Five hundred kilograms of grain was enough to feed the thirty or so people in their village for two months. If they had meat and vegetables to go with it, three months wouldn't be a problem. Of course, all of this was thanks to Xiao Wei's connections, so she was the one who had to handle the distribution. Whatever was left was her personal stash. He even reminded her to stock up more, just in case one day there was no grain supply from outside at all.
A sharp light flickered in Wen Jun's eyes. Lately, a few people in the village had been acting out of line. Now that someone could exchange for such precious food, jealousy was bound to rise. Clearly, it was time to adjust the system again. From now on, anyone who didn't work wouldn't get to eat.
"That's fine," Wen Jun said. "But you all better start saving the rice and flour. I can still trade for it right now, but in a while, things might get dangerous. Soon, it'll be harder and harder to get hold of."
Jing Shu was already doing the math in her head. This time, she could bring back 1 x (400 kilograms × 200 units) = 80,000 kilograms of food. It sounded like a lot, but if an average person needed 0.5 kilograms a day, it would only feed 100,000 people for two days.
Still, this was the apocalypse. Every bit had to be stretched to its limit. Add more water and dirt, and you could make it last another five or six days. If people got desperate, they could still go hunting. The carrion scavengers had already crawled out of the sea and onto land.
Jing Shu could never find the right word to describe how those carrion scavengers smelled—until recently, when she slaughtered a pig and used its bile for medicine. That was it. They smelled just like bile—rank, bitter, and nauseating to the point where she couldn't even swallow it if she tried.
If the gastropods could be stabilized, and they could provide over a thousand a month, it would ease some of Wu City's pressure.
For the first time, Jing Shu truly understood Qian Duoduo's "a drop in the ocean" feeling. Forget the whole country—just Wu City alone had several million people. How much food did that require every single day? Even if the government rationed supplies down to the grain, it couldn't last forever.
If not for the massive pre-apocalypse stockpile of strategic resources, they'd have starved long ago. The higher-ups were still trying every possible method, but food sources were simply too limited. Still, humanity would survive. New food would eventually be discovered, and the extinct animals or unmutated poultry from before the apocalypse were now priceless.
After finishing their negotiations, Xiao Wei finally led a few people deep into the worm tunnel, where a pool of black water lay still and ominous.
The gastropods all avoided that spot, clearly disgusted by it. Xiao Wei explained, "This black water once killed bugs that drank it. I drank it too, but it didn't do anything to me. I guess it's because my body already has some of it fused inside. I'm completely immune now."
Inside Jing Shu's Cube Space, the creatures were shrieking with excitement. Even Jun Bao couldn't hide his agitation. "This, this is the black water I've been studying these past few days! I didn't expect there'd be such a big pool of it here! Xiao Wei, name your price—I'll take all of it!"
"Cough!" Jing Shu stepped in front of him, rummaging through her thick cotton coat. After some digging, she pulled out several chunks of hard cheese, a handful of shredded beef jerky, a bar of Dove chocolate, and finally, her secret weapon—a thick, juicy Wangwang King beef sausage.
Several audible gulps came from Xiao Wei's group. "Jing Shu," Xiao Wei said quickly, "you can take as much black water as you want! If it's not enough, I'll have the bugs find more for you! I send them out every day!"
Jing Shu fought the urge to laugh and gracefully handed over the food. "These are for this time. If you find more next time, I'll bring you more food. Too bad, these are the last of the premium stuff. That chocolate's the final piece."
She was a bit reluctant herself. If it weren't for the cocoa trees growing in her Cube Space, she wouldn't have given it up at all. Just thinking about having to make her own chocolate later made her heart ache.
"I'll keep helping you find more," Xiao Wei promised. It didn't take her long to decide whose side she was on. Sure, Jun Bao's offer to "name any price" was tempting, but Jing Shu had already laid the food right in front of her. Who knew what Jun Bao would offer in return—or when? Would it be as tasty as this? Those sugary treats he'd brought last time were good, but nowhere near as satisfying.
The black water was useless to her anyway, just like muddy puddles on the ground. Jing Shu's food was more than enough payment.
Jun Bao opened his mouth weakly. "Xiao Wei, if you find more next time, I'll trade Sachima, osmanthus cakes, and candied hawthorn for it."
"Bring them first, then we'll talk." Xiao Wei chewed the beef jerky slowly and sighed. "Food's so good… why'd I ever think of killing myself back then?"
Jun Bao's snacks were long gone, even the last candies. Who knew when he'd get another chance like this?
"Jing Shu," Jun Bao said pitifully, turning toward her. "Can you share a little? Name your price. You won't use all that anyway, right?"
Jing Shu hesitated. Of course, no one knew she needed the black water to upgrade her space. She hated to part with even a drop. But how much should she give? Would a fingernail-sized bit be enough? Jun Bao had been generous lately… maybe two fingernail-sized portions?
Jun Bao coughed lightly, then dropped a bombshell.
"Our research institute in the capital's found a way to enlarge biological cells. We're still missing a stable gene chain. The crimson liquid is part of it, but we need more mutated genes. This black liquid looks similar, and since Xiao Wei said it burst the bugs, I think it might contain the genes for cell gigantism. If that's true, it'd be a huge breakthrough for post-apocalyptic food production. If you're willing to donate some, I can get you a share in the project."
Jing Shu's eyes widened in shock. Holy shit, did she just hear that right? Enlarged-cell food? Wasn't that supposed to appear in the second half of year five? That was mid-tier food in the apocalypse's later years! For China's survival, that really was a massive breakthrough. As for the low-tier food... well.
Just imagine it—a fish the size of a palm growing to the size of an elephant. After taking the new serum, all its cells would expand tens of thousands of times, swelling until it was barely edible.
Of course, the taste was awful. What used to be tender meat became as tough as wood shavings, impossible to chew and barely swallowable. But at least it was food.
Jing Shu stared at Jun Bao, suspicion flickering in her eyes. If she remembered correctly, that type of food had been developed and distributed by the Tyrant. So who exactly was this man in front of her?