CHAPTER 37: INDUSTRIAL WATER FILTRATION INCIDENT

At Mrs. Jing’s workplace, the communal lunches were filled with sand, and eating rice required swallowing it whole without chewing. Mrs. Jing had cracked her tooth on this communal meal, which was why Jing Shu decided to home-cook meals for her instead—an incident that hadn’t occurred in her past life.

"Besides, aren’t these domestically raised? Our Domestic Poultry doesn’t come into contact with the outside, and maintaining ventilation and temperature should prevent issues. When Grandpa arrives, he still needs to help Dad expand the chicken coop to a double layer; otherwise, it’s too small."

"Understood. Ugh, although the news reported some farms incinerating dead Domestic Poultry, many more turned heat-stricken and diseased chickens, cows, and pigs into various kinds of braised or dried meats and then sold them to the market. These beasts!" Mr. Jing recalled the black water in the large stove, dotted with countless unprocessed dead chickens, and he felt sick.

Actually, having something to eat wasn’t bad at all, considering the widespread heat deaths among Domestic Poultry, and the plague hadn’t worsened yet. In two to three months, if the unprocessed Domestic Poultry were to accumulate and rot, attracting maggots and other decomposers, that would be truly serious.

Eat no meat initially, survive on maggots later—it’s just pretentious.

"We dare not eat Domestic Poultry meat from outside now, and vegetable prices have increased a lot, which has driven up grain prices as well. I hope this Dark Day will end soon, perhaps in a couple of weeks. It would be such a relief for us," Mrs. Jing said, voicing her concerns.

The Dark Day probably won’t end; the apocalypse has just begun, but nobody has realized it yet.

After seeing Mrs. Jing off to work, Jing Shu took out a pen and recorded the events of the first year of the apocalypse from her memories to make the necessary preparations. Ten years had passed, and she had forgotten some details.

In her past life, during the first month of the apocalypse, Jing Shu had stayed at home, enjoying the air conditioning and live-streaming, while Mr. Jing and Mrs. Jing went to work as usual. Half of Wu City’s water was muddy, so Mr. Jing had used his connections to buy a batch of mineral water at a high price. Unfortunately, he shared nearly half of it, leading to a shortage later on.

Today is January 14th. In a few days, a heatwave will kill many fish and severely contaminate the water sources. Within a month, there will be restrictions on electricity, and obtaining fuel for vehicles will become difficult.

Within a month and a half, the water supply will be cut off, and people will have to rely on water trucks, with each household receiving a limited quota.

When almost two months have passed and the Dark Day still hasn’t ended, the entire country will enter a state of panic and begin to hoard grain. Power supply times will continue to decrease, the weather will become increasingly hotter, water shortages will worsen, grain purchases will be restricted, and supplies will dwindle. Consequently, it will only take a few months for the dark half-year of organized robbery, murder, and inhumane acts to erupt...

Jing Shu bit her pen. So, the current shortfall is definitely Combat Power. I’ve become much stronger thanks to the Spiritual Spring’s power, and one punch from me could definitely knock down an adult. But even a seasoned master can be overwhelmed by a flurry of random blows, let alone someone like me with no foundational training?

She quickly jotted down her plans. First, acquire a gun before the dark half-year arrives to defend against group robberies. Second, the villa must be prepared with deadly traps for self-defense.

To guard against personal sneak attacks, robberies, vendettas, and the like, I must secure foolproof methods of survival. No matter what weapon an opponent uses, I need to ensure I can be instantly protected and have the ability to counterattack, to prevent the tragedy of my previous life from repeating.

My only trump card is absolute control over the Magic Cube Space. So, how can I use the Magic Cube Space to protect my life?

BEEP! BEEP! A message from the homeowners’ chat group interrupted Jing Shu’s thoughts.

Boss Bai: "@everyone, I’ve sourced a batch of mineral water, 20 yuan per bottle. If you want some, leave a message with your building and unit number, and I’ll deliver it."

I have a baby No.13: "Boss Bai, you still have channels to get water? Awesome! What brand is it that’s so expensive?"

Boss Bai: "It’s locally produced."

Then, the chat group erupted with people clamoring for the water. Major supermarkets were now limiting the amount of water each person could buy, but new stocks still sold out quickly every day. Water from major purification plants simply couldn’t meet public consumption.

The tap water was indeed too sandy. Installing a single filter was definitely insufficient; one needed a six-stage filtration system like Jing Shu’s.

Using muddy water for daily chores was bearable, but no matter how much the drinking water settled, it was still like a mouthful of sand and dirt, which many people found intolerable. This gave rise to the current scarcity of bottled water.

Jing Shu remembered that in the early days of the apocalypse, some people, trying to make a quick profit, filled mineral water bottles with industrially filtered water and sold them through small vendors. Many who drank it suffered from diarrhea and heavy metal poisoning. Those with weaker constitutions effectively met their ancestors—it was even worse than eating diseased chicken.

She searched online and confirmed that many locally produced bottled waters were indeed industrially filtered. So, she took a screenshot and posted it in the homeowners’ group, reminding everyone to check carefully when buying.

Boss Bai: "@Xiao Shu’s Villa District, you’re not even buying any, so why are you sprouting nonsense? I pulled strings just to get this shipment for 19 yuan a bottle, and I’m only making one yuan for my trouble! You post a picture like that, comparing me to those profiteering small-time vendors. What are you trying to imply?!"

Luxury Car Specialist No.5: "Boss, don’t bother with her. Just hurry and deliver our water."

Luo Hao No.13: "Exactly! What’s so great about living in the villa district?"

Wind No.3: "Locally produced and still so expensive. It’s not industrially filtered water, is it? Can’t it be cheaper?"

I have a baby No.13: "Xiao Shu’s reminder is good. I have a baby, I can’t risk it. I don’t want the water anymore."

After a few others also declined, Boss Bai, infuriated, said: "@Xiao Shu’s Villa District, I’ll remember you. Don’t you ever come to my shop for water or anything else again!"

Wang Qiqi No.13: "Alright everyone, stop arguing. @Xiao Shu’s Villa District has a point. We all need to check things carefully when buying."

The group quieted down considerably. Jing Shu had only offered a kind reminder; she wasn’t acting like a Holy Mother trying to prevent them from walking into danger. In the apocalypse, just managing to take care of oneself was already doing well.

Before long, Mr. Jing also saw the group message.

Jing’an Villa District: "@Boss Bai, is the small supermarket at the community entrance yours?"

Boss Bai: "Yes. Are you looking for water?"

Jing’an Villa District: "Okay, understood."

「Later that afternoon.」

The temperature in Wu City had reached 49℃. Jing Shu was sitting in the police station, enjoying the air conditioning and drinking chilled orange juice, ignoring the covetous stares from various criminal suspects around her.

"So, you knew beforehand that Boss Bai was selling industrial water and warned the members of the homeowners’ group. This resulted in Boss Bai insulting you. Then, your father confronted Boss Bai about selling industrial water, which led to a conflict. Your father was acting in self-defense, correct?" the officer confirmed again.

Jing Shu nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

The truth was that her father had suddenly gone to the supermarket and beaten Boss Bai so badly that he couldn’t take care of himself. Then, Boss Bai’s wife had called the police. The police were about to arrest Mr. Jing when Jing Shu arrived to save the situation. The neighbor named Luo Hao, who had drunk the water, soon developed symptoms of heavy metal poisoning and sent a desperate voice message in the group, revealing to everyone that Boss Bai was indeed selling industrially filtered water.

Jing Shu seized the opportunity to coordinate their stories with Mr. Jing.

"You did very well. We do not tolerate the act of selling industrial water at high prices. We will confiscate all his supplies and subject him to corrective labor. Given your righteous actions, we will record this incident in your identity profiles. Rest a bit more until your father comes out." The officer saluted and left with the testimony.