Chapter 2 Space
Testing her new ability, Iris muttered “phone” under her breath. In an instant, the device reappeared in her hand.
Joy surged through Iris.
Just as she’d guessed, this was the legendary system from the novels she’d read so many times before.
Quick to adapt to this cheat code, she began frantically collecting everything in sight.
As she worked, she discovered the system’s pricing rule: it recognized items based on their original purchase price, regardless of wear and tear or whether they were disassembled.
Without hesitation, Iris threw herself into moving and dismantling.
“Ding. Detected gold jewelry, value 58 thousand dollars! Reward: 2049 cubic feet!
“Ding. Detected a water cup, value 39 dollars!
“Ding. Detected a calendar, value 10 dollars!
“Ding. Detected a small desk, value 369 dollars! Reward: 141 cubic feet!
“Ding. Detected a four-piece mahogany furniture set, value 25 thousand dollars! Reward: 883 cubic feet!
“Ding. Detected a trash can, value 15 dollars!”
In just ten minutes, she collected everything movable—from shoes, clothes, pots, bowls, paper, pens, cups, trash cans, storage jars, photo albums, and nail clippers to tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets.
Even the rotten apples Adeline brought earlier were scooped up and tossed into the space.
“Ding. Detected five pounds of rotten apples, value 2.5 dollars!”
Iris spat in disgust at the announcement.
How shameless!
Bringing rotten apples and lying about them being imported, then demanding her three-million-dollar house? What a bunch of freaks!
Still, she didn’t hesitate to keep them. She’d take whatever she could get.
Soon, all movable items were gone, and her focus shifted to the immovable ones.
“Ding. Detected a flush toilet, value 1999 dollars!”
With a mighty heave, Iris pulled the toilet out of the floor.
She’d always been strong, but compared to her body after five years of struggling in the apocalypse, her current form felt weak.
It seemed that Iris needed to start exercising soon to build up her strength.
After removing the toilet, the notifications continued.
“Ding. Detected bathroom vanity, value 699 dollars!
“Ding. Detected range hood, value 2599 dollars!
“Ding. Detected gas stove, value 489 dollars!
“Ding. Detected security door, value 1589 dollars!”
Screw them. She’d take everything she could dismantle, not leaving a single bolt for those bastards!
“Ding. Detected glass window, value 400 dollars!
“Ding. Detected floorboard, value 150 dollars!”
…
By the end of the hour, Iris had stripped the house bare.
Except for the walls, which she couldn’t move, every other fixture was either dismantled or destroyed.
Floorboards were pried up, windows and doors removed, and even the tiles—too heavy to take whole—were smashed into pieces and collected.
“Countdown: 3 seconds remaining!”
Hearing the warning, Iris had a last-minute idea. She rushed to the entrance, climbed onto the railing, and grabbed the small light bulb in the hallway.
“Ding. Detected a 10-watt light bulb, value five dollars!
“Time’s up! Total storage space earned: 10215 cubic feet!”
Satisfied, Iris turned to Summer. “Summer! Let’s go!”
Shortly after she left, Ryan and the others arrived. His pregnant fiancée, Mia Winslow, was there too.
Of course. They wanted to show off their new home.
Ryan gushed, “Babe, this is our new place—downtown, in a school district, over 1076 square feet! Two units per floor, and the neighbor next door is empty, so we can use the whole hallway! The lighting is great; it’s the best layout in the community!
“And it’s only about 300 feet from your workplace! We can move in right away if you want. Furniture and appliances are all here!”
The group marched up to the third floor, but when they reached the east unit, they froze in shock.
The house wasn’t just empty; it had no doors or windows!
To make matters worse, even the light bulb in the hallway was gone!
Mia turned and stormed off. “Hmph! You expect me to pay for renovations on this unfinished shell, right? Let me make this clear—I’m not getting married until this place is fully decorated, and my name must be on the deed!”
Amanda was livid, ready to call Iris and demand an explanation.
They’d planned to replace the furniture anyway, but she never imagined Iris would strip the house down to the studs.
The original flooring Alice had installed was still in good condition… why destroy everything?
But try as they might, they couldn’t reach Iris.
Meanwhile, Iris stood in front of a bomb shelter inside an abandoned tunnel on the outskirts of Aster City.
The tunnel had been part of a planned mountain road, but construction had stopped due to funding shortages and a government rerouting.
Later, the government repurposed the tunnel as a bomb shelter.
“What do you need a bomb shelter for?” the real estate agent accompanying her asked, going through the usual formalities.
“Starting a business—growing mushrooms,” Iris replied casually.
She’d learned in her past life that there were three types of bomb shelters.
The first type included underground parking lots, underground hospitals, and basements beneath shopping malls and residential buildings in the city center.
These were convenient and well-equipped for quick evacuation, but useless during the zombie apocalypse. They’d be the first to fall due to the large number of people gathering there.
The other two types were tunnel shelters and professional national defense fortifications.
Professional fortifications had played a crucial role in the later stages of the apocalypse, serving as the foundation for many stable, large bases. But Iris had no way to rent one of those.
This tunnel shelter, however, was perfect for her.
Secluded, far from crowds, spacious, and equipped with a complete ventilation system and heavy iron gates… It had everything she needed.
Best of all, it was easy to rent and affordable: two thousand dollars a year, with a minimum 20-year lease.
She could secure this 74160 square feet space with just 600 dollars for three years’ rent upfront.
The agent looked at Iris like she was a fool when she mentioned her “mushroom business,” barely hiding his amusement.
So many fools out there, lured by low prices without considering the remote location—transporting goods here would be a nightmare!
Nine out of ten startups failed, and this one seemed destined for disaster.
He had no intention of warning her, though. A quick commission was all he cared about. After collecting the money, signing the contract, and taking a 500-dollar service fee, he left immediately.
Iris watched him leave with a smile, keeping her true intentions to herself.
After ten years of surviving in the apocalypse, she’d learned one crucial lesson: never warn fools about impending disasters; fools themselves were disasters.
Once the agent was gone, Iris led Summer into the bomb shelter.
She inspected every corner, and to her delight, she found an old well left by a previous tenant and an electrical wire.
She tested the well water. It was surface mountain spring water, not connected to the city’s water supply.
When the water treatment plants became contaminated in the apocalypse, tap water would be undrinkable, making this well a vital source of clean water.
As for the electrical wire, even though it wasn’t connected to power, it meant the shelter already had wiring installed.
All Iris needed to do was buy a generator, and she could have electricity up and running in no time.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
