In this post-apocalyptic world, I unexpectedly became a star galaxy master.

No wonder.

It turns out the owner of this villa was a researcher. That explains how he could have stored such a large amount of gold and supplies.

Currently, the most profitable industries in the global economy are scientific research, followed by new energy and pharmaceuticals.

"Oh, this is great stuff! I've really been impressed by what you've got today, thanks to you, big brother." Hehe, I have to take it.

After cleaning up the cigarette butts and ash on the ground, he said, "Okay, let's go."

Without a word, the man in the shirt swiped his card and entered the elevator. Taking advantage of this brief moment, Hongtang quickly stored the two cars and the escape pod in her spatial storage, then pretended not to notice and flicked the mop onto his trouser leg.

As the man bent down to straighten his pants, the elevator doors closed. He thus missed the bizarre disappearance of the two cars and the escape pod.

Hongtang smiled sweetly at her reflection in the elevator door. But because she was wearing a mask, only her smiling eyes and eyebrows were visible.

Hehe, base raid successful!

Today's unexpected surprise was too great, and the consequences of being discovered are also very serious.

Hongtang decides to run away.

I booked a flight to Jincheng overnight. Luckily, there was a direct flight that night, otherwise it would have been a hassle. It's just that it's a midnight flight.

It's okay, there are still four or five hours left, we can't waste them.

Hongtang took out her phone, located the Metro warehouse club, and searched for rental listings nearby. She planned to rent a place nearby as a temporary shelter.

The reason she chose Metro was because she had experienced the joy of raiding someone's home, and now she wanted to experience the joy of "zero-dollar shopping" described in novels.

Although she had enough supplies to survive, she really wanted to experience it again!

However, reality is always cruel; finding a place to live isn't easy.

Within 1 kilometer, there is none!

There wasn't one within 3 kilometers either! (?﹏?)

Within 5 kilometers, it's here! (〃'▽'〃)!!

I found a real estate agency and rushed to see the apartment. When I got there, I realized, holy crap, this wasn't a residence, it was clearly a 32-story office building!

Because the location was too remote, the office buildings couldn't be sold, so the developer converted the top two floors into apartments and rented them to office workers in the surrounding area.

This way, you can balance a good life and work overtime. Damn capitalism!

The small apartment is about 60 square meters. Because of the high ceiling, it was designed as a loft. The upper floor is the bedroom, and the lower floor is the living room and bathroom. There is a simple open kitchen at the entrance, which can only use an induction cooker.

The furniture is fairly complete; you can move in after just bringing some bedding. The only downsides are that the soundproofing is so-so, and the air conditioning doesn't work well in extremely hot or cold weather.

However, Hongtang has high-tech cooling and heating furnaces from another dimension, so she's not worried. Besides, this office building is quite upscale; Hongtang likes it.

There are 40 households on each floor, totaling 80 households across two floors, but currently less than 30 households live here. If a riot were to occur in the future, there wouldn't be many people here, and there would be less trouble.

The main reason is that there are more than a dozen companies downstairs that are currently renovating, and there are also many buildings and office buildings under construction nearby. She really wants those building and decoration materials.

"I'll stay here," Hongtang decided. "How much is the rent?"

"3500 per month, including utilities, one month's deposit and three months' rent in advance. If you decide to move out, you need to give us advance notice, otherwise the deposit will not be refunded."

"Okay, I want the innermost room on the 32nd floor. I'll transfer the money to you right away. Can you give me the key today so I can move my things?" No one lives there, so it's quiet and less noisy. It's also close to the stairwell, so it's not easy for people to notice when you come in and out, but that's also a drawback—if someone comes, they'll be the first to be seen.

It's okay, she has space, and this place is for free purchase.

"Sure, you'll need to sign a rental agreement first. Once you pay, we'll give you the room key." The agent appeared aloof, but inwardly he was overjoyed. Where did this idiot come from?

Not only is it hot and noisy to live here, but there's also only a small supermarket on the first floor, and there's nowhere to eat. More than a dozen people have already moved out this month.

After paying and getting the keys, Hongtang hailed a taxi to the airport. The flight took about four hours.

She took a taxi to the city center, arriving at 6 o'clock. She randomly picked a breakfast shop and ate a bowl of noodles; hmm, it tasted pretty good. Not being a regular noodle eater, she drank all the soup.

I asked the owner what kind of noodles these were, and he said they were peach blossom noodles, which used to be called "famine relief noodles".

It's quite fitting for the occasion. Hongtang packed 30 portions to save for later.

Since we were already there, we definitely had to stock up on some local snacks. We found a few old shops and bought dozens of servings of oil tea noodles, "bulanzi" (a type of noodle), fried pancakes, meat pies, and oil-fried rice noodles.

It was 9 a.m., and the temperature had reached 50 degrees Celsius, but it was still a few degrees lower than in Yangcheng.

They contacted the coal supplier they had previously purchased from and headed straight to the coal depot in the suburbs.

The boss was a man in his fifties, short and round, with a scar on the corner of his left eye, making him look somewhat fierce.

Hongtang frowned slightly, a sense of unease creeping into her mind; this person didn't seem like a good person.

The coal mine owner was also a little surprised. "Young lady, are you the one who wants to buy coal?" The voice on the phone sounded like a woman's, but he didn't expect her to be so young.

"Boss, let's take a look at the goods first," Hongtang said, getting straight to the point.

"Okay, come with me."

The coal mine owner didn't waste any words and led Hongtang into the factory to inspect the goods. As they walked, he introduced the different types of coal, such as No. 1, No. 2, No. 49, and No. 38, and their ash, sulfur, and phosphorus content.

Hongtang's head was spinning. She just wanted to buy some coal, but she didn't expect there to be so many intricacies involved. Moreover, when the coal boss was introducing the coal, he also mentioned the corresponding prices for each type of coal, ranging from 400 to 1500 yuan per ton.

Could coal prices have dropped so drastically in just one night? What would they think if they knew that extreme cold would arrive in just over two months?

"Boss, I want anthracite, the best kind, the kind you said was 2000 yuan a ton on the phone." Looking at this huge yard, it didn't seem like it only had 1000 tons. The coal boss probably had something he wasn't saying.

"That kind of coal is Taixi coal, known as the world's king of coal. It's one of the highest quality coals in my country, and even the high-grade paint used on airplanes has to be made from it..."

Hongtang interrupted her mercilessly, "Is it smokeless coal? If so, I'll take it." She didn't care what kind of coal it was; she just wanted smokeless coal, or she'd choke to death.

In Hongtang's stereotype, the smoke from burning coal is very pungent.

The coal mine owner: "..." He could tell this guy didn't know anything about the business. If it weren't for the rising temperatures and the sharp drop in coal prices, he wouldn't have been willing to sell these hard-earned treasures.

"Of course. Look this way, this is what you wanted. It's the same quote as yesterday, about 1000 tons, no less, for a total of 200 million. I can bag it for you, but you'll have to transport it yourself. You paid a 10 deposit yesterday, so you'll need to pay another 190 million."

Hongtang nodded slightly. "Hmm, what kind of coal is that over there?" The coal pieces looked uniform in size. "And what about that one over there?"

The coal boss looked in the direction Hongtang pointed, "The one over there is large anthracite No. 01, 1700 yuan per ton. The one over there is anthracite No. 13, low 6800 kcal, 1300 yuan per ton. They are all high-quality anthracite without stones or flaking."

"Can we test these three types of coal on-site?"

Unable to understand the technical jargon, Hongtang could only try burning it on the spot.

First, check if there is smoke; second, check the heat level; and third, check if the stove will burn out.

The coal mine owner explained the difference between industrial and residential coal several times, but she still didn't understand.

What if the coal I buy doesn't have a usable stove? I'd be devastated.