Hayley tried thinking about her phone—and just like that, it appeared back in her hand from the inventory.

Her eyes lit up. It was just as she expected!

She had read plenty of novels before—this was a so-called system.

Hayley quickly accepted the perk and started sucking in everything she could. She soon figured out the pricing rules. The system valued items at their original purchase price, even if they were used or disassembled.

She jumped straight into moving, dismantling, and collecting everything.

Ding! [Gold jewelry detected, worth 11,600 dollars. Reward: 2,030 cubic feet!]

Ding! [Cup detected, worth 7.80 dollars.]

Ding! [Calendar detected, worth 2 dollars.]

The notifications kept coming.

Ding! [Small desk detected, worth 73.80 dollars. Reward: 35 cubic feet!]

Ding! [Rosewood table and chair set detected, worth 5,000 dollars. Reward: 875 cubic feet!]

Ding! [Trash can detected, worth 3 dollars.]

In about ten minutes, Hayley grabbed everything from shoes, hats, and clothes to pots, pans, pens, cups, trash bins, storage boxes, photo albums, nail clippers, and even larger stuff like tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets.

Even the rotten apples Lucy had brought today got tossed into the pile.

Ding! [Five pounds of rotten apples detected, worth 0.50 dollars.]

Hayley spat. What disgusting liars!

They wanted her to give them a 600-thousand-dollar house while offering her cheap, rotten apples they claimed to be imported. What a family!

But she didn't mind. Every little bit counted, so she collected them all.

Soon, the house was emptied of everything movable. Her sights turned to the big stuff she couldn't normally carry.

Ding! [Toilet detected, worth 400 dollars.]

Hayley yanked the toilet down with force. She had always been strong, but compared to her old self, who had survived ten years of the apocalypse, this body still felt a little weaker. She would need to train soon.

After she stored the toilet, more notifications came in.

Ding! [Sink detected, worth 139 dollars.]

Ding! [Range hood detected, worth 519.80 dollars.]

Ding! [Stove detected, worth 97.80 dollars.]

Ding! [Security door detected, worth 317.80 dollars.]

She was taking everything she could, not leaving even a single screw for them.

Ding! [Windows detected, worth 80 dollars.]

Ding! [Flooring detected, worth 30 dollars.]

Within an hour, Hayley had stripped the house clean. Anything movable was gone. The floors were lifted, the windows and doors removed, and even unmovable tiles were smashed and taken.

Ding! [Three seconds remaining!]

Hayley thought fast—she dashed to the front door, stepped on the railing, and snagged a tiny hallway bulb.

Ding! [Ten-watt bulb detected, worth 1 dollar.

[Time's up! Total space gained: 3,110 cubic feet.]

Hayley finally relaxed and said to Summer, "Summer! Let's go!"

Not long after, Philip's family brought the pregnant Sue Norman to the new house.

"Babe, here's our new place! It's in the city center and a school district, with over 1,000 square feet. It has two units per floor. We don't have a neighbor yet, so the hallway is all ours. The lighting's great, and it has the best layout in the complex. Plus, it's just 100 yards from your work. If you want, you can move in now. Furniture and appliances are ready!"

The group marched up to the east-side unit—and froze.

The house wasn't just empty; it didn't even have doors or windows. Even a hallway light bulb was gone.

Sue turned on her heel. "Hmph! You expect me to renovate this dump? Well, I'm not getting married until you fix this house. And my name has to go on the deed!"

Eleanor was fuming. She wanted to call Hayley to demand what that girl had done.

Sure, they could replace the furniture and redo the house, but Hayley had reduced it to a bare shell! The original flooring and everything Cynthia had installed were fine. How had it ended like this?

But the bad news was, they couldn't reach Hayley.

Meanwhile, Hayley was at a tunnel-style fallout shelter on the outskirts of Andersville. It was originally meant for a mountain road, but construction stopped due to insufficient funding and government rerouting. It had been abandoned and repurposed as a fallout shelter.

"What are you renting a fallout shelter for?" the agent asked routinely.

"Starting a business. I'm gonna grow mushrooms," Hayley said casually.

From her previous life, she knew there were three types of shelters.

The first were city-center shelters, built under malls, residential buildings, or hospitals. They were convenient, well-equipped, and fast to evacuate—but useless in a zombie apocalypse. Holding a high population meant it was the fastest to fall.

The other two types were tunnel-style shelters and professional defense installations. Professional ones were critical in the late apocalypse and formed the backbone of stable bases, but Hayley couldn't rent one.

So, tunnel shelters like these were perfect for her: they were secluded, far from people, and big, with a solid ventilation system and a heavy iron gate—exactly what she needed.

Plus, they were cheap.

Hayley's new shelter cost 400 a year to rent, for a minimum of 20 years. She paid three years upfront—1,200 dollars for a space the size of five basketball courts.

The agent grinned, thinking she was an easy mark. Sure, the rent was cheap, but the location was extremely inconvenient and transportation was a headache.

He figured that nine and a half out of ten entrepreneurs were idiots, but he wouldn't warn her. After collecting the money, signing the contract, and taking the 100-dollar service fee, he left.

Hayley watched him leave without a word. She wouldn't reveal her true purpose. After ten years surviving the apocalypse, she learned one thing: never explain disaster plans to fools, because idiots like them were disasters themselves.

After sending the agent off, Hayley entered the shelter with Summer.

She checked everything. The ventilation system was intact, and she found a well left by a previous tenant, plus an electrical wire.

The well's water tasted like mountain spring—totally separate from city water.

Later, when treatment plants were contaminated, tap water would be useless. With this well, Hayley now had a safe water source.

The wire wasn't connected, but that meant power could be set up. If she got a generator, the shelter could have electricity.

Right then, Hayley realized that outside the tunnel, most of the fence was covered in barbed wire. However, a lot of it had collapsed or was abandoned.

If she repaired the fence and added electricity, her fallout shelter's defenses would get a huge boost.

She decided to get started.

Just then, the voice from the system popped into her head.

Ding! [Super Lord System activated! Please reinforce the original base. Rewards will be given based on the level of reinforcement. Countdown: 15 days!]

Hayley's eyes lit up.

She was just starting to process the new mission when another notification came.

Ding! [Base war dog detected. Reward: War dog's combat power increased 100x! Physical stats increased 100x!]

Hayley watched in amazement as Summer's body started to change. Its muscles doubled in size, its claws grew longer and sharper, and all signs of aging disappeared. In its place was the fierce, commanding presence of a powerful beast.

"Woof, woof!"

Hayley was amazed. "Wow!"

-

At the building supply market…

Hayley had Cynthia's old car, so she could get around easily. It was now time to start reinforcing her base.

She found a barbed wire factory and ordered about 6,500 feet of coiled razor wire. Wrapping the old fence with these steel coils was easy and effective.

The price was 0.43 per foot, so she spent about 2,800 dollars. It was a lot, so the factory sent a big truck to deliver it. Hayley led them to an empty lot near the outskirts and had them drop it there.

"I'll call a truck to haul it later," she said, not wanting to reveal the base's location.

"Okay," the driver agreed.

It was already dark. With Summer keeping watch, Hayley stored everything in her system's space. Her 3,110-cubic-foot space easily held the wire, along with the furniture she had already stored. There was plenty of room to spare.

After Hayley was done, she drove back to the shelter with Summer. On the way, she realized she would need another warehouse.

Half an hour later, she was back at the fallout shelter. She immediately started reinforcing the old, damaged barbed wire along one section. She wound and reinforced it one foot at a time, while Summer brought her tools now and then.

They worked from night until dawn. By morning, the entire 6,500 feet of wire was strengthened.

Hayley was eager to see the reinforcement rewards. As she finished the last bit, the system's notification rang out in her mind.

Ding! [Barbed wire reinforcement detected. Reward: Defense effectiveness increased 100x!]

The wire visibly thickened and became denser, each blade of razor wire gleaming sharply. The previously thin gate had transformed into a steel lift gate.

Hayley pushed on the wire—it didn't budge.

Before, the fence could stop people on foot, but a car or a horde of zombies could break through. Now, even thousands of zombies couldn't tear it down.

Hayley was thrilled. She couldn't wait to buy more materials and keep reinforcing.

However, another problem reminded her immediately.

Gurgle…

"Woof, woof!"

She was hungry. Summer circled her, whining.

"You're hungry too, huh?" Hayley said.

"Woof!" Summer responded with a few whines.

They had only eaten a little yesterday, too busy all day. They hadn't even started proper supply gathering yet.

Right then, Hayley remembered that she had some food in her system.

She thought about the bread she had cleared from the house yesterday. Suddenly, a freshly baked bread appeared in her hand.

It was still warm!

Hayley brought out her fridge to check. Even without power, the contents were still frozen.

"Even without electricity, it keeps everything intact!"

This meant the system's inventory didn't let anything lose heat. Whatever she put in stayed exactly as it was, making it perfect for stockpiling without needing to worry about spoilage. She could hoard food freely.

-

"Rent here is 60 dollars a month, with a one-month deposit," said a man in his late 40s at an empty suburban house.

Inside, Hayley stood with Summer. She had found an old farmhouse along the main road outside her shelter. Many old houses in the suburbs were empty because families had moved to the city. The better-located ones often had "for rent" signs.

She planned to use this farmhouse as a transfer station. Supplies would be stored here and then moved invisibly into her system space, keeping her operations secret while she went shopping.

"I'll pay you 80, no deposit. I just want it for a month as a warehouse," Hayley bargained.

"That won't work," the landlord said.

"Then I'll go elsewhere."

"Alright, fine, 80 dollars it is. Just don't damage anything and leave on time."

"No problem."

Hayley paid and got the keys. She'd move out before the lease ended, anyway. She didn't want to give a deposit because it was too risky. Spending the extra 20 dollars was safer than losing the deposit later.

With the warehouse secured, she started stocking food.

First, pasta. She visited ten stores, buying 4,000 50-pound bags from each, making that 100 tons of pasta.

One hundred tons didn't take much space. A 16-foot cube would hold it, and her system could store it all. The total cost added up to about 80 thousand, and the amount was enough to last her a lifetime.

Next, she stockpiled instant noodles—1,000 cases of every flavor she could find: classic beef and chicken to seafood, spicy chili, creamy Alfredo, and even dry-mix pasta packs. Noodles were a luxury after the apocalypse. They were easy to cook, tasty, and full of oil and salt, with all the seasoning provided.

Price per case ranged from about 10 to 20 dollars. The most common was 24-pack classic beef-flavored noodles for 10 bucks, while the most expensive was truffle and mushroom-flavored, set at 20 dollars per 30 packs. They cost 14 bucks per case on average, so the total for 1,000 cases was 14 thousand dollars.

Hayley didn't stop there—she grabbed 200 cases of black pepper and breakfast sausages and 100 cases of pickled vegetables. The total cost was under 6 thousand dollars.

After buying the basic food supplies, she also stocked self-heating meals and pre-cooked meal packs, as they were extremely easy to prepare—she just needed to heat them before eating.

She went to all the stores that sold them and bought a box each—beef stew, mac and cheese, barbecue pulled pork, chicken Alfredo, cheeseburger pasta, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, spicy buffalo chicken, and chili con carne. They cost on average 1.50 dollars per pack. She bought 20 thousand packs across several stores, costing about 30 thousand dollars.

With this, she would have a lifetime supply—no more worrying about food.

Only then did Hayley feel a bit safe. She could now focus on other things.

By the end of the day, she had spent nearly 140 thousand dollars. She already had 60 thousand dollars saved previously, and the house sale brought in 400 thousand more.

After spending on the basics, she still had 320 thousand dollars—and she hadn't even started buying other supplies yet.

Guess you could never have enough money.

Hayley's gaze hardened. She opened her hand, and a property deed appeared. She found a private finance number online and called.

"Hello, I'd like to use my property as collateral for a loan."

"Sure, come by tomorrow at ten to discuss in person."

Hayley hung up. She was going to mortgage her house again.

Some debts must be repaid—and doubled. She couldn't wait for her family to find out the big surprise she had prepared.

The next afternoon, Hayley walked out of an old office building in the city. By the time she stepped outside, her account had gained another 300 thousand.

These microloan companies were worse than vampires! She sold the house to Philip's family for 400 thousand, but selling it to a loan shark only got her 300 thousand. Plus, the interest was insane.

She had signed a seven-day IOU. Within a week, she would have to pay back 400 thousand to the loan company, or they'd take the house.

It was a bottomless pit, a trap meant only to drain her house away.

No problem. Hayley never planned to pay it back—she didn't even have a house anymore.

The loan was timed perfectly. Just before the apocalypse hit, the company would come knocking on Philip's door. When that happened, the two despicable parties would get into a fight, and chaos would ensue.

Both sides were tough to mess with, but nobody knew who would come out on top. Either way, the house would soon be nothing but rubble.

Hayley stared at the loan money in her account, an idea forming in her head. She went through every lending platform she could find and borrowed from all of them.

She had decided to go all out.

By the end of it, she had another 100 thousand.

Now, Hayley had 720 thousand in hand. Time to stock up on supplies!

First stop, the building supply store. She bought about 50 surveillance cameras, then found a generator seller.

She needed power.

Generators came in wind, water, fire, and diesel. The first three were inconvenient—they were hard to install, slow, and mostly had to be custom-made. Diesel was perfect.

"What size generator do you want?" the shop owner asked.

"What do you have?" she replied.

"We have 35, 50, 200, and up to 800 kW. Anything above 1,000 is expensive."

Hayley checked the specs. A small 30 kW cost about 2,000 to 4,000. Midrange 200 kW ran 10 to 20 thousand. A 300 kW went over 20 thousand. Anything bigger would cost hundreds of thousands. Imported ones were even pricier.

"You can take domestic," the owner said. "The local stuff is just as good, more durable, and works better for most needs. Imported stuff is picky about diesel. You opening a restaurant or something?"

"Yes," Hayley said casually. She needed power to run the fallout shelter's lighting, so restaurant-grade equipment would do the job.

But of course, she bought the biggest, most powerful one. Her system gave rewards based on the level of equipment, so she went all in.

"I want the best. No shortcuts!" she said, flashing her "rich girl" vibe, and bought the generator for 240 thousand.

The owner was grinning ear to ear.

Hayley also had him throw in extra small items—soundproof mats, tool kits, and little accessories. He didn't hesitate and even gave her the last ten gallons of diesel for free.

Hayley's eyes lit up. "Do you know anyone who I can get diesel for cheaper?"

Diesel wasn't easy to buy. Gas stations required ID, limited how much you could buy, and often wouldn't sell loose fuel.

But people who sold generators usually knew a few back channels.

Fuel like that often ended up on the black market. Shady little workshops stole oil from big fields or bought up abandoned offshore batches, then refined it themselves and sold it under the table.

That was what they called black-market fuel.

Sure enough, as soon as she said this, the shop owner's face took on a secretive look. He leaned in and slid her a business card.

"Call this number and say I sent you. You'll get 20% off—cheaper than retail."

"Thanks," Hayley said.

It turned out her guess was correct.

She was about to head out when the shop owner muttered, "With the flu breaking out lately, business has been terrible."

"Yeah," Hayley replied casually, striding away.

She didn't say anything else.

That flu outbreak was actually the first sign of the apocalypse. Half a month after the virus hit, people started dying, only to "come back to life" before their family could even grieve them properly.

Unfortunately, they didn't come back as normal people—they had turned into zombies.

Last time, Hayley had been busy with Philip's wedding. Sue had just found out she was pregnant, and Hayley was helping with furniture, renovations, and hospital visits.

On the day the apocalypse started, she was at the hospital with Sue when screams erupted. She saw a patient, already declared dead, suddenly sit up and bite their loved ones.

Some tried to stop the patient, but in five minutes, the man who was first bitten began mutating. He convulsed for a while before standing up, his skin pale and his eyes gray, like in the movies.

He no longer had pupils, all signs of life lost as he appeared hungry for blood. He opened his mouth gruesomely and started biting the people who were trying to hold the patient down.

The entire hospital erupted into chaos. Scenes like this were happening in every corner of the building. Everyone who was bitten turned within five minutes and joined in, tearing into others.

Hayley had been scared, but to protect the pregnant Sue, she stayed calm. She grabbed a weapon and fought the attacking zombies, guiding them both out safely.

Because she had handled it so well, the Reids immediately relied on her for everything—scavenging supplies, protecting everyone.

Hayley was always the first in the fight.

She had always felt satisfied helping her family. But this time? She wasn't going to blindly protect a bunch of monsters.

Hayley arranged for the equipment to be delivered to the warehouse and called about the diesel. The supplier could deliver the next day.

She bought everything they had in stock—totaling 200 thousand—and got a 25% discount. After one trip, she had already spent over 400 thousand.