manynovel 13: Don't eat for free.
13: Don't eat for free.
Who?
Su Chen frowned.
He took out his gun, walked behind the door, and peered through the peephole.
The person knocking on the door was a woman. She looked a little haggard, but her features were quite delicate, and her figure was even more striking—her chest was bulging, and Su Chen couldn't help but wonder if she had padded it.
"Is anyone home?" The woman outside the door asked timidly, her head bowed.
A sudden night breeze swept by, ruffling a few strands of her hair. The woman turned her face slightly, covering her mouth with her hand as if she wanted to cough, but she held it back, as if afraid the sound would annoy the people inside. She timidly looked up at the peephole, her eyes pleading, like a frightened little animal.
"What is it?" Su Chen gripped the gun tightly, his tone indifferent.
"I...I want to beg for some food," the woman said softly.
"No," Su Chen replied calmly.
The woman's pupils visibly twitched, her eyes drooped, and the corners of her mouth drooped, making her look like she was about to cry.
After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked straight into the cat's eyes—but that bit of courage seemed to burn out the moment she looked up, and her voice softened, filled with sorrow.
"I saw it... You came back last night with a big bag on your back. How come you didn't have any food?" Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, almost inaudible.
"No means no." Su Chen remained indifferent.
He quietly moved his right hand, which was gripping the gun, to his side, and gently placed his left hand on the doorknob, ready to open the door at any moment.
"I can exchange it... I won't take it for nothing," the woman pleaded softly.
Her courage seemed to have completely vanished, and she dared not look through the peephole again. She slowly took two steps back, and suddenly with a "rip," she unbuttoned her white shirt, revealing her body, and slowly turned around.
"Sir, my husband passed away a long time ago, and my daughter is only six years old... Please, have mercy and help my daughter and me, okay?" Her voice trembled with tears. "We don't eat much; we're easy to feed."
Su Chen's eye twitched slightly. He steadied himself and said calmly:
"I really don't have any extra food, so I can't help you. Why don't you go find Instant Noodle Bro? I heard he has a lot of food."
"No, no, no!" the woman hurriedly waved her hands. "He's not clean... I dare not go to him."
"I just want to follow you... Please accept me, sir." She still had that meek and submissive look, with tears welling up in her eyes, making her look extremely pitiful.
"No, I'm sorry." Su Chen nodded slightly to the woman through the peephole and turned to leave.
"Sir, sir..." the woman called out repeatedly from outside the door, her voice trembling and choked with sobs. But Su Chen seemed not to hear her, walked straight into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut.
……
Glug-glug-glug
In the kitchen, Su Chen held the freshly cooked luncheon meat and vegetable porridge, sipping it half-heartedly, with little taste in his mouth.
Although that woman wasn't a stunning beauty, her status as a widow, her pitiful demeanor, and her undeniably eye-catching figure...
Su Chen was indeed struggling to keep up and almost lost his temper.
"Single for 22 years, never encountered such a 'good thing,' and now I've run into one after only three days in this world? Absolutely impossible!"
Su Chen shook his head vigorously, pondering to himself.
"This woman is stunningly beautiful and has a fantastic figure, plus that seductive, submissive air... few men could resist her. Why did she choose me of all people to exchange food with?"
"Besides... how could she be so sure that there was food in my bag, and nothing else?"
"Hiss... Could it be that they're trying to set me up because I'm young?" The more Su Chen thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
The initial restlessness was quickly suppressed by a rising sense of crisis. A wave of relief washed over me; thankfully, the door hadn't opened.
Glug! Glug!
Stopping thinking about those things, the luncheon meat and vegetable porridge in her hand suddenly tasted delicious. The rice was soft and sticky, the luncheon meat was savory, and the vegetables were sweet. Su Chen ate with great pleasure, almost forgetting her troubles.
He carried his bowl to the living room, turned on the TV, plugged in his portable hard drive, and started playing the popular sitcom "My Own Swordsman".
As the familiar scenes unfolded one after another, Su Chen watched with amusement, and before he knew it, he began to fantasize—how wonderful it would be if life could continue like this forever!
After finishing his bowl of porridge, he turned off the TV and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a thick gray fog churning on the horizon, which abruptly pulled him back to reality—this world was not safe.
Gazing at the gray fog in the distance, Su Chen fell silent.
Of course, he could stay in his little house and live a carefree life, with his daily "subsistence allowance" arriving on time, which would be enough for him to have no worries about food and clothing.
However, if we don't go out to explore, and don't try to become stronger and build our home more secure, the real end will come when the walls collapse.
Moreover, that day may not be far off.
Every time those human-faced owls attack, the wall's defense value drops rapidly... If they continue to be as fierce as they are today for the next few days, the "newbie protection period" will end in less than a week, and Su Chen will have to face all the dangers directly.
"well……"
Su Chen let out a long sigh and picked up the dishes to wash them.
……
Midnight.
"It's coming." The moment the numbers reached zero, Su Chen looked away from his phone screen, and a semi-transparent panel unfolded before his eyes.
Survival points are being calculated...
[A total of 2876 residents survived in the Happiness Community, earning 4972 public survival points.]
[Resident Su Chen survived until midnight and gained 5 personal survival points]
Resident Su Chen participated in the community defense battle and earned 25 personal survival points.
Resident Su Chen killed five human-faced owls, gaining 75 personal survival points.
Resident Su Chen activated the "Well" building in his homestead, gaining 100 survival points.
As soon as the settlement notification sound ended, the roar of a helicopter, representing the daily relief package, grew louder as it approached.
Immediately afterwards, two mechanical voices sounded in my ears:
Dedicated rescue team has been deployed.
Advanced rescue kits are being distributed.
This time, they're sending out the advanced rescue kit.
There are five items inside, one more than last time, probably because I earned more survival points this time.
A box of sliced Bavarian ham; a tray of thirty eggs; a box of oral glucose solution; four hand grenades; and a white card.
Looking at the things scattered all over the bed, Su Chen's anxiety was temporarily relieved.
He hid the food and the grenade in two secluded corners of the bedroom, then picked up the white card and went to the living room.
This is a [Basic Home Expansion Card] that can expand indoor space.
Ever since he came back from room 602, he's been thinking about this good stuff.
The current total area of the house is 112 square meters, with a buildable area of 21.5 square meters.
[Use the Basic Home Expansion Card to expand the usable area by 100 square meters?]
The two options, "YES" and "NO," popped up on the left and right respectively.
Su Chen directly selected YES.
The next second, soft, bright light surged from the card, transforming into countless visible light dust particles. These particles spread out, creating a space of one hundred square meters in Su Chen's room—almost doubling the size of each room.
Su Chen became excited, and all sorts of plans started popping into his mind:
The extra space in the bedroom can be used to place storage cabinets and boxes; even if we explore ten more times, there will still be room for everything. The extra space outside is perfect for building new home structures and improving overall strength.
With its secluded, cave-like spatial attributes, outsiders could never discern the actual size of his home. Even if he converted it into an armory, no one would notice...
"Su Fen'er... quick! Come here..."
On the balcony, Su Chen was looking out the window at the changes in her home when a muffled yet excited shout suddenly came from the open space below. It was a man shouting.
Immediately afterwards, more chaotic sounds mixed with clear vibrations reached the eighteenth floor—the sound of many people stepping on the stairs together, thump thump thump, the whole building was trembling slightly.
What's all the commotion about so late at night?
Could it be... that the expedition team has returned?!
The thought rushed into his mind, and he pushed open the window and looked downstairs.