Chapter 58: Divine Prophecy

CCTV was about to launch an all-out propaganda campaign about the "Artificial Sun." The campaign would detail its benefits after construction in various provincial capitals. It even admitted that building Artificial Suns could replace everything, now that no one knew when the Dark Day would end. They assured everyone not to worry. Once the Artificial Suns were built, all difficulties would be easily addressed, urging the people to "tighten their belts and get through this period." As a result, many people began to look forward to the arrival of the Artificial Suns. And the doomsday rumors circulating online self-destructed. Huaxia could plant crops again, and the fresh vegetables cultivated all over looked lively and appealing in front of the cameras. Huaxia was full of holes now, and the government was using various methods to plug them. Jing Shu didn’t know how to evaluate the Artificial Sun. After all, it was cutting-edge technology. It couldn’t be blamed for causing the deaths of many people by consuming all civilian energy. After all, it had succeeded during the Dark Day and had also mass-produced food, saving many people. Most importantly, in this year of drought and water pollution, it ultimately saved many who were on the brink of dying from thirst. So, Jing Shu didn’t feel she had the right to judge such a great civilian research project, nor did she want to intervene in these matters that were very remote from her. Jing Shu just wanted to live a little more comfortably during the apocalypse. The next critical point to note: the natural gas was being shut off. In the middle of the third month of the apocalypse, when electricity was available for only 3.5 hours a day and water relied entirely on trucks, they were now informed that natural gas would be cut off for everyone following the implementation of the Artificial Sun project. This was rather troublesome for Jing Shu, who had an abundance of ingredients. The news encouraged everyone to prepare more cooked food for storage, as natural gas could be substituted by burning coal or using electric cookers once it was cut off. The coal manufacturers immediately tripled their prices the next day, anticipating swarms of buyers, but not many people came. It took a few days for them to realize the situation. Most homes were devoid of vegetables, and frozen foods were almost gone. In a month, rice cookers would only be used to boil noodles and rice. Even if they had some vegetables but no oil, everything would have to be boiled together. What was the use of coal then? To stir-fry air? Before long, private stocks of coal and charcoal were requisitioned everywhere. At first, the complaining citizens also came to a realization: without water, vegetables, oil, or spices, what use was natural gas? "Dinner’s ready, dinner’s ready!" Grandma Jing brought the last dish to the table—green peppers stir-fried with king oyster mushrooms. Jing Shu also served everyone winter melon Wanzi soup. A sip before meals, as the saying goes, ensures a long life to ninety-nine. Since the villa was fully equipped with a water recirculation system for washing vegetables and an assortment of spices, Grandma Jing, Grandpa Jing, Third Aunt, and Wu You’ai had their dinner at the villa that evening. "Third Sister, your job isn’t easy. You only get this much meat each day; you should take it home to eat," Mr. Jing said helplessly, pointing at the braised chicken on the table. "It’ll spoil if it’s not in a fridge. Don’t worry about it," Jinglai said, urging them to eat quickly. During this time, Third Aunt had been working on the west side of the city, processing cooked food for the government. Every week, the cooked chicken and pork knuckles she was given were all stored in the villa’s fridge. Although it was said that she could take some whenever she wanted to eat, she had not taken any so far. "Your Third Aunt is just like that, proud and self-respecting, don’t mind her. She just feels embarrassed that she and her daughter are eating at your place," Grandma Jing had whispered to Jing Shu. After dinner, Mr. Jing tossed the plates and bowls into the dishwasher, which automatically started cleaning. Jing Shu and her family sat in the much smaller dining room, had their post-dinner fruit, and held a family meeting. Grandpa Jing spoke first, "The situation now is even worse than the famine we experienced back in the day. At least then, we could still grow crops, but now, we simply can’t grow anything. That news about the ’Artificial Sun’... this old man doesn’t trust it." "I go to the slaughterhouse in the west of the city every day. Now, the domestic poultry is almost completely processed—it’s such a tragedy. With this rate of slaughter, Wu City won’t see any livestock for years to come. Once we’ve eaten all the frozen meat and this batch of cooked meat, people will realize that for a long time to come, there won’t be any meat to eat," Third Aunt would feel sick to her stomach every time she thought about possibly going years without meat. Mrs. Jing, on the other hand, said, "If there are no vegetables, we can grow our own. If there’s no electricity, we can generate it here. If there’s no natural gas, we can just use the stove. There are a few tons of coal in the backyard, but I don’t think it’s enough. The authorities say long-term high temperatures could cause sea levels to rise. What will we do if we then get year-round snow and ice? Let’s buy a few more tons of coal tomorrow and pile them outside our villa!" "Alright, I’ll build a small shed outside, and we can take it down once the Dark Day is over," Mr. Jing also agreed. "Dad, while you’re at it, can you and Grandpa remodel the chicken coop and add another layer? There’s just not enough room," Jing Shu quickly made her request. Wu You’ai adjusted her glasses and showed everyone a picture on her phone. "It’s not just that. In the past two months, the crime rate has increased by 80%, and the robbery rate by 600%. My professor said Wu City arrested over five thousand people. Because there’s no food, they were put on record, starved for a few days, and then released. This means that 66% of them will commit crimes again, and 30% will commit crimes even more brazenly..." "That’s like setting a tiger free only for it to return to the mountains!" Grandma Jing said fearfully upon hearing this. "These days, it’s better not to go out! What a terrible state of affairs!" A glint of light reflected from Wu You’ai’s glasses. "Grandma’s right. It *is* like intentionally setting a tiger free to return to the mountains." Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. In her previous life, she had lived in a haze, surviving in confusion without understanding much of anything. It was only much later that she learned the various inside stories. Nothing like that had happened yet in this life. Could it be that Wu You’ai knew something? "Why?" Jing Shu asked with interest. "Relaxing control tempts crime, letting them create bigger disturbances. That way, the authorities have a good excuse to round them all up at once and save some food. Given the current situation, Huaxia can’t sustain the food chain. But if they abandon one group and another group dies off, they can save those who remain. Naturally, they would choose to abandon the criminals..." "Although this is just my professor’s wild analysis, Wu City definitely isn’t going to be peaceful from now on. We should consider what to do if we become targets, or if we’re chased by a knife-wielding mob. After all, your villa is so luxurious and has so much food," Wu You’ai bit off a big chunk of an apple. "Damn, damn, damn!" Jing Shu thought. "These wild analyses are terrifyingly accurate! Did we just stumble upon a prophecy? How come I didn’t think of that in my past life? I never understood it. The inhuman rioting lasted for nearly half a year before it was truly suppressed. Why were the methods so gentle at first and so bloody afterward, leaving no survivors? Later, those who managed to escape for a while were killed on sight if they came out for relief food because they had nothing to eat. It was such a stark contrast in approaches." Jing Shu clenched her fist, her knuckles cracking. It seemed that even though she was reborn, there were still many things she was being kept in the dark about. "What exactly does that professor of yours study? Talking nonsense all day," Third Aunt grumbled, displeased by her daughter’s scaremongering. "Grandpa, Dad, we should set some traps, just in case," Jing Shu suddenly suggested.