[edited]

Several people went upstairs and found that everything was in a mess. The offices were mostly made of plastic. Occasionally they saw a wooden desk, but it was made of sawdust powder and a lot of glue. It might produce some poisonous fumes when burnt. 

Similarly, the other office building was in the same condition, with only an abandoned fast food, a few boxes of mineral water, and a small amount of wood found. 

The group returned to the building where Zhang Chao’s company was located, and although there were still signs of intrusion, the situation was much better. 

They probably came in, found that it had already been looted, and hurriedly ran to the other two buildings to loot. 

Jiang Ning’s guess was correct; the higher they went, the fewer traces they found. 

She suggested searching again, as everyone focuses on different things, and there might be places they hadn’t noticed before. 

Jiang Ning searched the area where Lu Yu had been yesterday, while Zhang Chao swapped with 1801. 

Yesterday, they were looking for medicines and food, but today their goals had changed. 

With an additional 150 cubic meters of space, Jiang Ning, who was overly cautious, now wanted to fill it up.

Books that could enrich the mind, delicate vases in the boss’s office, wooden desks, wardrobes, bookcases, jade ornaments in the cleaning tools room, she found many snacks that had been overlooked. She also searched through the parcels and found some suitable clothes and shoes. 

She found a jade company with empty counters, but no signs of damage. 

After looking around, she found that the manager’s office was tightly closed. 

It was another solid door, so she took out her tools and managed to pry it open. There were four safes inside. 

There should have been jade inside, so Jiang Ning collected all of them into her space. She also found some tea, cigarettes, and alcohol, and used a Tang knife to chop up the desks and chairs. 

At a branch office of a sports brand, she left behind the sizes suitable for team members and took everything else into her space. 

The company was probably planning a team building activity, as the administrative department had several large boxes of barbecue charcoal and some camping tools. 

After searching through four floors, Jiang Ning returned to the live streaming company that sold clothes and collected another batch of clothes, as well as women’s underwear and bras that men felt embarrassed to take. 

She also returned to the home appliance company from last night and quietly collected a batch of appliances that might be useful in the future, including a high end massage chair worth tens of thousands of yuan. 

In the places where the other three had searched, she quietly slipped in at different times, collecting anything useful until she filled up the extra 150 cubic meters of space.” 

For easy transportation, all the solid wood furniture was dismantled. They cut it into approximately equal lengths and filled two motorboats and three rubber boats perfectly. 

This time they returned early. They finish moving and distributing everything by a little past nine. 

After today’s events, the 18th floor had already gained a notorious reputation, and the residents of the building shuddered at the sight of them. 

They didn’t even bother to hide as they carried the wood upstairs. 

After closing the door, she immediately entered the space. The safes were still securely tucked away in the corner, and the living room, balcony, and bathroom hadn’t changed. 

Could it be that the jade company was selling counterfeit goods? 

Feeling disappointed, she opened the door to the master bedroom… 

Oh, there was an additional bathroom, approximately 10 square meters. 

The safes can’t be opened, but there should have been quite a bit of jade. However, the expansion was only by 10 square meters, indicating that the upgrade conditions were quite strict. 

It doesn’t matter, she could continue searching. 

Gold, silver, and jade artifacts weren’t valuable in the apocalypse; they could be exchanged for other goods when the time came. 

She slept until midnight, awakened by the loud noises and desperate cries from downstairs. 

Such incidents were common in the apocalypse, so Jiang Ning turned over and went back to sleep. 

She woke up naturally, ate two bean paste buns and some dumplings for breakfast, and felt full after drinking a bottle of milk. 

The weather was terrible, and the vegetables she planted had turned yellow. Jiang Ning diluted some nutrient solution and poured it on them, a desperate attempt to revive them. 

She checked the space with her consciousness; the timer had only increased by 2 hours which is slower than a snail’s pace. 

With an additional 10 square meters of black soil, she decided to continue growing vegetables, stocking up for two to three years before planting anything else. 

Of course, the slow growing fruit saplings could be planted first. Those old saplings would yield fruits by next year. 

Her physical fitness had noticeably improved during this time. Turning the soil and sowing seeds saved her 15 minutes. 

Fifteen minutes could save her life in harsh conditions. 

As soon as she stepped out of the space, Lu Yu knocked on the door. 

Opening it, she was startled to see him bruised and swollen. “Who did this to you?” 

Lu Yu felt embarrassed. “Well, you know, I’m not as strong as Zhang Chao, so Wei Li has been training us since last night.” 

She used to hesitate to even touch him, but now she was training him relentlessly. 

Lu Yu knew the world had changed; he couldn’t rely solely on Wei Li and Jiang Ning for protection anymore.” 

Starting from now, he wanted to be a real man, to stand up and protect his woman. 

“Well, you guys really need some training,” Jiang Ning suddenly remembered something and went back to her room, coming out with a black bag. “This is for you and Wei Li, use it sparingly.” 

Seeing what was inside the bag, Lu Yu looked embarrassed, then chuckled, “Thanks, I was just thinking about getting this.” 

Almost forgetting the main point, he asked with a smile, “Do you know what happened last night?” 

“I have no idea, I was dead asleep.” 

“Yang Weicong and Su Mengyao were robbed.” 

Lu Yu couldn’t stand Yang Weicong’s flirting with Jiang Ning, thankfully she pulled away in time. “Yesterday, they came back with supplies in such a high profile manner, and in the evening, they got targeted.” 

Yang Weicong rented apartment 802, a two bedroom apartment couldn’t accommodate so many people, and even 1202 was stuffed with several people. 

Those people first raided 1202; if it weren’t for Yang Weicong and others rushing up upon hearing the news, Su Mengyao would have been killed by a few men. 

They managed to scare the attackers away, but when they returned to the 8th floor, they found that all the supplies in the house had been looted. 

Jiang Ning was surprised, “Luring the tiger away from the mountain?” It seemed like intelligence was required even for robbery these days. 

“Most of their supplies were on the 8th floor, but the motorboats and rubber boats weren’t taken.” 

Jiang Ning chuckled, they weren’t left untouched, those people wanted to cultivate leeks, harvesting them batch by batch. 

“One of them got injured, and just now, he had the audacity to come knocking and he wants you to help on treating him.” 

But regardless of how loudly they shouted, the 18th floor didn’t pay them any attention. 

And there’s another thing, two people from other units came this morning, “They wanted to join forces, but Wei Li drove them away.” 

Jiang Ning couldn’t help but laugh and sigh, how did the 18th floor become an evil force just by defending itself? 

While they were chatting, Zhang Chao, who was also bruised and swollen, came out, “Are we going out today?” 

“I don’t feel like going out, you guys can go if you need to, I’ll stay and watch the house.” 

Everywhere had been rummaged and now she couldn’t find what she needed outside. Besides, Zheng Weili and Lu Yu had been brainwashed by Zhang Chao’s apocalyptic theories. They always feel like they are lacking something, and their sense of vigilance was rising. 

After exchanging greetings, the three of them took the rubber boats and went out, both to collect supplies and to gather information. 

Just after noon, there are more people who came to ask for an alliance. 

Jiang Ning felt annoyed, so she wrote a notice and stuck it on the door: “No alliances.” 

Not only those with ill intentions, but even with Zheng Weili and the others, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down. 

After all, in the apocalypse, human hearts are the hardest to grasp. Not to mention friends or colleagues, there are plenty of people who would resort to cannibalism in the darkest times. 

When the time comes to part ways, she will leave without hesitation. 

There’s no shortage of food, clothing, or necessities. As for the other desired items that she couldn’t collect for the time being. She decided to first figure out how to expand the space. 

With the other three away, Jiang Ning let herself relax completely, taking out braised chicken feet, shredded squid, cold dishes, braised duck intestines, and enjoyed the delicacies while reading books to pass the time. 

It was still early, so she took out the premixed meat filling and started wrapping wontons. 

While wrapping, she watched TV dramas. After making over a thousand wontons, she heard Zheng Weili and the others returning. 

They brought back some wood and two stainless steel doors salvaged from a dismantled mall. 

Comparing them to Jiang Ning and 1801’s door, Lu Yu really didn’t feel secure, so he spent a long time searching in the mall to bring them back. 

After tinkering for a long time, the transformation of 1803 was finally completed. 

They had an extra door, so they installed it on the stairs. 

To go up to the 18th floor, they had to pass through three checkpoints. 

Watching Lu Yu applying cement, Jiang Ning asked curiously, “Where did you get it from?” 

“I passed by a construction site and took two bags.” 

The three of them discussed going back again to get some glass to install on the balcony, as it was too damp with the rain every day. 

Jiang Ning reminded, “Get some good quality ones, so that in case of another typhoon, the glass won’t blow up.” 

Lu Yu agreed wholeheartedly and told Zhang Chao about the incidents of glass shattering in the neighborhood. 

After thinking all day, Jiang Ning still believed that the expansion of space was related to spirituality. 

The disappearance of the bookshelf should be related to the quality of the wood. 

Good wood takes several decades or even centuries to form, such as Agarwood, which requires thousands of years. 

When the museum is flooded, antique objects are either salvaged or moved in advance and it’s easy to find gold, silver, jade, etc., once the flood recedes. 

Now, only wood remains. 

Wood? 

Jiang Ning suddenly had an idea.