Jing Shu blinked in sheer confusion as she took in the scene. "What is with all this pomp? Isn't today just a simple opening ceremony, just a basic ribbon-cutting? Why is it so grand?"
Were they really waiting specifically for her? Couldn't they have started the proceedings without her presence? And why were there so many people gathered here? She didn't remember inviting this massive crowd to her factory.
Just as she was thinking that, a faint, polite cough came from the front of the room. A man stood up among the seated guests, looking calm and elegant in his posture, and walked slowly toward her. "Finally, you're here. Let's get started with the event."
At once, the crowd around them stirred to life, the quiet murmurs turning into a low roar of anticipation.
"What is going on? What are we doing?" she asked him, her voice hushed and utterly confused.
Then she saw exactly who it was—oh damn, wasn't that not Jin Tianci, the current authority of Wu City? He looked much better than the last time she had seen him, and he even had a bit of healthy color back in his face. The medicine she provided really worked wonders on his condition.
Click. Click.
The cameras snapped several close-ups of her face, and she instinctively flashed a practiced smile for the lenses.
Jin Tianci reached out to shake her hand, and they both turned to face the waiting cameras with professional smiles. Jing Shu's brain went blank for a short moment as she kept her expression frozen. "So the big boss himself came to personally inspect the place?"
Well, it made sense when she thought about the logistics. This land was bought with a massive, high-stakes loan from the government, the workers came straight from the state-sponsored factory program, the machines were all borrowed and carefully refitted, and even the virtual coins in circulation were backed by government credit.
The administration had poured a ton of valuable resources into this specific project. If her factory went under, the government wouldn't get a single coin back from their investment. It was no wonder every single apocalypse business license she applied for was approved almost instantly.
Judging from this elaborate setup, it looked like they were going for maximum publicity.
Before she had a chance to ask any more questions, Manager Tuo had already arranged the ribbon-cutting ceremony, inviting every significant official in Wu City to take part in the act. That was the only time she got to exchange a few polite, whispered words with Jin Tianci.
"For the past few years, Wu City has placed great importance on supporting local food processing plants," he said warmly to the room. "We have worked hard to help resolve the various difficulties these factories face in both their production and their daily livelihood. We hope this initiative can make a modest contribution to our city's struggling food industry."
Clap, clap.
The sound of enthusiastic applause filled the air, echoing off the new stone walls.
Jing Shu blinked again, her mind racing. "What the hell am I supposed to say to that?" Maybe she could look up a proper response on her phone later? But before she could speak a single word, a reporter jumped in and effectively answered for her:
"During the event, the factory's director expressed her sincere gratitude to the city's leadership for their unwavering support. She promised not to disappoint the citizens of Wu City and vowed to provide fresh and delicious red nematodes for the people. Now, let's follow the reporter for an exclusive look inside the city's only Red Nematode Breeding Base."
Jing Shu thought to herself: Wow. Thanks for that. You really nailed it.
Inside the brand-new, massive Red Nematode Breeding and Processing Factory, most of the workers were already seated neatly on small stools under the bright, humming energy-saving lamps. They were staring curiously at the officials doing their formal rounds through the facility. They had heard that their humble factory had somehow caught the attention of several top leaders, and everyone was dying to see what was going on.
Director Su stood up and gave the official opening speech. Then a triumphant tune with horns and loud firecracker sounds played over the speakers, and amid thunderous applause, Director Su, Jing Shu, Jin Tianci, and Jun Jia—the four biggest names present—were invited onto the stage to cut a long strip of bright red silk from who knows where.
Click, click, click.
The cameras kept flashing nonstop, the light reflecting off the shiny surfaces of the equipment.
And just like that, the rather modest ribbon-cutting was over. Sure, it was a bit shabby and overly formal for her tastes, but with Jin Tianci himself attending, no one dared to treat the event lightly.
What she didn't expect was that he had prepared a special surprise for her too. A shiny plaque reading "Outstanding Enterprise of Wu City"—stamped clearly with the government's official seal—was unveiled and hung right above the factory's main gate. The golden copper surface gleamed under the bright light, immediately catching the attention of all the onlookers.
"It looks like this factory has got some serious backing from above."
"No kidding. With so many high-level leaders here, it's bound to take off."
"They couldn't breed red nematodes anywhere else in the country, but our Wu City did it! And there are cameras here too; we're going to be on TV! Can you imagine how the rest of the country will react to this?"
"They will be proud, that's what! If Wu City can breed red nematodes like this, nobody in the country will have to starve anymore. It's a good thing for everyone."
"Yeah, but isn't the feed for those bugs made from carrion scavengers and infected zombie corpses? Won't the red nematodes get infected too? Then we would just end up with zombie bugs again."
"Are you stupid? Of course it's been handled by the experts. Otherwise, would the government even allow this factory to open in the first place?"
Jin Tianci didn't say anything about that specific concern publicly, but Jun Jia had already come several times to collect samples of the green algae, the red nematodes, and the processed food from the past few days. Everything had been tested over and over in the lab until it was proven completely safe for consumption. That's why the government fast-tracked her paperwork through the green channel.
As for why they brought cameras and reporters this time? She figured it wasn't just because she owed the government a fortune in loans. They probably wanted to boost their political record too. After all, anyone who managed to develop edible food these days instantly became national news and a symbol of great achievement.
China was a massive country with a long history. With enough creativity, almost anything could be turned into food. Not long ago, Guangdong and Zhejiang had made headlines for exactly that reason. After the red nematode outbreak and the massive floods, people all over the country were hunting those bugs for sustenance.
Before the apocalypse, carrion scavengers had already spread everywhere, almost treated as common pests. But when the red nematodes went rampant, those scavengers—who fed on the bugs—multiplied again like crazy.
That year, Guangdong and Zhejiang not only had plenty of red nematodes to eat, they even had grilled carrion scavenger. People there were living quite comfortably, all things considered.
But once the zombie plague hit every species, most of those scavengers got infected. The few that didn't were barely surviving, running out of their usual food sources.
Local researchers later discovered that these surviving scavengers could be fed zombie-based feed, which helped them develop a strong immunity. Even if they got reinfected later, they wouldn't turn into zombies.
Once the heads and the zombie flesh were removed, the dried skins and tailbones were still edible. They didn't carry the virus, though the skin was tough, the tails had no meat, and the taste was awful to most people.
Still, the people of Guangdong boiled the skin, bones, and tails until they were soft, then sun-dried and ground them into a fine powder to make the famous Carrion Scavenger Tonic Soup. It blew up nationwide, giving everyone a whole new impression of Guangdong cuisine.
For example, add hot water to the powder and it became scavenger porridge. Steam it and you could make scavenger rice rolls. They even made scavenger noodles and scavenger jelly sheets. Dozens of unique recipes popped up, and surprisingly, they didn't taste bad at all to the hungry survivors.
TV stations praised Guangdong's creativity, saying, "There's nothing in the world a Cantonese person can't eat."
Jing Shu gave her a new idea. Once the red nematode factory was running smoothly, she would start developing new foods too. Plain red nematode patties were no longer enough to satisfy the growing market demand.