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

--Translated by likesnovel--

The young woman was wearing a tattered nightgown, her body covered in blood.

**Boom!**

The apartment window shattered.

A gigantic Garfield-colored cat, roughly the size of a tiger, slowly stepped out from inside the room.

**Meowww!**

Terrified, the woman stumbled backward until she was pressed against the far corner of the balcony.

She let out a piercing scream.

"Lucky! Stay away from me!"

"Help! Somebody help me!"

The giant cat locked its gaze onto her.

Step by step.

Step by step.

It slowly approached, as if enjoying the fear of its prey before delivering the killing blow.

But just as the woman was about to have her throat torn apart—

A massive blood-red tongue suddenly shot upward from the crimson fog below!

**Splat!**

The enormous tongue pierced through the balcony floor in an instant.

Then it wrapped itself around the woman's body with terrifying precision.

Her eyes widened in horror.

Before she could even scream—

She was dragged away.

The giant tongue swallowed her whole and yanked her into the crimson fog below at lightning speed.

She vanished without a trace.

---

The giant cat's fur immediately stood on end.

It leaped onto the balcony railing and growled furiously toward the crimson fog beneath.

Then a sound echoed from deep within the mist.

**"Ribbit... Ribbit... Ribbit..."**

The giant cat froze.

After a moment of hesitation, it ultimately didn't dare jump down.

Instead, it slowly retreated back into the apartment.

---

"Damn..."

Jiang Fan's pupils contracted sharply.

A frog...

Had become this terrifying already?

Its tongue was more than **2 times** thicker than a woman's waist.

Just how enormous was its actual body?

---

At that moment,

the window of the neighboring apartment opened.

A beautiful young woman stepped out.

Her face was pale.

It was obvious that she was still shaken by what she had just witnessed.

Jiang Fan recognized her.

She was **Tang Xuerou**.

The No. 1 beauty of the entire residential complex.

Her father was the director of the city's Investment Promotion Bureau.

Her family possessed both wealth and influence.

Although they lived in the same building,

Tang Xuerou had always been proud and aloof.

She had never spared Jiang Fan a second glance.

Within the community,

she was the goddess admired by countless men.

Every time she visited the convenience store,

male customers couldn't help but sneak glances at her.

Jiang Fan himself had looked at her more than once.

But only from a distance.

Because he knew very well...

They belonged to completely different worlds.

---

But now...

Everything had changed.

The world itself had changed.

A spark ignited in Jiang Fan's eyes.

Tang Xuerou sensed his gaze.

She recognized him.

The convenience store employee downstairs.

Although she didn't know his name.

Frowning slightly, she spoke in a cold voice.

"What are you looking at?"

The moment she finished speaking,

she pulled the curtains shut.

**Swish!**

"Still as arrogant as ever."

Jiang Fan snorted.

"One day..."

"You'll be the one begging me."

---

Another **1 day** passed.

Finally,

one woman could no longer endure her hunger.

A private message arrived in Jiang Fan's inbox.

---

**Little Bunny, Room A-303:**

"Big brother, can I trade for a pack of instant noodles?"

??

A smile appeared on Jiang Fan's lips.

"Finally."

He had never actually met Little Bunny in person.

Many residents simply asked him to leave deliveries outside their doors.

---

**Room & Board Provided:**

"Send me a full-body photo. No filters."

**Little Bunny, Room A-303:**

"I'm just a little chubby~"

?

[Photo] [Photo]

---

"I happen to like chubby girls the most..."

Jiang Fan opened the photos.

Then...

His expression darkened instantly.

Her arms were thicker than his thighs.

Her hips were as wide as a wash basin.

A little chubby?

This wasn't "a little."

She was built like a tank.

---

At that moment,

the System automatically generated an evaluation.

---

**Name:** Shen Yu

**Age:** 29

**Appearance:** 3/10

*(Far below standard)*

**Virtue Score:** 3/10

*(Complicated dating history, 6 former boyfriends)*

**Overall Score:** 3/10

---

**Ding!**

**[Does Not Meet the System's Minimum Requirements!]**

---

Jiang Fan immediately blocked her.

---

**Little Bunny, Room A-303:**

"???"

"Little brother?"

A few moments later,

she realized she had been blocked.

Embarrassment instantly turned into anger.

She rushed back to the community group and started typing furiously.

---

**Little Bunny, Room A-303:**

"Ladies, listen to me!"

"That guy offering free food and housing is a scammer!"

"Don't trust him no matter what!"

---

Jiang Fan sneered.

He took a screenshot of their private chat

and posted it directly into the group.

---

**Room & Board Provided:**

"You really think your body is valuable enough to exchange for food?"

"Do I look like a charity organization to you?"

---

The group chat exploded.

Nobody expected

that there would still be drama to watch during the apocalypse.

Many members immediately started teasing Little Bunny.

She became so angry she nearly coughed up blood.

---

**Little Bunny, Room A-303:**

"It's just a little food anyway!"

"Girls, don't fall for his tricks!"

---

Jiang Fan had no intention of letting it go.

He took out **100 Snickers bars** from his Personal Storage.

Snapped several photos.

Then posted them in the group.

---

**Room & Board Provided:**

[Photo] [Photo] [Photo]

---

In the current world,

packaged food like Snickers was practically hard currency.

High in calories.

Long shelf life.

Capable of saving lives during a crisis.

The moment Little Bunny saw the photos,

her eyes turned red with envy.

But she could only remain silent.

She no longer dared to say another word.

---

The group chat immediately erupted.

**My Wife Is Flat, Room B-509:**

"Holy crap! That's a lot of Snickers!"

**Mr. Liu, Room A-904:**

"Brother Food-and-Lodging, could you spare me some food too?"

Some people began having other thoughts.

**Grandma Xu, Room C-901:**

"Young man..."

"My grandson hasn't eaten anything for **3 days**."

"Could you please give him a little chocolate?"

The moment Grandma Xu's message appeared,

the eyes of everyone in the group turned toward Jiang Fan.

Silently waiting for his answer...

Jiang Fan immediately thought of Grandma Xu, the sharp-tongued old woman.

She was notorious for taking advantage of others whenever she could.

Under normal circumstances, she often stole old cardboard boxes residents left in the hallways and sold them for money.

Jiang Fan had once caught her red-handed.

Yet Grandma Xu denied everything with a straight face.

Since old cardboard only sold for a few yuan, Jiang Fan couldn't be bothered arguing and simply let it go.

But that wasn't the end of it.

Grandma Xu had a grandson named **Tao Tao**.

He was one of the most troublesome kids in the entire community.

Not long after Jiang Fan bought a brand-new electric scooter,

the boy used a sharp object to carve a giant X across the seat.

Jiang Fan checked the security cameras and identified the culprit.

But Grandma Xu threw a huge tantrum,

refusing to pay a single yuan in compensation.

Back then,

no matter how angry Jiang Fan was,

there was nothing he could do.

Because if he so much as touched the old woman,

or even raised his voice at her,

she would immediately collapse onto the ground,

pretend to faint,

and demand compensation.

But now...

---

A cold smile appeared on Jiang Fan's face.

**Room & Board Provided:**

"Whether your grandson starves or not, what does that have to do with me?"

---

Grandma Xu instantly exploded with rage.

In her entire life,

nobody had ever dared speak to her like that.

**Grandma Xu, Room C-901:**

"Don't young people today have any respect for their elders?"

"You've got so much food stored away. There's no way you can finish it all by yourself!"

"What's wrong with sharing a little?"

---

**Room & Board Provided:**

"Heh."

---

Grandma Xu's face turned red with anger.

"Did you just insult me?!"

---

**Room & Board Provided:**

"Get lost, you shameless old hag."

---

After sending the message,

Jiang Fan immediately muted Grandma Xu in the group chat.

She nearly coughed up blood from anger.

Her entire body trembled with fury.

Yet she couldn't type another word.

All she could do was sit in her apartment and rage helplessly.

---

The group chat became increasingly lively.

Many women were starting to waver.

The food stored in their homes was running out.

They needed to find a way to survive.

The only thing holding them back was one question:

Did this man really have enough food?

Most city residents rarely stockpiled large quantities of supplies.

Even households with elderly family members who liked storing rice, cooking oil, and flour weren't much better off.

By now, much of that food had already spoiled.

The hunger crisis was becoming more severe by the day.

---

At the same time,

Tang Xuerou stared at her phone screen.

One hand rested on her growling stomach.

She was starving.

So hungry that she could barely summon any strength.

Part of her was already tempted.

But she still worried that Jiang Fan might be taking advantage of the situation.

Even if he truly had food,

how much could he possibly have?

Enough for **1 month**?

And what about after **1 month**?

Deep down,

Tang Xuerou still held onto hope.

She believed the government might eventually send rescue teams.

If she traded away something precious for food now,

and rescue arrived only a few days later,

wouldn't she suffer a huge loss?

---

Tang Xuerou wasn't the only one.

Many others still placed their hopes in the authorities.

Everyone endured quietly.

Refreshing news feeds over and over again.

Waiting for an official announcement.

---

After that,

another **3 women** sent private messages to Jiang Fan.

Although they looked better than Shen Yu,

none of them achieved a total score of **8 points**.

The System rejected every one of them.

Jiang Fan turned them down without hesitation.

Naturally,

all **3 women** went back to the group and started cursing him.

And naturally,

Jiang Fan muted all of them as well.

---

To Jiang Fan,

women who failed to meet the System's requirements were meaningless.

Whether they lived or died made no difference to him.

This was the apocalypse.

Simply staying alive was already difficult enough.

Anyone trying to play the saint in a situation like this

was a fool.

Besides,

before the apocalypse,

he had been nothing more than an ordinary convenience store employee.

A lower-class man frequently looked down upon by women.

But now...

He possessed resources.

He held the advantage.

Why should he care whether those people lived or died?

---

Jiang Fan opened a bottle of green tea.

He drank leisurely.

Then ate sausages, ham, and marinated eggs for his meal.

Afterward, he snapped a few photos and posted them in the group chat.

The result was exactly what he expected.

A flood of insults immediately poured in.

---

On **Day 5** after the Crimson Fog covered the world,

more than **90%** of the residents in the community had begun experiencing serious food shortages.

Yet Jiang Fan still had no intention of leaving his apartment.

Even if he managed to avoid the crimson fog,

the outside world remained extremely dangerous.

Just yesterday,

he had heard screams coming from somewhere nearby.

It sounded as though someone had been attacked by a creature.

In a high-rise building,

sounds often echoed in strange ways.

Jiang Fan wasn't even sure

whether it came from the apartment next door

or a floor below.

---

After finishing **1 pack** of instant noodles,

doing a little exercise,

and relaxing for a while,

he logged into a game.

---

"Are you guys still alive?"

---

"What kind of stupid question is that? If we were dead, how would we be playing?"

---

"Hurry up and start the match! I'm out of food. I probably won't survive past the day after tomorrow. Before I die, I'm going to enjoy gaming as much as I can!"

---

"Hahaha! Then let's play as many matches as we want!"

---

The game had only been running for a few minutes

when the microphone of their bottom-lane teammate, Lu Ban, suddenly activated.

His voice was filled with panic.

"Holy shit!"

"My dog has gone crazy!"

"Don't bite me!"

"Back off!"

"Get away from me!"

---

Then came the sounds of a violent struggle.

Accompanied by furious barking and growling.

Moments later,

the player's voice disappeared completely.

What replaced it

was a horrifying sound coming through the microphone.

**Crunch!**

**Crunch!**

**Chomp... Chomp...**

---

Every teammate fell silent.

Nobody said another word.

Jiang Fan's face turned pale.

He immediately exited the game.

The world was becoming more insane with every passing day.

Now...

Even pet dogs had begun eating people.

---

His gaze drifted back toward the succulent plant bearing the black lychee-like fruits.

"Could this thing be poisonous?"

"Maybe I should just throw it away..."

---

At that exact moment,

a private message notification appeared.

Jiang Fan tapped it open.

---

**Gentle Warmth, Room C-3201:**

"Hello."

---

Jiang Fan's eyes lit up instantly.

Wasn't this...

Tang Xuerou, the beauty living next door?

A sly smile slowly spread across his face.

At long last...

The most arrogant woman in the entire community

couldn't hold out any longer.