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

--Translated by likesnovel--

Chen Yun clung tightly to Zhou Tianhao’s arm, fear written all over her face.

The 3 of them made their way to the emergency staircase and cautiously climbed upward.

When they finally reached the 21st floor, the crimson fog that had blanketed everything around them disappeared at last.

All 3 let out a long sigh of relief.

Now that they could see their surroundings clearly again, the suffocating pressure weighing on their hearts seemed to lift instantly.

More than 10 people had already gathered in the corridor.

Every one of them looked pale and exhausted.

Their eyes were dull and lifeless.

They resembled people who had been starving for days.

Many even had dark circles under their eyes, making it obvious they had barely slept over the past few days.

They looked at one another with a mixture of caution and expectation.

Everyone hugged their bags tightly while holding up signs advertising their trades.

“1 chocolate bar for 2 loaves of bread.”

“6 bottles of cola. Looking to trade for meat, ham, or sausage.”

“2 bottles of Moutai. Food only. Serious offers welcome.”

“1 pure gold bracelet. Looking for 1 full case of instant noodles.”

...

Among everyone present, the most eye-catching person was an elderly traditional Chinese physician named Li Qingquan.

His hair was completely white.

He sat calmly on the staircase steps.

In front of him was a large sack filled with strange-smelling wild vegetables.

A handwritten sign beside it read:

“10 jin of edible wild shepherd’s purse. Exchange for 1 bottle of liquor.”

The crowd deliberately kept their distance from him.

No one dared to try something like that.

The leaves were even larger than Chinese cabbage.

Who knew whether they had mutated or become poisonous?

Zhou Tianhao walked over and picked up a handful to smell it.

The next second—

A stench resembling animal manure rushed straight into his nose.

“Damn!”

He immediately threw it away with a disgusted expression.

“How can anyone eat this stuff?”

His well-developed muscles instantly attracted the attention of the surrounding crowd.

Many looked at him with envy and admiration.

Li Qingquan nodded seriously.

“It’s edible.”

“I’ve already tested it myself.”

Zhou Tianhao stared at him in disbelief.

How could anyone force themselves to eat something like that?

Li Qingquan let out a bitter laugh.

“When you're starving to death, do you still care about flavor?”

“The world is changing faster every day.”

“Sooner or later, we may have no choice but to rely on these mutated plants to survive.”

Chen Yun picked up a leaf and gave it a cautious sniff.

The very next second, she tossed it away as if it had burned her hand.

Then she repeatedly wiped her fingers with tissues.

“Even if I starve to death, I’m never eating something that smells this awful!”

Li Qingquan merely smiled and said nothing further.

About 10 more minutes passed.

More and more survivors arrived.

The crowd grew from a handful of people to over 40.

As the numbers increased, everyone gradually became more willing to talk.

While trading goods, they also exchanged information.

“We really can’t keep living like this.”

“My family is completely out of food. Why hasn’t the government sent help yet?”

“Who knows? Maybe the powerful people got rescued first.”

“Damn it! This world is so unfair!”

“By the way, has the guy offering food and shelter shown up yet?”

“I’m thinking about trading my wife’s diamond ring to him for food.”

“A diamond ring?”

“In times like these, even ghosts wouldn’t want one.”

“I don’t think he’ll come.”

“He has plenty of food and is keeping 2 women with him.”

“He’s probably worried about getting robbed.”

“Sigh... Tang Xuerou really hit the jackpot.”

“Don’t celebrate too early.”

“Just wait until Director Tang comes back with his men.”

“When that happens, that guy’s going to die a miserable death.”

Someone asked uncertainly,

“Do you really think Director Tang will come back?”

Another person answered confidently,

“Of course!”

“This is the age of technology.”

“How could a country lose to a bunch of mutated animals and plants?”

“They’re probably rescuing important people first.”

“Once they finish with them, ordinary citizens like us will naturally be next.”

...

Zhou Tianhao had Chen Yun set up a stall to sell whey protein.

Meanwhile, he and Song Jie walked around the trading market to scout the area.

But the more they looked around, the darker their expressions became.

The situation was far worse than they had imagined.

There was barely any actual food available in the marketplace.

Most people were offering cola, liquor, cigarettes, jewelry, and other luxury goods.

None of those things could fill an empty stomach.

Originally, Zhou Tianhao had considered killing Song Jie and keeping only 2 or 3 women by his side.

But now...

That idea had completely changed.

Food was far more valuable than he had ever imagined.

Even if you had goods to trade, it was nearly impossible to obtain food in return.

If trading wouldn’t work...

Then he would simply take it by force.

And if he wanted to rob people...

He needed male followers.

What use were a bunch of women?

Song Jie lowered his voice and whispered,

“Brother Zhou, things aren’t looking good.”

Zhou Tianhao nodded grimly.

“Damn it...”

“I have to get food today, no matter what.”

Song Jie asked nervously,

“The guy offering food and shelter still hasn’t shown up.”

“Could it be that he doesn’t actually live in our building?”

Zhou Tianhao shook his head.

“Unlikely.”

“He’s currently with Tang Xuerou and that female convenience store owner.”

“Both women live in this building.”

“So he must be here too.”

“Besides, I studied the photos he posted.”

“There wasn’t any red fog inside his apartment.”

“That means his place has to be on the 21st floor or higher.”

Song Jie immediately flattered him.

“Brother Zhou, you're brilliant.”

Zhou Tianhao let out a cold chuckle.

“In times like these, stupidity gets you killed.”

His eyes turned icy.

“We need to find a way to get our hands on that guy’s food...”

The 2 lowered their heads and discussed their plans quietly for quite some time.

Eventually, they reached a decision.

At the same time, a crowd had already gathered around the temporary stall of a short, chubby young man wearing glasses who was selling chocolate.

3 people surrounded him, desperately competing to buy his goods.

Everyone understood one thing:

Compared to bread, chocolate had a much longer shelf life.

And in desperate situations, it could literally save lives.

The bespectacled owner of the chocolate wasn’t stupid either.

The moment he saw demand skyrocketing—

He raised the price without hesitation.

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone's expressions changed.

That's right.

Who gave you the authority to do this?

Zhou Tianhao let out a cold snort and raised the tactical knife in his hand.

"Who gave me the authority?"

"My fist did."

He clenched his hand tightly. The muscles on his arm bulged like forged steel.

"The world has changed."

"The strong make the rules now."

"If anyone has a problem with that, come fight me."

The entire corridor fell silent.

Not a single person dared to move.

The image of the nerdy young man being kicked unconscious was still fresh in everyone's mind.

Zhou Tianhao swept his gaze across the crowd, satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

This was exactly the result he wanted.

Fear.

As long as these people were afraid of him, he could control them.

Song Jie immediately shouted in support.

"Brother Zhou is right!"

"The outside world is so dangerous now. Without someone strong protecting you, how are you supposed to survive?"

Chen Yun nodded rapidly.

"Exactly!"

"Brother Zhou even has a special ability!"

"If we stick together, everyone will be safer!"

Many people began to hesitate.

Especially the younger men.

In a world where law and order were collapsing, following a powerful leader seemed like the safest option.

Finally, a skinny young man raised his hand.

"I... I'd like to join the patrol team."

Zhou Tianhao's eyes lit up.

"Good!"

"Come here."

The man carefully stepped forward.

Zhou Tianhao took 1 loaf of bread from the nerd's confiscated supplies and tossed it over.

"This is your reward for joining the patrol team."

The moment the crowd saw the bread, many people's eyes turned red.

Food.

Real food.

Over the past few days, many of them had barely eaten anything.

Right now, a single loaf of bread was enough to make people sell their dignity.

Soon, 2 more men stepped forward.

"I'm joining too."

"Count me in."

Zhou Tianhao burst into laughter.

"Good!"

"From today onward, we're brothers!"

"As long as you work for me—"

He paused and quickly corrected himself.

"—I mean, work for the patrol team, nobody will go hungry!"

A large portion of the crowd was visibly tempted.

But there were also people who could see through his intentions.

Especially the elderly and women living alone.

They understood very well that what Zhou Tianhao was building wasn't a patrol team.

It was a private army.

Once he had food, weapons, and followers, it wouldn't be long before the entire building fell under his control.

Within the crowd, Hu Lili lowered her head.

Her heart was pounding.

The situation was becoming far worse than she had imagined.

If Zhou Tianhao continued expanding his power, then no matter how well she hid herself, she would eventually be exposed.

"Where are you..."

She tightened her grip on her handbag.

Inside was 1 Black Plum Fruit.

The only trump card she possessed.

"The person offering food and shelter... hurry up and show yourself..."

Meanwhile...

Inside Apartment 3201 on the 32nd floor.

Jiang Fan was quietly observing everything through his perception ability.

The corner of his mouth slowly curled into a cold smile.

"So it has finally begun."

The red glow surrounding Zhou Tianhao's body was growing deeper and deeper.

It was filled with greed, ambition, and malicious intent.

To Jiang Fan, none of this was surprising.

When the apocalypse arrived, food became power.

Power became a weapon.

And weapons turned humans into beasts.

Zhou Tianhao was merely walking down the path that countless others would eventually follow.

The only difference was...

He had chosen the road to death sooner than everyone else.

Jiang Fan casually tossed another Perception Fruit into his mouth and chewed.

Then his gaze shifted toward the 21st floor.

Hu Lili's position remained unchanged.

"Little fox..."

"Take good care of that special fruit."

"I'll be coming to collect it myself."

The smile on Jiang Fan's face deepened.

Because for him, Zhou Tianhao was never today's real target.

His true objective...

Was the 3rd Special Ability Fruit.