Chapter 12 | The Apocalypse Landlady

“Alright.” Su Wan gripped the Crystal Cores in her palm and nodded to Ah-Hao. “These three cores will serve as your rent for the first month.”

In her mind, Su Wan converted the Crystal Cores into 300 System Points.

At that moment—

【Ding! New Quest issued!】

【Quest Name: The Shelter Takes Shape】

【Quest Objective: Successfully recruit and accept five new formal tenants.

(Note: Tenants must voluntarily sign the system rental contract and pay the initial rent. Already contracted tenants do not count toward the new recruitment total.)】

【Time Limit: 3 natural days in this plane.】

【Quest Rewards:】

1. Points +500.

2. System Function Expansion: Unlock the “Simple Mission Board” function.

The host can consume a small amount of energy points to post designated tasks within the building, such as collecting specific resources, clearing specific areas, or providing intelligence. After a tenant accepts and completes a task, the host can pay the agreed-upon reward, such as supplies or rent reductions.

3. Novice Intermediate Gift Pack × 1.

【Failure Penalty: Points -1000; subsequent quest releases delayed; certain auxiliary system functions will enter a 15-day cooldown period.】

【Tip: Expanding the tenant scale helps increase the shelter's vitality, collect more information and resources from this plane, and gradually unlock higher-level system functions and building modules.】

The new quest and its generous rewards lifted Su Wan's spirits, but seeing the failure penalty left Su Wan feeling quite overwhelmed.

After completing the Novice Quest, the system had rewarded her with 50 Points, and the three Crystal Cores had been exchanged for 300 Points. She now had a total of only 350 Points, which wasn't even enough for the system to deduct.

Seeing Su Wan accept the Crystal Cores, Ah-Hao’s face instantly erupted in uncontrollable ecstasy, which was quickly replaced by anxiety and an even deeper longing.

He hesitated for a moment, then propped himself up and, ignoring the pain in his legs, knelt directly before Su Wan.

This time, it wasn't an act; he was truly pleading.

“Thank you, Landlord! I... I want to ask a favor...”

“I have a sister named Ah-Lan. She’s the one who... who traded the bread with you before!”

“She’s my only relative. I beg you, let her move in too! The two of us can pay double rent! Or... or for this one month, the two of us will live together and... and count it as half a month, okay?”

“We will definitely find a way to come up with the future rent! I beg you!”

Ah-Hao knew that if he could pull his sister into this safe shelter, their chances of survival would increase significantly!

To that end, he was willing to pay more, even if it meant sharing his already limited living time.

Su Wan looked at the kneeling boy and thought of the girl who had traded the gold bean for bread earlier.

For Su Wan, who urgently needed to understand this world and required more tenants, wasn't this a perfect opportunity falling right into her lap?

“Your sister?” Su Wan mused for a moment. “Let her come talk to me herself. If she’s willing to sign the same contract and pay the corresponding rent, I’ll consider it.”

She didn't agree immediately, but she left the door open.

Ah-Hao was overjoyed. “Thank you! Thank you, Landlord!”

After handling Ah-Hao’s situation, Su Wan returned to her Room 102.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Su Wan’s thoughts stirred, and a line of faint blue text appeared in the corner of her vision:

【Time until automatic shuttle back to original world: 00 hours 14 minutes 37 seconds】.

Less than fifteen minutes remained.

Su Wan let out a long breath and lay down on the soft bed with her clothes still on.

【00:00:00】

【Timed Travel initiated...】

A slight vibration occurred, accompanied by a strange sense of spatial displacement.

The vibration lasted only about two or three seconds before completely subsiding.

Su Wan slowly opened her eyes.

Outside the window, the bright morning light carried a hint of warmth, spilling into the room through the beige curtains.

The faint, characteristic noise of the city before the morning rush hour drifted in from the distance—

Su Wan sat up and quickly walked to the window, pulling the curtains open with a sharp rustle.

Outside, there were no longer broken walls or an endless snowfield.

Across a road that wasn't particularly wide was the urban village she had seen yesterday during the day.

The low, cluttered buildings were huddled together, and early risers were already moving through the alleys. Breakfast stalls were emitting steam and the familiar aroma of food.

Further away, the undulating silhouettes of the mountains on the edge of Jiangcheng were visible, appearing peaceful and full of life in the morning light.

Everything was exactly as it had been when she arrived with her suitcase yesterday afternoon.

She was really... back.

Su Wan turned around, walked to the door, and opened the door to Room 102.

The rough concrete floor was still scattered with construction debris and a thick layer of dust, and the air held the familiar scent of mold and earth.

The doorway of the opposite room was empty, and outside the heavy fire door at the end of the hallway, there was no broken street, but an exit leading to the construction site outside, half-hidden by junk.

Everything had returned to its original state.

But in her mind, the system panel still existed.

She glanced at her phone; there were no missed calls or messages from friends or acquaintances.

Su Wan’s lips curled into a cynical, knowing smirk. “The world truly is cold and indifferent.”

After a night of turmoil, Su Wan didn't feel tired; instead, she was in high spirits.

She planned to go out and procure supplies as soon as possible.

Having decided on a plan of action, Su Wan began to take stock of the “assets” she currently had available in her original world.

The three Energy Crystal Cores she had received from Ah-Hao had disappeared once she confirmed the exchange for Points.

The two pieces of gold were still there.

Su Wan wondered how much money she could get if she could bring the Energy Crystal Cores back.

【High-purity gold is a common substance in both worlds and can therefore be carried through the shuttle.】

【Items unique to the Apocalyptic Plane cannot be carried back to the original plane.】

So that was how it worked.

Common substances could be carried between worlds, but Energy Crystal Cores were unique to the apocalypse and could not be brought back to her original world.

Su Wan weighed the two pieces of gold in her hand. According to current gold prices, she could get at least ten thousand yuan, which would buy quite a lot of supplies!

But ten thousand...

It was still a bit little.

Su Wan looked at her classic LV suitcase, which was a bit dusty but still retained its quality feel.

This was the only piece of “luxury” she had left that was still worth something after her downfall.

Digging through her pockets, Su Wan found less than two hundred yuan in crumpled change.

“System, how much can my Portable Storage Space hold right now?” Su Wan asked in her mind.

【Host's current Portable Storage Space: 10 cubic meters (standard cube).】

【Tip: System Points can be used to expand the storage space volume.】

【The first expansion to 20 cubic meters requires 1000 Points; subsequent expansions will require increasing amounts of Points. The flow of time within the space is near-static and includes basic preservation functions.】

【Perform expansion?】

1000 Points for 10 cubic meters?

Su Wan looked at her 350 Points and sighed silently.

Points were too precious; she had to save them to unlock functions, exchange for special items that might be urgently needed in the apocalypse, or handle emergencies.