Volume One, Chapter 8: Transactions That Are Either Zero or Infinite—News of the Mutated Fruit!

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Zhang Xueqi had watched quite a few videos online recently. Some people could control lightning, sparks flying from their hands. Others manipulated flames, frying eggs with a single hand. There was even someone in the Shengshi Jiangnan residential group who often boasted about their fire abilities.

The man before her, like a demon, undoubtedly possessed some kind of supernatural power. Perhaps he had stored supplies in a special space beforehand and frozen time within it? Zhang Xueqi had read many novels about such spatial powers back in college; in a post-apocalyptic world, such abilities were invaluable.

The question was, just how many supplies had Lin Feng stockpiled? Her mindset was subtly shifting. In a world like this, the desire to survive was magnified infinitely—especially for someone who had experienced the brink of starvation like her. Zhang Xueqi saw a glimmer of hope. As long as she followed this man, there was a chance to hold on until official rescue arrived.

“Drink some water to replenish your tears, then take a shower,” Lin Feng’s voice broke through her thoughts.

“Always use bottled water; after opening, throw it out if left for more than half an hour,” he added.

Considering the microorganisms in tap water could cause serious health issues if consumed often, and now that they had an unlimited supply of bottled water, there was no need to be frugal.

Hearing this, Zhang Xueqi obediently picked up a bottle. She wasn’t particularly thirsty but dared not disobey. She carefully twisted the cap open and took a few cautious sips.

Shengshi Jiangnan was considered a mid-to-upper-class neighborhood locally. Lin Feng couldn’t afford the rent alone; he shared the apartment with two young women. When the white fog disaster struck, both roommates happened to be out. Now, in this three-bedroom apartment, he was the sole occupant.

After Zhang Xueqi finished her shower and changed into his shirt, Lin Feng led her to the adjacent bedroom.

That room originally belonged to a female supermarket cashier. Though she never brought men home overnight, her private life was wildly chaotic. She often told risqué jokes to her roommates, and her room was a mess. Fishnet stockings, lettered black tights, and various intimate garments were strewn everywhere; the bedside table was piled with cosmetics and snack wrappers.

On the day the white fog disaster erupted, Lin Feng, holding back tears, had collected all the roommates’ snacks into his super-storage. While rummaging through the drawers, he had also found quite a few “pink weapons.” This time, he came for the emergency contraceptive pills in the female roommate’s drawer.

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He took out two pills and handed them to Zhang Xueqi.

“Take these.”

Her face was wary, eyes filled with a hint of fear, but she obediently took the pills and quietly asked, “What are these?”

“Contraceptives. You don’t want to get pregnant in this apocalypse, do you?”

At his words, Zhang Xueqi’s cheeks flushed crimson. She lowered her head, silently accepted the bottled water from Lin Feng, and swallowed the pills.

“Keep the rest with you; you’ll need them later.”

Zhang Xueqi didn’t refuse. She understood this kind of exchange was either zero times or countless times. As long as she wanted to eat, it was inevitable.

“Take my shoes and clothes to wash, mop the floor clean, and tidy up these two bedrooms.”

Even a goddess had to work to eat!

Zhang Xueqi bit her lip, said nothing, and nodded silently. She knew she had no other choice.

Lin Feng lounged casually on the sofa, scrolling through short videos on his phone. Still no good news, not even anything useful.

More and more people were broadcasting outdoor live streams. Plants were growing wildly in all regions. Ordinary trees now reached hundreds of meters tall. The grass on football fields could bury the players.

Once-easily-crushed insects had grown a hundredfold in size. Their sharp claws and teeth were deadly weapons, taking human lives effortlessly.

Lin Feng also came across many videos of people with supernatural powers. Some could shoot lightning with a snap of their fingers, piercing aluminum cans. Others could summon fierce winds with a wave of their hands.

Having unlocked a new supply of bottled water, Lin Feng was no longer worried about food or drink. But seeing these extraordinary abilities, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.

At that moment, a video of a middle-aged man caught his attention.

The man’s power was unusual: he could transform his body into steel of any shape. But what intrigued Lin Feng more was what he said.

“Last night, I almost starved to death. Then I noticed a scarlet fruit growing on the ivy outside my window. I thought, since I’m about to die anyway, I might as well eat this mutated fruit and end it. But right after eating it, I gained the ability to liquefy steel. If any of you find mutated fruit that looks like ripe plums, give it a try.”

The video had just been posted, with few likes but a handful of comments.

“Heh, another troublemaker. Yesterday someone said you have to eat mutated animal feces to get powers.”

“I’ve seen those fruits too, growing on terrifying mutated plants. Eating them is a death sentence.”

“Who the hell would dare eat mutated fruit? And they say it looks like a plum—must be bitter.”

Lin Feng’s gaze shifted to the balcony, where the tall trees in the distance were dotted with specks of scarlet.

That must be the mutated fruit mentioned in the video.

But could something like that really be eaten? He certainly wouldn’t try it lightly.

The internet was full of rumors; no one’s word could be trusted. What if the video was a trap to lure people to suicide?

Lin Feng filed this away in his mind and swiped to the next video.

Three minutes later, when he opened his history to find that video again, he was shocked to discover it had vanished without a trace.

No violation notice, nothing—just as if it had never existed.

Sensing something amiss, Lin Feng quickly searched the title.

“Nothing?”

Such a disappearance usually meant either he had deleted it or the platform intervened. Could someone be trying to cover something up?

His eyes narrowed slightly as he opened several other video apps and searched keywords like “mutated fruit.”

“Nothing!”

Videos about supernatural powers were everywhere, but any mention of scarlet plum-like fruit seemed deliberately erased.

At this moment, Lin Feng was about ninety percent convinced by the middle-aged man’s words. He glanced again at the scarlet dots outside the window, a flicker of longing in his eyes.

Unfortunately, the fruit was too far out of reach. Without a special drone or risking climbing the tree, there was no way to get it.

But just a few days ago, he saw a woman across the street snatched away by the venomous tongue of a giant snake.

If he dared to climb, the snake would probably devour him before he could even taste the fruit.

A strong sense of danger welled up inside Lin Feng.

Undoubtedly, more and more people would gain supernatural powers in the future. Those without such powers would face even graver peril.

With this in mind, Lin Feng decided to move.

After showing off his food supplies in the group chat these past days, his location might already be compromised. If others came looking—and brought a crowd with them—what then?

His plan was to give out a false address for now, only revealing the real location once he was certain it was safe to bring people over.

He couldn’t afford to risk everything just to unlock unlimited supplies.

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