The classmates all looked at Jing Shu differently now. Who said the so-called Director Jing didn't care? With just a few words, she'd gotten He Shouwu into the well-supplied, relatively easy Medicinal Herb Planting Department. In times like these when medicine barely existed, everything relied on traditional Chinese herbs. People boiled the same batch over and over, squeezing out every drop before even the leftover dregs were refined again.
Manager Li thought for a moment, then added, "Alright, Xingfu Shiyuan really is short on herbs right now. We also lack people who not only have planting experience but also some knowledge of medicine. For now, follow Elder Zhang as his assistant. We've even salvaged pharmaceutical equipment from before the apocalypse. It's not just planting anymore, it's also making medicine."
"Thank you, thank you so much!" He Shouwu's voice was filled with joy. Becoming an assistant to an old Chinese doctor was practically like apprenticing under a teacher. Even a year or two of learning could make him half a doctor himself.
With his problem solved, the others couldn't help but feel jealous. Anyone with medical skills or herbal knowledge was going to be in demand everywhere.
Manager Li asked about the remaining few students' abilities, but she shook her head each time. Either their skills weren't up to standard, or Xingfu Shiyuan simply didn't need them. After all, things like economic management or personnel management could be handled better by their own people.
Those who weren't recruited looked disappointed. Some decided to try moving stones instead. Surprisingly, a few of them passed the test. They couldn't be full-time workers, but even being temps wasn't bad.
Soon enough, six had passed the stone-moving trial. But one figure still struggled, crouching on the ground, panting hard, unable to lift the rock.
"The stone-moving test ends here. Those who didn't pass are unqualified. Outside Xingfu Shiyuan, it's all physical labor. If you can't move even this, you won't make it. And even if you barely squeeze in, someone will report you, and you'll be working for nothing," Manager Li announced.
The one left behind wasn't anyone else but Wang Chao. The capable had already finished, the incapable had given up, but he refused to admit defeat.
"I… I just haven't eaten in a day or two, I've got no strength. Trust me, I'm strong. If I eat a bun right now, I'll have energy again," Wang Chao begged for another chance.
Manager Li shook her head. "At 60 kilos, you're way too frail. Even if you force yourself into temp work, you won't last three to five days. You'll collapse. It's not that I don't want you, but this would just get you killed. I can't put Director Jing in that position."
Once, Wang Chao had been a 90-kilo fat guy. But over the last two years, after getting married and having kids, he'd given all his food to his pregnant wife and worked himself to the bone. His body was already ruined. Now, he couldn't even handle heavy labor.
He turned pleading eyes toward Jing Shu. When he'd eaten poisonous red nematode patties, he hadn't looked this desperate. But when it came to feeding his child, he couldn't hold out any longer.
Jing Shu waved him over. "If you can't do it, don't force yourself. If you work yourself to death, what happens to your wife and kid?"
He lowered his head and finally nodded. "I… I don't have any other skills."
She frowned. A memory came back to her. Back in high school, she'd even bought a game script Wang Chao had written. Once installed, it played the game by itself, running all the tasks automatically. She asked, "Wang Chao, didn't you used to make your own game scripts, operating software, even systems?"
He gave a bitter laugh. "Yeah, but that's useless now. Xingfu Shiyuan needs survival-related skills, not game junk. I'm not some hacker either. With the national network down, no bandwidth, no servers, nothing's open. There's no way."
Jing Shu paced a few steps. "Manager Li, Xingfu Shiyuan has its own internal network and servers, right?"
Manager Li nodded.
"Then I'll personally hire Wang Chao into the Engineering Network Department. He can write scripts and macros to build a full management system for Xingfu Shiyuan. Using big data templates, he can handle check-ins, attendance, salary distribution, even smart statistics for the second, third, and fourth floors. That'll save a ton of manpower."
Manager Li's eyes lit up. "I've heard of scripts. They can run set programs automatically, right? If that's the case, we really do need someone like this. Director Jing, I hope we can officially hire him at headquarters. It'll make management much easier."
"Sure, no problem."
Another full-time worker secured. Wang Chao clenched his fists, bowing silently to Jing Shu in gratitude.
The others, seeing even the "useless" Wang Chao had a place, scrambled to pitch their own skills. But nothing else was useful enough.
With her classmates settled, Jing Shu hurried home with Su Mary.
"What? You're going to America?!"
Two days flew by. Jing Shu had everything at home arranged down to the last detail. To give her family the best chance at survival, she pulled every trick she had. She even dragged them out to hear real thunder and feel real quakes, so they'd stop being clueless about what was coming this year.
To make sure they stayed safe, she secretly gave everyone a tracker and emergency alert device disguised as simple wristbands. None of them realized how advanced this tech was. They just thought it was convenient, not knowing she'd paid dearly for these preparations long ago.
Even Grandpa Jing's inventions had finally come in handy. With that, her heart eased a little.
Next came her own trip to America. She packed early, then repacked again, adding more and more. She cleared out part of her Cube Space, stashed supplies in the rented warehouse, and made sure that even if she never came back, her family would survive the apocalypse without worrying about food or clothes.
Time ticked away fast. When everything was finally ready, she hit an unexpected snag. Jing Shu had always made her own calls, but now that she suddenly announced she was heading abroad, her family's reaction was explosive.
"No way. The world's in ruins. Trains, planes, everything's grounded. How the hell are you crossing the ocean?"
"It's way too dangerous. The news is full of gunfire and bombings. It's a battlefield out there. You can't go!"