Yun Zhen stared at the small box full of gold in her palm, wondering how much it would weigh if it were enlarged. Using Pei Hao as a reference, the box’s base area was about the size of a laptop in the miniature world, with a height roughly as long as Pei Hao’s forearm. For the tiny inhabitants, it was a reasonably sized box.

Curious, Yun Zhen activated the system’s voice query feature and eagerly asked, “Can items from the miniature world be enlarged? Enlarged to a size suitable for a grown human?”

The system’s AI responded calmly: [The scaling function will be available once the system is upgraded. Each use of the scaling feature will require a certain amount of points. Please work diligently to contribute to the post-apocalyptic world, earn correction values and points, and upgrade the system to unlock the features you desire.]

So, items from the miniature world could really be enlarged! Yun Zhen’s eyes lit up instantly.

Previously, she had been somewhat lax about upgrading, but now she felt motivated. After all, this was a box full of gold!

Though it contained a mix of items—gold necklaces, bracelets, rings, ingots, and coins—gold was always valuable, regardless of its form or origin. Whether she decided to keep it as an investment or convert it to cash, it would be worth the effort. The idea of looking after the little people while also making a tidy profit made her feel like all her recent efforts had been more than worthwhile.

In high spirits, Yun Zhen smiled as she placed the box of gold into the study’s safe. Once the system was upgraded, she would take the items out and enlarge them. Then, she could cash them in and significantly boost her savings, making her future purchases worry-free.

Feeling pleased, Yun Zhen returned to the bookshelf, her eyes gleaming as she looked at the boxes of nutrient liquids and supplements. Once the scaling feature was available, she was definitely going to try these intriguing items.

Inside the miniature world, Pei Hao was staring at the nine captured bandits, a troubled expression on his face.

Unable to decide, he looked up at the sky and asked, “Goddess, how do you plan to deal with these bandits?”

Yun Zhen shifted her gaze to the bandits. The once arrogant members of the Seven Deadly Sins group were now as limp as dead fish, unable to escape their bonds. They were dazed, doubting their own lives.

The bald leader mumbled under his breath, blaming the black-skinned dwarf for suggesting they rob Yulong Mountain in the first place.

The blamed dwarf sat cross-legged, eyes closed as if he had detached himself from all worldly matters.

The tall, muscular bandit was exchanging final words with the others, earnestly discussing his successes and regrets in life. The way they were talking, it seemed more like they were at an academic seminar than confessing their last words.

As Yun Zhen observed their various expressions, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret.

What a colorful group of people—if only they weren’t heinous criminals. They could have made excellent citizens, or better yet, they could have joined a decent talent agency, formed a boy band, and probably become wildly popular, considering the current state of public taste.

But alas, life doesn’t offer do-overs. Some mistakes, once made, can never be undone.

It was their misfortune to fall into her hands, and she would now see them off on their final journey.

Yun Zhen opened the system map and found a suitable ruin to the north of Huacheng.

The ruin was a partially collapsed residential building that had long since been abandoned. Its unique structure had several floors that had caved in, forming what now resembled a deep pit of reinforced concrete—perfect for burying people.

Yes, burying people.

These nine bandits were murderers and robbers, deserving of the death penalty according to the law.

But Yun Zhen couldn’t bring herself to kill them with her own hands, nor could she ask Pei Hao, a college student who hadn’t even graduated yet, to commit such a cruel act.

After all, it was the miniature world suffering from the apocalypse, not her era.

Her sense of morality and adherence to the law still restrained her, preventing her from easily taking another’s life.

Even though she held the power of life and death in this miniature world, it didn’t mean she could act without conscience.

What makes us human is our reason and humanity. She couldn’t allow herself to become a bloodthirsty monster, distorted by any circumstance.

Yun Zhen sighed, feeling the weight of being a judge. It wasn’t easy, and it came with significant psychological pressure.

She placed the nine bandits in the ruined building, scooped some mud from the surrounding water with a plastic cup, and was about to pour it in when she hesitated, unable to go through with it.

The bandits, realizing the severity of their situation, began to wail and beg for mercy:

“Spare us! We were wrong to rob you, please let us go!”

“Please, I have an eighty-year-old mother and three-year-old children! My whole family relies on me!”

“I really need to use the bathroom! Please, let me out, I don’t want to wet myself!”

As Yun Zhen listened to their pleas, her movements slowed, and she began to wonder if she was being too cruel. Maybe there was another way to deal with them?

Just then, her nose twitched, and a few seconds later, she couldn’t hold back a powerful sneeze.

The sneeze caused her wrist to shake, and the tilted plastic cup spilled its contents into the ruin, burying the bandits under a shower of mud.

Oh no, that wasn’t intentional—it was purely an accident.

Inside the ruin, the bound bandits, thinking Pei Hao was determined to kill them without mercy, stopped begging and instead started cursing viciously:

“Ungrateful wretch, I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!”

“I curse you! Curse you to eat instant noodles without seasoning, drink milk tea without pearls, choke on every meal, and trip over flat ground! I’ll curse you this life, the next life, and every life after that!”

“Let me out! I’m the chosen one! I’m destined to rule this apocalypse! You’re dead if you cross me in the next life!”

Hearing their venomous curses, Yun Zhen hardened her resolve. She expressionlessly continued to pour mud into the ruin, cup after cup, faster and faster, with growing proficiency.

The more they cursed, the faster she buried them.

These bandits were irredeemable, evil to the core, unworthy of sympathy or mercy.

Pei Hao, who had been transported there by Yun Zhen, witnessed the goddess’s transformation from hesitation to determination. Though confused by their sudden hostility towards him, he wasn’t angry. Instead, he obediently began moving nearby chunks of concrete into the ruin, doing his part to help the goddess bury the bandits.

Burying evil wasn’t about vengeance; it was about saving more innocent lives.