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

--Translated by likesnovel--

The two siblings waited for quite a while.

But the phone remained completely silent.

Not a single call came back.

Now, Song Siyin was starting to get anxious.

On top of that,

she had barely eaten anything over the past few days.

The hunger gnawing at her stomach was becoming unbearable.

---

"What's wrong with Jiang Fan?"

"He's got no manners at all!"

"I already gave him a way out and let him save face!"

"Hmph! If he doesn't know how to seize the opportunity, then don't blame me for not being polite!"

---

Fuming with anger,

Song Siyin picked up her phone

and called Jiang Fan again.

---

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please check the number and try again later..."

---

Song Siyin froze.

Unavailable?

No...

After a moment of silence,

she suddenly realized the truth.

---

"He blocked me?!"

---

Her face twisted with rage.

---

"How dare he block me!"

"Looks like he's gotten way too full of himself!"

---

Still unwilling to give up,

she quickly opened WeChat and sent him a message.

The result was the same.

Blocked.

---

This time,

Song Siyin truly panicked.

A sense of fear slowly crept into her heart.

If Jiang Fan was gone...

Where was she supposed to get food?

---

Song Yuanfan also began to worry.

"Isn't that guy still posting in the community group looking for women?"

"What if some idiot actually falls for it?"

"Then his food will disappear even faster!"

"That's supposed to be our food!"

---

Song Siyin immediately shook her head.

"Impossible!"

"What kind of woman would be that stupid?"

"Even if he really has food, how much could he possibly have?"

"Once it's gone, he'll starve to death anyway."

"And who would want to stay with a convenience store clerk?"

---

As she said those words,

she continued trying to reassure herself.

---

"I know Jiang Fan."

"He's just throwing a tantrum."

"In the end, he'll come crawling back to me."

---

...

---

After blocking Song Siyin,

Jiang Fan deliberately chose not to remove her from the group.

If she couldn't watch him living comfortably,

where would the fun be?

---

The next morning,

after finishing breakfast,

Jiang Fan walked to the window and looked outside.

---

His eyes immediately narrowed.

The crimson fog...

had risen again.

---

A few days ago,

the fog had only reached around the 20th floor.

But today,

it had already climbed high enough to cover half the windows of the 20th floor.

---

Jiang Fan couldn't help feeling uneasy.

How high would the crimson fog eventually rise?

Would it reach the 30th floor?

---

After thinking about it for a while,

he did some push-ups and light exercise,

working up a sweat.

Then he took a shower,

opened an ice-cold bottle of cola,

and relaxed while replying to Tang Xuerou's message.

---

**Room & Board Included:**

"Alright. You can come over now."

---

Tang Xuerou had been waiting for a reply all night.

The moment she saw the message,

she responded immediately.

---

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

"Can I come right now?"

"What room are you in?"

"Can you come get me?"

"I'm scared..."

---

**Room & Board Included:**

"I know which room you're in."

"Wait outside your door."

"I'm coming now."

---

Tang Xuerou was slightly surprised,

but didn't think much about it.

---

A few minutes later,

Jiang Fan heard a door open.

**Click.**

---

Looking through the peephole,

he saw Tang Xuerou cautiously peek out from the apartment next door,

then slowly close the door behind her.

---

Jiang Fan observed her for a moment.

After confirming she wasn't carrying any weapons,

he opened his door

and looked at her with a meaningful smile.

---

Tang Xuerou immediately noticed that gaze.

She frowned in annoyance.

---

"What are you staring at?"

"Never seen a beautiful woman before?"

---

The corners of Jiang Fan's lips curled upward.

Then he calmly said:

---

"I'm the guy who posted the 'Room & Board Included' ad."

---

Tang Xuerou's mouth fell open.

A moment later,

her expression turned furious.

---

"You bastard!"

"You tricked me!"

---

But right then,

a strange, sticky set of footsteps echoed from the stairwell.

Accompanied by heavy breathing.

Like a giant bellows pumping air.

---

Hooo...

Hooo...

---

Something was climbing up from the crimson fog below.

---

Jiang Fan's expression changed instantly.

He turned around

and walked back into his apartment without hesitation.

---

**Bang!**

---

The door slammed shut.

---

Tang Xuerou hadn't even finished cursing him

before she spun around and rushed toward her own apartment.

She desperately tried to unlock the door.

But panic had made her hands shake uncontrollably.

---

The key slipped from her fingers.

---

Clink!

---

The key bounced across the floor

and rolled directly into the stairwell.

The metallic sound echoed loudly through the corridor.

---

The moment the noise rang out,

the creature's footsteps suddenly accelerated.

---

Tang Xuerou's face turned deathly pale.

She spun around

and sprinted toward Jiang Fan's door.

---

Bang! Bang! Bang!

---

"Open the door!"

"Help me!"

"Please let me in!"

---

Afraid her shouting would attract the monster,

Jiang Fan quickly checked the hallway.

Seeing that the creature hadn't appeared yet,

he immediately opened the door

and yanked her inside.

---

"Ah!"

"That hurts!"

---

Tang Xuerou cried out.

---

"Quiet!"

"Don't make a sound!"

---

Jiang Fan pushed her against the wall beside the door

and hurriedly looked through the peephole.

---

The next second,

a gigantic beast burst out of the stairwell.

---

**Woof!**

**Woof!**

**Woof!**

---

It resembled a Greyhound.

But its size was completely unnatural.

At least **1.5 meters** tall

and over **2.5 meters** long.

---

Its muscles bulged like forged steel.

Its eyes glowed with savage ferocity.

Rows of razor-sharp fangs reflected a chilling light.

---

The mutated dog lowered its head

and sniffed along the corridor.

Then it slowly approached Jiang Fan's apartment door.

---

Hooo...

Hooo...

---

Its heavy breathing seeped through the door,

sounding as though it was only centimeters away.

---

Tang Xuerou trembled uncontrollably.

Her face was drained of all color.

Her heart pounded so violently

it felt ready to burst from her chest.

Because she knew very well...

If that monster found them,

there would be only 1 possible outcome.

**Death.**

Jiang Fan held his breath as well.

The tension in the apartment was so thick that it felt as if even a heartbeat could be heard.

At that moment,

a desperate scream suddenly echoed from a lower floor.

---

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

"Help! Somebody help me!"

---

**Woof! Woof! Woof!**

---

The mutated dog standing outside Jiang Fan's door abruptly raised its head.

Then it spun around and charged toward the stairwell.

Its heavy footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

---

Jiang Fan finally let out a long breath.

He had survived another close call.

Only after confirming the danger had passed

did he finally turn his attention back to Tang Xuerou.

---

This was the first time he had truly looked at her from up close.

In the past,

whenever Tang Xuerou saw him,

she always carried herself with pride.

She rarely even glanced in his direction.

---

Her long black hair flowed like silk.

Her slender waist curved naturally into shapely hips.

Her legs were long and elegant.

The fitted jeans she wore only emphasized her figure even more.

---

Now that she was back in a relatively safe environment,

Tang Xuerou seemed to return to being the proud young woman she had always been.

Crossing her arms,

she took a step back and spoke coldly.

---

"Let me make one thing clear."

"Don't get any stupid ideas."

---

Jiang Fan looked ordinary.

He was only **175 cm** tall.

Tang Xuerou was **169 cm**.

If she wore high heels,

they would be almost the same height.

In her eyes,

a lower-class man like Jiang Fan

had never even been worth a second glance.

---

"Heh..."

---

Jiang Fan chuckled softly.

Then he raised his hand.

---

**SMACK!**

---

The sharp sound echoed throughout the apartment.

---

"The apocalypse is already here."

"And you're still acting like a princess?"

"And besides..."

"You're the one who came to me."

"You were willing to trade yourself for food, weren't you?"

"So why keep pretending you're above everyone else?"

---

Tang Xuerou covered her cheek.

Her face was filled with disbelief.

---

"You..."

"You actually slapped me?!"

---

"So what if I did?"

---

A cold glint flashed across Jiang Fan's eyes.

A dagger suddenly appeared in his hand.

---

"Face the wall."

---

His voice remained calm.

But the pressure behind it left no room for argument.

---

Tang Xuerou's face instantly turned pale.

The moment she saw the cold blade,

fear overwhelmed her.

---

"Y-you..."

---

"I'll say it one last time."

"Face the wall."

"Turn your back to me."

---

His icy tone made resistance impossible.

---

Biting her lip,

Tang Xuerou slowly turned toward the wall.

Her body trembled slightly.

---

"I-I've turned around..."

"Is this okay...?"

---

The tip of the blade touched her waist.

---

"Raise your hands."

---

The cold steel against her skin made her shiver.

Her mental defenses collapsed almost instantly.

---

"*Sob...*"

"Please don't kill me..."

"I'm begging you..."

"I'll do anything you want..."

"Just don't kill me..."

---

Tears streamed down her face.

Quiet sobs escaped her lips.

---

Jiang Fan paid no attention.

He simply searched her carefully.

---

In the world they lived in now,

even the slightest carelessness

could mean the difference between life and death.

---

The huge stockpile of food he had shown off in the group

would inevitably attract greed.

Who knew whether someone might use a woman as bait

to infiltrate his apartment and rob him?

---

In the apocalypse,

the most terrifying thing

wasn't mutated beasts.

It was the human heart.

---

After confirming she wasn't carrying anything dangerous,

Jiang Fan finally put the dagger away.

---

Only then did Tang Xuerou realize

that Jiang Fan had been conducting a security check all along.

Nothing more.

---

Embarrassment and anger immediately surged through her.

---

Was it really necessary to be this cautious around a woman?!

---

But when she remembered the knife in his hand,

she didn't dare say a word.

She could only grit her teeth

and glare at him resentfully.

---

Still,

she truly was beautiful.

Even viewed from the side,

her facial features seemed flawless.

---

"Oh?"

"You're still glaring at me?"

---

Jiang Fan laughed.

Then he reached out,

grabbed a handful of her long hair,

and pulled sharply.

---

"Ah!"

"That hurts!"

---

Fresh tears filled Tang Xuerou's eyes.

Her body stumbled forward from the force.

---

Jiang Fan pushed her toward the sofa.

---

"Sit down."

"And stay still."

---

Tang Xuerou collapsed onto the couch.

Her heart was still pounding wildly.

Jiang Fan stood a short distance away,

his expression calm,

yet his eyes remained filled with caution.

---

Outside the window,

the crimson fog continued swallowing the world.

From time to time,

the distant roars of mutated creatures echoed through the city.

A constant reminder to everyone that...

the old era was gone.

And the rules of this new world

were being rewritten,

one line at a time.