Nadia and the others went up to the office floors and found the place in chaos. Most of the office furniture was made of plastic, with only a few wooden desks here and there. However, those desks were just compressed sawdust and glue, which was not resistant to burning and gave off toxic fumes. The other office building was similar, with only some instant food, a few boxes of bottled water, and a small amount of firewood left. They returned to the building where Caleb's company was located. Although there were signs of break-ins, it was in better shape than the other buildings. The raiders only hit this place after finding the other buildings had already been ransacked. Nadia was right. The higher they went, the less damage they found. She suggested they double-check the areas since everyone might have missed something due to their different focuses.She searched the areas Levi had gone through yesterday while Caleb switched with Harrison. Yesterday, their focus had been on finding medicine and food. So, their priorities had changed today. With an extra 150 cubic feet of space in her domain, Nadia was set about filling it up. She started with books to expand her intellectual horizon, elegant vases for the office, a wooden desk, wardrobes, bookcases, gemstone ornaments, and cleaning supplies. While rummaging through the office, she discovered some overlooked snacks, repackaged parcels, and suitable clothes and shoes. She found a jewelry store with an empty counter but no signs of tampering. After inspecting the place, she found the manager's office securely locked. Using her tools, she pried it open and discovered four safes inside. She filled her domain with the gemstones from the safes and also found some tea, tobacco, and alcohol. She even used a saber to dismantle the office furniture. At a sports brand's office, Nadia picked up clothing in the suitable sizes for the group and took everything else she could find. She also discovered a company preparing for a team-building event, so she grabbed boxes of barbecue charcoal and some outdoor cooking gear. After covering four floors, she returned to the live-streaming clothing store, where she collected a batch of clothes and even some women's underwear and bras that the men had left behind. She also revisited the appliance store from the night before, quietly collecting more items, including an expensive massage chair worth ten thousand dollars. In places the others had already looted, Nadia carefully returned at different times to pick up anything useful and ensured she filled the extra 150 cubic feet of space in her domain. She broke down all the wooden furniture into smaller pieces for more accessible transportation. She transported everything with two inflatable boats and three rubber shafts without a hitch. She finished her task early and had everything sorted by just after 9 a.m.By now, the 18th floor had become infamous. Residents grew increasingly uneasy with the constant stream of people lugging wood up the stairs. Nadia and the others didn't try to hide it, as they openly carried the wood upstairs. Once inside her domain, the safes were securely tucked in a corner, but the living room, balcony, and bathroom hadn't expanded. Nadia began to wonder if the jade shop was selling counterfeit goods. Frustrated, she opened the master bedroom door and was taken aback to find an extra 100-square-foot bathroom. Although the safes remained locked and the domain had only expanded by 100 square feet, the upgrade conditions seemed quite tough. But she wasn't deterred and resolved to keep searching. In the apocalypse, gold, silver, and gemstone have little value. So, she would just trade them with goods. Nadia woke in the middle of the night to loud noises and desperate cries from downstairs. This chaos was expected in the apocalypse, so she just turned over and went back to sleep.She woke up naturally and had two red bean buns and some shumai for breakfast. She finished it off with a bottle of milk. The weather was awful, and her vegetables had started to yellow. So, she diluted some nutrient solutions and watered them. She hoped it might make a difference, even though it was a bit of a long shot. Nadia checked her domain with her mind. The timer still showed just an additional 2 hours, which felt painfully slow. She had gained an extra 107 square feet of black soil and decided to keep growing vegetables. She planned to stockpile enough vegetables for two or three years before she started on other crops. She could also plant fruit trees now, with the older saplings expected to bear fruit next year. Her physical training was paying off. So, she cut 15 minutes off her time for tilling and planting. After all, fifteen minutes could mean the difference between life and death in harsh conditions. Just as she left the domain, Levi knocked on her door.Nadia was taken aback when she opened the door and saw his bruised face. "Who did this?" Levi looked embarrassed. "Caleb and I aren't exactly in peak condition. Jasmine has been giving us a grueling workout since last night." Jasmine used to be gentle with him, but now she was pushing him to his limits. He understood that the world had changed. Plus, he couldn't depend on Jasmine and Nadia to protect him. From now on, he was determined to step up and be the one who protects his loved ones. "Yeah, you guys definitely need that training," Nadia said. Suddenly, she recalled something and went back into the room. She returned with a black bag. "I found this in the office building. I thought you and Jasmine might be able to use it, so I kept it." His eyes lit up when he saw what was inside. He looked a bit sheepish but then grinned. "Thanks! I was actually looking for this." He nearly forgot what he came for and asked with a smile, "Do you know what happened last night?""No idea, I was out cold." Levi said, "Wayne and Maya were robbed." He wasn't fond of Wayne's attempts to win Nadia's favor, so he was relieved she had distanced herself from Wayne. "They made it too obvious when they brought back those supplies. And they got robbed last night." Wayne was staying in apartment 802, which was cramped. Also, apartment 1202 was packed with people. The robbers targeted 1202 first. If Wayne and the others hadn't shown up, Maya might have been assaulted by multiple men. He managed to drive the robbers away. When they returned to the 8th floor, they found all their supplies were stolen. Nadia was surprised. "Pulling a trick like that? Seems like you really need some brains to pull off a heist these days." "They left most of their supplies on the 8th floor, but their inflatable boat and rubber shaft were left behind," someone responded. Nadia laughed. The inflatable boat and rubber raft hadn't been taken because the robbers wanted their target to keep stockpiling resources so they could return later. "One was injured and came knocking a while ago, asking for medical help." Despite their shouting, no one on the 18th floor paid them any attention. "Also, this morning, two people from other buildings showed up. They wanted to team up with us. But Jasmine turned them away." Nadia couldn't help but laugh. The 18th floor was just trying to stay safe. She wondered how it became a criminal organization. While they were talking, Caleb, also bruised and battered, came out and asked, "Are we heading out today?" She replied, "I'd rather stay in. If you need anything, you can go. I'll keep watch here." They had already scavenged everything useful, so going out now wouldn't help. Jasmine and Levi, influenced by Caleb's doomsday mindset, were increasingly paranoid and always felt like something was missing. After exchanging words, the three took an inflatable boat to look for supplies and gather more information. By early afternoon, three more people showed up and wanted to join Nadia's group. She was fed up and put a notice on the door: "No Partnerships." After all, she didn't trust these schemers. She also couldn't afford to let her guard down with Jasmine and the others. In these uncertain times, gauging people's true intentions was tough. She knew friends and colleagues could easily turn on her. In the direst situations, people might even resort to cannibalism. She wouldn't hesitate to sever ties if it ever came to that. With her immediate survival needs met, she decided to concentrate on expanding her domain rather than hunting for more supplies right now. With the others gone, Nadia relaxed and enjoyed some spicy chicken tenders, dried calamari, vegetable sticks with dip, and smoked sausages while reading a book to pass the time.Since it was still early, she prepared some filling for ravioli. As she made the filling and caught up on her favorite show, she heard Jasmine and the others coming back. They had returned with firewood and two stainless steel doors they had scavenged from the mall. Levi, feeling uneasy with the old door compared to the one on the 18th floor, had spent considerable time measuring and prying the new doors from the mall. After some effort, they finally reinforced the door to 1803 and used the extra door to secure the stairway. To get to the 18th floor, one had to pass through three barriers. While watching Levi mix cement, Nadia asked, "Where'd you get this?" "I found it at a nearby construction site. I climbed in and took two bags," he replied. The group was planning another trip to pick up some glass for the balcony. The constant rain had made everything too damp.Nadia suggested, "Make sure you get good-quality glass. We don't want it shattering if another storm comes through." Levi agreed and mentioned a few incidents in the neighborhood where the glass had shattered. She had been mulling over things all day and believed that expanding her domain might have something to do with its underlying essence. The disappearance of the antique shelf might be linked to the quality of the wood used. Like mahogany wood, high-quality wood took hundreds or even thousands of years to mature. With museums flooded and valuable items like gold and jewelry already salvaged or relocated, wood was the last resource. Wood was the only remaining option. Wood? An idea suddenly struck Nadia.