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

--Translated by likesnovel--

Jiang Fan swept his gaze across the crowd before asking once more in an unhurried tone,

"Does anyone else have any objections?"

This time...

Not a single person dared to say a word.

Jiang Fan nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good."

"Since everyone agrees, I'll consider the motion passed."

"Next, I have 2 announcements."

He raised 1 finger.

"First, everything from the 28th floor and above is my private living area."

"No one is allowed to enter without my permission."

Then he raised a 2nd finger.

"Second, anyone who goes downstairs to clear weeds and brings back 100 jin of plants per day will receive food and water as payment."

After saying that, Jiang Fan turned around and headed back upstairs.

The reason he kept these people on the lower floors was simple.

First, they could serve as human shields.

If mutated creatures attacked from below, these survivors would naturally become the first targets.

That would give him more time to react.

Second, sending them downstairs to pull weeds would also allow him to gather information about the surrounding environment.

He wanted to know which mutated creatures posed a threat to humans.

And most importantly...

He wanted to find out whether that mutated frog was still attacking people.

After Jiang Fan left, the crowd exchanged confused looks.

"Is he serious? Why would he suddenly want us to pull weeds?"

"Will he really give us food? That's impossible. How could he have that many supplies?"

"That guy's a murderer. Don't trust him!"

"Hah! So many people have already died these past few days. What's 1 more death?"

"Maybe... we should give it a try?"

Some people remained hesitant.

Others had already made up their minds.

They returned to their apartments to look for tools that could be used for clearing weeds.

They were already starving to death.

Taking a chance seemed better than waiting to die.

"Hmph! If we don't go, we'll have nothing to eat anyway!"

"We'll die sooner or later regardless!"

Grandma Xu declared stubbornly.

But suddenly her expression changed.

"No!"

"I'm not going!"

"I'm old! How am I supposed to do hard labor?"

"If there's food, I deserve a share too!"

"Otherwise, I'll file a complaint!"

Her words immediately gained support from several other elderly residents.

"That's right!"

"Weeding is work for young people. I can't do that."

"If there's food, why shouldn't we get some too?"

"Have young people forgotten how to respect their elders?"

...

Someone couldn't stand listening anymore and kindly tried to warn them.

"The world isn't the same anymore. You really shouldn't cause trouble."

But Grandma Xu immediately argued back.

"What trouble?"

"I'm only asking for what I deserve!"

Her confidence was strangely strong.

After all, whether it was Zhou Tianhao or Jiang Fan,

neither had ever harmed her before.

In her mind,

there was no way Jiang Fan would dare attack an old woman.

Several elderly women quickly joined in.

"Isn't Jiang Fan just a convenience store clerk?"

"He only earned a living because homeowners like us supported his business!"

"If he wants to be the building manager, he needs our approval!"

"Exactly!"

"He must have secretly stockpiled supplies from the convenience store. That's why he has so much food."

"During a crisis like this, those supplies should be shared with everyone!"

"I think we should go have a proper talk with young Jiang Fan."

"Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is one of the Dragon Kingdom's traditional virtues!"

"He has so much food. Why won't he share any with us?"

"Or does he only want money?"

"If that's the case, we'll pay him!"

...

The younger survivors were speechless after hearing those words.

Negotiate with Jiang Fan?

Are these people serious?

That woman's corpse was still lying right there!

But no one bothered to argue.

After all,

if these people really wanted to try negotiating with Jiang Fan,

the younger survivors had nothing to lose.

If Jiang Fan actually gave in,

everyone would benefit.

But if he refused...

The ones dying wouldn't be them anyway.

The middle-aged woman's body remained motionless on the floor.

No relatives.

No friends.

No one cared.

No one even considered burying her.

Before long,

flies began gathering around the corpse.

Bzzz...

Bzzz...

The buzzing echoed softly through the darkness.

Many people looked at the body with disgust.

"Damn it."

"Are we really just going to leave that thing there?"

Someone immediately replied,

"Then why don't you move it?"

"Why should I?"

These days, everyone was starving and barely had any strength left.

Every bit of energy was precious.

No one wanted to move unless absolutely necessary.

Among the crowd,

a skinny man stared at the corpse without blinking.

A strange green light seemed to flicker in his eyes.

He hadn't eaten anything for 2 full days.

Hunger was slowly eroding his sanity.

As he looked at the pale skin of the dead woman,

he unconsciously swallowed.

A horrifying thought gradually surfaced in his mind.

'She was killed...'

'She didn't die from the plague...'

'That means...'

'She should be edible, right?'

At that moment,

a dangerous glint silently flashed through the skinny man's eyes.

After quite some time had passed, the skinny man finally stood up and spoke in a serious tone.

"If we leave it any longer, the body will start to rot."

"I'll take care of it myself."

"Anyone want to help?"

Everyone lowered their heads.

Not a single person answered.

The skinny man let out a self-mocking laugh.

"Heh... forget it."

"I'll do it myself."

With great difficulty, he dragged the woman's corpse toward the stairwell.

Panting heavily every few steps.

To everyone else, it looked as though he intended to dispose of the body.

But in reality...

He had no intention of throwing it away.

After reaching a lower floor, he dragged the corpse into his own apartment.

Then quietly closed the door behind him.

...

Time continued to pass.

As the skinny man's absence grew unusually long, some people began to feel suspicious.

2 men exchanged glances.

Without making a sound, they quietly followed him downstairs.

Meanwhile, a shrill scream suddenly echoed through the corridor.

"Who stole my things?!"

"Who took my belongings?!"

Grandma Xu was shouting hysterically.

An annoyed man snapped back,

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"You're the closest one to me!"

"It must have been you!"

"That's nonsense!"

"Old woman, stop causing trouble—"

Scratch!

"AHHH!"

"You crazy old hag!"

"You actually scratched my face?!"

The entire floor instantly descended into chaos.

Cursing.

Shoving.

Screaming.

The commotion continued without stopping.

It took more than 10 minutes before things finally calmed down.

The man covered his face, his expression filled with fear.

Long claw marks stretched across his cheek.

Several cuts had torn through the skin.

In the current world,

external injuries were no longer minor problems.

Because nobody knew whether a wound would become infected.

And if it did...

It could very well mean death.

"Damn crazy old woman!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

The man roared in fury.

But the people around him quickly stepped in to stop him.

"Enough!"

"Why are you fighting with an old woman?"

Grandma Xu hid behind the crowd and pointed at him while yelling.

"Thief!"

"I'm calling the police!"

Those words made everyone twitch awkwardly.

Call the police?

Were there even any police left?

The injured man clenched his fists in resentment.

But in the end, he didn't dare act.

By nature, he was simply too honest and timid.

"Hurry and treat the wound!"

"Don't let it get infected!"

Someone urgently reminded him.

The man's face turned pale.

"Can somebody help me?"

"Is there a doctor here?"

Suddenly, someone spoke up.

"Doctor Li!"

"Li Qingquan is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Maybe he can help."

Li Qingquan lived on the 24th floor.

The injured man immediately ran over and pounded on the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Inside the apartment,

Li Qingquan didn't want to come out.

The situation outside was far too chaotic.

He was afraid of being robbed.

But the man kept knocking relentlessly.

Eventually, Li Qingquan could only ask through the peephole.

"What is it?"

The injured man looked as though he was about to cry.

"Doctor Li, please save me!"

Li Qingquan examined the wound through the peephole.

After hesitating for a moment,

his medical ethics finally got the better of him.

No matter how bad the world had become,

he still couldn't completely ignore a patient.

"Come in."

The door opened halfway with extreme caution.

No one dared rush inside.

In times like these,

nobody knew whether they themselves might become injured or sick tomorrow.

No one wanted to make an enemy of a doctor.

The injured man asked with a trembling voice,

"Do... do I still have a chance?"

Li Qingquan adjusted his glasses and carefully inspected the wound.

After a while,

he gently shook his head.

"The odds aren't very good."

"But it's still worth trying."

He took out some alcohol and disinfected the wound.

Then carefully applied iodine.

Finally, he let out a sigh.

"If this were before the disaster, a wound like this would be easy enough to treat."

"But now..."

"I don't have any medicine left."

"Good luck."

The injured man's legs nearly gave out beneath him.

He had never imagined that

arguing with an old woman

could bring him so close to death.

"Please save me!"

"Doctor Li, please!"

Li Qingquan could only smile bitterly.

Even the greatest chef in the world couldn't cook without ingredients.

Right now, he had neither medicine nor proper medical equipment.

What more could he possibly do?

In his opinion,

there was only 1 person in the entire building who might still possess medical supplies.

Jiang Fan.

But that man...

Was far too difficult to deal with.

Li Qingquan would never risk knocking on Jiang Fan's door to ask for medicine.

Suddenly,

he remembered something.

He walked to a cabinet and took out a small box.

Inside were several pine needles.

"These came from the pine tree below the building."

"I collected them not long ago."

"According to traditional medicine, pine needles can help treat external wounds."

"But that pine tree has already mutated."

"I don't know whether it'll still work."

"Do you want to try?"

The injured man gritted his teeth.

"Yes!"

"I'll try it!"

Li Qingquan nodded.

"Alright."

He finely chopped the pine needles.

Then crushed them into a green paste.

Carefully, he spread it evenly across the wound.

After that...

Everything depended on fate.

...

At the same time,

Jiang Fan observed the entire scene clearly through his perception ability from inside his apartment.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.

"Interesting..."

Originally, he had never thought much of traditional medicine.

But after witnessing this scene,

a new idea emerged in his mind.

If traditional medical knowledge still worked in the post-mutation world...

Then perhaps

Li Qingquan was far more valuable than he had initially believed.

The next moment,

Jiang Fan's body slowly sank into the floor.

As if melting into the shadows themselves.

Silently,

he descended toward the 24th floor.