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

--Translated by likesnovel--

Xu Mengqian moved quickly and skillfully in the kitchen.

Before long, a complete meal was laid out on the table.

**2 meat dishes.**

**2 vegetable dishes.**

**1 pot of steaming white rice.**

And **1 pot of fragrant tomato-and-egg soup.**

In the past, she had worked extremely hard to learn how to cook.

Everything had been for Hu Lei.

On one hand, she used emotional manipulation to gradually destroy his confidence.

On the other, she played the role of the perfect girlfriend.

Caring.

Attentive.

Always making sure he was well-fed.

She carefully crafted the image of a warm and devoted future wife.

Combined with tears, sweet words, and an innocent appearance...

She used every trick at her disposal.

Until Hu Lei was completely wrapped around her finger.

Unfortunately...

None of those methods worked on Jiang Fan.

At that moment—

A woman's terrified scream suddenly echoed from Building A across the way.

"What are you doing?!"

All **3** of them stood up at the same time and rushed to the window.

On the **30th floor** of Building A, a young couple wearing matching pajamas was being forced backward toward the balcony.

**4** large men carrying knives were advancing on them step by step.

The young woman screamed in terror.

"This is my home!"

"Get out right now!"

The leader was a blond-haired man.

He wore a vicious grin and said something.

The woman immediately turned toward the balcony and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Help!"

"Help me!"

"Call the police!"

"They're going to—"

**SMACK!**

The blond man grabbed her hair and slammed her onto the floor.

Then he slapped her across the face.

"You ungrateful bitch!"

Seeing his girlfriend being attacked, the young man charged forward in fury.

The blond man didn't hesitate for even a second.

**STAB!**

The knife plunged deep into the young man's abdomen, burying itself to the hilt.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"You looking for your daddy?!"

The other **3** men burst into manic laughter.

Then they rushed forward together.

**STAB!**

**STAB!**

**STAB!**

The young man's body collapsed to the floor.

Blood rapidly pooled beneath him.

The woman trembled violently.

"You killed him..."

"You killed him..."

"Hahaha!"

The blond man laughed cruelly.

"So what if we did?"

"Boys!"

"Throw him off!"

"He's getting on my nerves!"

The **3** men lifted the body together and hurled it over the balcony.

The corpse disappeared into the blood-red fog below.

A few seconds later—

**BOOM!**

A heavy impact echoed from beneath the building.

The woman rushed to the railing.

Tears streamed down her face.

"Chen Ming!"

"Chen Ming!"

One of the large men grabbed her hair again.

"You should spend your time entertaining us instead!"

She struggled desperately.

"Help..."

"Please help me..."

But in the end...

She was dragged back into the apartment by all **3** men.

Not long afterward...

Her horrifying screams mixed with the men's crazed laughter.

Many survivors in Building C witnessed everything from their own balconies.

The blond man eventually walked back outside, a fruit knife still in his hand.

Pointing toward Building C, he shouted arrogantly:

"What the hell are you all looking at?!"

"Anyone who keeps staring—"

"I'll kill every last one of you!"

The cowards immediately closed their curtains.

None of them dared meet his eyes.

Those with stronger nerves remained where they were.

But no one spoke.

No one intervened.

They simply watched in silence.

A suffocating sense of despair slowly spread through their hearts.

The order of society...

Was collapsing at terrifying speed.

---

Tang Xuerou and Xu Mengqian both looked pale.

Their eyes were filled with fear.

Jiang Fan, however, remained calm.

"Let's eat."

Neither woman dared continue watching.

They immediately returned to the dining table.

Jiang Fan cut off a piece of steak and put it into his mouth.

His eyes instantly lit up.

"Delicious."

"Your cooking is excellent."

"From now on, you're in charge of meals."

Xu Mengqian smiled obediently.

"Thank you, Brother Jiang."

"As long as you like it, I'm happy."

She quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

At the very least, her position seemed a little more secure now.

Xu Mengqian secretly shot Tang Xuerou a triumphant glance.

Tang Xuerou clenched her teeth.

*That sly fox!*

She cursed inwardly.

But she couldn't help feeling anxious.

Xu Mengqian could cook.

What about her?

What value did she have?

Jiang Fan had noticed the silent rivalry between the two women from the very beginning.

But he didn't care.

As long as it didn't affect his enjoyment, they could compete all they wanted.

In fact...

Competition was often the best motivator.

Jiang Fan deliberately added fuel to the fire.

He took out **1 Fruit of Insight** and handed it to Xu Mengqian.

"Here."

"A reward for you."

Xu Mengqian accepted it with a puzzled expression.

"Brother Jiang..."

"What is this?"

Jiang Fan answered casually.

"A special fruit."

"Eat it, and you'll have a chance to awaken a supernatural ability."

A supernatural fruit?!

Xu Mengqian's eyes widened instantly.

Her heart began pounding uncontrollably.

In the apocalypse...

Nothing was more valuable than power.

Xu Mengqian’s eyes instantly lit up.

Jiang Fan really did have Superpower Fruits!

And judging from how casually he handed one to her, he probably had quite a few of them.

Otherwise, he would never give one away as casually as handing out candy.

Tang Xuerou looked at Xu Mengqian with undisguised jealousy.

The tension in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

*This won't do...*

*I have to do something.*

*There will only be more and more women around Jiang Fan in the future.*

*If things continue like this, there won't be any place left for me.*

Xu Mengqian didn't hesitate.

She swallowed the fruit whole in a single gulp.

A moment later, she felt a strange change in her vision.

"Brother Jiang..."

"Why are all 3 of us glowing?"

"And why is your light so bright while ours are so faint?"

If Jiang Fan's glow was comparable to a **100-watt light bulb**, then the glow surrounding the 2 women looked like nothing more than tiny candle flames.

Jiang Fan gave a brief explanation.

"The brightness of the light..."

"Basically represents a person's power level or combat capability."

Xu Mengqian nodded in understanding.

Then curiosity got the better of her.

"Then why is your light yellow..."

"While Tang Xuerou's is light red?"

Jiang Fan looked at the 2 women with a mischievous expression before smiling faintly.

"The colors are divided into 3 levels."

"Green means friend."

"Yellow means neutral."

"Red means enemy—or someone harboring malicious intentions."

His tone suddenly turned colder.

"Let me warn you in advance."

"I also possess Perception."

"If anyone dares to think about harming me..."

"I'll kill them immediately."

"So even if you're pretending..."

"You'd better pretend to be friendly."

"Otherwise..."

A cold smile appeared on Jiang Fan's face.

"I guarantee you'll die a very miserable death."

Both women shuddered.

Neither dared entertain any dangerous thoughts anymore.

Xu Mengqian glanced at Tang Xuerou.

Seeing the faint red glow around her, she snorted inwardly.

*Serves you right.*

*Annoying woman.*

Tang Xuerou glared back just as fiercely.

The smell of gunpowder quickly returned to the atmosphere between them.

Jiang Fan, however, paid no attention.

He picked up his phone and said simply:

"Smile."

The 2 women immediately put on sweet smiles.

*Click!*

Jiang Fan took a photo of the 2 women together with the food on the table.

Then he posted it in the community chat group.

**【Food & Shelter Provided】**

@Everyone

"Recruiting beautiful women."

"Food and accommodation included."

"If interested, send me a private message."

"Attach an unfiltered full-body photo first."

【Photo】

【Photo】

...

In another apartment.

Song Siyin lay weakly on her bed.

From yesterday until now, she had eaten only **half a sausage**.

"Hungry..."

"I'm so hungry..."

Song Yuanfan had taken her gold ring away, hoping to trade it for food.

But there was still no news.

Song Siyin felt as though she was about to starve to death.

She couldn't endure it any longer.

After thinking for a while, she suddenly sat upright.

Then she pulled a leather belt from her wardrobe.

"It's made from cowhide..."

"So it should be edible, right?"

She stared seriously at the belt.

This was the very belt she had once forced Jiang Fan to buy for her.

Imported calfskin.

**1,800 yuan**.

But now...

In her eyes, it looked no different from food.

Song Siyin grabbed a knife and cut the belt into pieces roughly **1 cm** long.

Then she tossed them into a pot of boiling water.

Not long afterward, a strange pungent smell filled the room.

The water gradually turned reddish-brown.

Almost like melted brown sugar.

Song Siyin stared at the leather pieces floating in the pot.

Hesitation filled her eyes.

*Can this really be eaten?*

But hunger left her with no choices.

Gritting her teeth, she picked up a piece and bit into it.

The first sensation was like chewing plastic.

Tough.

Hard.

And carrying a sour, rotten odor that nearly made her vomit.

She didn't want to eat it at all.

But hunger defeated everything.

She forced herself to chew for a long time.

Only after grinding it into tiny fragments was she able to swallow it.

"Urgh..."

The bizarre taste made her nauseous.

She managed to force down another **2–3 pieces**.

But eventually she couldn't continue.

Her stomach felt bloated and uncomfortable.

She collapsed back onto the bed.

Like a lifeless corpse.

At least...

There was something in her stomach now.

The tormenting hunger eased slightly.

Song Siyin regained a bit of strength.

So she picked up her phone and began scrolling through the chat group.

But the moment the screen lit up—

She saw the photos Jiang Fan had just posted.

**2 stunningly beautiful women.**

Perfectly marbled steaks.

Glossy braised pork.

Fresh stir-fried vegetables.

Fried cauliflower.

And steaming bowls of hot white rice.

Everything looked so delicious it was maddening.

Saliva unconsciously flowed from the corner of Song Siyin's mouth.

Rage exploded inside her chest.

"Those sluts!"

"They're eating my food!"

"That should all be mine!"

Regret suddenly surged through her heart.

If she hadn't broken up with Jiang Fan that day...

The one eating all that food right now would have been her.

Not those 2 women.

For the first time in her life, she felt as though she had lost something incredibly important.

But...

Wasn't everyone always saying:

*"The first sword after making it big should be swung at your ex?"*

She hadn't done anything wrong.

Wasn't that what normal women did?

Then why was Jiang Fan still so angry?

Song Siyin tried to suppress the frustration inside her.

Yet her eyes remained fixed on the food in the photographs.

She desperately wished she could switch places with those 2 women right this instant.

*Click...*

The sound of a door opening suddenly echoed through the apartment.

Song Yuanfan had returned.

The moment he noticed the pot on the stove, his expression changed dramatically.

"Sis!"

"You secretly ate without me?!"