Chapter 19 – An Unexpected Dimensional Space

Some were delighted, others dismayed.

The temperature was still tolerable—around 50°C.

Online posts surged in waves, mostly filled with complaints.

Jiang Yuan read them daily. Though internet access was poor, it was still functioning—enough for her.

Because apocalyptic discussions were trending, many experts came forward to predict that a cold front accompanied by a powerful typhoon was imminent.

Official statements confirmed this, and the internet erupted with joy.

The western region, being inland, wouldn’t be directly affected by typhoons.

However, if coastal areas were hit, inland regions could still benefit from cooler air or rainfall, which would help relieve the current extreme heat.

Meanwhile, some island nations had already begun emergency preparations.

Typhoon “Tian Yue” appeared to be extremely powerful, prompting a level-1 alert.

Given how intense global heat had become, a level-1 alert wasn’t issued lightly—this typhoon clearly wasn’t to be underestimated.

But Jiang Yuan wasn’t feeling optimistic. Unlike others, she knew what would come after the heavy rain: a true global crisis.

With that in mind, she climbed up to the attic to re-inventory her supplies.

Even though she’d stockpiled quite a bit, it still didn’t feel like enough. If she could gather more materials before the extreme cold arrived, it would make a difference.

She remembered: the heavy rain would last for a full month. Rivers would rise, and many places would flood.

But buying more supplies wasn’t easy—she didn’t have much money left.

It was frustrating. In the face of natural disasters, human power felt so small.

Jiang Yuan sighed and began inspecting her shelves for food nearing expiration.

“Ow…”

The shelves were crudely made, assembled from basic steel rods. She wasn’t paying attention and cut her hand on one of the sharp edges.

Maybe she was just too tense.

The wound was deep—it bled immediately.

No use panicking. One step at a time.

She left the attic and entered her room, not wanting her parents to see and worry.

She’d kept a first aid kit in her nightstand—bought from an outdoor supply store. Time to put it to use.

Surprisingly, such a small wound bled so much.

Alone, she began cleaning and bandaging the injury.

Suddenly, a flash of light blinded her.

Startled, she looked around. Was that light coming from the bracelet?

The one she’d traded for yesterday—it was still sitting on her nightstand.

Jiang Yuan was stunned. A strange, unrealistic thought popped into her mind.

She hesitantly picked up the bracelet. The blood on her hand was drawn into it, absorbed completely. Then the bracelet began to emit a golden glow.

She’d read plenty of fantasy novels and had a wild theory: Could this be a dimensional space?

But… it was a modern bracelet from the Ka family—not some antique jade. It didn’t make sense.

The glow lasted about three minutes before fading. She didn’t dwell on it just yet—first, she had to stop the bleeding.

After applying a Yunnan Baiyao bandage, she picked up the bracelet again and studied it carefully.

It didn’t actually seem like a Ka family design. The exterior matched modern styles, but inside were numbers—1 to 10—so faint they’d be easy to miss.

Jiang Yuan touched them one by one: “1, 2, 3…10—ah!”

Suddenly, she was sucked into the space.

The bracelet was still in her hand.

Inside was a wooden cabin—just one room. There was a bed with something like a timer on it, counting down from twelve hours. Besides that, there was nothing.

She opened the door to find a small yard, no walls or fences.

The place wasn’t big—the cabin maybe 20 square meters, the yard around 60.

All around was a vast expanse of white nothingness—not the grand world of water, electricity, and gas one might expect from a novel.

Still, the soil in the courtyard looked like it could be used for planting.

Alright… it was a bit basic. Almost like a prototype or beta version.

She spent the entire day figuring out how it worked.

• 1, 2, 3 were the entry codes.
• The space had a constant temperature. Items placed inside came out exactly the same.
• The timer counted down the duration she could remain inside. It paused when she exited.
• Even Xiao Nuan (her daughter) could enter—if physically in contact with her during activation.
• 4, 5, 6 were the codes to retrieve items. You had to focus on what you wanted and where it was stored.

Other number combinations had no effect—for now. Some functions were clearly still locked and required future activation.

It all felt fantastical—but she was thrilled.

Better to have it than not.

However, the space wasn’t bound to her. Her blood had only served as an activation key, not ownership. Meaning: others might be able to use it too.

The girl who traded the bracelet probably hadn’t discovered this ability. Otherwise, she never would’ve given it up.

By sheer luck, Jiang Yuan had unlocked it.

Now, her top priority was to figure out:

• Can the time inside be extended?
• If so, how?
• Can she grow crops in the space?

She grew up in the countryside—farming was second nature. But growing crops took time, and if the timer stayed limited, it wouldn’t be worth the effort.

Another concern: could the space be stolen?

If the bracelet fell into the wrong hands, all stored items could be lost.

In the post-apocalypse, gold would still be a highly valued commodity—even if food became the main currency.

That’s why she planned to exchange some assets for gold to keep on hand.

She’d now need to hide the bracelet carefully—somewhere others wouldn’t notice, but she could still access easily.

Thinking back to the girl from the 11th floor—Jiang Yuan realized she had unintentionally taken away her chance at survival.

If she could help that girl later—without risking her own family—she would try.

That whole afternoon was spent experimenting. In the evening, Qin Yue (her mom) came to call her for dinner.

They’d ordered plenty of mushroom grow kits online in the past. With no water shortage and the heat, mushrooms were sprouting quickly.

That night, her mom harvested a bunch and cooked a mushroom hotpot with extra veggies.

It wasn’t fancy, but once the lid came off, the aroma was incredible.