After leaving the Shen family villa, Shen Xingdu didn’t head straight to the luxury mansion. Instead, she took a taxi back to the rundown apartment she was temporarily renting.
Although she had extorted a top-floor luxury residence in the city center from Shen Hongwei, the place was completely empty—not even a bed—and there was something far more important she needed to confirm first.
Back in the apartment, which was less than thirty square meters, Shen Xingdu locked the doors and windows and drew the curtains.
From a pocket close to her body, she took out a jade pendant.
It was an old-pit green jade piece, not particularly translucent, carved with intricate cloud patterns.
Before leaving the banquet hall, she had snatched it from Lin Wan’er’s neck in the instant they brushed past each other.
The movement had been too fast, and the scene too chaotic—no one noticed.
In her previous life, Lin Wan’er had relied on this very jade pendant to open an enormous storage space, thriving in the apocalypse and eventually becoming a regional female leader.
“Returning it to its rightful owner,” Shen Xingdu snorted coldly.
In truth, the pendant had originally belonged to her. Back when she lived in the orphanage, the headmistress grandmother had given it to her. Later, after the family reunion, Zhao Yalan took it and hung it around Lin Wan’er’s neck.
Shen Xingdu grabbed a fruit knife and sliced her fingertip without hesitation.
Dark red blood dripped onto the green jade.
There was no blinding flash of light. The blood was instantly absorbed by the pendant, which then transformed into a streak of light and shot straight into her brow.
【Ding! Gene binding successful.】
【Strong survival desire detected in host. Activating “All-Things Recycling and Exchange System”…】
【Activation complete!】
A semi-transparent blue interface appeared before Shen Xingdu’s eyes.
Unlike the simple storage space Lin Wan’er had boasted about in her past life, this interface was far more complex—and far more technological.
At the center of the screen was a massive black vortex. Beneath it were two lines of text:
Current Survival Points: 0
Current Space Level: LV0 (Not Activated)
“Recycling system?” Shen Xingdu paused. “Not a space?”
She cautiously tapped the black vortex.
【Please input recyclable items.】
【Note: In the apocalypse, everything has value. This system can recycle all unowned items (including but not limited to trash, scrap materials, corpses, disaster by-products) and convert them into Survival Points. Survival Points can be used in the mall to purchase supplies or upgrade system functions.】
Shen Xingdu’s heart began to race.
This was far stronger than a mere storage space!
She glanced around. The apartment was filled with garbage left behind by the previous tenant: takeout boxes, a broken plastic stool, and a pile of moldy old newspapers.
“System, recycle this trash,” Shen Xingdu tried issuing a command.
With a whoosh, the newspapers vanished into thin air.
【Ding! Recycled 5 kg of waste paper. Gained 5 Survival Points.】
She placed her hand on the plastic stool with a broken leg.
【Ding! Recycled damaged plastic product. Gained 2 Survival Points.】
Shen Xingdu’s eyes lit up. Like a diligent cleaner, she recycled everything in the apartment—garbage, junk, even the broken faucet in the bathroom.
After a round of operations, the room was completely bare, spotless as if it had been licked clean by a dog.
She checked the panel:
Current Survival Points: 120.
At that moment, the mall icon flickered.
Shen Xingdu opened it. Only Tier-1 items were unlocked, and the very first entry made her breathing quicken:
【Tier-1 Static Space (1,000 cubic meters)】: Price 100 Survival Points.
Description: Time is frozen. Preserves freshness and quality. Living beings cannot enter.
“Buy!” She didn’t hesitate.
【Purchase successful! Tier-1 Static Space activated.】
The next second, Shen Xingdu felt a vast, grayish space appear in her consciousness—about the size of a warehouse.
She casually picked up her phone from the table and tried it. With a thought, the phone disappeared and appeared inside the space.
Another thought—and it was back in her hand.
No delay at all!
“With this, five hundred million can produce the effect of ten billion!” Shen Xingdu clenched her fist.
She continued browsing the mall.
Besides space-related items, there were plenty of strange things:
【Basic Gene Enhancement Serum】: Price 500 Survival Points. (Physical attributes x2)
【Infinite-Fuel Lighter】: Price 10 Survival Points.
【Super-Compressed Biscuit (One piece lasts a day)】: Price 5 Survival Points.
The items were great, but she was broke again. With only 20 points left, she could afford at most two lighters.
“Looks like picking up trash alone won’t cut it. I need something big.” Shen Xingdu rubbed her chin, her gaze drifting toward the bustling city outside the window.
How many garbage processing plants were in this city? How many abandoned car graveyards?
What others saw as waste, she saw as mountains of gold and silver—the capital she’d use to dominate the apocalypse.
But first things first—she needed supplies.
The space was ready. The money was ready.
Next came疯狂购物—shopping like a madwoman!
Just as she was thinking this, her phone rang.
Caller ID: Gu Yichen.
Her sadistic, perverted ex-fiancé.
Shen Xingdu stared at the flashing name, a glint of cold killing intent passing through her eyes.
In her past life, this man had chained her like a dog in a basement, torturing her physically—and even filming it to entertain Lin Wan’er.
“Hello?” She answered calmly.
“Shen Xingdu, you bitch! I heard you extorted five hundred million from my uncle and ran away from home? You dare reject marrying me? Who the hell do you think you are?!” Gu Yichen roared hysterically from the other end.
“Why are you so angry, Young Master Gu?” Shen Xingdu walked to the window, looking down at the traffic below.
“Since you’ve delivered yourself to me, perfect—I just happen to have a business proposition to discuss with you.”
“What are you planning?”
“Nothing much. I just happen to have a video—surveillance footage of you playing a young model to death at Bliss Club last month. Looks like you filmed it yourself while drunk? How did it accidentally end up in my hands, I wonder?”
This was leverage Shen Xingdu had stumbled upon in her past life. Back then, she’d been too cowardly to use it.
Now?
The phone went dead silent.
“Fifty million,” Shen Xingdu said calmly. “Call it emotional damages.”
“Money arrives, video gets destroyed. Otherwise—tomorrow’s headlines.”
“Shen Xingdu! You dare threaten me! I’ll kill you!”
“You can try. I’ve set it on timed release. If I don’t cancel it within thirty minutes, the entire internet will get to admire Young Master Gu’s ‘heroic bearing.’”
Three minutes later—
【Your account ending in 8888 has received RMB 50,000,000.00.】
Shen Xingdu whistled softly.
Extorting scum was far faster than picking up trash.
Her total funds now stood at 550 million.
“Time to move,” she said.
“Next stop—the wholesale market.”