After the supermarket closed, Melody Summers, Winnie Summers, and Colin Summers said goodbye to Crystal Lynch and her family and walked home along a small path.

Although the air was still very hot at night, it was much more bearable than during the day without the direct sunlight.

To save electricity, the streetlights in The Metropolis Residences were off. Thankfully, the bright moonlight illuminated the path for those returning home late.

Suddenly, Melody noticed a green sprout emerging from the ground beside a utility pole. The splash of green was especially striking in the current environment. Surprised, she ran over and bent down for a closer look, quickly recognizing what it was—

A Desert Vine!

’It’s already October,’ Melody thought. ’In my past life, the Desert Vines did start appearing right around now.’

The Desert Vine was a previously undiscovered species, but many experts speculated that it originated in the desert.

Experts theorized that the initial wave of global tornadoes had carried the Desert Vine seeds from deep within the deserts, scattering them across the globe.

The Desert Vine was highly adaptable, capable of surviving even in the most extreme conditions. It could thrive in hot, dry climates and also endure blizzards and severe cold.

The prolonged heat had wiped out other plant species. With no competition, the Desert Vine seeds took root and multiplied, quickly spreading and climbing everywhere.

The thickest parts of the vines were about two fingers wide, covered in a layer of tiny, transparent, and densely packed thorns. Inside the vine’s skin was a gel-like substance similar to aloe vera, rich in moisture.

Cutting open the vine revealed large, glistening white insect eggs, resembling round grubs. It was disgusting, but in the apocalypse, it was the most precious source of protein.

The Desert Vine is poisonous, but it becomes edible once the toxins are removed through a special process. The sand vine cakes made from the processed vine not only replenish water but also provide protein. In her past life, after the granaries ran out, sand vine cakes became the primary disaster relief food.

Melody even remembered how many theists in her past life had claimed that the Desert Vine was God’s salvation for humankind—a final lifeline from the heavens.

With strong government support, agricultural corporations led by Rhodes Enterprises began to research and improve the Desert Vine. Thanks to the relentless efforts of experts and scholars, its growth rate was significantly boosted.

The government then encouraged these corporations to cultivate the Desert Vine on a massive scale, processing it into edible sand vine cakes that were distributed to the public as disaster relief supplies.

Melody also remembered her past life, after the Lancaster Family went bankrupt and its assets were liquidated. They had survived solely on Elaine Hughes’s personal savings.

At the time, Elaine Hughes had told Melody that the Lancaster family was struggling and asked her to be understanding. Melody’s heart ached for Elaine, and she wanted to ease her burden. As a result, the other Lancasters ate the food rations Melody was entitled to, while Melody herself subsisted on sand vine cakes.

Seeing Melody suddenly run to the side of the road and crouch down, Colin and Winnie walked over, looking puzzled. "Melody, what are you doing?"

Winnie followed Melody’s gaze to the tiny green sprout. "Is that... a vine?" she asked, surprised. "Sprouting in this heat, in a place this dry? That’s incredible."

Colin clicked his tongue in wonder. "The sun has been brutal these last few months, and we haven’t had a drop of rain. The landscaping strips are all scorched. For this little thing to sprout... it’s really something else!"

"Mom, Uncle, this thing is poisonous," Melody warned. "From now on, be careful not to touch it."

"You recognize it, Melody?" Winnie asked, curious.

"Of course she does!" Colin said to Winnie with a completely serious face. "Don’t forget, our Melody is a college student. We should just listen to her!"

Ever since Melody had correctly predicted the typhoon, Colin had developed an unwavering faith in her. After she also foresaw the heatwave and led the family to a comfortable apocalyptic life with meat to eat and air conditioning, her words had become nothing short of gospel to him.

Melody couldn’t help but laugh. She blinked playfully and teased, "You’re my biggest supporter, Uncle."

Then Melody turned serious again. "This plant is covered in thorns," she told them. "They’re transparent, fine, and densely packed, so they’re hard to see. If you get pricked, the skin will start to rot."

"Mom, Uncle, this plant is incredibly resilient and perfectly adapted to dry conditions. It’ll probably start climbing all over the place soon. You have to be really careful not to get pricked."

Winnie and Colin both nodded gravely.

*

When the three of them got home, Grace, their grandmother, and Miss Lowell had already prepared a lavish dinner.

The main course was the pork Melody had left in the refrigerator, now roasted to fragrant perfection. The fat had rendered completely, leaving the skin crispy and the meat tender. It filled a massive bowl.

"You’re all back! Quick, wash your hands. It’s time to eat!" Grace called out.

At the dinner table, their grandmother, Grace, and Miss Lowell all had worried expressions.

Grace spoke first, turning to Colin. "I saw in the group chat that there was a murder in Building 9. People are also saying there’s a gang in our complex. You and Winnie are at the supermarket from dawn till dusk every day. Are you safe?"

Her grandmother immediately chimed in. "That’s right! You’re guarding all those supplies day in and day out. Have any gangs come to stir up trouble?"

Colin took a bite of a pork rib. "Don’t worry, Mom," he said. "There are two armed police officers stationed at the supermarket, plus a whole group of property management staff and security guards. It’s as safe as can be!"

Miss Lowell hesitated before asking, "The supermarket might be guarded, but the walk from there to the villas is at least ten minutes. You two are out from early morning to late night. What if you get ambushed on the road?"

Winnie froze for a second before offering reassurance. "Colin and I both carry the stun guns Melody gave us. We keep them in our hands the entire walk, so don’t worry."

Colin added, "Yeah, those things are made for herding pigs. They can take down a wild boar weighing several hundred pounds. You think we’re afraid of some guy who weighs less than two hundred?"

Melody silently ate her rice, her own heart heavy with worry. ’I only remember everyone in my past life saying that The Metropolis Residences was relatively safe. Property management and the police worked well together, so there was almost no major unrest. That’s why it was later designated as a rebuilding center for Anworth.’

’But I never expected it would be just as dangerous here. Robbery gangs and a murder, and it’s only the first year.’

’If things are still this chaotic in a couple of days, I’ll hide in the space and follow Mom and Uncle. That way, I can step in immediately if there’s any danger.’

*

After dinner, Melody watched some TV with her family before heading back to her room. The moment she walked through the door, Albus leaped into her arms.

Cuddling Albus, Melody casually opened her shop interface to check the day’s orders.

Suddenly, Melody shot upright. She’d just realized her account had reached one hundred million!

Melody immediately pulled Albus into the Arcadian Space with her. "Quick, quick! I’ve earned a hundred million! White, help me unlock the new area!"

[Request received. 100,000,000 has been deducted. The Arcadian Space has unlocked: The Arcadian Mines.]

[The Arcadian Mines are unlike any ordinary mine. It is a magical mountain where a variety of minerals can be excavated, including but not limited to: iron ore, coal, silver ore, gold ore, rare earth minerals...]

[The Arcadian Workshop has now unlocked ore-processing functions.]

The white mist beside the forest slowly parted, revealing a mountain peak.

’A gold mine!?’

’A coal mine!?’

’A rare earth mine!?’

Melody was dumbfounded.

’It felt so surreal. She had only ever read about "coal barons" online and in the news. Now, she was one of them—someone who literally owned a mine?!’

’She used to think a hundred million was way too expensive to unlock a new area. But now? A hundred million for this mine felt like an absolute steal!’

’This was a mine!’

’For only a hundred million, it was an incredible bargain!’

Melody immediately ran to The Arcadian Warehouse to rummage through the pile of tools she had bought. She found a pickaxe and an entrenching tool, grabbed them, and ran back to the mines.

The Arcadian Mines were underground, with a tunnel already dug into the mountainside.

She glanced to the left side of the tunnel and saw a faint golden glow emanating from one spot. Following the light, she began to dig, and it wasn’t long before she unearthed a brick-sized chunk of golden ore.

The ore hit the ground with a heavy THUD. Melody instinctively reached for it with her left hand but couldn’t lift it.

’The chunk of ore didn’t look that big, but it was surprisingly heavy.’ She had to stoop down and use both hands to lift it.

Melody carried the ore to The Arcadian Workshop, where a newly unlocked ore-processing machine now stood.

She walked up to the machine and, following the prompts, placed the ore in the input slot. The machine beeped:

[Gold ore detected. Removing impurities and processing into gold bars.]

A moment later, five gold bars emerged from the output slot. Each one felt heavy in her hand and was engraved with its weight: 1000g, 1000g, 1000g, 1000g, 850g.

’After the cataclysm, the price of gold had skyrocketed. At current rates, these five bars were worth over five million!’

Melody gazed at the brilliant, glittering gold bars, her heart soaring with joy.

She scooped up Albus and spun around in a circle, then looked toward the white mist shrouding the far end of the stream. "White, how much to unlock the next area?"

[To unlock the next area: one billion is required.]

Melody: "?"

"That’s just price gouging," Melody said, covering her face in exasperation.

’But then again,’ she thought, ’I have a mine now. I’ll dig up that billion sooner or later!’