[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained an additional five square meters of area, available for use at any time to expand your Sand Table.]
[Congratulations, Host! You have unlocked the employee recruitment function. You can now sign labor contracts protected by the System with residents of the Miniature World.]
Qin Zhiyuan looked at the Sand Table beneath the LEGO structure. The base of the Sand Table was currently only five square meters, and now he had been rewarded with another five square meters.
This meant that after using the reward, the Sand Table would expand to ten square meters, allowing him to construct other buildings on the new land or expand the existing Store.
Expansion was definitely necessary. Once the Store gained popularity, the number of customers would increase, and a space that was too small wouldn’t be able to accommodate them. However, he couldn’t make a mess in his small, roughly hundred-square-meter home. It would be better to find a new base of operations.
The employee system was also excellent. He would undoubtedly be overwhelmed on his own, and with an increase in customer flow, hiring some Miniature World residents would become essential. These would all come in handy in the future, making it a great reward.
Han Qingying happily removed the Points Card from the POS Machine, placed it back in her pocket, and then looked expectantly toward the door, waiting for her order to appear out of thin air.
Once was unfamiliar, twice was familiar—she was no longer afraid of things floating toward her!
Qin Zhiyuan steadily placed the 250ml bottle of mineral water in front of Han Qingying. Looking at the stark contrast in size, he fell silent.
A "colossal object" suddenly appeared before Han Qingying’s eyes. Although she had anticipated it, she was still deeply astonished.
The mineral water bottle was tall and slender, its body crystal clear and translucent. The massive cap was tightly screwed onto the bottle’s mouth, sealed so securely that one could tell at a glance the water inside was well-protected.
The label on the bottle also appeared enormous in Han Qingying’s eyes. The patterns on it seemed to come from another world—it was a brand she didn’t recognize, in any case.
Standing beside it, she seemed so tiny in comparison. What was originally an ordinary bottle of mineral water had become so massive, towering even taller than her legs.
So big… so tall…
Han Qingying, who stood only 20 centimeters tall with her shoes on, stared at the 12-centimeter-tall giant bottle of water and fell into deep thought.
So, the question arose: How was she going to move it back home before daybreak?
It was already past midnight. If she tried to do it on her own, there was an eighty percent chance she wouldn’t even make it back to the base before dying on the road. Besides, this was physically demanding work—hot and exhausting.
Han Qingying pinched the bridge of her nose and decided to seek help. "Boss, can I leave this here for now and come back with others to move it?"
Carrying such a large bottle back by herself would likely be exhausting to the point of death. She could return to the base and report it to the authorities. The official team could dispatch a vehicle to transport the water back, and the base could even take the opportunity to purchase more supplies to bring along.
This was one advantage of the High-Temperature Apocalypse—road conditions weren’t affected, so vehicles could still operate. If it were an extreme cold or blizzard scenario, even driving would be impossible.
Qin Zhiyuan responded almost instantly, "Of course, you can."
If she brought others along, those people would surely be tempted to make purchases as well, boosting his sales even further.
After deducting the System’s commission from the 11 Points earlier, he had earned 88 Chinese yuan. Making this much from a single bottle of water meant that with just a few more orders, covering the hospital treatment fees would be a breeze.
With this profit margin, becoming rich was just around the corner! He wasn’t greedy—money didn’t need to be excessive, just enough to get by!
"Thank you, boss! I’ll go back and get people right away," Han Qingying said gratefully, stepping out the door.
The previously snarling mutant cat that had tried to attack Han Qingying, after "battering its head bloody" against the defensive shield, finally realized it couldn’t break through and had already slunk away in frustration.
[Host, the defensive shield loses health when attacked. Repairing health and upgrading both require points.]
[The current shield health is at 76%, but when it falls below 30%, the System will remind you.]
Qin Zhiyuan understood—he couldn’t exchange all his points for RMB in the future; he needed to save some to address the defensive shield’s issues.
Humans gathered here, and mutant beasts wanting to eat humans would gather too. He’d have plenty of expenses ahead.
Han Qingying looked around and, seeing no mutant beasts nearby, cautiously stepped out of the protective range. Taking advantage of the darkness before dawn, she hurried away quickly, heading toward her own base.
Having just drunk so much water to quench her thirst, she felt as if she now had inexhaustible strength, her steps noticeably lighter.
The store wasn’t far from the base. She jogged the whole way and, in less than half an hour, smoothly returned to the large underground parking garage where the base was stationed.
Finally seeing the entrance, she knew that within this area there were patrols and guards—she was safe.
Han Qingying let out a sigh of relief, the tension in her nerves easing slightly.
At the entrance, four guards stood rigidly upright. Inside the parking garage, tents of all kinds were pitched on the ground—made from tattered canvas, patched-together plastic sheets, and even roughly sewn from discarded clothing.
Further in, some vehicles were parked, some belonging to the authorities, others privately maintained. Human legs couldn’t cover much ground, and these vehicles were indispensable when venturing out to scavenge for supplies. However, gasoline was both rare and expensive, requiring careful budgeting.
Han Qingying stood at the entrance, hands on her knees, panting heavily, her hair disheveled and clinging to her dust-covered cheeks.
After catching her breath briefly, she mustered her energy, her gaze urgently locking onto a guard on duty nearby.
Han Qingying rushed forward in a single stride, reaching out to grab the guard’s arm, her fingertips turning white from the force. Her eyes were filled with anxiety and earnestness. “Report to the leaders! I found a store selling supplies—it has lots and lots of water!”
With her other hand, she gestured in front of her, trying to depict the enormous bottle of mineral water. “The bottle of water I bought was as tall as my chest—a huge barrel of water! Hurry and report it, drive there to buy supplies. We’re saved!”
Her voice trembled slightly from excitement and exhaustion, echoing in the spacious entrance of the underground parking garage.
The guard on duty, who had been looking utterly bored, instantly wore a mocking smile, his lips curling high, his eyes filled with disdain and contempt as he looked Han Qingying up and down.
Then, he let out a sharp, piercing laugh.
“Have you gone mad with thirst and started dreaming?” the guard said, laughing with his companions, his tone blunt and dismissive. “A store selling water? What era is this? The post-apocalypse! Who’s still running stores?”
He paused, the smile on his face growing even broader, as if he’d heard the funniest joke in the world. “A barrel of water over a meter tall? You must still be half-asleep. Don’t go crazy here and disturb us from our duty.”
With that, he forcefully shook off Han Qingying’s hand, his movements rough and indifferent.
Han Qingying was shoved so hard she stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. She stared at the guard before her in disbelief, her eyes brimming with grievance and anger.
But now was not the time to act on impulse. As long as she could convince everyone to believe her and fetch the water, this was nothing. After all, it was normal for them not to trust her—everyone had been trapped in despair for so long that tempers were frayed.
She took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the fury in her heart. "Brother, believe me just this once! I really found a place selling water. Our base’s supplies are running low too. Buying it back could save many lives…"
Yet the other still didn’t believe her. Waving his hand as if shooing away an annoying fly, he told Han Qingying to scram. "Be good now, you can have anything in your dreams. Go to sleep, stop making a scene here!"
He had seen plenty of people like this—those who suffered heatstroke, went delirious from the fever, lost their minds, and mistook hallucinations for reality.
Once they could no longer distinguish between illusion and reality, they’d be dead within a couple of days. Better not talk to them—what bad luck.
The other onlookers watching the commotion also cast strange glances her way, whispering among themselves and shaking their heads.
Han Qingying’s eyes instantly reddened. She was unwilling to give up just like that, yet she felt utterly hopeless—though she could also understand… If she hadn’t experienced it firsthand, hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she too would have thought she’d gone mad from the heat and was dreaming.
But this truly was what she had witnessed with her own eyes. She had personally drunk the water just moments ago—it definitely wasn’t a hallucination brought on by dizziness from heatstroke.
Just as Han Qingying was on the verge of despair and considering another way out, a voice came from not far behind her.
"Is what you said true?" Li Yang spoke as he strode quickly toward her, his voice low and firm.
Han Qingying whirled around as if clutching at a lifeline, a flame of hope instantly igniting in her eyes.
She nodded frantically, her head bobbing like a rattle drum, even her hair flying wildly with the motion. "It’s true, absolutely true!" Her voice trembled slightly with excitement. "I swear to heaven!"
The guard snorted in disdain, not even bothering to lift his eyelids again. He couldn’t be bothered with them anymore—if they wanted to believe her, let them. Once they suffered losses, wasted fuel, and got roasted by the weather, they’d learn their lesson.
Han Qingying looked at him with hopeful eyes. It didn’t matter if she couldn’t get official approval—as long as someone was willing to drive her there and successfully bring back the water, once these people saw such large bottles and the water itself, they’d have no choice but to believe.
The base didn’t just have official teams; there were also privately formed groups. Li Yang was the leader of one such civilian team.
He had some impression of Han Qingying—she was a nursing student who had previously taken on tasks like treating minor wounds for people and had saved quite a few lives.
She probably wouldn’t joke about something as critical as water, a matter of life and death. Thinking this, Li Yang no longer hesitated. "I believe you. Let’s go."
His team members quickly gathered around upon hearing this, but their expressions were troubled. Some worriedly whispered, "Captain, diesel is so precious. If we just go like this, what if…"
What if this woman really was hallucinating from heatstroke, mistaking illusions for reality, and led them on a wild goose chase? How precious is gasoline?
Li Yang raised a hand to cut off the speaker. "If there really is water, then it’s all worth it!"
The team members exchanged glances, looking at each other, and finally nodded in agreement.
Li Yang looked at Han Qingying with a determined gaze, speaking earnestly, "It will be dawn soon, and the rising temperature makes it unsuitable to go out. So, we'll set off after the sun sets."
During the High-Temperature Apocalypse, daytime temperatures rarely dropped below fifty degrees Celsius, making heatstroke highly likely. Venturing out was practically suicidal.
Though Han Qingying was filled with anxiety, she understood the logic in Li Yang's words and could only agree reluctantly and unwillingly, "Alright, we'll leave in the evening. Let's meet at seven o'clock."
The entire day passed in a state of anxiety for Han Qingying. She paced back and forth in the base, each passing minute and second feeling like a weight crushing her heart, leaving her restless and uneasy.
She had told the store owner she would be back soon after finding someone, but now she had been gone the whole day. Would the owner be angry? Han Qingying was troubled and distressed.
Finally, the sun set, and the temperature gradually dropped. Han Qingying arrived early at the meeting point, her eyes revealing urgency as she constantly scanned her surroundings, hoping they would arrive soon.
The Store wasn't far from here. Even with many obstacles on the road, driving would take at most ten minutes. It wouldn't waste too much fuel. Please… don't stand her up!
Fortunately, her worries were unnecessary. Li Yang kept his promise and was punctual, arriving with the team members on time. Each of them carried simple equipment and held weapons, fully armed.
"Everyone's here."
A slightly worn-out light truck stopped in front of the group. The other team members agilely climbed into the cargo bed.
Li Yang swiftly jumped into the driver's seat, while Han Qingying quickly walked to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in. She was responsible for navigating from the passenger seat.
The guard on duty at the gate saw their actions and couldn't help but curl his lips, muttering, "These fools are really going. What a waste of gasoline."
"Let's go!"
Li Yang slammed on the accelerator, and the light truck emitted a dull roar that shattered the silence of the night. It sped out of the base, heading toward the legendary mysterious Store.
Author's Note:
Pre-release, seeking favorites: "Extreme Cold Natural Disaster, But I'm a Coal Boss"
When Qin Baiyuan was pierced through the heart by an ice spike from an ability user, his "good brother" looted the last batch of coal he had stockpiled.
"A dead man doesn't need it." The other person crushed his glasses underfoot, while mocking laughter from his former best friend echoed behind him.
When he opened his eyes again, he had been reborn, returning to the time before the extreme cold descended.
As in his previous life, a lawyer sent him the inventory of his father's estate:
Mining rights for twenty coal mines, three coal washing plants, countless warehouses,
and… a trillion-yuan debt!
The entire internet mocked: #The Most Tragic Coal Heir in History, Struggling in His Death Throes#
Qin Baiyuan promptly mortgaged the mining areas to an international bank
and signed a contract with a top-tier security company. "Mr. Qin, your apocalypse fortress will be completed tomorrow."
At the same time, he bound himself to an online shopping System,
allowing him to sell his goods to all corners of the world during the Post-apocalypse.
What to sell? Of course, the one thing he had in abundance: coal.
On New Year's Day of the first year of the extreme cold, temperatures plummeted below -60°C.
He lounged in his 25°C villa, enjoying hotpot, while familiar cries echoed outside the window.
The brother who had killed him in his previous life clung to the bulletproof glass. "Give me some coal!"
He chuckled lightly, swirling his glass of red wine, as the stacked honeycomb briquettes by the wall suddenly transformed into scorching fireballs, flying out like cannonballs.
Later, survivors spread the word by word of mouth—
That lunatic coal tycoon in sunglasses driving a heavy truck could smash through raiders' armored vehicles with coal chunks and refine low-grade coal into new energy.
Standing before the burning mine pit, he tossed a lighter in his hand, ending the apocalypse.
#Having mines at home is real—don't believe it? Then don't buy it#
#The whole world has to buy coal from me, or I'll raise the price if you're not obedient#
[Copy subject to revision, final product may vary]