Within just an hour’s distance, the sunlight was like a murderous maniac armed with a murderous weapon, chasing the two of them every step of the way. 

At 50 degrees Celsius, even with temperature-regulating clothing, sweat continuously seeped from their bodies, and the heat and humidity couldn’t dissipate. The two of them were like drowned rats. 

Fortunately, Huo Yishen had a good sense of direction, and the four-story factory’s roof soon came into view. 

The factory building was quite tall, with the rooftop logo prominently reflecting the metallic gleams under the sunlight. 

They climbed onto the roof and used pliers and a crowbar to open the door to the top floor. 

The water had backed down by over a meter, revealing the mottled ceiling. As well as the products and raw materials piled up to the ceiling. 

It was clear that the factory had organized efforts to save company property, directing employees to move valuable goods to the fourth floor, but they still couldn’t defeat the apocalyptic flood. 

Huo Yishen’s target wasn’t the finished products but the raw materials—rare metals like lithium, beryllium, titanium, tungsten, radium, and others, commonly referred to as industrial spices. 

Just a small amount added to regular materials can produce unexpected results, such as high temperature resistance, friction, and hardness. 

These will be scarce in the future, and the base sends scavengers to search for various metals. 

Once they secured a clear path, their lives would be guaranteed for a long time. 

The rare metals, extracted into powder form, were sealed in cylindrical cans resembling oil drums. 

They swam over and saw that the top label was magnesium. 

Confirming their target, they decisively stored it away. 

Rare metals are incredibly expensive, but this company was wealthy. Jiang Ning collected dozens of large, sealed iron barrels, making the trip well worth it. 

After a rough count, there were more than a dozen types of rare metals alone. If they ever entered the base, this would be their survival capital! 

As for other finished products, there wasn’t much space left, and they urgently needed to recharge their resources. 

The world is vast, and they couldn’t collect everything, so they had to leave some for others. 

By the time they left the factory, it was already sunset, and the heat was slightly subsiding. They drove the motorboat away. 

They returned to the community just as night fell. 

After being steamed for a day, Lu Yu and others took Doudou and Coke for a walk on the rooftop. When they saw the two coming back, they quickly went downstairs. 

Before they got close, they pinched their noses and backed away. “Wow, where did you guys go?” 

Covered in stinky sweat, the smell was more intense than that of fermented vegetables. 

But the dog didn’t mind, pouncing on Jiang Ning affectionately. 

Jiang Ning shut the door and immediately went to wash up, scrubbing clean from head to toe. 

After resting and regaining her strength, she brought out the chestnut chicken soup, steamed pork with rice flour, stir-fried water spinach with garlic, and a big bowl of white rice for Huo Yishen and Doudou to eat. 

Tasting the familiar flavors, Doudou beamed, “Sister’s cooking is delicious.” 

The dog stood proudly, its expression particularly smug, as if saying its owner’s cooking was better than the trainer’s. 

After eating, Jiang Ning secretly gave the dog and Doudou a piece of watermelon each, saying, “Eat in your room; don’t let anyone see.” 

The two obediently took their treats, closed the door, and happily enjoyed them. 

On their way back, they encountered a team of professional salvagers with abundant supplies on their motorboats and rubber boats, covered in grime and yellow mud. 

Judging by the shapes, it was mostly clothes and fabrics, probably from a garment factory. 

So, they had to continue tomorrow and get ahead of others. 

Jiang Ning asked, “Where are we going?” 

Huo Yishen thought for a moment, “We have steel bars. After the earthquake, we can donate them to get a housing quota. Then, we’ll need to renovate. How about looking for tiles?” 

Jiang Ning’s space had cement, lime powder, and paint, with only a few boxes of tiles. 

“Okay.” They could donate the excess later. 

The city had a street full of building materials, but the tiles in the stores were just samples. Customers had to order from factories. 

It seemed faster to go directly to the factory than to collect scattered samples from the street. 

They flipped through the map and quickly pinpointed the largest ceramics factory in Fengcheng. 

Huo Yishen asked, “Is there a high-end auto repair shop around here?” 

Jiang Ning paused. “Yes, there is.” 

Fengcheng had many wealthy individuals. The first generation was low-key and pragmatic, while the second generation was more flamboyant, driving million-dollar cars in flip-flops. 

There was an upscale car modification club in upper-class society, seemingly owned by a second-generation entrepreneur from a real estate company, specializing in modifying luxury cars. 

The year Jiang Ning graduated from high school, she worked there for two months during summer vacation, serving tea, water, and coffee. 

The pay was decent, but she went there to gather material as an undercover photographer for wealthy car owners. 

She did three seasons and had exceptionally high click rates. 

It could only be said that the world of the wealthy was beyond imagination. 

Jiang Ning guessed, “Are you looking for auto repair parts?” 

Huo Yishen nodded. “My car is still in the underground parking lot. Some parts might be damaged. I want to find some spare parts in advance.” 

This natural disaster submerged all cars, leaving very few intact. 

Jiang Ning had her space. When the time came, he could repair a few cars. The ones they didn’t need could be traded for items to expand the space. 

This was something Jiang Ning hadn’t considered. If they really had spare parts, not only could they modify the cars, but they could also give some to Lu Yu, Zhang Chao, and the others for a reason. 

They had already decided to go to the base. Despite being only a little over three hundred kilometers away, the journey was extremely dangerous. 

Before the apocalypse, a journey of just two or three hours by car meant they could meet anytime they wanted. 

But now, in the apocalypse, being apart means they might never see each other again in this lifetime. It was truly a matter of life and death. 

These two were her only friends, who had grown up with her in the orphanage. 

If possible, even if they never had the chance to meet again, she hoped they could live well. 

The ceramic factory was quite far, and the next day they still hadn’t risen when dawn broke. 

Doudou was still asleep. Jiang Ning instructed the dog to watch over the house and the child. 

The dog nodded and wagged its tail, seeing her off to the door. 

The ceramic factory was large, with six floors just for the offices. The areas above the water surface were in chaos, having been searched through countless times. 

Survivors must have come for survival supplies. After all, porcelain was too bulky, and unless there was a special reason, few would take it. 

Jiang Ning wanted to check the exhibition hall first and then systematically search the warehouse. This way, they would be more efficient. 

The exhibition hall occupied the first and second floors. They changed into their diving suits and descended the stairs. 

As a nationally renowned brand, the exhibition hall alone covered over three thousand square meters. The first floor displayed various tiles, while the second floor showcased bathroom brands. 

Using a glass breaker, they shattered the glass and swam into the bathroom brand area. 

Wow, the exhibits were stunning, filled with a sense of technology, but the prices made one’s heart skip a beat. 

Since they were here, they couldn’t just pick one or two items. After all, not only would they need them for future house decoration, but Jiang Ning’s space also had three floors and over a dozen rooms. 

Basins, toilets, various types of bathrooms—what was even more surprising was that there were toilets with mobile degradation functions—a truly humanized design. 

Although she didn’t need them herself, Huo Yishen and Doudou might. 

With a wave of her hand, she stored them in her space. 

After collecting the desired samples, they repeated the process and shattered the first-floor window. 

This wasn’t just an exhibition hall; it was more like a ceramic museum, with various styles, materials, sizes, shapes, and even some with gold trim. 

Jiang Ning was a commoner. She collected all the tiles with gold trim, as well as several styles she liked. 

The ceramic factory was vast. They searched underwater for a long time before finally finding the warehouse’s rolling shutter door. 

The rolling shutter was heavy and not easy to pry open. Luckily, there were windows on the wall, which they easily shattered with the glass breaker. 

Seeing the mountainous piles of goods, Jiang Ning almost lost her composure. 

The distinguishing signs between paper boxes and warehouse signs had been soaked in water for over a year, their inscriptions long blurred. 

Now it seems like the goods in the paper boxes recognized her, while she remained oblivious, as if she were blind. 

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