Jing Shu blinked. "What's with all this pomp? Isn't today just an opening ceremony, just a ribbon-cutting? Why so grand?" Were they really waiting for her? Couldn't they start without her? And why were there so many people? She didn't remember inviting this crowd.
Just as she was thinking that, a faint cough came from the front. A man stood up among the guests, calm and elegant, and walked toward her. "Finally, you're here. Let's get started."
At once, the crowd around them stirred to life.
"What's going on? What're we doing?" she asked, utterly confused.
Then she saw who it was—oh damn, wasn't that Jin Tianci, the current authority of Wu City? He looked much better than before, even had a bit of color in his face. The medicine really worked wonders.
Click. Click.
The camera snapped several close-ups of her, and she instinctively smiled for it.
Jin Tianci reached out to shake her hand, and they both turned to face the camera with practiced smiles. Jing Shu's brain went blank for a moment as she kept grinning. "So the big boss himself came to inspect the place?"
Well, it made sense. The land was bought with a massive loan from the government, the workers came straight from the factory program, the machines were all borrowed and refitted, and even the virtual coins were from government credit. The administration had poured a ton of resources into this project. If her factory went under, the government wouldn't get a single coin back. No wonder every single apocalypse business license she applied for was approved instantly.
Judging from this setup, it looked like they were going for publicity.
Before she had a chance to ask, Manager Tuo had already arranged the ribbon-cutting ceremony, inviting every official in Wu City to take part. That was the only time she got to exchange a few polite words with Jin Tianci.
"For the past few years, Wu City has placed great importance on supporting food processing plants," Jin Tianci said warmly. "We've worked hard to help resolve the difficulties these factories face in both production and livelihood. We hope this initiative can make a modest contribution to our city's food industry."
Clap, clap.
The sound of applause filled the air.
Jing Shu blinked again. "What the hell am I supposed to say to that?" Maybe she could look up a proper response online? But before she could speak, a reporter jumped in and "answered" for her:
"During the event, the factory's director expressed sincere gratitude to the city's leadership for their support. She promised not to disappoint the citizens of Wu City and vowed to provide fresh and delicious red nematodes for the people. Now, let's follow the reporter for an exclusive look inside the city's only Red Nematode Breeding Base."
Jing Shu: Wow. Thanks for that. Really nailed it.
Inside the brand-new, massive Red Nematode Breeding and Processing Factory, most of the workers were already seated neatly on small stools under the bright energy-saving lamps, staring curiously at the officials doing their rounds. They'd heard that their humble factory had somehow caught the attention of several top leaders, and everyone was dying to see what was going on.
Director Su gave the opening speech. Then a triumphant tune with horns and firecracker sounds played, and amid thunderous applause, Director Su, Jing Shu, Jin Tianci, and Jun Jia—the four biggest names present—were invited onto the stage to cut a long strip of bright red silk from who-knows-where.
Click, click, click.
The cameras kept flashing nonstop.
And just like that, the rather modest ribbon-cutting was over. Sure, it was a bit shabby and overly formal, but with Jin Tianci himself attending, no one dared to treat it lightly.
What Jing Shu didn't expect was that he'd prepared a surprise for her too. A shiny plaque reading "Outstanding Enterprise of Wu City"—stamped with the government's seal—was unveiled and hung right above the factory gate. The golden copper surface gleamed under the light, immediately catching the attention of onlookers.
"Looks like this factory's got some serious backing."
"No kidding. With so many leaders here, it's bound to take off."
"They couldn't breed red nematodes anywhere else in the country, but our Wu City did it! And there are cameras here too, we're gonna be on TV! Can you imagine how the rest of the country'll react?"
"They'll be proud, that's what! If Wu City can breed red nematodes like this, nobody in the country will have to starve anymore. It's a good thing."
"Yeah, but isn't the feed for those bugs made from carrion scavengers and infected zombie corpses? Won't the red nematodes get infected too? Then we'd just end up with zombie bugs again."
"Are you stupid? Of course it's been handled. Otherwise, would the government even allow this factory to open?"
Jin Tianci didn't say anything about that publicly, but Jun Jia had already come several times to collect samples of green algae, red nematodes, and processed food from the past few days. Everything had been tested over and over until it was proven completely safe. That's why the government fast-tracked her paperwork through the green channel.
As for why they brought cameras and reporters this time? Jing Shu figured it wasn't just because she owed the government a fortune. They probably wanted to boost their political record too. After all, anyone who managed to develop edible food these days instantly became national news and a symbol of achievement.
China was a massive country. With enough creativity, anything could be turned into food. Not long ago, Guangdong and Zhejiang had made headlines for exactly that. After the red nematode outbreak and massive floods, people all over the country were hunting those bugs.
Before the apocalypse, carrion scavengers had already spread everywhere, almost treated as pests. But when the red nematodes went rampant, those scavengers—who fed on the bugs—multiplied again like crazy.
That year, Guangdong and Zhejiang not only had plenty of red nematodes to eat, they even had grilled carrion scavenger. People there were living quite comfortably, all things considered.
But once the zombie plague hit every species, most of those scavengers got infected. The few that didn't were barely surviving, running out of food sources.
Local researchers later discovered that these surviving scavengers could be fed zombie-based feed, which helped them develop strong immunity. Even if they got reinfected, they wouldn't turn.
Once the heads and zombie flesh were removed, the dried skins and tailbones were still edible. They didn't carry the virus, though the skin was tough, the tails had no meat, and the taste was awful.
Still, the people of Guangdong boiled the skin, bones, and tails till soft, then sun-dried and ground them into powder to make the famous Carrion Scavenger Tonic Soup. It blew up nationwide, giving everyone a whole new impression of Guangdong cuisine.
For example, add hot water and it became scavenger porridge. Steam it and you could make scavenger rice rolls. They even made scavenger noodles and scavenger jelly sheets. Dozens of recipes popped up, and surprisingly, they didn't taste bad at all.
TV stations praised Guangdong's creativity, saying, "There's nothing in the world a Cantonese person can't eat."
That gave Jing Shu an idea. Once the red nematode factory was running smoothly, she'd start developing new foods too. Plain red nematode patties were no longer enough to satisfy the growing market demand.