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

--Translated by likesnovel--

The night passed quickly.

The woman had long since fallen asleep.

Jiang Fan, however, remained full of energy, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

As his overall physical condition continued to improve, his need for sleep had noticeably decreased.

A simple 30-minute nap was enough to restore him completely.

Morning arrived.

Jiang Fan took out 5 cartons of milk and more than 10 braised eggs before enjoying a hearty breakfast.

This was another effect of his enhanced physique.

His appetite had increased dramatically.

For other survivors, food consumption at this level would have been a luxury.

But Jiang Fan never worried about such things.

For him, food would never be a problem.

After eating and drinking his fill, he picked up his phone.

The internet signal had become weaker and weaker. It took quite some time before he finally managed to connect.

As soon as he logged in, he discovered more than 10 private messages from different women.

"Hey handsome, can we chat?"

"Big brother, I can take care of my own food and shelter. Do you think I have a chance?"

"I'm fair-skinned, pretty, and have long legs. As long as you give me instant noodles every day, I'll do anything you want. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

...

As food became increasingly scarce, many people had begun abandoning the moral boundaries they once upheld.

Jiang Fan skimmed through the messages.

Unfortunately, every one of them had extremely low evaluation scores. None met the system's requirements.

Without hesitation, he blocked them all.

After yesterday's bloodshed, the Fortune Center group chat had become much quieter.

Hardly anyone spoke throughout the night.

Only Old Lady Xu continued cursing Li Qingquan nonstop, accusing him of murdering her grandson.

She had sent over 100 messages.

Li Qingquan responded only once at the beginning before disappearing into silence.

While browsing the chat, Jiang Fan noticed a message from Chen Yun.

"Looking to buy Black Lychees. Contact me if you have any."

"Chen Yun?"

"Isn't she the Rune Mage working with Zhou Tianhao?"

Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes.

"It looks like she's figured out that Zhou Tianhao gained his supernatural ability after eating a Black Lychee."

A trace of seriousness appeared on his face.

He had expected the secret of the Black Lychees to spread eventually.

After all, even he had seen related information online.

That meant the news had likely reached many other places by now.

Still, knowing that someone was now competing with him for the same resource left him feeling somewhat irritated.

Using his special perception ability, Jiang Fan examined Room 1708.

A man and a woman were sleeping together on the bed.

The woman's figure resembled that of the Rune Mage who followed Zhou Tianhao. Her body was exceptionally attractive.

As for the man...

He looked strangely familiar.

"Isn't that the locksmith?"

"How did those two end up working together?"

Jiang Fan pondered for a moment before dismissing the matter.

Let them bid for the Black Lychee if they wanted.

Even if Chen Yun managed to buy one...

He could simply take it from her afterward.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Fan stopped paying attention to them.

Just then, a new message appeared on his phone.

[C Building, Room 2104 — I'm Really Not a Fox]

"Excuse me, do you have any medicine for diarrhea? I'd like to buy some."

"Diarrhea?"

Jiang Fan turned his attention toward Hu Lili on the 21st floor.

The woman was curled up on her bed.

The life aura surrounding her had noticeably weakened.

Suddenly, she sprang up and rushed toward the bathroom.

[Food and Shelter Included]

"You have diarrhea?"

[C Building, Room 2104 — I'm Really Not a Fox]

"Mm..."

Jiang Fan frowned.

In times like these, could someone survive severe diarrhea?

Even he wasn't sure.

In the past, it would have been considered a minor illness.

But things were different now.

Viruses were mutating rapidly.

Who knew whether conventional medicine still worked?

More importantly...

How had she gotten sick?

If it turned out to be some dangerous new virus, Jiang Fan would leave immediately without even giving Hu Lili a second glance.

He had no intention of risking infection himself.

[Food and Shelter Included]

"What happened?"

[C Building, Room 2104 — I'm Really Not a Fox]

"Yesterday, I couldn't finish my instant noodles, so I put the leftovers in the freezer."

"I thought they'd still be okay to eat..."

"And then this happened..."

Jiang Fan fell silent for a moment.

Then he replied.

[Food and Shelter Included]

"You're quite the genius, aren't you?"

After learning the cause, he finally relaxed.

As long as it wasn't some highly contagious virus...

There was still hope.

[C Building, Room 2104 — I'm Really Not a Fox]

"Big brother, please..."

"You have medicine, right?"

Inside Room 2104, Hu Lili clutched her stomach as she struggled to stand up from the toilet.

She staggered back to her bed before collapsing onto it weakly.

The constant diarrhea had pushed her to the brink of dehydration.

Getting sick at a time like this filled her with despair.

[Food and Shelter Included]

"I have Norfloxacin."

"And children's Montmorillonite Powder."

Hu Lili's eyes instantly lit up.

[C Building, Room 2104 — I'm Really Not a Fox]

"I'll buy it!"

"I'll buy it!"

"I even have a diamond necklace!"

Jiang Fan let out a dismissive chuckle.

"What use are a few shiny stones nowadays?"

He stood up and sent a final reply.

"Wait for me."

"I'm coming over."

Jiang Fan took out the 2 boxes of medicine from his personal storage space.

Then his body slowly sank into the floor.

A moment later, he emerged inside Hu Lili's room, appearing silently beside the window.

Hu Lili's face instantly turned pale.

She stared in shock as a man suddenly rose straight through the floor.

"Y-You...!"

Jiang Fan couldn't be bothered wasting time on meaningless conversation.

He placed the 2 boxes of medicine in front of her.

Hu Lili's eyes immediately lit up.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Brother Jiang!"

Jiang Fan's expression remained indifferent.

"Save your thanks."

"What value do a few words have?"

"If you want the medicine, you'll have to pay for it."

"What can you offer in exchange?"

Hu Lili's expression changed instantly.

"You're taking advantage of someone who's already suffering!"

Jiang Fan laughed.

"Taking advantage?"

"A bottle of water in a supermarket might cost almost nothing."

"But if you're dying in the middle of a desert, that same bottle could be worth more than gold."

"The value of something depends on the time and the situation."

His calm gaze settled on her.

"I'm a reasonable man."

"A trade is a trade."

"If you don't agree, I won't force you."

"But don't expect me to save you either."

Clutching her stomach, Hu Lili gritted her teeth.

"Can a person's life really be bought and sold like this?"

Jiang Fan looked at her coldly.

"Don't try to guilt-trip me with morality."

"It won't work."

"Do pharmaceutical companies lower the price of medicine for people who can't afford it?"

"Why don't you go lecture them instead?"

"Enough nonsense."

"Answer me."

Hu Lili's face grew even paler.

"I... I..."

Jiang Fan wasn't in a hurry.

He simply stood there and watched her quietly.

Suddenly, another wave of agonizing pain twisted through her stomach.

Her knees nearly gave out.

"Fine!"

"I agree!"

"Give me the medicine now!"

She desperately reached toward him.

But Jiang Fan only sneered.

"Do you misunderstand your situation?"

"You're the one begging me to save your life."

"Is that how someone asks for help?"

Hu Lili's eyes reddened.

She wanted to scream.

Why are you so cruel?

Don't you have any compassion at all?

But Jiang Fan merely chuckled.

Compassion?

In a collapsed world like this, the more compassion you had, the faster you died.

"Stop pretending to stand on the moral high ground."

"Did you ever pity the beggars on the street before all this happened?"

"No, right?"

"So what gives you the right to judge me?"

"We're all the same."

"As far as I'm concerned, you're no different from those beggars right now."

Jiang Fan crouched down.

His eyes locked onto hers.

Then he spoke each word clearly.

"If I give you the medicine, you live."

"If I don't, you die."

"So what exactly makes you think you're in a position to negotiate with me?"

At last, Hu Lili broke.

"Please..."

"I'm begging you..."

"Please give me the medicine..."

"Hahaha!"

Jiang Fan laughed in satisfaction.

"That's more like it."

He tossed the 2 boxes to her.

Hu Lili tore them open in panic and swallowed the medicine immediately.

Not long afterward, the stomach pain struck again.

Staggering to her feet, she rushed toward the bathroom.

More than 30 minutes later, she finally emerged, leaning weakly against the wall.

She looked like someone who had just survived a severe case of food poisoning.

Even Jiang Fan wasn't sure whether she would make it.

The rest would depend on luck.

Before leaving, he tossed several boxes of chocolate bars, multiple bottles of cola, high-calorie emergency food, and several packs of bottled water into the room.

As she watched Jiang Fan sink into the floor once again, Hu Lili could only stare blankly.

Her heart was filled with envy, shock, and emotions she couldn't even put into words.

---

The rest of the day passed peacefully.

Jiang Fan didn't go out.

Instead, he spent the entire day downloading offline maps and storing large amounts of important information.

Because he knew very well that before long, the internet would disappear completely.

When that happened, data itself would become an extremely valuable resource.

He fed the husky 2 more times.

After observing it for several days, Jiang Fan was becoming increasingly confident that Bai Yan could be tamed.

So he finally allowed the dog into the apartment.

Of course, it was only permitted to stay on his side of the residence.

Entering Tang Xuerou's room was strictly forbidden.

At exactly 19:00, Jiang Fan noticed that Hu Lili's life force had recovered significantly.

Her physical condition was nearly back to normal.

The diarrhea seemed to be completely gone.

The medicine had worked surprisingly well.

Seeing this, Jiang Fan headed toward her room once again.

At that moment, Hu Lili was eating a chocolate bar.

When she suddenly saw a man emerge through the floor, her entire body jumped in fright.

Jiang Fan looked her over.

Color had returned to her face.

The fluids and energy her body had lost had been replenished.

Overall, she looked far healthier than before.

He said nothing.

He simply watched her silently.

Hu Lili didn't dare play any tricks.

In a quiet voice, she said,

"Please give me a moment to prepare myself..."

The image of Jiang Fan crushing Zhou Tianhao to death yesterday was still deeply etched into everyone's mind.

Jiang Fan waved his hand dismissively.

"There's no need."

"Just bring all your belongings."

After speaking, he began walking around the room.

Everywhere he passed, objects vanished without a trace.

Hu Lili stared with wide eyes.

"T-This..."

"Is this magic?"

Jiang Fan glanced at her.

"It's my ability."

"Spatial Storage."

"So as long as you follow me, you'll never have to worry about food or water again."

"I've stockpiled more than enough supplies."

Hu Lili's eyes widened with excitement.

The resistance she had been holding onto nearly disappeared.

Since he was bringing Hu Lili with him, using the stairs was their only option.

The 2 of them left the apartment and headed toward Tang Xuerou's home together.