43: Chapter 43 Global Attacks

Shen Jiaojiao's face turned pale, and she instinctively hid behind Chen Ye.

"Speak up if you have something to say, spit it out, and get out when you're done." Chen Ye's tone was impatient, and the fierce aura radiating from him made the Property Manager shrink her neck in fear.

"A tenant downstairs complained that your place is leaking and soaked their ceiling, so I came up to take a look." The Property Manager stiffened her neck, squeezing into the room while speaking, her eyes darting around everywhere.

Surveying the inside of the room like a thief, her true intentions were clearly elsewhere.

Chen Ye stopped her and pushed her out directly. The force wasn't great, but it was irresistible: "Monsters are attacking the city, who has time to worry about a leak? Get lost, don't bother me here!"

The Property Manager stumbled back. Giving up the act, she laid her cards on the table, lowering her voice to a sinister tone: "Stop pretending! I've heard that you've hoarded a ton of food in your place!"

"Our whole building has been hungry for a day; what's wrong with sharing some with us?"

Chen Ye frowned and looked at Shen Jiaojiao in confusion.

Shen Jiaojiao quickly shook her head, her eyes anxious, as if she were saying, "I didn't say it! I never told anyone that you had food at home!"

Chen Ye understood instantly.

There was no need to think; it must be Sun Haoyu hiding across the hall. Driven by jealousy, he had leaked the news to the Property Manager, hoping to use someone else's hands to seize the supplies.

A flash of coldness passed through his eyes as his mind raced.

Instead of confronting her head-on, he said to Shen Jiaojiao, "Go to the coffee table and bring over two bags of bread."

Shen Jiaojiao obediently followed his instructions and handed over two bags of whole wheat bread.

The Property Manager took it and looked, immediately shouting in dissatisfaction: "Just this little bit? Are you trying to get rid of a beggar? Give me at least another box of milk and two boxes of instant noodles!"

Chen Ye couldn't be bothered to waste words with her. He reached out, snatched the bread back, slammed the door shut with a bang, and coldly threw out a sentence: "Take it or leave it, if you don't want it, forget it!"

Outside the door, the Property Manager stomped her feet in anger, kicked the security door hard, and cursed: "Chen Ye, you wait for me! I won't let you off!"

At this moment, the door across the hall quietly opened a crack, and Sun Haoyu poked his head out, asking eagerly: "How did it go? How much food did you get?"

The Property Manager rolled her eyes at him grumpily: "Got nothing! That brat is stingy as hell; he didn't give me a single bite!"

"Are you lying to me? Trying to play me for a fool?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Sun Haoyu said anxiously, "I saw him eating barbecue on the balcony with my own eyes last night! If he hasn't hoarded goods at home, I'll unscrew my head and let you kick it like a ball!"

"It better be true!" the Property Manager threatened, "If you provide false information and waste everyone's time looking for food, you'd better wait to be dealt with by everyone in the building!"

After speaking, the Property Manager stomped off in her high heels, fuming.

Inside the room, Shen Jiaojiao still looked full of guilt, tugging at the corner of Chen Ye's shirt, her voice soft and sweet: "It really wasn't me who leaked it, I swear..."

"I believe you." Chen Ye interrupted her, his tone firm.

He had seen through Sun Haoyu's petty behavior long ago; it had nothing to do with Shen Jiaojiao.

Shen Jiaojiao's eyes turned red, her heart filled with emotion. She whispered, "I... I should go back... The reward you promised me..."

Chen Ye didn't hesitate. He turned and walked into the bedroom, consuming 2 points of Symbiosis Value to directly exchange for some food from the supply cabin.

He turned back, holding a 2-pound pack of frozen dumplings, 5 fresh eggs, and a pack of spicy chili strips.

He walked out with the items and handed them to Shen Jiaojiao.

Shen Jiaojiao's eyes widened, looking at the frozen dumplings that were still emitting cold air, her face full of confusion: "Do... do you have a refrigerator in your bedroom? These dumplings are still frozen!"

She wanted to ask, but she knew she shouldn't ask too much.

Although the food she received wasn't much, the dumplings and eggs were much better than instant noodles.

Her heart was filled with gratitude, and she clutched the bag, ready to leave.

Chen Ye didn't stop her, but leaned against the doorframe, his tone low and with a hint of ambiguity, speaking indifferently:

"I hope you can come over tonight; I have something to ask of you."

Shen Jiaojiao's cheeks turned bright red instantly, her heartbeat accelerated suddenly, and her small hands clutching the food trembled slightly.

Not daring to look back at him, she lowered her head, ran out the door quickly, and gently closed it behind her.

The room returned to tranquility, and a playful smile curled at the corner of Chen Ye's mouth.

The hurried sound of Shen Jiaojiao's footsteps gradually faded at the end of the hallway, the door closed gently, and the room became quiet again. Chen Ye stretched his muscles and bones, rotated his neck, and a slight soreness came from his shoulders and waist.

The flesh wounds from the fierce battle in the morning and the internal injuries caused by the shockwaves had long since been mostly repaired by his Level 2 Healing Ability.

Abundant strength was returning to his limbs and body, his tense muscles completely relaxed, leaving only the lazy exhaustion of having survived a disaster.

He lay down on the soft sofa, sinking into the cushions, and let out a long sigh of relief.

He reached out to grab the phone on the coffee table, pressed the power button, and the screen instantly lit up.

Over a dozen unread WeChat messages and seven missed voice calls popped up all at once, all of them labeled with the same name: Su Ya.

Chen Ye tapped the screen with his fingertip and opened the chat box.

The earliest message was from eight in the morning, Su Ya's tone full of anxiety: "Chen Ye! Where exactly are you? I've arrived at the location you sent, but the entrance is full of soldiers who say it's a restricted military zone and won't let me in!"

"Come out and pick me up! There are so many monsters roaring here, I'm so scared!"

The tone of the later messages changed abruptly, from anxiety to angry rebuke: "Are you messing with me on purpose? Tricking me to this hellhole while you hide yourself away!"

"Liar! Even in the apocalypse, you still want to deceive me. I must have been blind to believe you!" Voice messages popped up one after another, Su Ya's spoiled and angry voice filling his ears.

From panic to sharp accusations, the whole time she was only thinking of her own safety, never once asking about whether Chen Ye was dead or alive.

Chen Ye curled his lips in a detached smile, his fingertips casually swiping across the screen, with no intention of replying at all.

The romances and entanglements of his past life had long been buried the moment he was locked in the Toxic Mist.

A hothouse flower like Su Ya, spoiled and completely incapable of survival, wouldn't even last three days in the apocalypse.

He had no leisure time now for revenge or entanglements; his only thought was: Get stronger, survive, and never be stepped under anyone's feet again.

Closing WeChat, he opened the news browser and swiped rapidly, checking the global apocalyptic situation.

The headlines on the front page were shocking, the bright red titles stinging his eyes:

"Global Monster Assault! Many Cities Reduced to Ruins!"

"Origin of Monsters a Mystery, Some Witnesses Claim They Crawled Out from Cracks in the Ground!"

"Great Xia Country Suffers Thousands of Monster Attacks in the Morning, Small Cities Flattened!"

In the images, mountain-sized monsters crushed skyscrapers, and monsters spewing fire and ice ravaged the streets.

The types of monsters were strange and varied, appearing out of thin air or pouring out from cracks in the ground, with no pattern to speak of.

The news mentioned that in just one morning, there were over a thousand monster attacks within the borders of Great Xia Country.

The National Defense Army fought with all their might, yet still could not stop the tide of monsters.

An entire small city was even razed to the ground, with no survivors.

The latest announcement from The Authorities: The war zone is urgently recruiting civilian Superpower users to form monster hunting squads, providing weapons, supplies, and military ranks to fully clear out monsters and protect survivors.