James Lone was thrilled.

Tearing down a wall with bare hands—that's incredible!

Shirley Inr Won had just finished her shower and stood frozen in shock.

Is this man even human? He must have eaten so many physical enhancement fruits...

Shirley felt envious, and her hostility toward James lessened significantly. Instead, she started to feel a sense of security.

Since the Purple Mist descended, she had been living in fear, but for the first time, her anxiety was beginning to subside.

James pulled out a knife and lightly ran it along his arm.

There wasn't even a scratch.

He applied more force, comparable to the maximum strength of an ordinary person. His arm felt a slight sting, and a white mark appeared—but still, the skin didn't break!

"Hahaha!"

Cold weapons are basically useless against me now!

In high spirits, James lifted Shirley into his arms, making her gasp in surprise.

He then took out a perception fruit and a physical enhancement fruit.

"Eat these. I'm in a good mood, so I'm rewarding you."

Shirley's eyes lit up with anticipation.

"What abilities are these for?"

James explained,

"Same as before—perception and physical enhancement. If you eat enough, your perception ability might upgrade and unlock stronger effects. But how many it takes depends on your luck."

They can upgrade? Shirley eagerly ate the fruits.

Unfortunately, there was no upgrade this time, leaving her a little disappointed.

Still, she quickly grew excited again. As long as I meet James Lon's expectations, I'll keep getting these fruits. Eventually, I'll upgrade.

She wasn't foolish—she understood how much an ability could increase her chances of survival in the apocalypse.

[Ding! Shirley Inr Won consumed one Enlightenment Fruit (Perception). 200 fruits have been returned and placed in the spatial backpack.]

[Ding! Shirley Inr Won consumed one Enlightenment Fruit (Physical Enhancement). 200 fruits have been returned and placed in the spatial backpack.]

Even though her abilities didn't upgrade, James didn't care.

He took out more food—instant noodles, self-heating hot pots, packaged steaks, chocolates, Coca-Cola, and Sprite.

Before the apocalypse, these were just junk food, and Shirley wouldn't have even glanced at them.

Now, they were treasures.

Shirley's jaw dropped.

"All this?!"

She had been starving for days, and the bread earlier barely touched her hunger. After an exhausting night, she was utterly drained. Seeing so much food now, her mouth began to water.

"Go ahead," James said with a smile. Shirley wasted no time and started eating.

[Ding! Shirley Inr Won consumed one chocolate bar. 200 bars have been returned and placed in the spatial backpack.]

[Ding! Shirley Inr Won consumed one steak. 200 steaks have been returned and placed in the spatial backpack.]

[Ding! Shirley Inr Won consumed one bottle of Coke. 200 bottles have been returned and placed in the spatial backpack.]

James kept bringing out food until the table was overflowing.

Then he took out his phone, snapped a few photos, and posted them in the community group chat.

Slave Collector:

[@everyone, looking for women. Free food and shelter. If interested, DM me with an unfiltered, full-body selfie.]

[Photo] [Photo]

The photos showed a table piled high with food—steaming self-heating hot pots, stacks of steak, luncheon meat, fish balls, chocolates, Coke, and Sprite.

In one corner of the photo, a long-haired woman knelt on the ground with James's foot resting comfortably in her lap.

The group chat exploded:

A Block #1201 Faraway Guy: "Holy crap! That's insane!"

C Block #2707 Xg: "Steak? Handsome guy, can I have some? Just half, please."

B Block #1808 Bush, City Councilman: "Why open so many steaks at once? You can't possibly eat all that! Such waste!"

B Block #1808 Bush, City Councilman: "Young man, this is a crisis. We should help each other and share resources. Wasting food is shameful!"

A Block #1708 Hawson Wer, Gym Coach: "Kid, give me some food, and I'll protect you!" [Photo]

Hawson Wer showed off his glowing muscles again.

B Block #809 Always Handsome Since Birth: "Bro, I'll buy an instant noodle from you for $100!"

A Block #705 Auntie McCall: "Girls, don't fall for it! This guy can't have much food. He's wasting it all and will run out soon. Then what?"

Some younger women were tempted but sobered up after reading Auntie McCall's warning.

"She's right—how much food could he really have? It's probably just leftovers."

"Exactly! Once it's gone, you'll still starve with him."

"This is basically assault! Call the police!"

"I tried, but the lines are busy."

Still, a few doubted this reasoning.

"If he has so little food, why waste it like this?"

James read the messages and smirked.

Think whatever you want.

The food will rot soon anyway. You'll bow eventually. It's not me who's starving.

Finally, a rarely active user chimed in:

A Block #303 Bunny: "That woman must be ugly!"

In the photos, Shirley had her head lowered and her back to the camera, hiding her face.

James chuckled and turned to Shirley.

"Smile for me."

Not understanding why, Shirley obediently flashed a perfect smile.

Click!

James took another photo and posted it in the group.

Slave Collector: [Photo]

Now everyone knows I'm at James Lon's place... Shirley felt humiliated and on the verge of tears.

The group chat exploded again.

"Whoa! A total beauty!"

"I think I've seen her around the neighborhood."

"Isn't her name Shirley Inr?"

"Yes! She's Director Won's daughter! This guy is insane—he dared touch her!"

"He's dead meat!"

Some users mocked James gleefully, while others tried to threaten or bribe him, but he ignored them all.

After eating his fill, James returned to the bedroom and stared at the hole in the wall.

Behind it was Shirley's apartment.

Since she had lost her keys, she couldn't go back.

I could just punch my way through.

If I keep breaking walls, avoiding load-bearing ones, I could connect all the apartments on this floor.

This way, if there's an unavoidable danger, I can quickly escape to another room. If the front door gets blocked, I can quietly exit through another apartment's door.

Determined, James punched the wall.

Boom!

A few minutes later, he had opened a large hole and climbed through.

Shirley stared at him in shock.

His strength is terrifying. How can I possibly handle a man like this?

James brushed the dust off himself and looked around Shirley's apartment.

The difference was striking. Her place was far more luxurious than his shared rental—hardwood floors, stone walls, elegant appliances, and upscale furniture.

Shirley followed him through the hole and visibly relaxed in her own home.

James strolled around the room, nodding in satisfaction.

"Not bad. From now on, we're living here."