In the maintenance department, Nadia finally pried open the supply room and stumbled upon diesel—thirty barrels, each holding 160 liters. That was a whopping 4,800 liters—nearly four tons. It made sense that, with an international expo and a once-in-a-century typhoon, they would stock up on emergency fuel for blackouts. With renewed enthusiasm, she went on a scavenging spree, prying open every door that seemed remotely promising. Her determination paid off—two more rooms with more diesel barrels awaited her, bringing her haul to a total of twelve tons. Both the inflatable boat and RV could run on diesel, so this was a find worth its weight in gold. Overjoyed, she stashed it all in her domain. In fact, she even had several solar-powered battery units already tucked away in her domain, but as they said, "A wise person never puts all their eggs in one basket." Next, she set to dismantle the generator in the supply room, carefully packing it along with any tools and spare parts she could find. She then went on to the seventh floor, where the more modern furniture awaited. These pieces of furniture were just her style; their design was all about maximizing space, perfect for small apartments. With her storage now expanded by a whopping 1,200 cubic meters, she indulged her urge to hoard: beds, latex mattresses, sofas, wardrobes, TV stands, tables, chairs, stools, rocking chairs, the whole lot. When she finally stopped to catch her breath, she checked her domain's inventory. Some of the antique furniture she had picked up had disappeared, which told her that some of those "rare wood" pieces were likely cheap knockoffs—fancy labels on low-quality materials. Her domain, it seemed, had a knack for spotting authenticity. Ascending the spiral staircase, she found a new living room but no further changes. She moved to the fifth floor, selecting only sturdy, practical items she could use or barter without drawing too much attention. After all, in a world turned upside down, showy possessions could lead to all sorts of trouble. Hours later, exhausted but pleased, she finally checked her phone and realized it was already three in the afternoon. She left, navigating her inflatable boat back. On her way back, she spotted two under-construction apartment buildings. She hesitated, remembering the earthquake's destruction, then decided to check them out. The buildings were in the finishing stages, with many materials already delivered. She lifted off the waterproof canvas and found sand, cement, lime powder, glass doors and windows, tiles, and waterproof coatings. Each floor held slightly different materials, depending on its stage of completion. Sand was easy to come by, so there was no need to waste her domain's space on it. On the other hand, other materials would be difficult to regenerate. Not everything could be produced in a reconstruction effort, so Nadia scooped up everything that looked worthwhile, putting them away in the Black Earth Garden. The domain had undergone a miraculous transformation since the addition of the second floor, effectively doubling the garden's storage capacity to 1,800 cubic meters. Luckily, building materials didn't take up much room, though she made sure to keep the cement, lime powder, waterproof coatings, and other items covered and dry with waterproof and light-shielding canvas to prevent moisture damage. After securing the materials, she suddenly remembered the safes in her domain. She took them out and began prying them open. The alarms were deafening, so she stuffed her ears with plugs. The safes from the jewelry store were empty, their contents apparently swallowed by her domain. Surprisingly, the one from the tycoon's personal collection contained a gun. Uh, can something like this be collected? Well, all tycoons have a thing for challenging the law, don't they? In addition to the gun, there were also two full boxes of ammo, 200 rounds in total. Even in the apocalypse, owning a firearm was nearly impossible for an ordinary person. In this world, where only the powerful or well-connected had access to firearms, this was an unexpected boon. Nadia had never touched a gun before, but she used to join her school's shooting club. Her target practice days with rubber bullets might serve her well if push came to shove. With this stuff, I can rest easier. Thanking the tycoon for his "gift," she examined the last safe from his office. It wasn't illegal items this time—just 100 bundles of cash, totaling 1,000,000. If she had stumbled upon this stash before the apocalypse, she might have been booking a one-way ticket to jail. But now, the value of cash was fading fast. Still, better to have it than not; even a little cash might buy me supplies someday. She stuffed the cash into her backpack and tossed the empty safes into the floodwaters. Navigating solo was no easy feat. She checked her offline map for nearby points of interest and found a commercial technology museum in the neighboring Pearl Bay. Pearl Bay was the provincial capital, but the museum was located on the outskirts, only about 12 miles away from Lehaven.Besides, for the purpose of expanding her domain further, she didn't have anything specific that she needed at the moment. Things like ships and airplanes were out of the question. She could only have a look around and see if she could find anything useful for herself. With that, she set course and headed for the museum. Navigating through flooded streets, she finally reached the museum after about an hour. Most of it was submerged, with only two floors above water. From the looks of things, it had been thoroughly ransacked. Pearl Bay was densely populated; anything in the museum that could help with survival had long since been scavenged. Just as she was about to leave, her flashlight's beam caught a bright orange sphere. It was almost like a giant ping-pong ball, with a glossy surface and about ten feet in diameter. Is that… an escape pod? Nadia vaguely remembered seeing a video about these tsunami-proof, earthquake-resistant pods. She picked up a brochure from the floor, confirming her hunch. The brochure detailed its features: triple-layer aerospace-grade metal capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, high pressure, and blunt force impacts. Inside, it was a mini-fortress made with high-energy welding technology, with shock-absorbing seats and safety belts, oxygen tanks, and storage space for food and water. This particular pod was the latest model, equipped with a GPS tracker, lights, oxygen, and provisions enough for several days. The storage space for food and water depended on the model. A single-person escape pod could store five days' worth of provisions, while a pod for five to ten people could store two weeks' worth of supplies. The single-person escape pod had a diameter of about 2.6 feet, while the one before her had a height of about ten feet. It was probably the biggest model. She opened the hatch, finding six shock-absorbing seats, a mini toilet, and water storage compartments that would float on the water. There were many sealed compartments around, presumably for storing essential supplies, along with a first-aid kit. In the event of an earthquake or tsunami, one can hide inside to shield themselves from external disaster. Once the disaster subsided, they could trigger the emergency signal device and await the arrival of rescue personnel. Judging from its placement, there should be single-person escape pods as well, but there were none of them. Nadia assumed they had been taken away. The one before her was too heavy to lift by hand. After a quick test to confirm it, she stored it away in her domain. Who knows, it might come in handy during an earthquake. The escape pod was a valuable find. Since it was getting late, Nadia decided to leave. The sky was already dark and gloomy when she reached the SOHO Community. Just as she was about to enter the community, she heard a commotion nearby—a cluster of voices mixed with sharp, frantic barking…