Chapter 137: The Deadly August

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, August had arrived. With the relentless high temperatures showing no signs of easing, coastal countries were bracing for the inevitable flooding and rising sea levels. One distant Western nation had already undergone a mass migration, and Hainan's second wave of migration was still ongoing. Meanwhile, a certain island nation was in talks about temporarily relocating to South Korea.

The science channel continued to harp on the same old issues:

1. When will the "Dark Days" end? Based on the decreasing amount of dustfall, some experts predicted that once the dust stopped entirely, the sun would reappear.

2. When will this intense heat end? The World Alliance had recently developed a new propulsion system that could manipulate Earth's magnetic field and potentially return the planet to its original orbit.

3. What about the growing water shortage? The construction of an artificial sun was underway and expected to be operational by early October. The energy from nuclear fusion would provide a virtually limitless supply of clean energy.

On the news, reports of criminal arrests were dwindling. Apart from a few lucky criminals who hadn’t been caught by the system, most of those recorded as offenders had already met their demise.

More troubling, though, were the reports of droughts across various regions. While Wu City was holding up relatively well, other places weren't so lucky. Some cities were collapsing due to over-extraction of groundwater, while others were losing their illegal wells and water sources, confiscated by the government. Not that it mattered much—most wells had already dried up.

Jing Shu was well aware that the most challenging months of the first year of the apocalypse had arrived—two months of extreme water shortages, during which the ground cracked open from drought.

In the neighborhood chat group:

Wang Qiqi: "*@everyone, Wu City's free water supply has been reduced from 500 ml per person to 300 ml, and the price of water has increased. A 300 ml bottle now costs 2 work points. Try to stay indoors during the day or reduce your meals.*"

Fatty Girl: "*In this heat, how can they expect us to survive without water? Even my frogs are dying.*"

Zhang Cuihua: "*A few weeks ago, I was still earning a dozen work points a day from collecting maggots. I should’ve saved those points instead of exchanging them for rice. Now maggots aren't even worth that much.*"

Wu Youai: "*If you have wooden items, knives, or steel tools at home, you can exchange them for work points to help build the artificial sun. Once it’s operational, we won’t be short on water anymore.*"

Zhang Bing Bing’s Little Husband: "*I used to be able to pee for three seconds; now it’s down to two drops.*"

Bighead: "*I’ve even torn down my door to exchange for work points. My house is practically empty now. I swallow more saliva than I drink water. 300 ml a day is nowhere near enough; they're going to dehydrate us to death.*"

Indeed, many households were now trading even their knives for water, unable to bear the extreme drought any longer.

By this time, the three-month campaign to collect knives, iron tools, and other potential weapons was drawing to a close. With no sharp objects left in the hands of ordinary citizens, the foundation for the next decade of peace had been laid. The most dangerous weapons civilians might encounter would now be bricks or glass bottles.

Those who used to eat two meals a day were back to one, using the saved work points to buy water. Without enough water, death was a real threat.

Despite the chaos outside, life in Jing Shu's household remained steady. Not long after, her third aunt, Jing Lai, brought home some good news.

"The supervisor said I’ve done well as a group leader. If nothing goes wrong, I’ll be promoted to head of the department soon. In a year, I might become a full-time employee and start getting vegetables every day," Jing Lai said, gulping down a bowl of yogurt. Like everyone else, she was surviving on 300 ml of water a day and was constantly thirsty.

The next day, Grandma threw a celebratory dinner for Jing Lai. However, when she returned home the following day, she looked as dejected as a wilting flower. Upon inquiry, Jing Shu learned that someone in her group had stolen her promotion by giving the supervisor a bunch of spinach.

Jing Shu handed her a plate of thriving garlic shoots and two bottles of mineral water. "Aunt, even if the promotion list is out, things can still change—maybe there was a mistake in the name? Besides, our garlic shoots can be harvested again and again, which is better than spinach. And think about it: how many people can still give away bottled water these days? Your supervisor should weigh his options—should he offend a family with a steady supply of water? And don’t forget, my parents' jobs can still carry some weight."

Jing Shu had mastered the art of soft threats and subtle persuasion. Smart people would understand what to do without her needing to spell it out. And for those who weren't so clever, she'd make sure they knew who they were dealing with.

“Thanks, Jing Shu. I know what to do now,” Jing Lai said, feeling a newfound resolve. She didn’t want to be a burden to her family. Jing Shu was right—why shouldn’t she take advantage of the connections she had? With such strong backing, she had every reason to use it.

When Jing Lai entered the supervisor's office carrying a fresh, green plate of garlic shoots, she saw the man's eyes light up with greed.

"Ah, Jing Lai, you didn’t have to bring anything. The promotion list is already up…" the bald-headed man trailed off as Jing Lai pulled out two bottles of mineral water.

The supervisor’s eyes widened. He had assumed Jing Lai, like everyone else, was struggling to scrape by on meager rations. Yet her healthy appearance, free of dry lips or dehydration, suggested otherwise. Clearly, she wasn’t short on water, meaning these bottles weren’t a precious stash she’d saved up.

“So, Jing Lai, what does your family do? How do you still have fresh garlic shoots?”

"My little brother works at the poultry farm, my sister-in-law is a director at the agricultural management bureau, and my daughter is a liaison officer for the neighborhood."

“Ah, excellent connections indeed! You’ve come at just the right time. I was just thinking the department head position in the recycling division would suit you better—it’s much lighter work.”

...

By mid-August, Wu City was losing hundreds of people daily to heat and dehydration. With cracked lips and parched throats, people were dying of thirst. And if humans couldn’t get water, neither could plants and animals. Earth’s remaining life forms were nearing extinction.

August had come to be known as the "Deadly August."

The nation faced a new challenge.

In Jing Shu’s household, they held a family meeting. Of the 5 tons of water they had stockpiled, only 1 ton remained. Even the water tanks on the roof were down to a quarter full, despite Jing Shu regularly replenishing them. While they still had some recycled water for non-drinking purposes, the situation was dire.

"I suggest we cut back," Jing Ma proposed. "Let’s limit ourselves to one bath a week and just wipe ourselves down in between. We can stop washing clothes for now since we have plenty of spare outfits. And dishes—let’s wash them every three days."