Jing Shu watched the coconut trees she had planted occupying a full cubic meter of soil each. She had hoped to plant strawberries around them but found no space available. Despite the trees reaching 25 meters, there were still no coconuts in sight. Fortunately, the spatial cube allowed for extending crop growth in all directions, even though it couldn’t store objects.
Her anticipation for homemade coconut milk continued unmet, although the corn she planted had been harvested several times. Planning a “sudden recall” of corn she supposedly stored months ago, Jing Shu decided to use it for a live cooking show, fetching bags of corn from the basement to make corn juice.
*Life is like a play, and it all comes down to acting.*
Perhaps due to the exertions of her recent violent encounter, Jing Shu found herself indulging in an unusually hearty late-night meal. After preparing a variety of fish dishes with fish from the pond, she pondered the use of the remaining savory broth, deciding to add shrimp paste and beef rolls for an additional hotpot meal. *Delicious*, she mused as she ate.
Reflecting on the day’s events, she made mental notes for improvement. She had kept her distance during the robbery due to the robbers’ knives and did not give them any time to react, using her spatial stones to deadly effect. However, the confrontation broke one of her shaped stones, a precious resource.
*”For close encounters, use a crossbow; for distances over fifteen meters, the stone; and in risky situations where I can’t expose my abilities, a gun might work,”* Jing Shu thought, mastering her spatial manipulation more with each passing day.
The next day, fully equipped and carrying various implements and animals, Jing Shu accompanied her mother to work before dawn. The city had just begun constructing a massive artificial sun, a project that had mobilized thousands of workers and promised a partial restoration of modern comforts once completed.
All government workers had their salaries cut in half, now paid in a mix of rice, flour, water, and even vegetables. This change spurred envy and discontent among the populace, adding to the already simmering social tensions.
Driving to work with her father, Jing Shu browsed forum posts while her mom cracked apricot kernels and her chicken sat quietly at her feet, afraid to relieve itself after being punished previously for such an action in the vehicle.
As they drove, Jing Shu thought about the group known as the “Heaven-Shielding Gang” that had perpetrated a horrific raid the previous day, instigating a period of intense and organized criminal activity that swept the nation. Led by a charismatic leader, this marked the beginning of what would be known as the dark half-year of lawlessness.
The orchestrator, a highly educated spy, had capitalized on the simmering resentments and desperation of various individuals, leading them in a well-coordinated attack that paralyzed local law enforcement with decoy calls and overwhelmed them with sheer brutality.
“It seems, as in every society, when order collapses, the monsters come out to play,” Jing Shu mused, resigned to the harsh realities of her world. Despite her foreknowledge, she knew she was powerless to change these events; her focus must be on protecting her family and surviving.
Upon reaching the government complex, Jing Shu immediately got to work distributing frogs for pest control while a group of government officials, brought by Minister Niu Mo, toured the facility. It seemed like a leisurely outing at first glance, but it was part of a broader effort to assure the officials and their families of the stability and continuing function of government facilities.
Minister Niu Mo highlighted the frog project as a novel approach to maintaining the crops without chemicals. He suggested that the officials take a couple of frogs home to manage pests personally, a testament to the success of the initiative Jing Shu was leading.
—
Author’s Note:
Thanks to Yushen58 and smile again for their generous support! If you spot any typos or have suggestions, feel free to let me know. Cheers!
Translator thought: Thank you so much for visiting the site and reading the story. If you would like to support my translation you can buy me a cup-ontea. You can also help by shopping in our store or watch the youtube video to get more traction to the website. If you can’t wait to read the next chapter why not subscribe to our monthly plan, you will get 15 chapter every month for $35.
