The woman rolled her eyes and said without hesitation, "There are no good people in the apocalypse."
True. In the apocalypse, good people don't exist. And yet she dared to get into a stranger's car. Even if she dared, they wouldn't dare take her. Getting in was absolutely out of the question.
When Lao Gao turned to leave and the people in the car ignored her, the woman suddenly changed her tactics. She began crying and shouting, insisting on getting in.
Maybe it was because she saw that the four of them showed no killing intent toward her, but she started to push her luck. She even tried to guilt-trip Lao Gao.
What time was this? It was the apocalypse. Would Lao Gao really be afraid of that?
Already irritated from the moment they had stepped outside, Lao Gao's patience snapped. Without another word, he kicked the woman hard, sending her stumbling back, then turned and drove away.
As the vehicle sped off, Ling Jiang chuckled. "Lao Gao, she was crying so hard. Didn't you feel even a little soft-hearted? Not even the tiniest bit tempted to take her along?"
Lao Gao's reply was firm and loud. "No way. She wants to guilt-trip me? Not a chance. I didn't give in before the apocalypse, and I sure won't now."
After that, no matter who rushed into the road, Lao Gao never lifted his foot off the gas.
With this kind of momentum, anyone would be scared for their life. And so, at the very last second, every would-be blocker jumped out of the way.
"That's why I say," Ling Jiang muttered, "these people are all the same."
Afraid Lao Gao might smash the car by accident, Ling Jiang gave him a wry smile and said, "Alright, calm down. Just don't stop for anyone who blocks the road. Our first stop is almost here."
…
Their first stop was the place they had discussed during the first freezing rain. Four large shopping malls and several office towers stood here. The office buildings housed restaurants, clothing shops, nail salons, and more. The nearby residential buildings were far away, which made this spot ideal. Their target this time was the office towers.
The malls had long been buried deep under ice. Even if someone wanted to loot them, it was impossible.
Before long, the car rolled to a stop at the base of one of the towers.
Lan Jin stored the vehicle in her space. Just as she was about to take out tools, Lao Gao and Huang Jinghe smashed the glass open with their bare hands.
The tools Lan Jin had just taken out hovered awkwardly in her grip.
Ling Jiang laughed. "We don't need those. These two are strong enough to break in bare-handed."
Then she added, "That woman earlier said each person only gets one power. So how many powers do we count as having?"
Lan Jin said, "Just one. Space abilities and great strength are things we already had before. Your short-range movement is the one we're not sure about. It might be because of the insect powder, or maybe from drinking the spirit spring water earlier. It's just different from ours, so you didn't notice it before."
Ling Jiang's "teleport" wasn't really teleportation. The range was short, and even running didn't reach true instantaneous movement, but it was much faster than ordinary people. After some thought, it was likely due to the spirit spring water.
Ling Jiang herself suspected that but hadn't said it aloud.
After a few words, the four climbed into the building.
This area sat slightly lower than theirs. Only after entering did Lan Jin realize they had climbed in on the 32nd floor. The tower here was tall—forty-eight floors in all—so if there was anything inside, they could sweep up plenty.
Each floor had around eight companies. Some office doors still had intact locks. Lan Jin's eyes lit up. "Look, the locks are still good. Do you think there might be supplies inside?"
Even if there wasn't, it meant no one had been here. Being first in usually meant finding something worth taking.
Lao Gao's bad mood lifted. "From our past sweeps, any place with an unbroken lock probably hasn't been looted. There should be supplies here."
"Since Sister Lan has space, let's not split up," Huang Jinghe suggested. "No need to risk running out of room and having to fetch her. Let's search together."
"Alright. If we find anything, we can load it right into the space."
Empty offices were easier to sweep. They went through desk drawers, checked the pantry, searched for any storage rooms, and especially the boss's office—usually the best place for forgotten items.
Though these offices weren't like the suburban ones full of streaming studios, the pantries still yielded a few leftover snacks. Some buildings even had convenience stores. Huang Jinghe spotted one, and in its storeroom, he found eight unopened cases of bottled water and a few energy bars.
Just those finds alone were enough to make them giddy for the day.
They had plenty in Lan Jin's space, but no one ever complained about having more.
…
Maybe because the building was so empty, by the time darkness fell, they had cleared it completely.
They'd found a few things, but not much food.
"It's late," Lan Jin said. "Let's sleep in the space and leave first thing tomorrow."
No one disagreed. With a blink, Lan Jin took them inside.
The supplies they'd found earlier were stacked in a corner.
Lao Gao gave them a glance. "If this was before, I'd be thrilled. But now? I'm not satisfied at all. Guess people really are greedy."
Huang Jinghe shrugged. "This place is a standard office building. Not much food is normal. We need to hit places with more e-commerce companies. Those will have more to eat."
Lan Jin shook her head. "Don't just focus on food. We can gather other things too."
Like the fifty-five gold bars sitting in front of her—found in the top floor CEO's office.
Of course, they weren't just lying in the open. In the private lounge's wardrobe, she'd discovered a heavy safe. Lao Gao had cracked it, revealing the bars inside.
"I'm not greedy," Lan Jin said cheerfully. "We'll split them evenly."
"What use is gold now?" Lao Gao asked, genuinely curious at her excitement.
"In chaos, gold is king. In peace, antiques are prized. In times like these, gold will still be valuable. Just because we haven't found a way to use it yet doesn't mean it's worthless," Lan Jin explained.
But where exactly would they be able to use gold?
===
My 2 project already finished the book vetting and it can be found on my profile: The Villainess isStealing the Male Lead's Script! and The Cube Queen's Apocalypse Feast
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Jing Shu has seen the end of the world, and it's literally a storm of epic proportions, and she's been given the ultimate do-over: a ten-year rewind. Thrown back in time to just two months before everything goes to hell, she has one mission: to make her apocalypse as comfortable as possible.
Forget just surviving. While others are scrambling for canned beans, Jing Shu is building a fortified sanctuary, raising soon-to-be-extinct poultry for gourmet meals, and cultivating a garden of forgotten veggies. Armed with a mysterious evolving rubik cube that grants her a private pocket dimension and a magical spirit spring water, she's set to ride out the disaster in style.
But what's the point of living like a queen if you can't enjoy a little revenge? The apocalypse is about to get a serious upgrade in style, and Jing Shu can't wait for her enemies to see what they're missing. Let them hear the sizzle of her steak and smell the aroma of her barbecue. Their despair is just the seasoning she needs.
In a world where humanity itself is changing, mutating into powerful "New Humans" fused with the chaos, Jing Shu is ready to evolve right along with them. She's got her cube, her spring, and a plan. The storm is coming, and she has a front-row seat.