintain a bug-free environment.
Jing Shu made a mental note to continue rationing the stored mineral water. Despite the local water recycling efforts, their large household was consuming water at an unsustainable rate. The luxury of drinking fresh juices was a small comfort against the backdrop of a city slowly strangling under the weight of its environmental and social crises.
—
Author’s Note:
Thanks to Chen33 and Yunxiu Yo for their generous tips! An eagle-eyed reader noticed the error with Director Niu Mo’s name—it’s not Zhu Mo. Thanks for the catch!
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