I Am Cultivating in the Apocalypse

Chapter 787: Ah, These Damnable Rotten Corpse Insects Crawling Everywhere

Just as Jing Shu stepped onto the South Sea Pier with great vigor, she nearly tripped over something and fell flat on her face.

Jing Shu was momentarily speechless.

She had been careless!

Looking down, she saw a rotten corpse insect as thick as rope knotting itself around her foot, vying to coil up. Jing Shu skillfully pulled out several intertwined insects, twisted them into a tight knot, and tossed it into the mouth of a fat chicken.

With each crashing wave, countless insects were washed ashore, sometimes even slapping onto people’s faces.

Zhao Yu wordlessly picked off the sticky, bloodsucking rotten corpse insect squirming on his face. He tried to throw it away several times without success. Finally, awkwardly imitating Jing Shu, he managed to tie the snake-like insect into a few knots before tossing it aside.

"These rotten corpse insects are dozens of times bigger than those in Wu City, even bigger than those in Xuwen. They’re so slippery too! Sister Jing, you’re truly amazing," Zhao Yu said awkwardly.

He always felt that, in this regard, the unfazed Sister Jing was even more manly than they were.

Jing Shu just hummed. This was nothing; she could even handcraft large, attractive nets and decorative knots from live insects. She could give them as wedding gifts to friends, or even trade them for mud cakes.

"Looks like your face got scratched. Here, take this medicine for it."

"Hehe, thanks, Sister Jing. My rough face doesn’t need it. I’ll save it for when I get a really bad bite," Zhao Yu said, treasuring the ointment and thinking of giving it to his girlfriend later.

On the ground, dense swarms of rotten corpse insects writhed and surged towards the illuminated unloading area of the pier.

Under the lights, the scene was spectacular. You could imagine millions of snakes, layered one upon another, frantically crawling towards you.

Oh, I almost forgot, the South Sea was also one of the old nests of the rotten corpse insects.

Why did Jun Bao choose the farthest South Sea when selecting a relocation site?

One very important reason was that the rotten corpse insects here were large and plentiful, meaning they could be sold for money. This could support the Wu City People and even allow them to save some funds—it was a long-term plan.

Some might ask why they needed to go so far, since rotten corpse insects were everywhere in the country. True, but only coastal areas with ferry services had such a dense population of rotten corpse insects that could be used as Fuel and sold for money. Moreover, only the South Sea could accommodate the four million Wu City People.

So, looking at the writhing rotten corpse insects again, they suddenly seemed much cuter—these decaying little critters could be exchanged for food!

At the pier’s unloading area, more than a thousand workers, men and women alike, were arranged in three rows, forming a human firewall. They skillfully twisted the passing rotten corpse insects into tight knots, then, POP! tossed them into the carts behind them.

If you looked closely, their technique was identical to Jing Shu’s.

"Why don’t they use knives to chop them, instead of twisting them into knots? This way is too slow," Uncle asked.

"Uncle, you forgot. After evolving, rotten corpse insects are incredibly tenacious and reproduce asexually. If you chop them into pieces, they just keep wriggling and squirming like earthworms, and each piece can even multiply on its own," Jing Shu replied.

Uncle slapped his forehead. Dealing with red earthworms every day, he had indeed forgotten about that.

"The unloading area and warehouse must be properly sealed and isolated. Make sure to apply several layers of insect repellent. Rotten corpse insects can eat anything, so they’re incredibly hard to guard against. All goods must be inspected every four hours," Jing Shu instructed.

"Rest assured, Sister Jing. These goods are our lifeblood," Zhao Yu assured.

Once a cart was filled with struggling rotten corpse insects, a designated worker would push it away to a processing room at the back. Inside, there was a huge boiler room where water was boiled while the rotten corpse insects were dried. Afterward, someone would take them for further treatment, eventually turning them into Fuel.

Apart from labor costs, there were virtually no other costs.

"Sister Jing, this is a rotten corpse insect Fuel factory opened by the South Sea locals. Before our main contingent arrives, we’ll have to buy our Fuel from them."

"Alright, it doesn’t matter whose we buy," she replied.

After unloading the goods, Zhao Yu took Jing Shu, Third Aunt, and Uncle to the site selected for the Nanhai Cigarette Factory.

"...We Wu City People were assigned to the former New City Suburb of South Sea. A very small number of South Sea locals returned after the tide receded two years ago and began developing this barren county, now called Dock Port. Our Cigarette Factory is located here in Dock Port. Firstly, it’s close to the pier, which makes transportation convenient. Secondly, both the new and old parts of the city have been overrun by rotten corpse insects... There’s no other land available for us."

Sitting inside a luxurious Hulk-brand vehicle, Zhao Yu was briefing Jing Shu, although Jing Shu actually knew more than he did.

Now, only 3% of the South Sea area was habitable; the rest was submerged under insects, just waiting for the main force to arrive and clear them out.

Dock Port had been developed for only a year and a half since the apocalypse. It featured no skyscrapers or paved roads. With every step, mud splattered, creating large pits, and rotten corpse insects crawled everywhere. The ride was so bumpy that Jing Shu’s head ached, but Hulk seemed to be enjoying itself, its tongue flicking out in all directions to happily devour the rotten corpse insects.

In Dock Port, the low-lying areas were filled with mud-brick houses—rows of dilapidated buildings resembling slums. The higher ground, however, featured rapidly constructed 3D-printed houses. Using 3D printing technology, a detached residence could be built within 24 hours, appearing neat, clean, and visually pleasing.

There were even villas in the highest areas.

Although Dock Port had only been developed for a year and a half, thousands of buildings had already been constructed. These housed a wide range of enterprises, both local and from across the nation, employing roughly one hundred thousand people. The place had effectively become a sprawling village interspersed with small, modern-looking houses.

"The 3D-printed houses are a special privilege granted by the government to those investing in the reclamation and development of South Sea. One such house can cost several hundred thousand Virtual Coins. Our Cigarette Factory will just use a sheet-metal building; it’s cheap and quick to construct. The factory building can be completed in five days, and we can be operational in ten," Zhao Yu explained.

The approved plot of land wasn’t large, but it was sufficient for a factory employing a few thousand people.

When Jing Shu and the others arrived, the foundation of the factory had already been laid. Areas for offices, earth toilets, warehouses, an employee canteen, and employee dormitories had been delineated.

All that remained was for Jing Shu to sign off, give her approval, and provide the funds to purchase materials.

Jing Shu waved her hand magnanimously, transferring some of the funds to the contractor and the majority to Third Aunt’s account. From then on, Third Aunt would be in charge of procurement and expenses, while Uncle would oversee general operations.

Jing Shu clapped her hands, ready to move on. She decided to check on Su Malie’s villa and, while she was at it, rent a plot for her own.

Su Malie had recommended a land dealer, Fatty Liu. After arranging a meeting with him, Jing Shu arrived at the villa area on the highest ground in Dock Port.

The roads here were clean, wide, and clearly newly paved. The roadsides were planted with wild, mutated Black Grass and the currently popular Firefly Lamp Grass. These plants created a speckled, lush green scene that also felt somewhat sinister and eerie.

Su Malie’s villa was still one of a five-unit row, occupying the prime spot in the villa district.

Outside the villa stood a portly man in a suit, sweating and constantly wiping his brow. He carried a flashlight and glanced around nervously. When he saw Jing Shu approaching, his eyes lit up, and he trotted over to greet her:

"Hello, you must be Miss Jing. Following Miss Su’s instructions, I reserved this plot next to her villa for you. It’s a total of 700 square meters. What do you think?"