PSW - Chapter 128
Chapter 128
On the second day after Wu Banhuai's death, the fourth great rain of the apocalypse was still falling.
The former residents of the "God Country" woke up as usual. Gazing at the torrential downpour that still hadn't stopped, it took them a moment to realize what had happened yesterday and what had changed.
But for ordinary people like them, no matter what changed, as long as they could survive… with food to eat and a place to live, that was enough.
Si Zhuangjing woke up very early. Although she was an ability user, her appearance still held a hint of unconcealable exhaustion. Clearly, she hadn't slept well last night, perhaps not at all. She meticulously washed up using her meager ration of water, then did her best to press her clothes smooth. After dressing neatly and carefully checking her reflection in the mirror to ensure everything was in order, she headed to the building where Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan were resting. She didn't dare to go up rashly, so she simply stood ramrod straight on the first floor, chest out and head held high, waiting obediently.
The sky had not yet fully brightened. Just as Si Zhuangjing thought she would have to wait a long time, Zheng Yi came downstairs as silently as a ghost.
"How much food do you have in stock here?"
"!" Si Zhuangjing jumped. She hadn't sensed Zheng Yi's approach at all and only noticed her when she spoke! However, she quickly replied, "Enough for everyone to scrape by for a month. But after this rain passes, we can harvest another wave of crops from the plantation. We'll have fresh grain then." It's just that the extreme cold period will be arriving by then, so it's uncertain how much new grain there will actually be.
"What about fuel? Are there enough fire ability users to get through the extreme cold period?"
"We've stored a lot of straw and wood. After the high-temperature period, we built a charcoal kiln and have also stored some charcoal. If the extreme weather of the cold period doesn't last more than a week, it will be enough." Si Zhuangjing answered earnestly, trying her best to avoid words like "maybe," "should," or "probably."
"If I were to leave this entire place for you to manage, are you confident you could lead everyone through the extreme cold period and ensure the ordinary people don't die?"
Si Zhuangjing was stunned. She stared blankly at Zheng Yi. The young woman still wore a gentle smile, but her words left Si Zhuangjing at a loss for how to respond. Was this… a test? Or… or was she really going to hand over all of… all of Xuancheng to her? How was that possible… Could it be that she was testing her to see if she would become the next Wu Banhuai?
Si Zhuangjing met those dark eyes. A thousand thoughts surfaced in her mind, only to be extinguished one by one. She pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, and answered with equal honesty, "I'm not very confident I can do it. I can only say… I will do my absolute best. My abilities are limited, my strength isn't top-tier, and I'm not particularly decisive in my actions. I… I… Before, Wu Banhuai, under the guise of a divine messenger and a god, did many… things. I knew everything, yet I didn't intervene. I was a bystander."
Si Zhuangjing didn't try to make excuses for herself by mentioning the power gap, the belief in a god, being controlled by Wu Banhuai's mental brand, or being influenced by his ability.
"Mm," Zheng Yi responded casually. With a wave of her hand, five tall stacks of instant noodle boxes appeared on the floor. These were all things she had either bought or acquired for free before the apocalypse. Now, there was no need to keep so much of it piled up in the truck.
They were all bags of instant noodles, with 24 bags per box, for a total of only 120 bags.
After placing those down, Zheng Yi directly spent two hundred Saint Points to buy two hundred bags of frozen dumplings. The massive pile of frozen dumplings appeared right next to the instant noodles, nearly filling half the first floor. Each bag contained thirty dumplings. Combined with the instant noodles, it would be enough to provide everyone in Xuancheng with a decent breakfast.
"Get some people to move these. Set up large pots, cook everything together, and give everyone a bowl." Zheng Yi looked at her. "Everyone must get some. Can you do that?"
"…Yes!" Si Zhuangjing never expected that after her long, courage-filled speech, Zheng Yi would only reply with an "Mm" and then… proceed to give her a new task as if nothing had happened. But, this was also a kind of response, wasn't it?
"One hundred and twenty bags of instant noodles, two hundred bags of frozen dumplings, with thirty dumplings per bag."
Si Zhuangjing pulled herself together and quickly acknowledged. She watched as Zheng Yi went straight upstairs after saying this. She didn't just stand there foolishly; she quickly glanced over the noodles and dumplings, confirmed the quantities, and immediately turned to find other ability users to help.
The former confidants were quite eager when they were summoned. Faced with such an absolute disparity in power, regardless of whether Zheng Yi was truly a god, they had to be completely subservient in her presence and think of every possible way to please her. So when Si Zhuangjing asked for their help and they heard it was related to Zheng Yi, how could they possibly refuse?
"This… holy crap, these dumplings look so fresh. They don't look like they've been frozen for half a year at all. What flavor are these?"
Pickled cabbage and pork, beef and scallion, pork and shepherd's purse, chives and egg, mixed mushroom, corn and vegetable, black pepper beef, premium shrimp, savory Spanish mackerel…
The dazzling array of flavors left the group of ability users speechless. One of them couldn't help but rub his eyes, suspecting he was still dreaming. "I-I've never seen so many kinds of dumplings, even before the apocalypse! Did frozen dumplings even come in this many flavors?"
"Do you guys think she's really a god? H-how did she conjure all this?" The ability user's voice grew quieter as he spoke, until he couldn't help but whisper his speculation, "It can't be that these are all transformed from rocks, right? They won't turn back into rocks in our stomachs after we eat them, will they?"
"…" The other ability users looked at each other, then fearfully glanced upstairs, not daring to respond.
"Then don't eat any later," Si Zhuangjing said, utterly exasperated. "What are you all standing around for? Store them in your spaces. We'll divide them into several large pots to cook later. Cook the dumplings first, then the instant noodles. First, give a bowl to every ordinary person, including the children. After the ordinary people, we'll distribute to the ability users. We'll be last."
"Huh? No, Si Jie, didn't you get the order backward?"
"These are her wishes." Si Zhuangjing's expression was pious and serious. She looked at each of the ability users, her tone inscrutable. "Just do it. She is, after all, the God of Saints."
A Saint…
Thunderous methods, but the heart of a Bodhisattva?
They said no more and raised no further objections. Those with storage abilities quickly packed everything away. The group hurried out of the building. Some went to the kitchen to organize the cookware, others went to the reservoir to fetch water, and still others went to the residential buildings for ordinary people to explain the situation and manage the crowd, to prevent the scene from descending into chaos.
Without Wu Banhuai, they still divided the labor and performed their respective duties. As they cooked the large pots of dumplings and noodles, smelling the fragrance that wafted for miles, they couldn't help but think: this life didn't seem too different from before… In fact, it might even be better?
At least, they were much more clear-headed now, without that muddled feeling in their minds. They no longer had to be called out by Wu Banhuai for general assemblies every few days, nor did they have to stand guard at his place at night, getting brainwashed further. There weren't as many rules and regulations, no nonsensical divine prohibitions, and they no longer had to carry out Wu Banhuai's dirty work.
To them, this breakfast was simply the most sumptuous feast they had enjoyed since the apocalypse began.
The heavy rain outside continued to fall. After finishing breakfast, Si Zhuangjing went to inspect the granary and warehouse, carefully noting down all the figures. Once the rain stopped, the charcoal kiln would have to resume operation, and another wave of crops would need to be harvested.
Although Zheng Yi had only responded to her with a single "Mm,"… since Zheng Yi had brought it up, she had to do her best to handle it well. That Saint clearly had this intention, and more importantly, the two of them had no plans to stay in Xuancheng for long. They seemed to have come only for the meteor fragment. From the broadcast that appeared in the sky before Wu Banhuai's death, it was clear that the Saint only cared about the "meteor fragment."
This was her opportunity.
…Could she seize it? Could she do it well?
The fate of nearly five hundred people in Xuancheng… could she shoulder it?
It seemed the Saint had asked her this, yet it also felt as if she hadn't been asked at all. But Si Zhuangjing began to seriously consider the question and meticulously investigated Xuancheng's current situation and its various resources. Before this, while she had known about these things, it was only in general terms.
"So, you plan to leave this place to Si Zhuangjing?" Yu Yinan asked, lifting her eyes as she picked up a dumpling from her bowl and dipped it lightly in vinegar.
"Mm, just like with Zhongshan." Zheng Yi sat obediently to the side, eating her dumplings with puffed-out cheeks. "We'll leave after the rain stops. We still have many days. It's enough time to observe."
"Her strength might not be enough to command respect. What if something unexpected happens after we leave?"
"I'll just give her a mark in public. It's about the ceremony, you know? A mark bestowed by a god, allowing her to contact me at any time, will also serve as a deterrent," Zheng Yi said softly. "I took the meteor fragment, and my strength is plain to see. Those ability users won't dare to have any rebellious thoughts for a while." Unless three to five years passed without Zheng Yi ever returning or appearing, only then would their minds start to wander.
"I'll just leave her some Stamina Recovery Pills and nutrient solution." If, even with all that, Si Zhuangjing still couldn't manage everything…
Then let the most capable person take over. Zheng Yi would only consider coming back if she was short on Saint Points in the future.
Speaking of which, Zheng Yi was reminded of Feng Shuxian from Zhongshan. She hadn't contacted her at all, which probably meant Zhongshan was developing quite well. They should be able to get through the upcoming extreme cold period smoothly, right?
"Once the rain stops, the extreme cold period will arrive. If the temperature gets too low, should we stay here or hurry back to Pujie?" Yu Yinan ate her last dumpling. Zheng Yi then took her bowl and chopsticks, rinsed them clean with a stream of water, and stored them directly in her personal space.
"Let's go back to Humanity's Light." Although the people at Humanity's Light couldn't withstand the meteor fragment's energy, for the sake of the information they provided, she should at least let Zhao Haiyue know about this. Even from a distance, they'll probably want to feel it.
As for what comes after…
Zheng Yi thought about the power within the fragment. She could absorb and withstand it, but others couldn't. Zero One wasn't very reliable either. Getting it to evolve a template to analyze this fragment was a pipe dream. Rather than waiting for Zero One, it would be better to just go to Changping.
The Dawn Research Institute…
Perhaps there would be new discoveries there?
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