CHAPTER 84: MRS. JING’S TRANSFORMATION

Seeing Mr. Jing hesitate, Jing Shu added, "Think about Mom. What would happen if she were kidnapped? And think about whether these people might seek revenge on us after they’ve fled."

The era of peace had passed. Laws wouldn’t be in effect again until at least the next round of reforms. During this half-year devoid of humanity, killing was not a crime.

Mr. Jing then resolutely took the knife and nodded heavily, his teeth clenched.

With one strike, he ended the life of the pinned man. Killing someone himself didn’t seem so bad, he thought. Strangely, his body began producing adrenaline; his body temperature rose, his heart rate accelerated, and he even felt a bit excited!

Those groaning on the ground, witnessing this, began to plead for mercy. "Don’t kill me! I just came out to borrow some food because my family has none left!"

"I’ve been hungry for two days! Please, give me something to eat!"

"We all live in the same community! We just heard your family had plenty of food. Please spare us!"

Just when Jing Shu thought her dad might again be overcome with compassion, Mr. Jing ended each of their lives, one by one. The last man, seeing the dire situation, used all his strength to get up and run. But Mrs. Jing, who was in the car, opened the door and plunged the knife she carried into the runaway’s nape...

Jing Shu sighed. These amateurs, she thought. They just stab randomly. Not even a clean kill. It’s just torture.

She quickly finished the man off, pressed a cloth to the wound to prevent blood from splattering, then retrieved the knife her mom had dropped near the corpse. After wiping it clean, she handed it back to Mrs. Jing.

Mrs. Jing hugged Jing Shu tightly, her body trembling faintly.

Jing Shu gently patted Mrs. Jing’s back. She’ll get used to it,

Jing Shu thought. I was also terrified the first time. Mom always comforted me that things would get better. Aren’t things better now? Compared to our previous life, which was worse than that of beasts, in this life we’re well-fed, live in a good house, have plenty of water, and have reached the middle tier of the pyramid.

"Let’s go."

Fortunately, the energy car wasn’t badly damaged. After moving the roadblocks and corpses out of the way, the family drove on in silence. Jing Shu, Wolf Fang Club in hand, went with them. Everyone is adapting to this apocalypse, she observed, while I seem to be the only indifferent outsider watching it all happen again.

Jing Shu told Wang Qiqi about the robbery, and Wang Qiqi eventually posted in the group chat.

Wang Qiqi: "@everyone, there was another attempted robbery in our community just now. All five robbers are dead. Six months ago, over 130 people collected water here, but now only about 80 do. Instead of robbing others and losing your life, think about more realistic options."

Wang Cuihua sent a voice message: "Young people these days... A few of us old folks scrape tree bark every day. There are plenty of grasses on the back hills too. Clean them, mix them with rice in the rice cooker, and pressure-cook for an hour. It’s edible!"

Fat Girl No.25: "The locusts on the back hills are really fat now. They taste great roasted."

Wang Qiqi: "If you’re unsure, ask the experienced people in the group. Nobody has food right now. The government will distribute the first batch of vegetables in a few days. Just hold on a little longer!"

The second robbery occurred at a corner near the Management Department where Mrs. Jing worked. Several Big stones had been placed to block the road. "Energy cars are valuable now! Let’s just steal the car and trade it for food!"

Suddenly, a dozen people wielding clubs and kitchen knives emerged. This time, Mr. Jing was experienced. He floored the accelerator, reversed, and knocked down a group of them. Then, he swung the car around 180 degrees in a U-turn and hit another group.

A few people clambered onto the car doors, while others smashed at the windows with sticks.

**PONG!** The car window shattered, sending shards flying near Jing Shu.

In this violent shaking and with glass obstacles, the repeating crossbow is obviously not as effective as a gun, Jing Shu noted.

Jing Shu grabbed the stick poking in with one hand and, with the other, aimed her gun outside. She fired several shots, injuring three attackers. The surrounding attackers were terrified. Screams erupted as they scattered.

"They have a gun! Run!"

"That bitch was lying! They have a gun!"

Jing Shu jumped out of the car with her Wolf Fang Club. Swinging it in the dark, she quickly took down three more attackers. Mr. Jing, with the high beams on, floored the accelerator and rammed into those trying to flee.

The one-sided fight was over before it truly began. In the darkness, Jing Shu’s eyes glinted dangerously. She raised her gun and began to pick off the fleeing attackers one by one. None escaped.

Jing Shu grabbed the man who had just spoken. "Who did you say was lying? What exactly did that person tell you?" she demanded, pressing the gun against the punk’s chin.

"It was... it was a woman from this department. She said a car with just two frail women passes by here every day. She told us to rob the energy vehicle, saying it could be exchanged for a lot of food..."

The man had just finished speaking when the daily shuttle bus for the Management Department employees arrived. The driver stopped the bus. First, a dozen security guards got off, followed by many employees.

Security Chief Huang Long first ensured Mrs. Jing’s safety before asking, "Minister Su, what happened here?"

Master Liu, the driver, exclaimed in shock, "What... what’s with all these people lying on the ground?"

Jing Shu sneered and dragged Yu Caini out from where she was hiding in the crowd. "Was it her? What exactly did she tell you? Say it again," Jing Shu demanded of the captured robber.

"Yes, yes, it was her..." he stammered, then repeated his account.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"I didn’t expect Vice Director Yu to be this kind of person."

"Still calling her Vice Director, huh? She’s been demoted three ranks already and is undergoing retraining because she was laid off."

"Can she be arrested for this? Or fired?"

Yu Caini glared furiously at Jing Shu. "That’s hardly evidence, Su Lanzi! I’ll have you know, you only have the authority to reassign personnel, not to fire me! My position is with the New District municipal office, a place you can’t reach!"

**BANG!** The gunshot startled everyone.

Yu Caini’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

Jing Shu released the man she was holding, letting him slump to the ground beside Yu Caini. "Does evidence always matter so much?" she asked, casually blowing on the muzzle of her gun.

Yu Caini shrieked in terror and burst into tears. A foul stench rose from between her legs. "You can’t kill me! I’m a permanent government employee! You’ll be arrested if you kill me!"

"I hope you learn your place," Jing Shu said with a smirk. "And you’d better not be alone these next few days. Heh." With that, she turned and kicked one of the Big stones blocking the road aside—it landed with a heavy **THUD**—making Yu Caini tremble again.

Mrs. Jing stepped forward. "Given Yu Caini’s appalling attitude during her retraining, she is demoted to clerk, and her training period will be extended by one year. Yu Caini, since you seem to love working here so much, don’t even think about leaving. I will personally supervise your instruction." It’s time I asserted myself, Mrs. Jing thought. People always pick on the weakest ones!