James Lon took out a box of candles from his space. These were birthday candles he had collected from a cake shop.

"Shirley, light the candles."

"Okay."

Shirley found a lighter and lit the candles. The weak candlelight brought a bit of comfort to the four women. They sat around the candles, lost in thought.

James Lon was surprised to hear a notification:

[Ding! 1 days before Shirley consumed one candle, refunding 500! They have been added to your personal space.]

[Ding! 2 days before Shirley consumed one candle, refunding 500! They have been added to your personal space.]

[Ding! 3 days before Shirley consumed one candle, refunding 500! They have been added to your personal space.]

Huh? James Lon was puzzled. Why did burning a candle trigger a refund, but using tissues and laundry detergent did not? Could it be related to the way the items were consumed?

James Lon took out a pack of tissues and handed them to Shirley:

"Burn this."

Shirley was a bit confused:

"Huh?"

James Lon didn't explain. Shirley thought perhaps he was commemorating a relative, so she didn't hesitate much, tearing open the package and setting a tissue on fire.

[Ding! Shirley consumed one tissue, refunding 500! They have been added to your personal space.]

James Lon's eyes lit up.

So it was related to how the items were consumed!

Why didn't the system recognize using a tissue to wipe hands as consumption?

Was it perhaps because the item wasn't destroyed?

No, when the women used toilet paper, it would inevitably break, yet he never received a refund.

So the key wasn't merely breaking the item.

James Lon thought for a moment and then took out a new towel:

"Burn this."

Shirley didn't understand but obediently burned the towel.

[Ding! Shirley consumed one towel, refunding 500! They have been added to your personal space.]

Another refund! James Lon frowned slightly.

Is it that burning can completely destroy an item?

James Lon had Shirley burn a new phone next.

There was no refund.

Even though the plastic casing of the phone was thoroughly burnt, it didn't trigger a refund.

This was interesting!

James Lon narrowed his eyes. He handed Shirley a variety of items to test.

Burning Balenciaga stockings resulted in a refund.

Burning a gold ring did not.

The women were baffled, watching James Lon in confusion.

James Lon said nothing, merely speculating to himself:

"Paper, towels, and stockings can be refunded, but phones and gold rings cannot. Is it because they can't be completely burned?"

"No, the phone can catch fire but isn't completely consumable..."

"Could it be that the system determines whether an item can be 'completely burned,' and only those that can be are refunded?"

"But this doesn't seem logical either; a candle's temperature isn't high enough to burn a phone or a gold ring. If I used a furnace to melt them, would they be refunded?"

"Or is it related to the material? Metals can't be refunded?"

"Is the system judging based on the flame's temperature, or the material of the item?"

James Lon pondered this and decided to test his theory. He took out a pair of thick-soled sneakers:

"Burn these."

Shirley, puzzled, held the sneakers over the candle flame.

The shoe surface caught fire, releasing an unpleasant odor.

However, no refund was triggered.

James Lon then said,

"See if the stove still has gas. If it does, try burning them again."

The temperature of natural gas is definitely higher than that of birthday candles.

Shirley checked and found the gas was still working, though weak—likely residual gas in the pipes.

She held the sneakers over the gas flame.

[Ding! Shirley consumed one pair of sneakers, refunding 500 pairs! They have been added to your personal space.]

James Lon's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Indeed! It's also related to the temperature of the flame!

In theory, any substance is combustible.

As long as the temperature is high enough, I can refund any item!

In high spirits, James Lon took out a YSL lipstick:

"A reward for you!"

Shirley's eyes sparkled with joy as she accepted the lipstick:

"Thank you, Master!"

She never imagined that in the apocalypse, she would still receive a luxury brand lipstick!

While people outside were struggling to eat, she had lipstick!

The other three women looked at Shirley enviously, then glanced hopefully at James Lon.

Alas, James Lon didn't offer any more rewards. A little stimulation to the women's competitiveness helps improve service quality.

James Lon took out several boxes of candles:

"We have plenty of candles. Every night before bed, light a few in each room to keep them on. Lily, this is your responsibility. If you do well, I'll reward you with a lipstick too."

Lily said happily,

"Okay, Master!"

With 20 candles lit, the room brightened significantly.

Though not as good as electric lights, it was satisfactory. In complete darkness, this room stood out.

The survivors in Building A were dumbfounded, staring at the brightly lit unit across the street:

"Whose place is that? How do they have so many candles?"

"They're wasting them by lighting them all up!"

"Ha! Let's see how they handle things when their candles run out before power returns!"

...

James Lon had received 10,000 refunded candles; they'd never run out.

He happily waved his hand:

"It's not bright enough, light 20 more. Keep this standard from now on!"

Lily obediently lit 20 more candles.

The room grew even brighter, improving the women's moods considerably.

Meanwhile, the mood among the survivors in Building A was the exact opposite.

"Damn! Just how many candles does that kid have?"

...

Survivors below the 21st floor were in a state of panic.

Previously, with electric lights at home, they could still bear the purple mist obscuring their view.

Now with the power out, many homes didn't even have candles or flashlights. Other than the faint light from mobile phones, they had no backup lighting methods.

Once the lights went out, the purple mist blocked the moonlight, and all their rooms were plunged into darkness where they couldn't see a thing.

They could only miserably turn on their gas stoves for a tiny bit of light.

After more than half an hour, the gas in the pipes was completely used up, and could no longer be ignited.

Below the 21st floor, darkness descended completely.

Everyone was in a panic.

Animal calls echoed from outside, making the night terrifyingly eerie.

Some cowered in their beds, trembling.

Others, especially those living alone, couldn't stand the oppressive darkness and groped their way out of their apartments to climb up the stairs.

Eventually, a large group of survivors gathered between the 22nd and 24th floors of the stairwell.

Among a crowd, people finally felt a bit safer and began discussing what to do next:

"It's impossible to live below the 21st floor."

"Should we move upstairs?"

"Who would take us in at this point?"

"Ha! It's a disaster now; we should help each other. Why wouldn't they take us in? Have they no humanity?"

"What can we do if they won't open the door?"

"They'll have to come out eventually. Once they do, we'll rush in!"

"No need; there are plenty of empty rooms upstairs for all of us."

"But these are security doors; they won't budge!"

A few skeptical men tried kicking the doors down.

A few minutes later, they returned, dejected and out of breath.

"They won't budge."

"Damn! Those bastards upstairs have no humanity, refusing to let us in!"

Having failed with brute force, some started shouting in the corridors:

"Is there anyone kind enough to open the door and let us stay the night?"

"It's so late; letting us stay outside isn't right, is it?"

"Please have a heart; my child is only three years old. Let us in!"

They shouted for a long time, but no one opened the doors.

Nobody was foolish enough to let strangers inside under the current circumstances.

The crowd grew increasingly indignant:

"I know everyone on this floor! We're all neighbors. How will you face people in the future?"

"Bastards! You're so selfish!"

"This is ridiculous! It's just for one night. Do you think we plan on staying forever?"

"Damn you! If you have the guts, never leave your apartments. When you do, I'll take you down one by one!"

...

The residents from floors 22 to 24 were seething inside, but they kept their doors shut.

After much commotion without getting in, the crowd reluctantly settled into the stairwell and corridors.

But the floors were cold and hard, making sleep uncomfortable.

Some plucked up the courage to return home and brought back some bedding.

Others followed suit, bringing various items.

Bamboo mats, camp beds, lounge chairs...

Unwilling to separate, they crammed into the space between the 22nd and 24th floors, turning the area into a complete mess.

The residents of those floors silently cursed their luck but had no solution.