Chapter 84: The Transformation of Jing’s Mother

Seeing her father hesitating, Jing Shu added, "Think about Mom. What if she got kidnapped? What if these people come back for revenge?"

The peaceful times were over. The law wouldn't be reinstated until after the next wave of reforms, and during these cruel, lawless months, killing wasn't illegal.

With determination, Jing's father took the knife, gritting his teeth as he nodded.

He ended the life of the man pinned against the car. Surprisingly, the act of killing didn’t feel as horrific as he had expected. What was more unsettling was the surge of adrenaline that coursed through his body. His temperature rose, and his heart raced—he felt strangely exhilarated.

The men lying on the ground, moaning in pain, began to beg for their lives, "Don’t kill me! I just ran out of food and came out to borrow some!"

"I’ve been starving for two days! Just give me something to eat!"

"We're all neighbors. We just heard you had a lot of food. Spare us!"

Jing Shu thought her father might falter, moved by sympathy, but he methodically ended their lives, one by one. The last man, sensing the danger, tried to muster enough strength to escape, but before he could, Jing's mother opened the car door. With a trembling hand, she plunged a knife into the man’s neck.

Jing Shu sighed. Her mother was clearly inexperienced. Stabbing someone in a non-lethal way only prolonged their suffering. Jing Shu swiftly finished the job, pressing cloth to the wound to stop the blood from spurting. She retrieved the knife her mother had left in the body, cleaned it, and handed it back to her.

Jing's mother collapsed into Jing Shu’s arms, her body trembling.

Jing Shu gently patted her back. "You’ll get used to it," she thought. She remembered how terrified she had been her first time. Back then, her mother had always reassured her that everything would get better. And now, things had indeed improved—far better than in her previous life when they had lived like animals. At least now they had enough to eat, a solid roof over their heads, and plenty of water. In this lifetime, they were already standing comfortably in the middle of the pyramid.

"Let’s go."

The energy car was undamaged, so they moved the roadblock and the bodies out of the way. The family remained silent as they resumed their journey. Jing Shu, with her wolf-tooth club in hand, followed them. Each of them was gradually adjusting to this apocalyptic world, while Jing Shu observed it all with a calm detachment, as if watching events unfold again from the outside.

Jing Shu relayed the robbery attempt to Wang Qiqi, who then shared the story in the group chat.

Wang Qiqi: "@everyone, there was another robbery attempt in the neighborhood just now. All five robbers are dead. Six months ago, there were 130 people in our community collecting water. Now, only 80 show up daily. Instead of getting yourselves killed by robbing others, why not think of a better way?"

Wang Cuihua sent a voice message: "These young folks nowadays! We older ones go out every day to strip bark off trees. There’s still plenty of grass in the back hills. Clean it up, toss it in the rice cooker with a bit of rice, and pressure cook it for an hour—you’ll have a meal!"

Fat Girl, Unit 25: "The locusts in the hills are fat and tasty. Roast them up, and they’re delicious."

Wang Qiqi: "Ask around in the group if you need advice. No one has much food left, but the government will distribute the first batch of vegetables soon. Just hang in there!"

---

The second robbery happened as they approached the corner near the Ministry of Management where Jing’s mother worked. Large rocks had been placed in the road. "Energy cars are worth a fortune now. Let’s take it and trade it for food!"

Suddenly, a group of about a dozen people armed with sticks and knives rushed out. This time, Jing’s father was more prepared. He floored the accelerator, reversing the car and knocking several people down. He spun the car around 180 degrees and ran over another group.

Some attackers clung to the car doors, while others began smashing the windows with their sticks.

Pong! The window near Jing Shu shattered.

In the chaos, with obstacles in the way, the crossbow was less effective than a gun.

Jing Shu grabbed the stick that had pierced the window with one hand, while firing the gun with the other, hitting three attackers. The others, terrified, scattered amidst the screams of the wounded.

"She’s got a gun! Run!"

"That *biao-zi* lied! They have a gun!"

Jing Shu stepped out of the car with her wolf-tooth club, and in the darkness, she smashed through the remaining attackers. Meanwhile, her father, using the car’s high beams, mowed down the ones trying to flee.

The fight was over before it had even begun. In the darkness, Jing Shu's eyes gleamed dangerously. She raised her gun, methodically picking off those trying to escape, ensuring none survived.

Jing Shu grabbed the man who had spoken earlier, pressing the gun against his chin. "Who told you to do this? What exactly did they say?"

"The woman...she said there were just two weak women in the car every day, easy targets. She said we could rob the energy car and trade it for a lot of food..."

As the man spoke, the bus that transported employees to the Ministry of Agricultural Management arrived. The driver pulled over, and several security guards and employees disembarked.

The head of security, Huang Long, quickly confirmed Jing’s mother’s safety before asking, "Director Su, what happened here?"

The bus driver, Liu, was shaken. "What’s with all the bodies?"

Jing Shu chuckled coldly and dragged Yucaini, who had been hiding among the crowd, into the open. "Was it her? Tell them what she told you."

"Yes, it was her..." the man repeated the story.

Whispers spread among the onlookers.

"I didn’t expect Deputy Director Yu to be like this."

"Deputy Director? She’s been demoted three times and sent for retraining."

"Can we arrest her for this? At the very least, she should be fired, right?"

Yucaini glared at Jing Shu with gritted teeth. "There’s no evidence. Su Lianzhi, you may have the power to shuffle personnel, but you don’t have the authority to fire me. My position is in the New City Municipal Office—well out of your reach."

*Bang!* A gunshot echoed, silencing the crowd.

Yucaini’s legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.

Jing Shu released the man, letting him fall beside Yucaini. "Sometimes, does evidence even matter?" she said, blowing on the gun barrel for effect.

Yucaini screamed and sobbed, the smell of urine filling the air as she wet herself in fear. "You can’t kill me! I’m a government employee. If you kill me, you’ll be arrested!"

"I suggest you remember your place," Jing Shu said coldly. "And you’d better not find yourself alone anytime soon." She smirked, lifting a large stone from the roadblock and tossing it aside with a thud that made Yucaini tremble even more.

Jing’s mother stepped forward, her voice firm. "Considering Yucaini's poor attitude during retraining, I’m demoting her to a clerk position with an additional year of retraining. Yucaini, since you love working here so much, you can stay. I’ll personally supervise your training."

It was time for her to stand tall. People always targeted the weakest.