Chapter 304: Jing Shu, When Will Our Factory’s Cakes Be Sold?

“Yeah, yeah, now we just need to pay a little price to avoid getting the zombie disease. Why wait until we get sick and then treat us? Su Mary, if you have so many medicines, can you donate some to those infected?” Wang Chao nervously asked.

Jing Shu burst out laughing. She really didn’t know if Su Mary was helping them or just letting them suffer longer in the apocalypse. Those who get the zombie disease want to die quickly, but Su Mary was spending big money to find cures.

Su Mary said seriously, “I’m willing to treat you because we’re classmates, but you must accept punishment for your mistakes. Accepting punishment and avoiding it are two different things. That’s how it is. I hope you reform well. If you get sick later, contact me anytime.”

The classmates were stunned, staring at Su Mary in disbelief. Was there something wrong with her head?

Li Bailong laughed. Many came here to rescue people, but no one had done it like this before. He waved his hand, “Since you all agreed, when will you start eating? The canteens have prepared places for you. When you finish, you can go home.”

Xia Liu laughed, “This is the best way. Next time someone commits a crime, they’ll have to face the consequences themselves. Stop crying. Someone’s already guaranteed to save you. Just eat with peace of mind.”

Who could calmly eat poison cakes?

Jing Shu liked this tit-for-tat approach. She heard some countries did the same: if a man raped a woman, he’d be thrown in jail and raped in return. How the man got raped? Well, cough cough.

Amid desperate cries, Su Mary and Jing Shu left. Everyone thought this would be Su Mary’s grand moment to show off her wealth and say, “I saved these people.” But instead, it ended quietly like this.

The next day, Jing Shu finally ate gastrodia pigeon soup and crispy roast pigeon, reportedly made by a Michelin three-star chef.

The golden-brown pigeon was about fist-sized. One bite revealed crispy skin and tender meat. Chewing around the bone, a whole bone came out. Some parts were fried to a dark golden color, and she even chewed and swallowed the bones.

The roasted bones, marrow, and meat aroma spread on her taste buds. It was so delicious Jing Shu almost swallowed her tongue.

Slurp! So fragrant.

Jing Shu wanted to raise some live pigeons, but they weren’t for sale. Now pigeons were expensive—one slaughtered pigeon cost 1888 virtual coins, not to mention breeding hens. One bite was worth a whole apartment in Banana Community. Since she couldn’t get any, she’d just satisfy her cravings. Maybe trade something else later.

Selling quails could also be a good way to get rich, but in the apocalypse, Jing Shu dared not take risks. Enough for her family to eat was enough.

But now, pigeon sellers probably worried about feed, since red worms were gone. Jing Shu suddenly had an idea.

“Did you hear the high school group chat exploded?” Su Mary said, licking the bones clean. The spoiled girl who wouldn’t lick yogurt bottle caps was now cleaning bones.

Jing Shu shook her head. “Zhang Lingling’s story?”

Su Mary showed pictures on her greasy phone. “They were handcuffed and shackled, eating red worm cakes at the big canteen entrance, holding signs. Many people watched, some threw stones, others threw filth. Someone caught their eating on camera, and it blew up.”

Jing Shu saw photos of a line of people squatting at the door, crying while eating stinky red worm cakes. Some couldn’t eat anymore, so kind citizens helped stuff the cakes in with water. If someone accidentally spat some out, sorry, kind people picked it up and shoved it back until nothing was wasted.

The authorities did this deliberately to vent public anger. Many were still scared, wondering if eating the cakes would cause zombie disease. Countless people lived in fear.

Jing Shu saw four or five people holding Zhang Lingling down, forcing cakes into her mouth. Too bad no hair in the apocalypse, or there’d be a hair-pulling scene again.

Zhang Lingling’s story spread in the class group. Many said she deserved it. Some were glad they hadn’t followed her, or they’d be trapped again. If Zhang Lingling got out and saw this, who knew what she’d think?

The zombie disease incident passed quickly. Those who didn’t get sick after half a month were safe. The impact gradually faded. The 300 people spent days finishing all the cakes, stuffed to the brim daily. The lightest offenders, like Wang Chao, left after three days.

Zhang Lingling forced herself to eat for half a month. By the end, she reflexively vomited at the sight of red worm cakes but was still forced to eat by infected zombies. This group became a special case nationwide, their bodies slowly rotting. No one knew when their lives would end. They lived in constant despair and anger.

Jing Shu didn’t know how these classmates fared later. Su Mary said Zhang Lingling seemed to have anorexia, vomiting whenever she ate. Surprisingly, Zhang Lingling, who ate the most, didn’t get zombie disease. But Nima, who ate the least, came to Su Mary a month later, apparently infected!

Though the zombie disease scare died down, China and the world faced a new problem: red worms were basically extinct, leaving China without a staple food source. Plus, October’s daytime temperatures dropped to 5–6°C, nights below zero. People faced survival challenges.

“Jing Shu, when will our red worm cakes be sold? The canteen’s cakes have risen to 0.7 virtual coins each. We’re going to make it big! You had vision starting this factory when red worms were rampant!” Jing Shu’s aunt called, finally enjoying the fruits of hard work after months of struggle.

Jing Shu rolled her eyes. “Aunt, the canteen’s cakes are fine-processed for people. Ours are coarse-processed feed for poultry. Unless there’s a severe famine, feed is best sold to poultry farmers. Besides, it’s not time yet. Wait a bit longer.”