Apocalypse: Resources consumed by women will be returned ten thousandfold.

--Translated by likesnovel--

Jiang Fan focused his perception on Zhou Tianhao’s apartment.

There were **3 people** inside.

**2 men** and **1 woman**.

The three of them appeared to be discussing something.

Unfortunately, his perception ability was still incomplete.

For now, he could only see images.

He couldn't hear any of their conversation.

"If only I could hear sound too..."

Jiang Fan muttered regretfully.

Then he shifted his attention toward Apartment **2104**.

The owner was a famous online streamer who went by the name:

**"I'm Not Really a Fox."**

Normally, whenever she left her apartment, she dressed very conservatively.

However, Jiang Fan had delivered food to her several times before, so he had already seen what she actually looked like.

She was the perfect example of the phrase:

**"A slender branch carrying oversized fruit."**

Sometimes during livestreams, she didn't have time to change clothes.

She would answer the door wearing casual home clothes.

It wasn't revealing enough to be considered provocative, but her stunning figure was impossible to ignore.

Her curves naturally drew attention wherever she went.

After his perception ability reached **4-Star**, the images he saw became much clearer.

Although there were still no colors, the level of detail was almost identical to seeing with the naked eye.

Through his perception, Jiang Fan saw that **"I'm Not Really a Fox"** was lying motionless on her bed.

The energy glow around her body was extremely weak.

It was obvious she was suffering from a serious food shortage.

"A streamer like her..."

"How much emergency food could she possibly have stored?"

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Fan's lips.

"Little Fox..."

"I'll come save you soon enough."

After observing the survivors throughout the building for a while, Jiang Fan crawled back through the hole in the wall and returned to his own apartment.

Then he picked up his hammer once again.

**Bang!**

**Bang!**

**Bang!**

Before long, another wall was smashed open.

He stepped into the neighboring apartment.

Fortunately, nobody was inside.

After searching the place, he discovered that most of the rice, flour, and cooking oil had already spoiled.

The fresh food stored in the regular refrigerator compartment had mutated and become inedible.

However, the freezer still contained some valuable supplies.

Most notably, several pieces of premium steak.

Unlike the nearly expired children's steaks that Hu Lei had once forced him to buy, these were genuine **M9-grade steaks**.

The marbling resembled delicate snowflakes.

One glance was enough to tell they were top-quality cuts.

There were also several portions of premium black pork.

Jiang Fan couldn't help but feel surprised.

"I never expected such an ordinary-looking neighbor..."

"To be such a serious foodie."

He grinned.

Then he stored everything inside his personal storage space.

"Good stuff like this..."

"I'll gladly take it."

Breaking through walls had countless advantages.

Not only could he gather resources more efficiently,

it also helped him adapt to his increasingly powerful body.

On top of that, it created emergency escape routes throughout the building.

**3 benefits in 1 move.**

Why wouldn't he do it?

Afterward, Jiang Fan continued scavenging.

He found a spare key hanging behind the front door,

along with several boxes of common medications.

Fever medicine.

Cold medicine.

Anti-diarrheal medicine.

Then he proceeded to take everything useful.

Toilet paper.

Lighters.

Duct tape.

Disinfectants.

Kitchen knives.

Hammers.

Pliers.

Even furniture, appliances, blankets, and clothing weren't spared.

After all, his storage space had unlimited capacity.

Since the apocalypse began, nobody knew when humanity would rebuild civilization.

As time passed, these everyday items would only become more valuable.

While collecting supplies, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"It would be amazing if I could clean out a large shopping mall."

But now wasn't the right time.

The **1st** reason was simple.

He still didn't have a safe way to venture outside.

And he wasn't arrogant enough to think he was invincible.

No matter how strong he became,

a single bite from a venomous insect could still kill him.

The **2nd** reason was that there were still many survivors inside the apartment complex.

These people were starving.

If he left the building,

there was no guarantee nobody would target Tang Xuerou or Xu Mengqian.

After all,

the **2 women** were still valuable sources of system rewards.

He couldn't allow anything to happen to them.

After completely clearing out the apartment,

Jiang Fan smashed through another wall

and moved on to the next unit.

...

At the same time,

inside Zhou Tianhao's apartment,

cigarette smoke filled the air.

Originally,

he had been living with Song Jie, another fitness coach.

Now there was also **1 exceptionally beautiful woman** in the apartment.

Her name was Chen Yun.

A succubus tattoo decorated her lower abdomen.

She sat curled up on an old sofa, smoking a cigarette with an irritated expression.

"Damn it!"

"I'm sick of drinking protein powder every single day!"

Zhou Tianhao, who was doing push-ups on the floor, let out a cold snort.

The muscles across his body bulged like forged steel.

Even the veins beneath his skin were clearly visible.

"If you don't want to eat it, then get the hell out."

Chen Yun pursed her lips.

But she didn't dare argue.

"Hmph."

Zhou Tianhao pushed off the ground with both arms.

His body rose effortlessly into the air.

Then he landed smoothly back on his feet.

Song Jie, who had been watching from the side, couldn't hide the envy in his eyes.

"Tianhao..."

"You've gotten even stronger again, haven't you?"

Song Jie had always been **180 cm** tall.

Zhou Tianhao, on the other hand, had only been **175 cm**.

But now...

Zhou Tianhao was actually taller than him.

Not only that,

his body had become noticeably larger and more muscular.

Song Jie looked at him with unconcealed envy.

If he had been brave enough to eat that special fruit that day...

the one who gained power would have been him.

Unfortunately,

he had been too cowardly.

Unlike Zhou Tianhao, he hadn't dared to take the risk.

In the end, all he could do was watch someone else seize the opportunity.

Zhou Tianhao stared at the muscles covering his body with fascination.

In just a few days,

his strength had increased several times over.

Every muscle felt as hard as forged steel.

The power coursing through his body was impossible to ignore.

He was in an exceptionally good mood.

Turning to Song Jie, he asked,

"What's left in the refrigerator?"

Song Jie immediately got up,

opened the fridge, and checked its contents.

A moment later, he replied with a gloomy expression,

"Brother Zhou, there are only **2 chicken breasts** left."

"We've already eaten everything else."

Both of them were fitness coaches,

so they normally kept protein powder stocked at home.

At the moment, they still had **4 containers** remaining.

The taste wasn't exactly enjoyable,

but under current circumstances,

it had become life-saving food.

Even so,

eating protein powder every single day had pushed them to the brink of vomiting.

It was barely enough to keep them from starving.

"Damn it!"

Zhou Tianhao cursed irritably.

Then he looked toward Chen Yun.

"Chen Yun, go cook the chicken."

Chen Yun's face immediately darkened.

"I'm not your maid."

Zhou Tianhao glanced at her coldly.

The pressure in his gaze caused her to freeze.

In the end, she could only get up and walk into the kitchen unwillingly.

At that moment,

Song Jie, who had been scrolling through his phone, suddenly shouted,

"Brother Zhou, look at this!"

"The guy offering free food and shelter is looking for black lychees!"

"Hmm?"

Zhou Tianhao immediately grabbed the phone.

The moment he saw the picture posted in the group chat,

his eyes lit up.

A black lychee!

There was no mistake.

It was the same kind of special fruit he had eaten before.

And judging from the message,

the other party still seemed to have some left.

Zhou Tianhao frowned slightly.

"That guy..."

"Could it be that he didn't dare eat it back then?"

In his eyes,

anyone who possessed a special fruit but refused to eat it

was simply a coward afraid of taking risks.

But if that were true,

why was the person searching for more of them?

After thinking for a moment,

Zhou Tianhao shook his head.

"Forget it."

"The important thing is getting our hands on those fruits."

He turned toward Song Jie.

"Do you know where this guy lives?"

Song Jie shook his head.

"No idea."

"I only know he used to work at the convenience store outside the residential complex."

"But Brother Zhou..."

"If he's been giving food away all this time..."

"He must have a huge stockpile of supplies."

Song Jie stared greedily at the photo of the black fruit on the screen.

His heart burned with desire.

If that special fruit became his...

that would be incredible.

Zhou Tianhao nodded slightly.

A ruthless glint flashed across his eyes.

"That guy isn't stupid."

"There's no way he'd reveal his location so easily."

At that moment,

Chen Yun poked her head out from the kitchen.

"Someone in the group probably knows."

"We all live in the same residential community."

"There has to be a neighbor who recognizes him."

Zhou Tianhao's eyes immediately brightened.

"Good point."

He looked at both of them before speaking seriously.

"You two investigate."

"Whoever finds out where he lives..."

"Gets the black lychee."

"As for the supplies, we'll split everything equally."

"Seriously?!"

Song Jie nearly jumped with excitement.

"If I find him, you'll really give it to me?"

Zhou Tianhao laughed.

Then he patted Song Jie's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Of course."

"We're brothers, aren't we?"

"If we're on the same team, we need to trust each other."

His smile looked warm and sincere.

But deep inside,

his thoughts were ice-cold.

*The moment I get that fruit...*

*I'll beat you to death myself, you idiot.*

*At least Chen Yun still has some value.*

*But what are you good for besides consuming supplies every day?*

*That guy handing out food is smarter than you.*

*From the beginning, he only accepted women and refused men.*

*At least women can be useful.*

*They're easier to control, too.*

*So why would I keep you around?*

Meanwhile,

Chen Yun curled her lips in disdain.

"I don't care about any special powers."

"Those giant muscles of yours are disgusting enough already."

"When the time comes, just give me extra food."

Zhou Tianhao smiled faintly.

"Sure."

But inwardly,

he was mocking her.

Song Jie also looked at Chen Yun with pity.

*Stupid woman.*

*How can food compare to supernatural powers?*

*With power...*

*You can get as much food as you want!*

What he didn't realize was that Chen Yun wasn't nearly as foolish as he thought.

She simply sneered inwardly.

*The real fool is you.*

*Zhou Tianhao is never going to hand that special fruit over to you.*

*I'm not naïve enough to believe that.*

*In a world like this...*

*Staying alive is all that matters.*

Inside the small apartment,

all **3 people** smiled at one another.

Yet beneath those smiles,

each of them was already plotting their own schemes.