Chapter 17

It was deep into the night when a persistent rapping sounded at the bedroom door. “Thump, thump, thump.” Su Han jerked awake from her dreams, only to realize the knocking hadn’t stopped.
What now? It’s the middle of the night! Her face grew dark as she flung open the door.
As expected, Xiao Yanxue stood outside, deadly serious. “While it’s still dark out, let’s hit the beach and gather some seafood?”
Sea waves washed up fresh catch on the shore at all hours, but hitting the beach at night meant less competition, and a better chance to find something good.
But... as someone with a doomsday pantry, Su Han really had zero motivation to leave the house right now.
“If you want to go, be my guest. I’m not going.” With that, Su Han made to shut the door and head back to bed.
Xiao Yanxue quickly blocked the door, her voice urgent, “Who knows when the supply ship’s coming? Do you really think a week’s worth of food will last till the end? Come on, while there’s still stuff washing up, let’s get as much seafood as we can and stock up.”
Being kept up in the middle of the night, Su Han’s last shred of patience was wearing thin. She replied coolly, “Then you go. Whatever you find is yours. I’ll stay behind and watch the place.”
Xiao Yanxue: “…”
Truth was, she’d planned to lure Su Han to the beach and then sneak back to steal all her supplies while she was out. Who would have thought Su Han was dead set on holing up inside, refusing to leave no matter what?
What now? Xiao Yanxue had to think fast.
Just then, Su Han’s lips curled into an icy smile, her voice sharper than ever. “What you do is your business, but don’t think you can barge in here and boss me around just because you think you’re right. I’ll handle my own survival, thanks.”
Some people, you’re nice to them once and they think you’ll let them walk all over you. Sometimes you just have to show your fangs.
Xiao Yanxue stared, chilled to the bone. Did Su Han already suspect her? Why else was she so steadfast, refusing to take the bait?
“If you have nothing else to say, kindly leave.” Su Han’s morning grumpiness was in full force; she didn’t bother to hide it.
Xiao Yanxue liked to think Su Han only stocked up because of her reminders, but that wasn’t true at all. Su Han had her supplies squared away long before, and only cooked seafood out of sheer boredom.
Xiao Yanxue’s face flushed with anger, her voice shaking, “I helped you, and you’re telling me to get out? Wow, way to show your gratitude!” She only stopped short of calling her a heartless traitor.
Su Han's expression didn't so much as flicker. "So you won't leave unless we lay it all out? Fine. Let's talk."
"You wanted to hunt for seafood? That's cool. But why not ask me first? Why sneak over in the middle of the night, bang on my door, and drag me out like I won some kind of loser lottery?" She looked at her, suspicion clear. Something was up.
"If you thought I'd be too caught off guard to say no, let me stop you right there. I never force myself to do anything I don't want to do."
Xiao Yanxue's lips trembled, but she couldn't get a single word out.
"So just because I stockpiled supplies, I suddenly owe you? We've shared more than a few meals, but I don't remember you feeling any debts piling up then, do you?" Su Han's words cut like glass.
"Let me spell it out, everything I've eaten and used was stashed away long before you told me anything. I don't owe you nothing, and I'm definitely not here to take your orders."
"Got it? Then kindly get lost. Chop-chop."
Xiao Yanxue's mind was chaos, her feet rooted to the spot like she couldn't move.
Su Han leaned lazily against the door, rather hoping Xiao Yanxue would finally snap and attack her. That way, at least, she'd have every reason to strike back, and call it self-defense, no less.
To be honest, if it weren't for her habit of never making the first move, Su Han might've cracked long ago.
After a long moment, Xiao Yanxue finally shot her one last, venomous look and whirled around, storming off.
"Tch. Coward," Su Han said with a click, closing the door with regret. Then, back to bed as if nothing happened.
The next morning, Su Han was rattled awake by the system's cold, metallic voice: "Day 6. Tornado in progress. Those with weak constitutions risk being swept away. (Immunity granted if Satiety > 80)."
"Due to poor air quality (Mist Effect), residents may develop rhinitis. (Immunity granted if Cleanliness > 60)."
Su Han faced a splash of cold water to the face and instantly snapped awake. She mused, "The mist has been here five days. This instance lasts 20 days in total. That means we’ll see four different natural disasters."
"After this mist disaster, there's a lingering debuff: if your cleanliness drops below 60, you might get rhinitis. So after the tornado, will there be a Satiety-related debuff, too?"
"By the late game, with three or four debuffs stacked, even missing a little food or daily necessities will drag your stamina way down."
Having thought it through, Su Han actually felt much calmer. "Survival games really aren't meant to be easy."
She headed to the first floor to make herself some instant noodles, only to discover that every barrel of water was mysteriously gone.
"Wait..." A thought sparked in her mind; she couldn't help running up to check the room next door on the second floor.
The door was wide open. She pushed inside. Empty, completely stripped bare. Xiao Yanxue was long gone.
Looks like she’s got a portable inventory too, Su Han thought to herself. No wonder she used up even the empty water barrels, portable space preserves freshness, and you can stack up to a hundred of the same item. With that, there’s no reason to worry about water supplies down the line.
As for why she bailed without a word...
Knowing Xiao Yanxue as she did, Su Han figured anyone else would have charged in raging, but Xiao Yanxue chose to cut her losses and run. Sensible call, honestly.
No one else in the place meant no need to keep up the NPC act anymore. Su Han tucked away the instant noodles, pulled out a chocolate bar, and started nibbling. She washed it down with swigs of milk between bites.
Outside, the wind shrieked as if trying to rip the roof off, that low, howling roar enough to unnerve anyone. Su Han sat at the table, feeling like the gales were slicing right through the walls and gnawing into her bones.
"A bamboo house can't keep out this wind, it's getting cold in here. But living alone means less trouble. Should I move somewhere better?" She frowned, lost in thought.
Just then, the landlord darted in, shivering and shouting, "It's freezing! Is the wind trying to kill us or what?"
Su Han arched an eyebrow. "Here for the rent?"
"Yep." The landlord nodded matter-of-factly. "But I’m only accepting goods now, no cash. Got food? Daily necessities? Those work for rent."
"What rates are we talking?" Su Han asked, honestly curious.
"For the bamboo house? One pack of instant noodles per day." He paused, then added, "If you've got something else, let me know. Everything's open to negotiation."
"What about other places?" Su Han pressed.
"Other places?" The landlord looked genuinely confused.
"Villas, four-star hotels, guesthouses, that kind of thing." Su Han rattled them off in one breath.
The landlord looked completely stunned. In his mind, she was just some broke tenant. Did she seriously plan ahead and stockpile all kinds of stuff?
Mentally weighing his options, he answered honestly, "Villas are ten packs of instant noodles a day. The hotel’s closed. Guesthouses and inns, two instant noodles a day. But you handle your own meals."
The villa was outrageously expensive; not happening. Su Han sighed, then pressed on, "How many floors does the guesthouse have? I like higher floors."
"Five stories tall enough for you?" he shot back.
"Perfect." Su Han immediately handed over two packs of instant noodles. "One day at a time."
Just in case things got dicey, she wanted the option to get out fast, no way was she paying ahead. Daily rent meant she could leave on her own terms.
Day-by-day? The landlord's lips twitched, but with supplies running short and not many good tenants to choose from, he could only nod, "Deal. I live on the first floor of the inn, so rent collection’s a breeze."
With everything decided, Su Han returned to her room, fetched a backpack from her portable storage, stuffed it with a few things for show, and walked downstairs to tell the landlord, "I'm set. Let's go."
So the landlord led the way, Su Han following close behind, off toward the guesthouse.
But before they got far from the bamboo house, they watched as someone got picked up off their feet by the tornado, whirled mid-air, and, bam!, smashed right into the side of the building.
Su Han looked away with a wince. That had to hurt.
The landlord didn't think twice, he ran to help the person up, fussing, "You okay? This wind's insane! Got to be more careful out here."
But the other person spun on him, grabbed his arm, and snapped, "Your wall hit me! Pay up!"
The agent, "..."
Su Han thought to herself, The tornado blew the person away, the house never moved an inch. So who crashed into whom here?
"The house isn't mine, I was just passing by." The agent replied, face expressionless, jerking away as if she'd been shocked. "Fine, then don't help me up."
The other person froze, caught off guard.
A second later, the agent bolted, sprinting faster than an Olympic athlete.
Su Han quietly followed suit, running off without a backward glance.
Before long, the guesthouse came into view.
Su Han had to admit, you really get what you pay for, the guesthouse was obviously warmer and sturdier than the bamboo huts. As soon as she stepped inside, she felt the chill melt away. No wind got in.
"How about Room 501?" the agent asked, checking for approval.
"Works for me," Su Han replied without hesitation.
Once the keys changed hands, Su Han went to check out her new room. Inside, she found everything she needed: a desk, a stool, a wooden bed, a thick quilt. The basics, but complete. Most importantly, it was draft-free, no howling wind slicing through the room.
Su Han mused silently, Once this wind dies down, is it going to start raining? Will it get even colder? Maybe I should get ahead and stock up on supplies.
After a quick tidy-up, she slung on her backpack and headed out for a stroll.
But the moment she stepped outside her room, someone came out of 502, and looked incredibly familiar.
"Zhong Rui?"
"Su Han?"
They blurted out each other's names at almost exactly the same time, then stood there, speechless, each waiting for the other to say something.
Zhong Rui was the first to break the silence. "Let me guess: still not interested in finding a partner?"
Su Han nodded. "You guessed right."
"Right then. Good luck, see you around." Zhong Rui gave her a casual wave, completely decisive, and walked away with flair.
As she watched him go, Su Han couldn't help muttering, "How do I keep running into this guy everywhere?"