Jing Shu smiled. "Or you could all head back to the warehouse you were in."
"No, no, this is great. There are electric lights, it is warm, and there is no stench. It is comfortable. Thank you, Jing Shu, for letting us stay in the office area," Wang Chao said at once. "Did you not see her pull? Several families came earlier, said a few words, and left. None of them got anyone brought out. Being here to wait for the result is already a win."
"Yeah, it is a thousand times better than inside."
Footsteps sounded. Li Bailong strode over and spoke to Jing Shu. "The decision from above is here. It took a lot of discussion, and they finally steeled themselves."
At that, Zhang Lingling dropped to the floor with a slap. A wave of foul smell spread from under her. She was terrified. She had heard the rumor today that this whole group would be executed. Was it coming true now?
"I know you have friends here and are anxious for the result, so I came to tell you first," Li Bailong continued. "A total purge is not the policy, but neither can we indulge villains. Do wrong and you bear the cost."
Nima broke into sobs. So it had come to this after all.
Everyone held their breath.
Li Bailong stopped in front of Jing Shu and delivered the terms clearly. "First, all virtual coins involved are confiscated.
Second, following the principles of no waste and reaping what you sow, every person must eat the number of patties they sold, proportional to their profits, before leaving the Second Detachment. There are still tens of thousands in stock. No point wasting our own grain to feed you. You made the patties. You eat them. Perfect."
He laughed, pleased with the outcome. The people in front of him could not laugh at all. Their faces went slack. Before, they had eaten those patties without knowing. Now that they knew they could cause an incurable zombie disease, who would still eat them?
"Here is the list," he added. "Zhang Lingling eats three hundred patties. The others eat fifty each. Finish and you can go. Do not worry. Since you sold them so happily, you should eat some yourselves. The chance of catching the zombie disease is low. One in a hundred per patty. Even with fifty, the odds are only about half. Then again, who knows. Some ate them daily and never caught it. Some ate one and did."
They collapsed like dominoes. It was not a death sentence from above, but being forced to eat those patties felt no different than being sent to die.
"There is no other way?" Shi Lei cried. "We truly did not do it on purpose. I did not even know it would cause this."
"Do wrong, face consequences," Li Bailong said sternly. "You are an adult. You need to learn that."
Then he turned to Jing Shu. "I already spoke with Captain Li. If you speak up, they will give you this courtesy. Hand over some medicines from the Medicinal Herb Association, and these people can leave immediately. It is more valuable than punishing them."
One moment they thought they were doomed. The next, the person in charge said Jing Shu could save them.
"Jing Shu, I was wrong. Save me. Give them your medicines, please. Be merciful. How can I eat three hundred patties? Even if I ate them daily, it would take months. I will definitely get the zombie disease," Zhang Lingling cried, tossing pride aside. When life was at stake, who cared about face.
"Save us. We do not want to die."
Jing Shu didn't move. One brow rose. The mood swing was whiplash. A moment ago they were saying she had no ability and that they had to wait for Su Mali. Now they changed tunes faster than flipping a page.
"I had no eyes to see your worth. Jing Shu, I really do not want to eat that stuff. Let us out," they begged.
Pigeon soup was not going to reach her mouth at this rate. She grimaced. "It is not that I refuse to help, but this was handed to Su Mali. Wait for her to arrive and we will see." Those medicines were precious. She was not willing to part with them lightly.
Hate flashed in Zhang Lingling's eyes. "I know you just do not want to save me. Seeing me like this must make you happy. There is no way you would save me. Su Mali will save me. She definitely will."
The woman had lost it.
Jing Shu took a few steps back and sat down to rest. Li Bailong looked apologetic. "You two do not seem to be friends."
"We are classmates with no real ties. Not my closest kin or anything that would make me risk everything in the apocalypse. If they were truly innocent, maybe I would consider it."
Blood weighed more than etiquette to her. For the people she cared about, she would do whatever it took. For those she did not, it depended on whether it was worth the cost, especially in a world ruled by interests.
Su Mali arrived with four bodyguards, wearing a snow-white little cape over a goose-yellow raincoat dress. She looked like a princess and carried herself like one. The contrast with Jing Shu in her plain black raincoat could not have been sharper.
The classmates burst into tears of relief at the sight. Jing Shu had disappointed them. Finally, someone reliable.
"Save me, Su Mali. Only you can save me."
After Xia Liu recounted the situation, Jing Shu nodded. "That is accurate."
"We are really innocent," Shi Lei pleaded.
Everyone thought Su Mali would nod and pull strings to get them out. She was kind. She cared about her classmates. Surely she would help.
No one expected her first words. "You did not kill Boren, yet Boren died because of you. You are not wronged. I rushed here thinking your lives were in danger. Hearing what happened, I think the government handled it well. You planted the seeds. You should eat the fruit, which means eating those patties."
Jaws dropped all around. This was not what they had imagined.
"You are not the only ones with families and children," she went on. "You indirectly killed so many. How devastated do you think their families are?"
Jing Shu nodded. Sometimes her worldview aligned neatly with Su Mali's.
But praise was a dangerous thing.
"Still, don't worry. We are classmates. As classmates, you must accept the punishment. After you go home, if anyone gets sick, I will find doctors to treat you. That is the goodwill of a classmate," Su Mali said solemnly.
Shi Lei cried harder. "The medical cost will be huge. If the meat rots, it has to be cut away. How much will be cut away? Is that not an even harsher punishment?"