Born for Zero-Cost Acquisition

Originally, Liu Yi wanted to find a set of clothes that fit her, to replace the white “plain brocade” she was wrapped in. After wearing it for a while, she realized the material was astonishingly sturdy. During her scavenging, the sharp corners that brushed against her through the brocade barely scratched her skin—it offered top-notch defense. Really, she couldn’t ask for more.

She kept an eye on the clock, quickly sweeping through the next office building. There, she discovered a small pet company with about a dozen cats and dogs, most of which had already died. The air conditioning had long since stopped, and the place was thick with the stench of decay. Only two newborn puppies had survived, barely hanging on by suckling their dead mother’s milk. The mother’s body was stiff, and it wouldn’t be long before the puppies followed. They were so tiny, their eyes hadn’t yet opened to see the world.

In her previous life, she was a kind-hearted person, often volunteering at shelters for stray animals, and she truly loved these little creatures. The apocalypse was fast approaching, and she didn’t plan to join any survivor base—trust was hard to come by. But a life without companionship would be unbearably lonely. Raising a pet would at least enrich her spirit.

First, she caught a mouse in the corner and tested whether her space could hold living beings. It could. She released the mouse, then mixed up some goat milk powder for the puppies, feeding them until they were full and placing them in a pet carrier before storing them in her space. She also gathered all the unspoiled dog food, cat food, medicines, and vaccines, leaving nothing behind. These things would be priceless in the apocalypse.

On the top floor, Liu Yi finally found the livestream company she’d been hoping for—the kind that sold snacks. Potato chips, spicy sticks, shrimp crackers, fruit juice concentrates, nuts, chocolate, candy, biscuits… She excitedly collected every bit, and found a cold storage room powered by a generator. She emptied the stock, took the power equipment, and even grabbed the warehouse shelving. This way, she could better organize her supplies in the space, stacking more and keeping it tidy.

In the last office building in the area, she found a seed company, with not only rice and wheat seeds, but also fruits and vegetables. After a quick scan, she estimated at least five hundred bags. She took them all.

She found more snacks scattered about the workstations, and, in the boss’s office, discovered a small safe. It was well-made; the security door was easy to destroy with a single axe blow, but the safe took four or five strikes and some vigorous prying before she got it open. Inside were gold bars, jade, emeralds, two revolvers, and five hundred rounds of ammunition. It took some effort, but it was definitely worth it.

She swept through the remaining floors, collecting everything until she reached the last layer, utterly exhausted and drenched in sweat.

She glanced at the time: 21:36:59. Her speed was impressive, and she could afford a brief rest, so she sat in the boss’s office to recover. The company was a consulting firm; outside, the furniture was ordinary northern elm, but the boss’s office boasted black chicken-wing wood. Don’t think chicken-wing wood is cheap—true white-flowered cliff bean wood (Burmese black chicken-wing) is understated and far rarer than its African counterpart. In the past, a five-piece set of black chicken-wing sofas would be considered high-end, easily outclassing many expensive national-standard rosewoods. Unfortunately, her space was full; otherwise, she’d have upgraded her living standards.

Her spiritual sense instinctively probed her space—she wanted to retrieve the bottle of spring water she’d accumulated to restore herself—only to discover that her packed space suddenly had a ring of free space! About twenty centimeters wide, it didn’t seem much, but since it was vertical, it could hold a lot if used properly.

First, she took out the pet carrier and placed it in a corner. Then she stored the black chicken-wing desk and chairs, carefully arranging supplies in every gap around them. In the end, she left only two football-sized spots for the spring water.

She took out the bottle with its precious spring water and savored it in small sips. Sweet and refreshing. Though she drank slowly, the water was soon gone. She placed the bottle under the office water dispenser, which still had half a barrel left, refilled it, shook it, and drank again. She rinsed it five times until there was no spring water residue left, then tossed the bottle away. Such high-quality spring water shouldn’t be kept in cheap plastic.

She cleaned the boss’s exquisite blue-and-white porcelain vase and positioned it to collect the spring water, setting a large porcelain tea tray to separate the pet carrier and the spring water—maximizing the space’s utility. If you want to save space, you need to master geometry…

Wait, how did her space expand? When she sorted the space earlier, she didn’t see any jade! She must have found the secret. With her experience reading thousands of novels, she knew jade was born of heaven and earth, able to absorb spiritual energy, protect homes, and nourish the mind.

She opened the map she’d downloaded and quickly found the tourist souvenir street at the foot of Nine Mountain Peak, where there were jade shops. With earthquakes and floods, she could only head for higher ground. Time was running out, and it was too late to go to the distant jade market—she’d have to try her luck at the mountain’s base.

It was already half past nine.

A wild wind rose, and murky clouds churned across the night sky. Her little electric scooter sped up the mountainside like a fleeting shadow. Liu Yi was swept by the gale, tempted to retreat, her eyes fixed on the small villa at the peak. Liu Yi, if you’re not strong and brave now, are you going to wait for your cousin to catch you and harvest your organs? If you don’t scavenge supplies now, you’ll lose your chance later.

Come on, Liu the Little Fairy Yi, you’re the best! Hmph, once her space was as large as her cousin’s, she’d leave half empty, half stored, with ample room for beauty.

All the streetlights were out; the once retro tourist pedestrian street was deserted, trees tossed wildly, plastic bags flying overhead. Liu Yi’s night vision was sharp—her gaze locked onto the sign for the antique jade shop.

“Bang!” The axe smashed the rolling shutter lock.

A glance inside showed the glass display cases were empty. The earthquake warning had been issued in advance, and even if the staff didn’t have time to move everything, they’d surely have stored the valuables in the back vault.

Deep breath…

She caught the scent of metal. The vault was in the basement, leading toward the back.

“Bang bang!” She smashed at it.

“Boom!” After a few more blows, the wooden handle of her axe snapped. The vault door was far sturdier than the safe. Thankfully, she had spare axes in her space.

With strength to spare, she went through three axes before breaking a palm-sized hole in the metal door.

Did they think she couldn’t get in, so she wouldn’t be able to take anything? Ha! The space inside wasn’t large. She stood on tiptoe, wielding a long drying pole, and stretched desperately.

Anything she touched could be stored in her space.

Hetian jade pendants, bracelets, pearl necklaces, emerald plaques, bangles…

She wanted them all.

Every last one.