The province with the largest population finally managed to keep itself alive thanks to the scavengers' relentless work in the dark, damp corners of the city. The news channels kept talking every day about new edible species discovered across the country, their flickering screens broadcasting images of strange, crawling creatures to every hungry household.
So, once Wu City got the red nematode, of course Jin Tianci had to report it to the higher-ups.
"Still, this could be a little tricky," Jing Shu said, rubbing her chin as she considered the implications. She had already prepared a plan for the day her work went national, but she hadn't expected it to happen this soon.
At the entrance gate, her Maternal Eldest Uncle, Su Yiyang, was already trotting ahead, leading the group of officials on their tour of the factory. Jing Shu followed behind Jin Tianci while several cameramen snapped away nonstop, their shutter clicks echoing through the air like a series of small, sharp cracks. A reporter kept ad-libbing commentary beside her ear; to be fair, the man was remarkably skilled, spitting out polished, professional sentences as if it were nothing at all.
Manager Tuo started shouting into a loudspeaker, announcing that the factory was officially open for business. In an instant, everyone sprang into motion. The collectors who didn't have much to do followed behind Jing Shu to watch the excitement, while the rest rushed to their posts to earn points. After all, there was a celebration banquet tonight and a commendation ceremony, and nobody wanted to miss out. Who would show up to a ribbon-cutting if there wasn't something in it for them?
Then Director Su began his rehearsed speech, standing tall as he addressed the crowd.
"Leaders, please look here. This is our factory's carrion scavenger storage base. Each iron container holds one ton of live scavengers, and the facility can store up to five thousand tons. Over the past few days, we have already collected five hundred tons from around Wu City, which has brought quite a bit of income to the locals.
These live scavengers can grow by about ten percent after five days of storage. By the sixth day, we will need to feed them small amounts of corpses. Their containers were made from melted-down equipment and specially treated to keep them from burrowing out."
Jing Shu was curious. It was her first time seeing the reformed factory, and honestly, in both her previous life and this one, she had never seen so many carrion scavengers gathered in one place before. They were said to eat anything, and the government workers had done an incredible job making those iron boxes.
The officials walked through a massive warehouse made entirely of those containers. When they peeked inside, they saw the boxes packed with writhing, maggot-like scavengers that churned in a dark, wet mass. The ones that died were immediately devoured by the rest. It was horrifying.
Each box had a curved shape, so scavengers climbing to the top would slip back down with a faint, scratching sound. Occasionally, a few managed to escape, but the workers in charge quickly pushed them back inside by hand. Everyone was busy—inspectors checking and weighing the scavengers, while others logged and organized the data in the app.
Some of the female workers even had babies strapped to their backs as they moved through the aisles. The place was buzzing with life, and the cameras captured every second of the industrious scene.
Jin Tianci nodded in satisfaction, and the other officials followed with nods and praise of their own. One even grabbed a handful of scavengers for the camera, only to yelp a moment later as a dozen red welts appeared on his hand. Director Su quickly reminded everyone to wear gloves when handling the creatures.
He led the group onward into another connected workshop.
"This here is our algae cultivation base. These patches of green algae were developed with millions of virtual coins by our research team. Using expensive reagents, the algae can filter out viruses from the scavengers they consume. They may look filthy, but these algae can actually be turned into poultry feed. Still, it's too costly to use as regular feed right now; the ratio isn't worth it.
But the algae have one major advantage: as long as they have a steady food supply, they will grow like crazy. That's why the scavengers are essential."
The place had been completely transformed. The old factory equipment was cleared out, replaced with a massive grid of stone pools filled with thick mud. Bubbles rose from the surface as the algae released sticky green slime, dissolving the wriggling scavengers that were tossed in. The supposedly invincible scavengers couldn't even move in that liquid. They were trapped like flies in a spider's web and quickly decomposed into nutrients.
Workers kept dumping box after box of scavengers into the pools, like stoking a furnace with coal. The algae swelled larger and larger, almost doubling in size before their eyes.
Director Su grabbed a handful, shook off the half-dead scavengers, and wiped off the sticky slime. Then he turned to Jun Jia with a grin. "You can taste it. It's got a grassy flavor, just a bit bitter."
Jun Jia's face turned pale. Sweat poured down his forehead as he stared at the green mass. Eat this stuff? It looked disgusting!
Jin Tianci, on the other hand, casually picked up a piece and chewed it. The cameras clicked wildly, recording every second of his calm demeanor. Jun Jia instantly regretted his hesitation. He should have done the same! It was just acting, right?
"It's a bit bitter," Jin Tianci said, "but the nutritional value is solid."
"Next," Director Su continued, "please look over here. This is our factory's main product, the red nematode. These earthen pools were treated for waterproofing and reinforced with bricks. Each can hold about ten tons of red nematodes. For now, we have twenty pools, all connected, and we plan to expand later if conditions allow.
This section is also where the production line runs. All processed red nematodes come from here."
Most of the melted-down equipment from the old factory had been repurposed into conveyor belts and other machinery for the production line.
Workers were already busy processing cooked red nematode products, their movements rhythmic and efficient.
"For every ton of scavengers, we can cultivate 0.75 tons of algae, and every ton of algae provides the daily feed for 0.75 tons of red nematodes. The conversion ratio is efficient, but the costs are enormous, not to mention the two pricey reagents, plus labor, materials, and electricity…"
Director Su followed Jing Shu's script, playing the "we are struggling" card with a practiced air. Jin Tianci glanced at her and rubbed his nose. He knew she was playing the poor victim. One hundred kilograms of scavengers earned the locals just one virtual coin. For one ton, they got ten coins, and from that, she could harvest hundreds of kilograms of red nematodes. Even after subtracting costs, the profit margin was outrageous.
How much red nematode could you buy for ten virtual coins now? Maybe ten patties, just a few kilos tops.
Jin Tianci felt his head spin with a dizzying sensation. At first, he thought her factory was great—one virtual coin could buy a full buffet meal—but now he realized businesspeople really did have dark hearts.
Then again, the research alone had cost a fortune, especially those reagents.
He couldn't help interrupting, "What is the red nematode's growth cycle? How many tons can you produce per day?"
Director Su looked awkwardly at Jing Shu, his eyes shifting toward her for guidance. To be honest, he still…