Chapter 37: Making a Fortune in Silence

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Making a Fortune in Silence

At this thought, Chen Momo tightened her grip on the hammer.

Zhang Qiang gave a sleazy smile and struck up a conversation. "Are you here all alone? There’s nothing much left in this office. Why don’t we go check out another one together?"

Seeing Zhang Qiang staring at her lustfully like a total idiot, Chen Momo realized he probably didn’t know about her spatial dimension. Her tense nerves finally relaxed.

Zhang Qiang continued to ask with a cheeky grin, "Hey gorgeous, are you divorced? Why haven’t I ever seen your husband? It must be so hard raising a kid all by yourself, especially in these harsh conditions. You really need a man to help you out. You look like you’re struggling, so how about this: let me help you carry your things, okay?"

As he spoke, Zhang Qiang stepped forward, trying to get uncomfortably close to Chen Momo. He had been wanting to hit on her the entire way here, but there were too many people around, and he hadn’t possessed the guts to try anything. Now that he saw she was completely alone in this office, his wicked intentions flared up, and he seized the opportunity to cozy up to her.

Unexpectedly, the moment his words fell, Chen Momo’s expression turned ice-cold. She suddenly produced a gleaming, sharp knife and pointed it right at his chest. "Scram. Otherwise, don’t blame me if this knife accidentally slips."

Zhang Qiang might have been a pervert, but he was also a complete coward. The moment he saw the sharp blade in Chen Momo’s hand, he instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"I’m just trying to be nice and help you out, yet you want to kill me. Psycho," Zhang Qiang muttered. Despite his grumbling, he was thoroughly terrified and quickly scurried out of the room with his tail between his legs. This little encounter had scared him completely out of his wits. He realized this woman was anything but ordinary, and he would never dare harbor any illicit intentions toward her again!

Having scared off Zhang Qiang, Chen Momo put away her knife, moved to another office, and continued gathering supplies!

She tossed the small, light, and practically worthless items into the plastic bags she was carrying just to put on a show. Meanwhile, all the bulky and valuable items were quietly stored away in her spatial dimension!

Even though they only had two hours today, Chen Momo still managed to scavenge quite a few good things. She even found several pure gold lucky cat statues in one of the offices. Once the apocalypse passed and gold became valuable again, these statues would fetch a hefty sum!

The two hours quickly came to an end. Carrying her bags, Chen Momo joined the rest of the group at the designated meeting spot.

Everyone had managed to scavenge quite a bit this time. With bags in their hands and sacks over their shoulders, they were all heavily laden with a bountiful haul. The dejection they had all felt before setting out had completely vanished. Now, everyone was in high spirits, eagerly showing off their respective spoils.

"I found an entire case of pure milk, and the packaging hasn’t even been opened!" a man wearing glasses proudly boasted, showing off his newly acquired prize.

"What’s so great about milk? I found candles and lighters! Hehe, I can finally cook a proper meal when we get back!"

Chen Momo listened to their excited chatter, remaining entirely silent. After all, the supplies she had gathered were more than everything in these people’s hands combined! This was what they called "making a fortune in silence"!

Wang Jian Country did a quick headcount and realized they were short one person.

"It seems like Kong Ming from Room 1313 hasn’t shown up yet," one of the neighbors pointed out.

The others immediately began to clamor. "Kong Ming is definitely just being greedy. He was probably so desperate to grab more supplies that he completely lost track of time!"

"We can’t just stand here waiting for him," another man chimed in. "My wife is waiting for me at home!"

"We shouldn’t wait for anyone who goes over the time limit!" a third person shouted. "We all agreed on two hours. Isn’t two hours enough time to gather supplies?"

Seeing how anxious everyone was to head back, Wang Jian Country nodded in agreement. "Alright, let’s line up and head back now!"

With that, the group jumped out the window one after another, forming a line as they trekked back toward the residential compound across the street. The journey back was much easier than the trip there. After all, they had already packed down the snow and carved out a trail on their way over, allowing them to simply retrace their steps.

The only unbearable part was the bitter cold. The temperature seemed to have dropped even further since they first set out, and everyone’s legs were completely numb by the time they walked back. Chen Momo, on the other hand, didn’t feel quite so freezing on the return trip. Her high-quality thermal wear was thoroughly doing its job, and since she wasn’t carrying many heavy items by hand, her steps were brisk and light.

It had taken the group a grueling two hours to cover the five-hundred-meter distance on their way there, but their return speed was significantly faster. By following their original trail, it only took them half an hour to arrive back at Building Five. Afterward, everyone took turns climbing back up the rope. Today’s supply run had finally come to a successful end!

With fresh supplies finally in hand, bright smiles blossomed on the faces of every household. This was especially true for the women and children. Upon seeing their husbands return with bulging bags of supplies, the dark clouds of gloom and anxiety that had plagued their faces were instantly swept away.

The little ones jumped for joy, cheering, "We have food! We finally have food!"

By noon, the mouth-watering aroma of cooking food began to waft through the stairwells. People on every single floor had started preparing meals. Building Five, which had recently felt as dead and lifeless as a pool of stagnant water, was finally showing a tiny glimmer of vitality after being sealed off by the blizzard for forty-five days.

When Chen Momo carried her bags back into her apartment, Chen Xiaobao and Xu Xiaoka practically lined the hallway to give her a hero’s welcome.

For lunch, Chen Momo no longer had to carefully hide what she was doing. She openly and generously cooked up an incredibly lavish feast—stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, braised pork belly, Mapo tofu, spicy diced chicken, and steamed fish head with diced hot peppers. To top it all off, they even enjoyed crisp pears and fresh apples for dessert.

Meanwhile, the families who hadn’t possessed the courage to go out on the supply run were now looking at everyone else’s bountiful hauls with a bitter mix of envy and deep regret. They were deeply envious because the families who had risked their lives to gather supplies were already cooking hot meals, filling the entire building with tantalizing aromas. And they were endlessly regretful because, if they had just been a little braver and followed the main group outside, they could have returned with armfuls of supplies, too!

Seeing that several households were still desperately in need of supplies, Wang Jian Country decided to organize a second wave of people to go out that afternoon.

Chen Momo slipped into her down jacket, just about to follow the main group outside again, when Xu Xiaoka suddenly stopped her.

"Sister Momo, let me go this time!" Xu Xiaoka volunteered eagerly. Ever since moving in, Xu Xiaoka had been desperately wanting to contribute to the household. Upon hearing that they could scavenge for supplies, she was more than willing to go out and do her part.

Chen Momo thought it over for a moment. It really was about time to let Xu Xiaoka gain some practical experience.

"Wait right here for a second," she said.

Chen Momo walked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Accessing her spatial dimension, she pulled out a set of thermal tops and bottoms, a down jacket, and several packs of disposable hand and body warmers. She carried the pile out and handed it all to Xu Xiaoka. "These are in my size, but they should fit you just fine. Go get changed."

Tears welled up in Xu Xiaoka’s eyes, deeply moved by the gesture. "Sister Momo... thank you." She thought to herself, "Sister Momo is so wonderful. She takes care of me just like an older sister. I definitely have to work hard today and bring back as many supplies as possible!"

After Xu Xiaoka changed into the heavy winter gear, her entire body felt delightfully toasty and warm. Naturally, the thick layers also made her movements feel a bit more sluggish and bulky.

Chen Momo then asked, "Did you pack anything for self-defense?"

Xu Xiaoka nodded firmly. "I did. I’ve got a knife, and I even brought pepper spray!"