The woman wore tattered pajamas, her body covered in blood.

Crash!

A giant Garfield-like cat, as large as a tiger, smashed through the glass and slowly approached her.

"Meow!"

Terrified, the woman backed into the corner of the balcony, screaming:

"Lucky! Don't come closer! Help! Someone help me!"

The Garfield-like cat fixed its gaze on the woman, advancing step by step. Just as it was about to pounce, a massive blood-red tongue suddenly shot out from the purple mist below!

The tongue pierced through the balcony floor and coiled around the woman in an instant.

Her eyes widened in terror, and before she could even scream, she was yanked into the mist at lightning speed.

The giant cat's fur stood on end in fear.

It leapt to the edge of the balcony, growling warnings into the mist.

From within the fog came a booming croak:

"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"

The giant cat hesitated, not daring to jump into the mist. It slowly turned and retreated back into the room.

Oh my god!

James Lone's pupils shrank sharply.

Even frogs have become this terrifying now?

The tongue was twice as thick as the woman's waist—just how enormous was that frog?

At that moment, the window of the neighboring apartment slid open.

A beautiful woman stepped to the window, her face pale as she stared at the horrific scene across the way.

James Lon recognized her.

It was Shirley Inr, the neighborhood's most stunning beauty and the daughter of a high-ranking government official—her father was the director of the city's Commerce Bureau.

Although they were neighbors, Shirley had always been haughty and never even spared James Lon a glance.

She was a magnet for attention in the community. Every time she went to the convenience store, male customers couldn't help but sneak glances at her. Naturally, James Lon had done the same on occasion.

But he never thought much of it.

He knew people like Shirley were in a completely different world.

Now, however, everything was different.

The world had changed.

James Lone's gaze burned as he scanned Shirley from head to toe. Her curvaceous figure was perfect—her chest alone would take more than one hand to hold. She'd be quite the ride, he thought.

Shirley noticed James's gaze.

She recognized him as the convenience store clerk from downstairs, though she didn't know his name.

Her face turned icy as she snapped,

"What are you looking at, you broke loser?"

With a loud swish, she yanked her curtains shut.

What a stuck-up bitch. James Lon sneered.

You'll come begging to me soon enough.

The next day, a woman finally messaged James privately.

A Block #303 Bunny:

"Hey, handsome, can I have a pack of instant noodles? 🥺🙏"

James Lon smirked.

"Finally, it begins."

He didn't know Bunny in person. Some customers had preferred their deliveries left at their doors.

Slave Recruitment:

"Send a full-body photo, no filters."

A Block #303 Bunny:

"I'm a little chubby; hope you don't mind! 😊"

She sent over a few photos.

James opened them and nearly passed out.

Her arms were thicker than his thighs, and her hips were as wide as a washtub.

You call this 'a little chubby'? More like a human tank! She must weigh at least 200 pounds.

At that moment, a system notification appeared:

[Avril Lunge]

Age: 29

Quality: 3/10 (Unattractive appearance)

Morality: 3/10 (Promiscuous, six ex-boyfriends)

Overall Score: 3/10

[Ding! Does not meet the system's minimum requirements!]

James Lone immediately blocked her.

A Block #303 Bunny:

"??? Handsome?"

Realizing she'd been blocked, Bunny exploded in anger and ranted in the group chat:

"This [Slave Recruitment] guy is a scammer and a pervert! Don't believe him!"

Unbothered, James posted a screenshot of their conversation in the group:

"You think you can trade your body for food? Do I look like a charity?"

The group erupted with laughter.

Humiliated, Bunny fell silent, simmering in frustration.

Later, James posted a photo of 100 Snickers bars from his infinite storage, further silencing the doubters in the group. Snickers, with its long shelf life and high energy, had become a life-saving commodity in the current crisis.

The group exploded with reactions:

B Block #509:

"Wow! So many Snickers bars!"

A Block #904 Miss Liaue:

"Slave Recruitment Bro, can you share some food with me?"

Aunt Green from C Block #901 chimed in, saying,

"My grandson hasn't eaten in three days. Can you spare us some chocolate?"

James Lone scoffed, remembering Aunt Green's history of stinginess and dishonesty.

Slave Recruitment:

"Your grandson's hunger is none of my business."

Outraged, Aunt Green replied:

"Young man, don't you know the value of respecting the elderly and caring for the young?"

Slave Recruitment:

"I respect your mom's ass!"

Fuming with rage, Aunt Green lashed out, but James swiftly muted her in the chat.

By the fifth day of the Purple Mist, 90% of the neighborhood was starving.

James remained safely indoors, aware of the dangers outside.

Even above the mist, the environment was fraught with peril. Just yesterday, he'd heard distant screams, presumably from someone being attacked by a mutated creature.

The uncertainty of sound in high-rise buildings left James guessing whether it came from a neighbor's apartment or somewhere below.

He ate a pack of instant noodles, did some light exercise, and logged into League of Legends: Wild Rift for a match.

A:[Still alive, guys?]

B:[No shit. Dead people can't play games.]

A:[Hurry up! I'm almost out of food. I'll be dead by the day after tomorrow, so let's play while we can.]

A:[Heh. When you're gone, you wanna bet I'll play with your... you know?]

B:[Shut up!]

But mere minutes into the match, a teammate's microphone broadcasted a blood-curdling scream:

"Holy shit! My dog's gone crazy! Get off me! Stop biting me!"

Sounds of a struggle followed by gnawing filled the mic, then silence.

The remaining players sat in stunned silence.

James closed the game, his face grim.

Even pet dogs were starting to eat people now.

He glanced at the strange succulent plant on his windowsill—the one with the black Nephelium-like fruit.