Apocalypse: Resources consumed by women will be returned ten thousandfold.
Chapter Summary
Then she shouted through gritted teeth: --- "What exactly do you want from me?!" --- Jiang Fan looked at her calmly. --- At first, he wasn't sure whether the system would still work if another woman consumed food that had already been generated through a return reward. --- 【Ding!】 【Tang Xuerou has consumed 1 bottle of purified water.】 【200x return activated.】 【200 bottles of purified water have been stored in the private space.】 --- Jiang Fan's eyes brightened again.
--Translated by likesnovel--
Tang Xuerou was finally at her breaking point.
She glared at Jiang Fan, her eyes burning with humiliation and fury.
Then she shouted through gritted teeth:
---
"What exactly do you want from me?!"
---
Jiang Fan looked at her calmly.
The anger, the hatred, the unwillingness in her eyes...
He saw all of it.
But none of it mattered.
In this new world, emotions couldn't fill an empty stomach.
Food could.
Survival could.
Everything else was meaningless.
---
He pointed at the bag of bread lying on the floor.
---
"Simple."
"Smile."
"Pick it up."
"And eat."
---
Tang Xuerou's chest rose and fell violently.
Her nails dug into her palms.
She wanted nothing more than to slap the smug expression off his face.
But...
Her stomach suddenly cramped.
A sharp, twisting pain.
The pain of starvation.
---
She staggered slightly.
Her face turned even paler.
The hunger that she had been suppressing for days crashed down on her once again.
Like a tidal wave.
---
Jiang Fan watched quietly.
He wasn't in a hurry.
Because he knew something.
Hunger always won.
Sooner or later.
---
Tang Xuerou bit her lip so hard that a trace of blood appeared.
Tears streamed down her face.
For the first time in her life, she felt utterly powerless.
In the past, she had always been the center of attention.
The goddess of Fugui Center.
The woman countless men dreamed about.
Whenever she appeared, people would go out of their way to please her.
But now...
None of that mattered anymore.
---
Outside the window, the blood-red mist continued to spread.
Mutated beasts roared somewhere in the distance.
The world she once knew had already collapsed.
---
Her gaze slowly shifted toward the bread.
A simple bag of bread.
Before the apocalypse, she wouldn't have looked at it twice.
Now, however...
It was more precious than gold.
More precious than jewelry.
More precious than pride.
---
Jiang Fan suddenly spoke again.
---
"You know..."
"If this were a few months ago, I would've gladly handed it to you."
"All you had to do was ask."
---
Tang Xuerou's body trembled slightly.
---
"But things are different now."
"The old world is gone."
"And your pride..."
"It has no value here."
---
The room fell silent.
Only Tang Xuerou's soft sobs could be heard.
---
A full minute passed.
Then another.
---
Finally...
As if every ounce of strength had been drained from her body...
Tang Xuerou slowly lowered her head.
Her shoulders shook.
Tears dripped onto the floor.
---
Then, under Jiang Fan's calm gaze...
The proudest woman in the entire community...
Took her first trembling step toward the bread lying at her feet.
---
Outside, the red mist rolled endlessly across the city.
And somewhere far away...
Another terrified scream echoed through the dying world.
The apocalypse had only just begun.
Tang Xuerou bit her lip hard.
Then she shouted back in anger.
---
"That's none of your business!"
---
Jiang Fan didn't argue.
He simply tore open the bread package slowly.
---
*Riiip...*
---
The moment the package opened, the rich aroma of fresh bread filled the room.
---
Tang Xuerou's sobbing stopped instantly.
Her beautiful eyes widened.
She stared at the bread in Jiang Fan's hand without blinking.
Her nose twitched unconsciously as she took several quick breaths.
---
A faint smile appeared on Jiang Fan's face.
His voice was filled with temptation.
---
"Want to eat?"
"Just kneel."
---
Tang Xuerou froze.
Hesitation was written all over her face.
---
*Thud!*
---
Suddenly, Jiang Fan stepped on the bread.
---
"No!!"
---
Tang Xuerou's heart lurched.
It felt as though the thing being crushed wasn't the bread—
but her own heart.
---
Jiang Fan slowly ground the bread beneath his shoe.
Then he asked casually,
---
"Are you going to eat it or not?"
"If not, I'll throw it in the trash."
---
The final wall inside Tang Xuerou's heart shattered completely.
---
*Thump!*
---
She dropped to her knees.
Tears streamed down her face as she reached toward the bread.
---
At that moment, she felt as though her dignity...
was being trampled just like the bread beneath his foot.
---
But hunger...
was stronger than dignity.
---
Suddenly, Jiang Fan kicked her, knocking her onto the floor.
---
"Ah!"
---
"Didn't I tell you already?"
"Smile."
---
Tang Xuerou felt so wronged that her heart nearly broke.
Yet she still forced the corners of her mouth upward.
Even as tears continued flowing down her cheeks.
---
Jiang Fan frowned.
---
"You look awful when you cry."
"I'll let it slide this time."
"But if you cry that ugly again..."
"You don't get to eat."
---
Tang Xuerou barely heard what he was saying.
She lowered her head and devoured the bread frantically.
---
*Sob...*
---
This man was a monster...
---
*Sob...*
---
But the bread...
It smelled so good...
---
...
---
【Ding!】
【Tang Xuerou has consumed 1 piece of bread.】
【200x return activated.】
【200 pieces of bread have been stored in the private space.】
---
Jiang Fan's eyes lit up.
---
It worked!
---
This bread had originally been eaten by Song Siyin.
Then it had been returned to him by the system.
---
At first, he wasn't sure whether the system would still work if another woman consumed food that had already been generated through a return reward.
---
Now he had his answer.
---
It worked!
---
And it worked perfectly.
---
That meant...
He could use existing resources to create new resources endlessly.
---
Jiang Fan immediately felt much better.
Looking at the 200 new loaves that had appeared inside his storage space, he couldn't help smiling.
---
From now on...
He would never run out of food.
---
However, a 200x multiplier still wasn't high enough.
And there were still too few women.
---
If Tang Xuerou died,
he would lose a valuable source of resource generation.
---
Looks like I'll need to find more women...
---
After finishing the bread,
Tang Xuerou's complexion improved slightly.
At least the agony of starvation had faded.
---
She looked at Jiang Fan cautiously.
Her eyes were still red.
For the first time, she genuinely feared the man standing before her.
---
This person...
was terrifying.
---
Jiang Fan casually snapped his fingers.
---
*Whoosh!*
---
A bottle of purified water suddenly appeared in Tang Xuerou's arms.
---
"!"
---
She jumped in shock.
---
This...
Was it magic?
---
No!
---
It was a supernatural ability!
---
Tang Xuerou immediately thought of Zhou Tianhao.
The fitness coach who had shown off his glowing metallic muscles in the community chat a few days ago.
---
Could it be...
that Jiang Fan had awakened a power as well?
---
A storage-type ability?
---
In a collapsing world like this,
that was practically a god-tier power.
---
A trace of envy—
and a faint sense of hope—
slowly began growing inside her heart.
---
Maybe...
staying beside this man would increase her chances of survival.
---
Without realizing it,
her attitude was gradually beginning to change.
---
Jiang Fan smiled.
---
"Drink."
---
In truth, Tang Xuerou wasn't particularly thirsty.
Electricity, running water, and gas service were still functioning normally.
The real shortage was food.
---
But she didn't dare refuse.
So she unscrewed the cap and took a small sip.
---
【Ding!】
【Tang Xuerou has consumed 1 bottle of purified water.】
【200x return activated.】
【200 bottles of purified water have been stored in the private space.】
---
Jiang Fan's eyes brightened again.
---
I get it now.
---
Even a single sip counted as "consumption."
The system would immediately generate the return reward.
---
If that's the case,
even if these women wasted resources recklessly,
he could still accumulate massive stockpiles at incredible speed.
---
Jiang Fan began testing the system further.
---
A moment later,
he took out an unopened pack of tissues and handed it to Tang Xuerou.
---
"Wipe your tears."
"You look ugly when you cry."
---
Tang Xuerou obediently accepted it.
She tore open the package,
pulled out a tissue,
and wiped away the tears on her face.
---
But this time...
---
No system notification appeared.
---
Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes slightly.
---
Could it be...
that only food and drinks qualified for return rewards?
---
A thoughtful look flashed across his eyes.
As he sat there, he began carefully analyzing the rules of his system.