"Brother Dali, do we really have to do this? The fruit has already started growing. What if…"
"I'll take responsibility if anything happens. What the hell are you afraid of! Besides, I've been taking care of these fruit trees for years; I know what I'm doing."
"Hehe, you think when that son of a bitch Chi Yuanshan discovers all his fruit trees are about to die, he'll get on his knees and beg Brother Dali to save him?"
Unable to sleep in the unfamiliar bed, Chi Wan was startled by the commotion outside the cabin. She instinctively shoved her sleeping bag and clothes into her personal space, then quickly hid in the wardrobe, not daring to make a sound.
No sooner had she closed the wardrobe door than the cabin door was unlocked, and a flurry of heavy, shuffling footsteps entered.
She could tell from the sound that there were at least four or five people. A wave of regret washed over Chi Wan. 'I shouldn't have complained about the old house not having a toilet and chosen to stay in this mountain cabin instead.'
'But who could have guessed? Liu Dali seemed so honest, returning the orchard to our family without a fuss when the lease was up, yet he secretly kept a set of keys behind our backs!'
'And now, judging by their tone, they were planning to do something to the orchard…'
Chi Wan cautiously reached into her space, planning to grab her phone and record what the men were saying.
However, the moment her hand entered the space, it was seized by a large, warm, rough hand!!
Chi Wan's pupils constricted. She bit down hard, only barely managing to stifle a scream.
In her haste to pull her hand back, she moved too abruptly, her elbow lightly bumping the inside of the wardrobe with a faint, muffled thud.
To Chi Wan, however, it sounded like a clap of thunder!
Her body instantly froze. She held her breath, not daring to move a muscle.
At the same time, a questioning voice came from outside. "Brother Dali, did you guys hear something?"
Chi Wan's heart had never beaten so fast. Only a thin wardrobe door separated her from these men, and she was terrified they would hear it pounding like a drum through the flimsy panel.
After that question, a sudden silence fell outside. Chi Wan lost all track of time, each second stretching into an eternity.
The lingering heat of the August night began to build in the wardrobe, and soon she was drenched in sweat.
Just as Chi Wan braced for the worst, Liu Dali's voice finally broke the silence. "What sound? You can see this whole place at a glance. Monkey, when are you gonna fix that damn habit of yours of hearing things whenever you get nervous? Always so jumpy."
The others chimed in with jeers. "Yeah, seriously. You were still living here this morning. Do you really feel like a thief just because Chi Yuanshan said he wanted the place back?"
"Alright, cut the crap. Grab the tools and let's get out of here."
The clatter of tools faded into the distance, and the cabin finally fell quiet once more.
*
Meanwhile, Li Xingye had been startled by the small, soft hand that suddenly appeared in the space.
To awaken a personal space on the verge of death—he found it deeply ironic. 'What's left to put in it?' he wondered. 'My own emaciated corpse?'
In the tenth year of the apocalypse, the thoroughly mutated land could no longer sprout a single seed. Those like him who had awakened superpowers had never imagined that hunger would prove to be a source of far greater despair than zombies.
But when he saw a half-eaten plate of braised pork inside the space, Li Xingye's expression changed completely.
Having gone five days without so much as a drop of water, he tried to take out the plate, but the rich, savory aroma instantly drove him to lose all reason.
By the time he came to his senses, he had devoured everything, down to the last drop of sauce.
His stomach protested the rich food after going so long without it. But as Li Xingye chugged an entire bottle of mineral water, he felt that he could die right then and there with no regrets.
Only, he didn't die.
Not only that, but he also discovered a slightly worn suitcase in his space.
Driven by curiosity, he opened it…
A girl's intimate apparel lay casually on top, so soft and clean it seemed like a relic from another century.
Li Xingye slammed the suitcase shut. Before he could even process what was happening, his rough palm was enfolded by a small hand even softer than the clothing.
*
Although it sounded like the men outside had all left, Chi Wan's mind was still reeling from the mysterious hand in her space, and she couldn't snap back to reality.
Just as she was debating whether to peek into her space again, a low voice suddenly sounded from outside the wardrobe.
"Did I really mishear things?"
Chi Wan's heart, which had only just begun to calm down, instantly started pounding wildly again!
"Monkey, what are you doing back here?"
"Oh, I just came back to double-check."
"You're always making a fuss over nothing. Who else would come here besides us? Hurry up, or we won't get this done."
"Coming."
Hearing the footsteps fade away once more, Chi Wan clutched her chest and slowly let out a breath.
'Thank god I didn't rush out,' she thought. 'Or that guy Monkey would have caught me red-handed!'
'A young woman like me, alone in the dead of night with a group of burly, malicious men… I don't even dare to imagine the consequences…'
Not daring to leave just yet, Chi Wan simply sat down in the wardrobe, steeled herself, and opened her space.
She took one look and was stunned. Not only was the half-eaten plate of braised pork from dinner gone, but a case of purified water had been opened with three bottles missing. Even the toast and milk she'd planned for breakfast had vanished without a trace.
Not to mention, her suitcase showed signs of having been opened!
Chi Wan muttered, "Am I seeing things? Can thieves break into a personal space to steal things these days?"
She instantly thought of the rough hand from before.
Just as Chi Wan was trying to process the bewildering series of events, an extremely hoarse voice suddenly echoed from within the space.
"Hello? Does everything in this space belong to you? I'm sorry. I was starving, so I ate your food. I can compensate you. Is there anything you want? I'll bring you anything I can find."
Chi Wan's eyes widened in silence. 'This thief… is surprisingly polite,' she thought. 'His voice is just dry and hoarse; he really sounds like he's been thirsty for a very long time.'
Hearing him say it was because he was too hungry, however, a strange expression came over Chi Wan's face. "Don't tell me you're some kind of Robinson Crusoe, washed up on a deserted island?"
To her surprise, the voice replied with a bitter tone. "My name is Li Xingye. Where I am, it's been the apocalypse for ten years. Everything edible has been long gone. If not for the food and water in your space, I'm afraid I wouldn't have survived the day."
The food was one thing, but the drinking water was what was truly critical.
Chi Wan was stunned by Li Xingye's words.
The apocalypse?!
'How could my space be connected to an apocalypse?! The zombies won't be able to crawl through, will they…?'
'But still, a man who can't even find enough to eat… what could he possibly have to trade?'
So she said casually, "It's just a little food, don't worry about it. You can barely find enough to eat in the apocalypse, what could you possibly have to trade with me?"
'I'll just consider it an act of charity,' she thought.
She had only meant it as a casual remark, but to her surprise, Li Xingye was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking. "I'm sorry, I unintentionally opened your suitcase earlier. Judging by the clothes, you must live in a peaceful era. Take a look and see if these are acceptable for a trade?"
Hearing this, Chi Wan glanced into her space without much hope, only for her eyes to fly wide in utter shock!