Chapter 11 – Downgraded Consumption

Although there was the sound of running water inside the space, Jiang Yan still hadn’t figured out where exactly the water flowed.

On the other hand, the space could automatically recognize and purify garbage, which proved that it was entirely possible to settle food, clothing, shelter, and daily life inside it.

She casually tossed the chaise lounge from her living room straight into the space.

Taking out all the deposit slips from her backpack, she calculated the total: in just one day, 1.5 “small targets” (150 million yuan) had vanished.

Still, grain and medicinal herbs remained her top priorities for hoarding.

Even though the cost of medicinal herbs exceeded her original plan, fortunately, the overall budget was still within control.

After putting away the receipts, she grabbed her phone and sprawled lazily on the couch in a classic Ge You slouch.

While resting in the space, she idly browsed the news.

At the top of the national hot search was a story about an island in that “nuclear wastewater–dumping island nation” that had just suffered an earthquake, causing seawater backflow.

The comments section was full of applause.

Other trending stories were mostly about extreme abnormal weather abroad—heatwaves breaking historical records, tourists crowding into public fountains to cool down, things like that.

But none of it seemed connected to the apocalypse.

She skimmed her social media accounts—her comment section was full of readers urging her to update, as well as concerned messages.

Of course, there were also a few nasty trolls calling her a “jinx,” claiming she had cursed her parents to death.

Some even mocked her as the cliché: a girl with a car, a house, and dead parents—prime marriage-market material.

At this point, Jiang Yan couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Replying would only draw more attention; deleting her account would do the same.

The apocalypse was coming in three months anyway. Let the trolls bark while they still had time.

She scrolled aimlessly for a while, then logged out.

Even though she had maxed out her spending quota for the day, that didn’t stop her from adding things to her online shopping carts.

With that thought, Jiang Yan quickly opened Taobao, JD.com, and Pinduoduo, continuing her frenzied spree of smaller miscellaneous items.

This batch included different styles of wigs and a variety of clothing.

After all, surveillance cameras were everywhere in the city. If she kept going out dressed in the same style while making bulk purchases, it would definitely attract suspicion.

After two hours in the space, she came back out.

The space she had acquired was powerful, yes—but she had no intention of hiding in it forever.

Jiang Yan had always carried a natural sense of crisis.

Or rather, she was a person deeply lacking in security.

Now, with both her parents gone, that insecurity and vigilance had only intensified.

In her eyes, no matter how good a person was, or how precious an object was, she had to maintain the courage to turn away or let go at any moment.

After all, if the space could appear out of nowhere, it might just as well disappear one day too.

She would make the most of it, but she refused to be dependent on it forever.

All things considered, learning to adapt to the outside world was also one of the keys to long-term survival in the apocalypse.

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The next morning.

Following the location sent by Du Zitong, Jiang Yan drove her small cargo truck and arrived at the meeting point right on time.

Seeing her climb down from the driver’s seat, dressed head-to-toe in domestic streetwear sportswear, Du Zitong’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

Just yesterday, she had been behind the wheel of a flashy Pagani Huayra, decked out in an outfit worth tens of thousands.

And today? She pulled up in a beat-up secondhand Dongfeng 130 truck, wearing clothes worth a few hundred at most.

“Y-yan-jie, you—” the consumption downgrade is a bit too extreme!

The second half of that sentence, he swallowed down.

After all, even a “downgraded” camel was still far bigger than a horse.

No matter how much she cut back, her level was still far out of his reach.

Jiang Yan gave him a calm, sidelong glance. “What’s the matter?”

“N-no, nothing at all.” Du Zitong gave an awkward smile, then quickly pointed toward a nearby residential compound.

“Yan-jie, this complex should suit your requirements. Only five residential buildings, labeled A through E. All are fully decorated units, delivered nearly five years ago, with a decent occupancy rate. Four of the towers are 24 stories, and the tallest—Building A—has 32 floors. That one also has retail shops at the bottom and even a fresh-food supermarket of more than 1,000 square meters, so daily necessities are really convenient.

Cross one street and you’ll find a small shopping mall and a pedestrian street—great for grabbing coffee, shopping, or even getting your nails done. Beyond that, there’s a top-tier hospital and a government-affiliated kindergarten. Overall, the amenities are very good.”

Jiang Yan listened quietly, then raised her eyes to glance at the name of the complex: Shallow Water Bay.

The name had a nice ring to it.

In fact, it reminded her of something she had overheard once.

Back then, Song Deming and his mistress Zhang Qiqi had mentioned that during the torrential rains, most of Anming City had been flooded. Only some place with “Shallow” in the name fared better.

They had wanted to evacuate there, but by then it was too late—flash floods and mudslides from the mountains had completely cut off the roads around their villa.

Looking at it now, it was most likely this place.

“Beep—” Du Zitong swiped his access card, and they walked into the complex.

Her sharp eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. The environment was average, five buildings encircling a central garden.

In the middle sat an oval pond with water lilies, though some withered weeds floated on the surface—uncleaned.

Outside the entrances of two buildings, some residents had even tied ropes to trees to hang their bedding and underwear.

That detail revealed the property management wasn’t exactly top-notch.

But in the apocalypse, property managers would all flee home anyway—good or bad management wouldn’t matter much.

It seemed to be working hours, because besides a few grandparents with children, the compound was quiet and empty.

As they walked toward Building A, Du Zitong explained in detail:

“Yan-jie, the unit we’re seeing is on the 32nd floor. Each floor has four units. The landlord is a young guy who originally bought it as a wedding home. But just before the marriage registration, he found out his fiancée ran off with someone else. Heartbroken, he wants nothing more to do with the place and is eager to sell so he can move back to his hometown and start a business. Honestly, it’s kind of a pity.”

Jiang Yan chuckled. “What’s so pitiful? Compared to romance, nothing beats building a career.”

“…” Du Zitong froze for a second, then quickly recalled how the internet said Jiang Yan’s mother was like the real-life version of The Vanished Woman. That must have affected Jiang Yan deeply.

So he quickly changed the subject.

“R-right. Anyway, about your other two apartments—there were several inquiries yesterday. The offers were decent. If nothing unexpected happens, both should sell within the week. But if you’re not in a rush, I think you could wait and fetch a higher price. After all, the location and quality of those two developments are excellent.”

“No need,” Jiang Yan replied without hesitation. “Sell them as soon as possible. After all, the down payment for a secondhand third apartment and the down payment for a first apartment are worlds apart.”

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🌸 Thanks to 【Rainy Ink Guest】fairy for the reward of 100 Xiang coins and 6 Xiang tickets!

Love you! (づ￣3￣)づ╭～