15: Chapter 15: The Supply Depot Opens

[ Ding! The symbiosis pod's second functional pod is activating! ]

[ Ding! Synchronizing spatial coordinates! ]

[ Ding! The second functional pod has been activated! ]

A faint, almost imperceptible pale blue light flashed through his mind for an instant.

The scene before his eyes shifted instantly, and a sci-fi style door appeared in front of him.

It was slowly flickering with a pale green energy glow; the light was soft and gentle, exuding a subtle sense of vitality.

Chen Ye's eyes instantly lit up, and a wave of secret joy surged in his heart.

"This is just too sci-fi!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward.

He reached out, gently grasped the door handle flickering with pale green light, and gave it a soft twist.

[ Ding! Opening the symbiosis pod's second functional pod: Material Storage Pod! ]

[ Ding! The functional pod has been activated! ]

A soft system prompt sounded in his mind instantly.

Chen Ye slowly pushed the door open. Even though he had already prepared himself mentally, he was still deeply shocked by the scene before him when he saw the interior of the room.

This room was far, far larger than he had imagined!

Upon entering, he felt a sense of sudden openness.

It would be more accurate to call this a giant fresh food warehouse or a large fresh food supermarket rather than just a room!

The entire storage pod was endless at a glance, with immense space, and rows of neat shelves stacked from the floor all the way to the ceiling.

They were packed full of all kinds of fresh ingredients, with a huge variety that was dazzling to behold.

On the shelves were whole boxes of meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, and fruits.

There were also all sorts of dried goods, frozen foods, canned goods, seasonings, rice, flour, cooking oil, milk, yogurt, eggs, duck eggs, bread, cakes, snacks, beverages...

It had everything one could ask for.

Chen Ye stood at the entrance of the warehouse, eyes wide, looking at everything before him in disbelief. His heart pounded wildly, and his heart was filled with endless surprise and secret joy.

He had originally thought that the second functional pod would just be something like a living room or a study.

He hadn't expected it to be a giant fresh food storage pod—a large fresh food supermarket!

These ingredients were more than enough for him to live comfortably and securely for over a decade in the apocalypse!

In this era where the apocalypse had descended, supplies were extremely scarce, and even a single bite of food had become a luxury.

This giant fresh food storage pod was undoubtedly the most precious treasure; it was the foundation for survival and his greatest source of confidence!

Chen Ye stepped into the fresh food storage pod. Underfoot were non-slip gray floor tiles, and everywhere he looked, there were orderly metal shelves.

Against the wall on the left stood a row of extra-large double-door freezers, with frozen goods neatly stacked behind the glass doors.

On the right, there was even an embedded constant-temperature seafood fish tank, with clear water slowly circulating.

Oysters, lobsters, shrimp, and abalones were slowly swimming in the water, exuding a sense of freshness.

He reached out to grab some marbled beef on the shelf. As soon as his fingertips touched the vacuum packaging, a system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.

[ Ding! To obtain supplies from the symbiosis pod, you must consume Symbiosis Value. Exchange rules: 1 Symbiosis Value = 1 kilogram of supplies. All categories are included. Please authorize to confirm the exchange. ]

Chen Ye's hand froze in mid-air. The wild joy on his face instantly collapsed, and his mouth twitched violently.

So, all these things in the pod aren't given for free; I have to trade Symbiosis Value for them?

Isn't this just using my own money to buy things from my own supermarket?

I just thought the system was conscientious, but now I just want to complain about how much of a rip-off this thing is!

"System, you're messing with me on purpose, aren't you!"

He leaned against the shelf and quickly calculated. Symbiosis Value was obtained entirely through interacting with goddesses and increasing their trust and obedience.

Having just bound Shen Jiaojiao, plus saving her life, he had already accumulated 30 points of Symbiosis Value.

Plus the 200 points of Symbiosis Value from Qin Ruoxue.

1 point for 1 kilogram, no restrictions on type—the cost-effectiveness was actually ridiculously high when calculated.

In the apocalypse, a single bite of food could drive people to death. He had a constant supply of fresh food; as long as he farmed enough favor from the goddesses, he wouldn't have to worry about Symbiosis Value at all.

Realizing this, Chen Ye instantly regained his confidence, and a light returned to his eyes.

He immediately ordered in his mind: "Consume 5 points of Qin Ruoxue's Symbiosis Value to exchange for barbecue ingredients!"

[ Ding! 5 points of Symbiosis Value consumed, 195 points remaining. ]

[ Exchanged supplies: pork skewers, chicken wings, green peppers, enoki mushrooms, potato slices, oysters, shrimp, and barbecue seasoning have been synchronized to the designated location in the host's reality space. ]

He deliberately didn't exchange for beer, as alcohol took up too much weight.

1 point of Symbiosis Value wouldn't get him many bottles—it wasn't cost-effective. Right now, getting the core barbecue ingredients ready was the priority.

Chen Ye exited the symbiosis pod.

The next second, a large pile of vacuum-packed ingredients appeared on the living room floor, still fresh and cold.

A cunning smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he calculated his next move.

It wasn't squandering; it was done on purpose.

For a woman like Shen Jiaojiao who had been hungry for a whole day, the temptation of delicious food was more effective than anything else.

He moved the folding grill from the balcony and laid out the marinated pork belly and marbled beef, slice by slice, onto the grill grate.

"Sizzle!" The high heat instantly forced the fat out of the meat. Golden oil droplets dripped down along the grain of the meat, and the aroma exploded instantly.

The scent of char, meat, and fat mixed together, so rich it was inescapable.

Standing in front of the grill, Chen Ye couldn't help but swallow his saliva as he smelled the aroma, his Adam's apple bobbing hard.

He deliberately walked to the door and pulled the ajar door open another finger's width.

The door to Shen Jiaojiao's apartment across the hall had long been smashed by mutant beasts; it couldn't even be closed and was left wide open.

As long as the aroma drifted out, it would instantly fill her home.

The pork belly on the grill curled slightly, the marbled beef sizzled with oil, the chicken wings were grilled to a crispy skin, and the oysters were topped with garlic paste; the aroma grew richer layer by layer.

The small living room was filled with the tantalizing scent of barbecue. Chen Ye used tongs to flip the ingredients, enjoying a rare moment of comfort in the apocalypse.

Meanwhile, at Shen Jiaojiao's place across the way.

She was curled up in the corner of the sofa, still wearing that form-fitting, light-colored loungewear dress.

Her long hair was draped casually over her shoulders, her complexion still somewhat pale, and her eyes gazed hollowly at the floor, turning a deaf ear to Sun Haoyu's chatter.

Sun Haoyu was still hypocritically complaining on the side about the danger in the hallway and the police's incompetence, without saying a single word about abandoning his wife to run away.

Suddenly, an intensely rich aroma of meat drifted in, domineeringly taking over the entire room.

The scent of char was enticing, full of umami, mixed with garlic and grease, making one's stomach growl loudly.

Shen Jiaojiao's originally hollow eyes moved suddenly. She sniffed gently and subconsciously sat up straight.

Sun Haoyu also instantly shut his mouth, sniffed hard, and his eyes lit up: "What is that smell? It's so fragrant! Who is having a barbecue?"

Shen Jiaojiao ignored him, her gaze fixed directly toward Chen Ye's apartment across the hall, the aroma lingering at the tip of her nose growing stronger and stronger.

A strange feeling instantly welled up in her heart.

"This aroma... is it drifting from Chen Ye's place? Not only can he kill a mutant beast with one punch and possess mysterious healing abilities, but now he even has a barbecue?"

She clutched the corner of her dress, and the confusion and curiosity in her heart surged wildly once again.