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

--Translated by likesnovel--

Jiang Fan openly looked Bai Xinjie up and down from head to toe.

A faint blush appeared on Bai Xinjie's face from embarrassment, but surprisingly, she wasn't very angry.

Part of the reason was simple—Jiang Fan was far too handsome.

After staring at him for a moment, she finally recognized him.

"You're... the guy who worked at the convenience store, right?"

Jiang Fan smiled and nodded.

"That's right. It's me."

Fat Hu's convenience store was located near the entrance of the residential complex, so quite a few residents knew who he was.

Lowering her voice, Bai Xinjie asked softly,

"I heard that it's true... that you provide food and shelter to the people who follow you?"

Jiang Fan looked at her as if he were admiring a delicious meal before giving her a meaningful smile.

"Smart girl."

Before the internet had completely gone down, news about Jiang Fan taking women under his protection and providing them with food and accommodation had already spread throughout the survivor chat groups.

Bai Xinjie had heard those rumors as well.

Thinking about the stories of "trading food for women," her heart couldn't help but tremble.

She instinctively hugged the bag in her arms tighter and almost turned around to retreat back into her apartment.

But when she thought about her family's situation, she hesitated.

After gathering her courage, she finally spoke.

"Do you... still have food?"

"I'd like to trade something for it."

Jiang Fan raised an eyebrow.

"And what exactly are you offering in exchange?"

Bai Xinjie glanced around carefully before whispering,

"A black lychee fruit."

"I saw your message in the group before."

"I've seen a fruit like that, but I'm not completely sure it's the one you're looking for."

A black lychee fruit?

Jiang Fan's expression immediately became serious.

He carefully examined Bai Xinjie.

Through his perception ability, her body emitted a gentle yellow glow.

It felt harmless and sincere.

She didn't seem to be lying.

"Where is it?"

Bai Xinjie quickly stated her conditions.

"I want instant noodles."

"Ham sausages."

"And chocolate."

The moment Jiang Fan heard news about an Enlightenment Fruit, his mood relaxed again.

"No problem."

"3 packs of instant noodles."

"3 ham sausages."

"3 chocolate bars."

Bai Xinjie bit her lip before continuing.

"I also need fever medicine and antibiotics."

"My brother is sick."

Jiang Fan sneered.

"Bai Xinjie."

"Don't push your luck."

In reality, he didn't care what she requested.

The important thing was the black lychee fruit.

As long as he got the fruit, everything else was irrelevant.

Besides, there was no way she could escape him afterward.

A trace of fear appeared in Bai Xinjie's eyes.

But when she thought about her brother burning with a high fever, she had no choice.

"I don't need the food."

"But I need the medicine."

"I have to bring it back to my brother."

Although her brother had never treated her particularly well, he was still family.

In this new world, without a man in the household, she couldn't even imagine how she would survive.

Jiang Fan pretended to think.

In reality, however, his attention was focused on the apartment behind her.

Through his perception field, he could clearly sense 5 people inside.

In the master bedroom, an elderly woman was watching over a young man lying on the bed.

His life force was extremely weak.

He was obviously seriously ill.

That was most likely Bai Xinjie's brother.

Meanwhile, the second bedroom contained 3 people.

A father, mother, and child.

They were probably survivors assigned to share the apartment.

Jiang Fan casually said,

"Looks like someone in your family is seriously sick."

Bai Xinjie's expression immediately darkened.

That was practically an admission.

Then she suddenly froze.

Her eyes widened.

"Wait..."

"How do you know my name?"

Jiang Fan didn't answer.

Instead, he changed the subject.

"I need to see the black lychee fruit first."

"Then we'll trade."

Bai Xinjie spoke nervously.

"It's inside the residential complex."

"But it's out in the open."

"I'm too scared to go get it."

"Can I just tell you where it is and let you retrieve it yourself?"

Jiang Fan immediately shook his head.

"No."

"You have to come with me."

The world had become far too dangerous.

And people were even more unpredictable.

Who knew if she was setting a trap?

He needed her with him personally.

At the very least, if something dangerous happened, he would still have a hostage.

Bai Xinjie bit her red lips before reluctantly nodding.

"Fine."

"I'll take you there."

"But don't get too close."

Jiang Fan frowned.

That sounded like a very dangerous location.

"Where exactly is it?"

Bai Xinjie shook her head.

Then she replied firmly,

"You have to give me the supplies first."

"Only then will I tell you."

Jiang Fan laughed.

Give her the supplies first?

Even if he did, he could simply take everything back afterward.

What could a small woman like her possibly do about it?

"Fine."

He agreed without hesitation.

Bai Xinjie took a deep breath.

It looked as though she was making one of the biggest decisions of her life.

"Then I'll take you there."

"But you really have to give me what you promised."

"No cheating."

"Otherwise... otherwise... I'll... I'll..."

She stammered for a long time.

Yet she couldn't come up with a single threatening statement that carried any weight.

In the end, she could only repeat weakly,

"You have to keep your promise!"

Jiang Fan almost burst out laughing.

This woman...

She seemed a little too innocent.

"Let's go."

He pointed toward the stairwell.

"Head downstairs."

Bai Xinjie walked in front.

Jiang Fan followed behind her.

The two of them slowly made their way down through the building toward the lower floors...

Bai Xinjie's waist swayed with natural grace.

Every step she took caused her hips to move in a smooth, rhythmic motion, creating an effortlessly feminine charm that was difficult to ignore.

Walking behind her, Jiang Fan openly admired the view.

Bai Xinjie seemed to sense his gaze.

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

Without realizing it, she quickened her pace, as if trying to put more distance between herself and the young man.

Jiang Fan merely smiled.

He said nothing and continued following at a relaxed pace.

Outwardly, he looked completely at ease.

In reality, however, all of his attention was focused on his perception field.

He carefully monitored every corner around them, remaining alert for any hidden threats or ambushes.

...

Not long afterward, they arrived at the 21st floor.

Thin strands of red mist drifted lazily through the stairwell.

Bai Xinjie couldn't help feeling nervous.

Her pace slowed noticeably.

Before she realized it, she had moved closer to Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan chuckled softly.

"A moment ago, you were trying to get away from me."

"So why are you suddenly walking closer now?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll eat you?"

Bai Xinjie jumped in surprise.

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?!"

Yet when she remembered the rumors she had read in the survivor chat groups, a trace of regret surfaced in her heart.

Why had she agreed to come down here alone with this man?

What if he really had bad intentions?

Thump!

Suddenly, Jiang Fan stomped hard on the floor.

Bai Xinjie nearly jumped out of her skin.

Her eyes widened in fear.

"What happened?!"

Jiang Fan casually lifted his foot.

"Stepped on a bug."

On the ground lay what had once been a cockroach nearly the size of a human hand.

Now it had been crushed into an unrecognizable mess.

The sight made Bai Xinjie's face turn even paler.

She immediately started walking faster.

...

The two of them soon reached the courtyard below.

The herbicides that had once been sprayed around the area had long since lost their effect.

Vegetation had returned with a vengeance.

Bushes covered every corner.

Weeds had grown nearly waist-high.

Bai Xinjie looked down and checked the cuffs of her pants to make sure they were tightly secured.

Only then did she cautiously move forward.

As for Jiang Fan, all of his attention was fixed on the mutant frog in the swimming pool.

His perception field was operating at full capacity.

He was prepared to enter his Spirit Form at any moment.

Because they had already entered the frog's attack range.

If danger appeared—

Jiang Fan wouldn't hesitate for even a second.

He would immediately dive underground and escape.

As for Bai Xinjie...

He could only hope she was lucky.

...

After walking through the weeds for dozens of meters, Jiang Fan noticed something unusual.

Throughout the residential complex, giant purple mushrooms had sprouted everywhere.

Each mushroom cap was as large as a patio umbrella outside a barbecue restaurant.

The tallest one stood nearly 3 meters high.

Enormous fireflies circled around the mushrooms, creating a bizarre and eerie atmosphere.

Jiang Fan frowned.

Without hesitation, he chose to detour around them.

As the number of mutated plant species continued increasing, the most dangerous things were always the unknown ones.

And when it came to mushrooms...

Who knew whether they were poisonous?

He had absolutely no intention of risking his life to find out.

...

At that moment, Bai Xinjie stood atop a purple mushroom about 0.5 meters tall.

Pointing toward the swimming pool, she said,

"It's over there."

"Under the public lounge chair beside the pool."

"The day I went out to pull weeds, I happened to spot it."

"But there was a huge frog sleeping in the pool."

"So I didn't dare get any closer."

Bai Xinjie was actually quite clever.

After discovering the strange fruit, she hadn't told anyone.

Instead, she had kept the secret to herself.

Originally, she had planned to contact someone willing to trade food for it.

She wanted supplies for her family.

But shortly afterward, both electricity and internet service had collapsed.

The matter had been delayed until now.

...

"Near the mutant frog?"

Jiang Fan immediately found her story much more believable.

If the fruit had been anywhere else, someone would have taken it long ago.

But that area...

Nobody dared approach it.

And anyone who did had probably ended up inside the frog's stomach.

Jiang Fan carefully scanned the area around the pool.

It didn't take long before he found it.

The black lychee fruit was indeed hidden beneath one of the lounge chairs.

It was roughly the size of a ping-pong ball.

Covered by weeds and vines, it was almost impossible to notice.

The chair itself sat very low to the ground.

Dense vegetation surrounded it from all sides.

Meanwhile, the mutant frog's body was simply too massive.

It couldn't see what was underneath the chair.

Perhaps...

The frog couldn't detect motionless objects.

Jiang Fan silently considered the possibility.

If that were true, it could become a critical weakness.

One that might eventually allow him to plan an assassination.

...

Jiang Fan took out 2 boxes of cephalosporin antibiotics along with several packs of instant noodles and handed them to Bai Xinjie.

"Alright."

"You can head back now."

Bai Xinjie froze.

"You haven't even seen the black lychee fruit yet."

"Aren't you afraid I'm lying?"

Jiang Fan flashed a bright smile.

Then he answered with complete seriousness.

"I trust you."

Bai Xinjie stood there in shock.

Something stirred unexpectedly inside her heart.

Ever since she was little, whether it was her mother or her brother, everyone had always doubted her.

No one had ever told her they trusted her.

Looking at Jiang Fan's handsome face, her heartbeat inexplicably quickened.

"Then... I'll go back first."

"Don't worry."

"I won't tell anyone about the black lychee fruit."

After speaking, she quickly turned around and hurried away.

...

Jiang Fan watched her retreating figure.

A faint green glow lingered around her body.

The corner of his mouth curled slightly upward.

"This woman..."

"She's far too easy to fool."

A moment later, he completely pushed all thoughts of Bai Xinjie out of his mind.

Right now, women weren't the most important thing.

The Enlightenment Fruit was.

Jiang Fan's body slowly sank into the ground.

Then he sped directly toward the location of the black lychee fruit.

In this post-apocalyptic world...

Power mattered far more than any woman ever could.