novelraw Chapter 681: A Lot of White Bones Were Unearthed
Chapter 681: A Lot of White Bones Were Unearthed
The buyer of this building must be a registered resident of Wu City. Furthermore, if it is for commercial use, the sale or rental price cannot exceed the market value, and the tax rate is 10%.
The starting bid is 8 million Virtual Coins’ worth of equivalent materials; no loans or installment payments are accepted.
However, if the buyer has the means, they can change the building’s location at will. Provided they have the capability, they can move it anywhere; Wu City is vast, and its center is deserted.
Just these conditions alone limited many people. Perhaps Wu City also feared the building might run off again, hence they issued a watered-down promise, and were also afraid that the buyer would flip it for a huge profit; after all, with a bit of renovation, creating private spaces with partitions and such, it would be much better than a basement.
But these many conditions were clearly the result of overthinking. While the building was empty before, at least the decorations and many fixtures were still present. A lot of items could be salvaged for use, so it was largely intact, its quality maintained, and its facilities fully equipped.
But this time... after the rotten mermaid attack, even the stair railings have been gnawed off, leaving nothing behind.
Wang Miao, having stated these conditions, felt his face burning with embarrassment.
If Boss Lu had been present before, this building would have fetched at least several tens of millions. Its previous location, though in the suburbs, wasn’t far from a district Township Government, factories, research centers, and commercial areas. It could have been leased out as an office building.
Now? ... The location is right next to the Red Worm Processing Factory, with nothing else around.
Despite this, the Township Government had no plans to lower the price any further; despite inviting many people, a lot of them didn’t show up.
"Director Wang, what will happen if the building doesn’t sell at auction? Why are there so many restrictions?"
"8 million, who would buy it now, when it’s so broken, so dirty?"
"Just get it over with and settle our claims!"
A murmur of sighs rose from below. Having barely survived, those who lived in the building were all shadowed by their experiences; no one in their right mind would want to buy it. The mere thought of coming here made them feel as if the monster’s malevolent spirit had followed them.
Wang Miao spoke through the megaphone, "It’s okay if it doesn’t sell; the Township Government plans to convert this into a supply station, which will be conveniently close to the Insect Cake Factory. We might even take in refugees who have escaped from the surrounding city to this area, which could facilitate future shipments and aid from the Insect Cake Factory."
Jing Shu shivered. Good heavens, she definitely didn’t want to be neighbors with the Township Government.
"8 million Virtual Coins—if no one wants it, I’ll take it," Jing Shu eventually raised her sign. Wasn’t the figure of 8 million too coincidental? Did the Township Government know she had just obtained 8 million Virtual Coins and intentionally set that price? How did they know she wanted to buy the building?
It turns out Jin Tianci really did know about it. He had said, "Just sell it for 8 million. If she wants it, she can have it; if not, it’s still useful for us to take back."
What could you do with such a dilapidated building bought for 8 million? Many people were puzzled, wracking their brains but unable to figure out any profit it could bring.
However, it wasn’t long before everyone’s attention was captured by Wang Miao’s talk of settlement and compensation.
Jing Shu had two villas which had just been transported to the back of the Insect Cake Factory, on a plot of land specially reserved for her. She had the area cleaned carefully and then sealed up using the old methods.
If nothing unexpected happened, these two villas would serve as her second burrow in her need for multiple hideouts as the apocalypse dragged on.
The compensation from the green space and the Township Government was in Virtual Coins. Liao Sheng received his share and was grateful that more Virtual Coins had been credited to his account.
"Miss Jing, all contracts for the building have been submitted to the big data system. You are now the owner, and if you use it for business, you need to file a report," Wang Miao diligently explained some details to Jing Shu. After finishing, he led everyone away.
Jing Shu called all the workers from the Insect Cake Factory over, and everyone looked perplexedly at the building. Many covered their mouths and noses; the smell was truly unbearable, and the interior was too dirty, too ruined.
"So, what’s our boss planning to do with this broken building she’s bought?"
"Our dormitories aren’t sufficient now, and there are no materials to build more houses. Maybe she’s planning to use it as a dormitory building?"
"I don’t want to live in here; I’d rather be cramped with everyone else."
"An 8 million Virtual Coin dorm building is too extravagant, isn’t it?"
Many people were discussing animatedly until Jing Shu, standing on the platform, waved her hand, and everyone quieted down.
Jing Shu then said, "I bought this building for a significant purpose. I just want to ask everyone, do you want to follow me and be well-fed, comfortably clothed, and sleep soundly in this apocalypse?"
"Yes!"
"We dream of it!"
"After the work stoppage, I realized how good our factory’s benefits are; it’s already being called the second Stone Garden of the East Suburb!"
Naturally, the first Stone Garden was that of West Mountain Qian Duoduo, who had the most favorable conditions there.
"Now, even Stone Garden can’t compare to our four-star treatment or better. Does Stone Garden provide meat now? Can they bathe in hot water every day?"
Jing Shu nodded and shouted, "Since you want it, your first task now is to clean the building spotlessly!"
So Jing Shu, with a grand gesture, sent the thousands of workers from the factory to clean the building.
The building was suddenly bustling, with people shoveling and transporting excrement, mopping floors, and scrubbing walls, all working energetically. No one slacked off because they were working overtime, getting extra pay, and would even receive night snacks!
Repairmen were on site, starting to fix the damaged areas, while construction workers began taking measurements to reinstall the underfloor heating in a few days.
Even Liu, who had followed Jing Shu for several months, didn’t understand what she was up to.
Seeing the financial expenditures one after another, Liu felt a pang of distress.
"Boss, this dried poop also stinks awfully. Wouldn’t it be better to burn it?" said the manager, who had center-parted hair and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"Dig a pit and bury it nearby," Jing Shu said. The excrement might not be useful, but she had noticed in recent days that her snakes and insects really hated the smell. If she wasn’t mistaken, this stuff could work as an insect repellent. When it was time to migrate, they would dig it up and have people carry it with them. It could help avoid the swarms of rotten corpse insects, which would be much better than suffering.
"Trouble, trouble! We’ve dug up lots and lots of white bones from under the ground outside the building!"
"Damn!"
"Hurry and take a look!"
Many people ran out frantically, driven by inexplicable feelings—a mix of fear, excitement, and thrill.
After the white bones were excavated and brought inside the building, everyone’s faces turned serious.
Meanwhile, reports of more and more bones being found continuously came from outside, and that’s when everyone started to feel true fear.
"These don’t look like human bones; they look like..."
At this moment, Liu stepped forward and said, "These are the bones of rotten mermaids. They’re from when many of them climbed into the building and ate people during our drift with the building. They are terrifying creatures, but their bones..."