Ji He exited the restroom and walked toward the bus stop, heading to her second destination—the botanical garden.

The garden was said to have tens of thousands of plant species. If she could pluck just one leaf from each tree, upgrading her space wouldn’t be a problem at all.

Thus, for the entire afternoon, Ji He, wearing a hat, sneaked around the botanical garden, doing all sorts of shady things.

She didn’t go for flowers or large leaves; instead, she carefully picked inconspicuous dried leaves from the ground.

She didn’t mind withered leaves or even weeds.

The botanical garden was vast, and there weren’t too many people around. As long as she was careful, she wouldn’t attract attention. Even if someone noticed, they would at most complain about her lack of public manners rather than suspecting anything unusual.

Ji He didn’t stop for a moment all afternoon, rushing to pluck as many leaves as possible before the garden closed.

For trees that were too tall to reach or those inside restricted areas, she had no choice but to give up.

By the time she walked out of the botanical garden, she was utterly exhausted.

She had walked more than 40,000 steps in just one afternoon, pushing herself non-stop, hoping that the price of one admission ticket would be enough to solve all her problems.

Yet, even after all that effort, she was still short of 900 plant and animal species needed for her space upgrade.

As she walked along the roadside, she noticed flowers in a flowerbed—ones she hadn’t seen in the botanical garden. Instinctively, she squatted down and plucked a few leaves.

When she turned her head, several passersby were looking at her with strange expressions.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she smiled awkwardly at them before quickly getting up and walking away.

Even though she felt a little ashamed, she still crouched down again whenever she saw unfamiliar plants on the way.

As she walked, she suddenly spotted a traditional Chinese medicine shop. As she got closer, a strong scent of medicinal herbs wafted out.

Her eyes lit up—medicinal herbs! Weren’t they also plants?

Although she had already bought some medicinal herb seeds, her collection wasn’t complete. There had to be plenty of herbs in this store that she didn’t have.

Ji He hurried inside and, using her silver tongue and shameless persistence, managed to buy a small piece of each herb from the old pharmacist for 500 yuan.

For the cheaper herbs, the old man gave her whole pieces, but for the more expensive ones, he only let her have some crushed bits from the bottom of the herb box—not that she minded.

She had never purchased medicine this way before, so she had no idea if the price was reasonable. Still, she knew she had troubled the elderly pharmacist, so she repeatedly thanked him before leaving.

Carrying a bag full of medicinal herbs, she was so thrilled that even the scorching weather couldn’t dampen her excitement. Exiting the shop, she boarded a bus toward the address sent to her by Auntie Li from housekeeping.

The location wasn’t in the city center. Although it wasn’t near her home, there was a direct bus route, so getting back at night wouldn’t be a problem.

On the bus, she secretly transferred the medicinal herbs into her space under the cover of her backpack. Watching the display inside her space, she saw the number of collected plant and animal species increase by over 200. Her heart filled with joy.

Almost there—only 600 more species to go.

She discreetly placed some fruit into her backpack, then hugged it close to her chest, leaning against the seat and looking out the window. Once again, she prayed silently.

Please, let there never be an apocalypse. She would rather struggle in reality than cling to resources in a post-apocalyptic world.

When she got off the bus, Ji He carried the fruit and stood at the location Auntie Li had given her.

It was the entrance to an old residential community. Since it was rush hour, many people were carrying groceries and fruit back home. The entrance barrier wasn’t even lowered, allowing one car after another to drive in.

Vendors lined the streets selling various goods, including grilled squid and fried chicken skewers, filling the air with delicious aromas.

Ji He hadn’t eaten a proper meal all day. The smell alone made her stomach protest.

She silently moved to another spot, further away from the grilled squid vendor. Right now, she couldn’t afford to eat it. Just smelling it was pure torture.

After waiting for a while, she sensed someone approaching her. Turning around, she saw a slightly plump, well-dressed woman.

The woman gave Ji He a once-over, her gaze pausing briefly on the red marks left by the fruit bags on Ji He’s hands before smiling and stepping forward.

“You must be Xiao He?” Though phrased as a question, her tone was certain.

“Yes, hello, Auntie. Thank you for helping me today.” Ji He put on a well-behaved smile and nodded politely.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a small favor.” The woman handed over the bag she was carrying and took Ji He’s fruit in return. “Why did you bring fruit? You didn’t have to.”

Ji He maintained her smile. “It’s only right. The fruit is a token of my appreciation. Please try some, Auntie.”

“Alright then. It’s getting late, and I need to hurry home to cook. I won’t keep you.” The woman waved at Ji He before turning to leave.

Ji He didn’t say much either. She blended into the crowd and walked away, sending a quick message to Auntie Li to let her know everything went smoothly.

Unable to wait until she got home, Ji He found a discreet corner on the street. Using her backpack as cover, she swiftly stored the black bag into her space.

She stared at the indicator board, watching as the numbers changed rapidly. They finally stopped at 9,872.

Ji He stared at it for a long time. Once she confirmed the number wasn’t increasing anymore, she exhaled, slung her backpack over her shoulders, and walked toward the bus stop.

Her mind was racing. She still needed 128 more species—where could she find them?

As she frantically brainstormed, she moved without hesitation, squeezing into the crowded bus home.

It was rush hour, and the bus was packed. Fortunately, the air conditioning was on, or people would be passing out from the heat.

Being small in size, Ji He found a spot near the door and stood still.

While watching the storefronts pass by outside the window, her mind kept spinning, trying to figure out her next step.

Where else could she find more species?

After thinking for a long time without coming up with a good plan, she decided to stop fixating on it. Instead, she pulled out her phone and searched for places that sold electric tricycles.

She had spent most of her money, but life had to go on—she needed to make a living.

Since she had decided to start a small business, buying a tricycle would be much more convenient. Renting one wouldn’t be cost-effective.

Soon, she found a shop not too far from her home—just three bus stops away. That way, she could ride the electric tricycle home after purchasing it.

Ji He got off the bus three stops early and followed her phone’s navigation to the electric vehicle store. Luckily, it was still open.

She ended up choosing a well-known brand, spending over 4,300 yuan on a slightly pricier model that came with a good warranty—one year of repairs and a one-month free replacement policy.

The store owner, worried that she might not know the regulations, reminded her to register the tricycle at the traffic police station the next day. Electric vehicles now required a license plate to be legally driven on the road; otherwise, they could be confiscated.