Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Land Fortress, Sea Mansion

"6-2702 Holly: The flavor is so weird. The texture is like aloe vera, and if you taste it carefully, there’s a faint rusty flavor?"

"5-1107 Azure: I think it’s like okra, all slimy. As for the taste, if you really pay attention, it’s like straw."

"4-2009 Nina: Pay attention? You two are something else. I didn’t dare to taste it carefully. The flavor was too strange. I just pinched my nose and ate it like it was Chinese medicine."

"12-1803 AAA Lawson’s Building Materials (Closed): You can’t savor it at all. Just hold your breath and wolf it down in one go. But hey, this thing is pretty hydrating. I don’t feel as thirsty after eating it."

"7-408 Gone with the Wind: True, the water content must be pretty high. I feel like I can save my daily water ration to wash my hair now. My head is so itchy I can’t sleep at night."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: I just wanna ask, what are the little white bits in this sand vine cake? Is it what I think it is? I helped the property management cut down Desert Vines before, and I remember there were these white bug eggs inside. Um... did they not remove the eggs when they made the cakes?"

"4-2009 Nina: UGH! I’m going to puke just hearing you say that! I hate bugs more than anything!"

"5-1107 Azure: Bugs? The protein content of bugs is eight times that of beef. I feel like the value of this cake just shot up. Looks like we won’t be short on protein."

"4-2009 Nina: No way, I absolutely can’t accept this. I’d rather starve to death! I’m not eating it!"

"2-1908 Coco: Just eat it. What’s there to be picky about? As soon as these sand vine cakes arrived, the price of rice and flour doubled. The message from the higher-ups is clear: either eat this, or starve to death."

"6-702 The Lover: Everyone’s already finished eating, so let’s stop talking about the bugs. The more we talk, the more disgusting it gets. We’re all going to be sick soon. By the way, when the hell are they going to put out that wildfire? It’s been burning for a week, right? The whole complex is hazy and gray now."

"5-1107 Azure: Yeah, every day when I come back from work, I have to put on a mask as soon as I get to the complex, or my throat starts to hurt. All this thick smoke has drifted over here. It’s really irritating to the respiratory tract."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: I heard from property management today when I went to get the sand vine cakes that they’ve set up a firebreak. The fire should be out in the next few days. Man, it hasn’t been easy. The firefighters have it so tough. I really hope we get a big downpour soon."

"4-2009 Nina: Yeah, please let it rain, please let it cool down! I can’t take this anymore!"

"..."

Melody Summers scrolled through the chat messages. ’This heatwave will last until at least April of next year,’ she thought. ’There are still a few months to get through. I wonder how many people won’t make it.’

Just as Melody was thinking this, a call suddenly came in.

Melody glanced at the caller ID. It was the manager from the auction house.

She immediately answered, "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Miss Summers? The yacht and RV you asked our auction house to find have arrived. Do you have time to come and take a look?"

Melody immediately sat up and replied, "Yes, I’ll be right over."

Melody picked up Albus and went up to the 30th floor. The manager from the auction house was already waiting by the elevator.

Seeing Melody arrive, the manager greeted her with a smile. "Hello, Miss Summers. The RV is parked in the underground garage. Let’s go down and see it first."

Beaming, the manager led Melody to the underground garage, where an RV was parked.

As they approached, the manager enthusiastically began his introduction:

"This is a heavy-duty truck RV from the Voyager series, specifically designed for family road trips. The best part is that it qualifies for a blue license plate, so driving it in the city is no problem at all. That’s something most RVs of this size can’t do."

"This RV is 7 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 4 meters high. It has three levels, but the third level is retractable. If you encounter a height restriction while driving, you can retract the third level to lower the vehicle’s height."

"The body of the vehicle is over 15 centimeters thick, providing excellent thermal insulation. Their selling point is ’polar igloo, doomsday fortress.’"

After introducing the exterior, the manager led Melody inside the RV.

The RV was quite tall. As Melody climbed the steps, the manager continued his introduction:

"The first level is fully equipped with appliances: a TV, microwave, refrigerator, air conditioner, and so on. The refrigerator is especially noteworthy, with a 90-liter capacity, which is quite large for a vehicle. You can store a lot of things. The storage counter is also spacious."

"This level has a single bed and a convertible lift bed. At night, you can lower the lift bed, allowing three to four people to sleep on this level."

"The bathroom is also on the first level. It’s very spacious, with a toilet and an integrated shower head, making it convenient for elderly family members. The water tank has a large capacity; if you’re conservative, it’s enough for a whole family to shower."

"There are six passenger seats with seatbelts on the first level. Including the driver’s seat up front, the vehicle can carry a total of eight people."

The manager then led Melody to the second floor.

"The entire second floor is a large open-bunk area. It can sleep ten people, no problem. There are six ventilation windows around, providing excellent natural light. It doesn’t feel cramped at all, and you can enjoy the scenery directly from inside the vehicle."

The second floor was very bare, like an empty room with large windows. There wasn’t much to show, so the manager led Melody to the third floor.

"The third floor is open-air, like a villa’s balcony. This level is retractable, so you can lower it for height-restricted roads and then raise it again when you get to a picnic or camping spot. You can throw a party up here, or even install a TV yourself. It’s a huge entertainment deck."

The more Melody saw, the more satisfied she became. This RV wasn’t one of those ridiculously large types and didn’t have the drawback of being unsuitable for regular roads. It perfectly met her needs. It was clear the manager had put a lot of effort into finding this vehicle.

Melody replied decisively, "I’ll take it!"

The manager’s face lit up with joy. He hadn’t expected to sell an RV at a time like this; after all, no one was interested in traveling these days. He smiled and said, "The price for this model is 4.88 million."

Melody paid without hesitation. Amid the manager’s increasingly warm smile, she asked, "What about the yacht I wanted?"

The manager replied, "The yacht was transported on land by a heavy-duty freight truck. That kind of truck can’t enter the city, so we’ll have to trouble you to come with us to the suburbs to inspect it."

Melody thought for a moment and said, "I’ll drive the RV out first and hand it over to my friend. After that’s done, I’ll call you, and you can come pick me up to see the yacht."

The manager nodded in quick agreement.

Melody drove the RV straight out to a deserted area in the suburbs. She had Albus find a stretch of road with no surveillance cameras, then directly stored the vehicle in her space.

Then, she took out her phone, called the manager, and sent him her location to wait for him.

Melody hadn’t been outside in a long time. After standing by the roadside for just a few moments, the heat made her dizzy and faint.

Fortunately, the manager arrived quickly. He politely invited Melody into his car. The air conditioning was blasting. Seeing Melody’s flushed face, the manager quickly grabbed a cold soda from the car’s mini-fridge and handed it to her.

Melody took the soda but didn’t drink it, instead pressing the can against her face to cool down.

The car soon reached its destination. A large transport truck was parked there, carrying a yacht on its trailer.

The manager attentively held an umbrella for Melody, explaining as they walked:

"This is a medium-sized yacht, weighing 140 tons. It was originally going to be part of an indoor yacht show, but unfortunately, due to the recent high temperatures, the government has restricted commercial electricity use, and the show was canceled."

"This yacht has two decks. The first deck has a standard three-bedroom, two-common-area layout. The three bedrooms are all very large, each with its own private bathroom. The living room is spacious enough for parties, absolutely perfect for a family."

"The dining room and bar are also fully equipped with all kinds of amenities. It’s basically a floating luxury mansion."

"The second deck is purely for recreation. It has a retractable sunroof, a barbecue grill, a TV, and a sofa. You can open the windows to enjoy the sea breeze or even do some sea fishing."

It was more than enough space for a family of six. Melody was also very satisfied. She asked the manager for the price of the yacht, and he replied, "The yacht sells for 28.88 million."

Once again, Melody paid without hesitation.

Just like before, she drove off, claiming she was handing it over to a friend, found a deserted spot to store the yacht in her space, and then drove the empty truck back.

The manager was shocked by Melody’s handover speed, but he didn’t ask any questions. He knew that anyone who could live in the Nimbus Hotel was capable of extraordinary things. As long as the transaction went smoothly and the payment was settled, it was best not to pry.

So, he once again politely invited Melody into the car and drove her all the way back to the Nimbus Hotel.

* 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

It was nearly evening when they returned to the Nimbus Hotel. As the car was about to pull in, Melody saw someone across the street preparing to unfurl a banner.

"Wait!" Melody called out. "Stop the car."

Although the driver was confused, he stopped the car.

Melody looked out the car window and saw Regan Sterling with a woman, unfurling a banner.

Written on the banner was: "Florence Lowell, resident of The Nimbus Hotel room 36-02, abandoned her husband and child! An unforgivable crime against heaven and earth!"