Through his Perception, James Lone casually locked onto a female survivor in Building A who was around 50 years old.

He recognized her.

Her name was Mrs. Wright, a wealthy woman who had once flirted with Hawson Wer in a group chat.

But in today's world, human wealth was meaningless. Mrs. Wright had become just another survivor, lying on the ground, starving and waiting for death.

Mrs. Wright appeared to be sick; the light emanating from her body was noticeably dimmer than that of others. Her willpower bubble seemed fragile, trembling violently as though it could shatter at any moment.

"It seems that physical condition can affect the strength of one's willpower," James thought.

An idea struck him, and he used his consciousness to pierce through Mrs. Wright's willpower bubble, creating an illusion of a steaming, golden roast duck in her mind.

Mrs. Wright stared blankly at the sky outside, her whole body burning with fever and wracked with pain.

Two days ago, she had been bitten by a small black bug, and ever since, her fever had only worsened.

There were no doctors and no medicine. All she could do was wait for death.

Am I really going to die? she thought bitterly.

I still have three houses! They bring in 20,000 yuan in rent every month! I can't accept this!

Why me?!

Damn bug, with so many people around, why did it have to bite me?!

Her heart was full of resentment, but she had no way to vent her anger. She didn't even have the strength to try.

She had eaten her last scraps of food the day before and had spent the last 24 hours starving, lying on the floor, waiting for the end.

At that moment, she suddenly noticed a plate of golden roast duck sitting on the balcony railing.

Mrs. Wright froze.

It wasn't there a second ago!

Am I hallucinating from hunger?

She couldn't help but lick her cracked lips.

It must be a hallucination.

Then, the aroma of roast duck wafted over.

Her empty stomach, which had endured hunger for so long, began to churn. Saliva flooded her mouth.

It smells real!

It's real!

Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Mrs. Wright ignored the illogical nature of the situation and began crawling toward the duck.

"My roast duck! It's mine!"

Her face twisted with desperation and madness as she grabbed the duck with trembling hands. The greasy sensation felt real in her palms.

Just as she was about to bite into it, the roast duck vanished—then reappeared, floating half a meter above her head.

"No! My roast duck!"

She reached upward with difficulty, frantically grabbing at the air, screaming in anger: "This is my roast duck! Mine!"

But each time she was about to touch it, the duck moved to a new position.

She flailed her arms in desperation.

The other survivors in the room watched silently as Mrs. Wright swung her arms at the empty air on the balcony.

"She's gone mad." "Probably from hunger." "Her fever must have fried her brain."

Finally, the roast duck appeared just a meter outside the iron railing of the balcony.

Without hesitation, Mrs. Wright lunged over the railing, reaching for the floating duck—only to fall to her death.

The other survivors stared indifferently.

"Another one jumped."

Satisfied, James Lone withdrew his Perception. He now had a clearer understanding of his illusion-creating ability.

"An illusion can simulate not just sight, but also smell and touch—and probably taste as well."

"Creating an illusion consumes much less energy than forcibly pulling someone into a consciousness space."

"The simpler the illusion, the less energy it consumes. The more realistic the illusion, the greater the cost."

This ability is incredibly useful!

James's mind raced with potential ways to use it for trickery and ambushes.

So far, he had mastered two nine-star abilities: Subspace Teleportation and Will Link.

Combined with his abilities for Vital Burst and Body Reinforcement, he had a comprehensive arsenal—strong offensive capabilities, stealth, and survival skills.

And he still had Lulia Smith's healing ability to claim in the future.

James chuckled to himself.

He took out a handful of Perception Fruits and began eating them.

Unfortunately, even after eating a large number, his ability didn't upgrade.

As night fell, James decided to practice his breathing techniques a few more times before resting.

The white fox, the aquatic creatures coming ashore, and the discovery of so many ability users today filled him with a vague sense of unease.

"The enemies are getting stronger, the world is becoming more dangerous... Strength is the foundation of everything."

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

James repeated the cycle, filling and depleting his Qi reserves four times in a row.

Through repeated practice, he noticed a subtle change.

His overall Qi capacity seemed to have increased slightly.

The number of Phantom Maneuvers he could perform on a full Qi bar had risen from 10 to 12.

"The capacity can grow?"

James was delighted.

He turned his attention inward to the green Ginger inside his body.

The Ginger had grown larger!

Not only that, but small protrusions had appeared on it, making it look more expansive and radiant.

"Could it be... that Qi is fertilizer for the Ginger?"

James practiced for a while longer before heading home.

The women had already filled several large tubs with purified water, ready for a bath.

Lulia Smith asked curiously, "What's this for?"

Shirley Inr Won smiled. "For bathing."

"Bathing... with purified water?!" Lulia exclaimed in disbelief.

Many people outside didn't even have enough water to drink, yet James was using purified water for baths!

Just how much did he stockpile in advance?!

Her shock gave way to determination.

I have to stay here.

Compared to the hunger and despair outside, this place was paradise. Any normal person would fight to stay.

When James returned, Elsa Thomas approached him warmly and helped him take off his jacket.

Lydia Johnson brought over a wet towel and wiped the sweat from his face.

Even April Jones, who was usually reserved, handed James a bottle of his favorite iced cola.

As the number of women grew, each feared being abandoned and dared not relax in their efforts to please him.

Lulia watched the women compete for James's favor, feeling both awkward and flushed.

James, for his part, merely enjoyed their service without comment. After bathing, he returned to his room to rest.

The other women glanced at Lulia with jealousy before retreating to their own rooms in small groups.

Before long, only Lulia and Lily Green were left in the living room.

Lily leaned over and said enviously, "According to tradition, tonight is your night."

"Huh?!" Lulia turned bright red, utterly embarrassed.

At 6 a.m., the morning sun rose.

Lulia was still sound asleep.

James stood by the window, watching as golden sunlight illuminated the endless expanse of purple mist, casting it in a beautiful orange hue.

Looking at the breathtaking scene, it was hard to imagine the brutal, primal killing fields hidden beneath the mist.

More and more massive trees were emerging from the mist, growing wildly toward the sky.

Various species of birds circled above the canopy.

They were intelligent, rarely descending into the purple mist.

Suddenly, a large cat leapt from the treetops, snatching a bird out of the air before disappearing back into the mist.

James watched quietly, using his Perception to check on the survivors below.

After a night had passed, no one showed any signs of poisoning.

In fact, James keenly noticed that the light emanating from their bodies had grown slightly brighter.

"It seems the mutated frog meat isn't just non-toxic—it might actually be beneficial!"

James was thrilled.

"What about Teresa Taylor?"

He opened a blue portal and stepped into his Subspace.

Within the dim subspace, Teresa Taylor's anchor point shone like a blazing torch.