Tang Xiaoman took a steady breath and stepped forward, absorbing the refrigerated container truck into her spatial storage.

The moment the massive vehicle vanished, the water around her surged violently. The current shifted so abruptly that she nearly lost her balance.

Without hesitation, she slipped straight into her space.

Inside, sunlight poured down from a clear, cloudless sky. The air was eternally mild—twenty-five degrees, perfect and still.

Tang Xiaoman exhaled sharply. Still wearing her diving suit, she grabbed a crowbar and pried open the container’s outer lock.

The heavy rear doors swung open—and a wave of freezing air burst out.

Neatly stacked inside were insulated cargo boxes filling roughly fifty to sixty cubic meters. A dozen vents circulated cold air nonstop, and a digital thermometer blinked steadily at minus eighteen degrees. The battery indicator showed a full charge.

Only then did she realize what she had stumbled upon.

This specialized cold-chain truck was designed with an automatic power system linked directly to its fuel tank. When the battery ran low, it would draw diesel and convert it into electricity, ensuring uninterrupted refrigeration inside the container.

Tang Xiaoman’s eyes lit up.

She had struck gold.

Not only had she secured fifty to sixty cubic meters of chilled goods—she had also acquired a fully functional industrial freezer.

A freezer this size made all the smaller storage units she had previously stockpiled look like toys in comparison.

—

Leaving her space, she continued searching at the highway interchange.

Soon, her attention landed on a courier truck.

Smaller than the refrigerated container, but far from insignificant.

Courier shipments across the country contained a chaotic mix of goods—everything from daily necessities to industrial supplies. Because they weren’t perishable, anything fragile or temperature-sensitive would have already been sent via cold chain.

Anything still on a courier truck meant it was stable for at least several days.

Without hesitation, Tang Xiaoman absorbed the entire vehicle into her space.

She continued onward, oxygen tank on her back, until a heavy-duty flatbed truck loaded with steel came into view.

She reached out to collect it—

A wave of dizziness hit her instantly. Her vision darkened for a split second.

Too heavy. This one resisted her space.

She steadied herself, took a deep breath, and forced it again.

“Take it.”

The overloaded truck—carrying fifty tons of steel—finally disappeared into her storage space.

The water around her churned violently. Her body tilted dangerously—

She reacted instantly and slipped back into her space before being swept away.

Inside, she collapsed onto the ground, head spinning and limbs weak.

After a long pause, she pulled off her oxygen mask, grabbed a cup of taro milk tea from nowhere, and took a slow sip through a straw.

The rich sweetness and warmth spread through her body, restoring her strength bit by bit.

She then tore into half a chocolate energy bar.

Only then did she manage to sit up.

Taking in a breath, she frowned slightly.

Collecting large objects like this was exhausting—far more draining than she had expected.

Still, looking at the three massive vehicles now stored away, her mood lifted considerably.

Her 980-cubic-meter space was large, but after storing nearly twenty vehicles of all sizes, only about a third remained.

She needed more expansion materials—gold, silver, jade. Otherwise, she would soon run out of room again.

—

After resting for fifteen minutes, she returned to the water.

This time, she was more cautious. Before collecting anything, she first identified the cargo inside each truck.

A vehicle labeled “agricultural plastic film” caught her attention. She hesitated for only a moment before taking it.

In the apocalypse, industrial supply chains were collapsing one after another. Plastic film had already become a non-renewable resource.

Even though the land was becoming less suitable for farming, preparation was still necessary. Plastic film could be used to build greenhouses, shielding crops from extreme weather. Ultra-thin variants were also essential for ground-cover planting techniques such as peanuts.

She continued collecting vehicles and supplies until her oxygen finally ran out.

Only then did she surface.

After securing her boat with a rope, she climbed aboard and checked the time.

10:30 p.m.

She was completely drained.

Deciding not to push further, she entered her space, removed her diving suit, and took a hot shower.

After changing into clean clothes, she brought the assassin’s phone out with her.

Seated in the cockpit of the boat, she powered it on.

As expected, the bounty hunters had sent repeated messages, demanding confirmation of the hostage exchange and pressing for a location.

They had even transferred five million upfront, promising the remaining payment upon delivery—on the condition that the target be kept alive.

Tang Xiaoman thought for a moment, then sent them a new location with a strict condition:

“Meet me in thirty minutes.”

Immediately after sending it, she tossed the phone back into her space.

To avoid being tracked.

Modern systems weren’t fully collapsed yet, and someone like Gu Heng definitely had technical experts at his disposal. She couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Just then, a message popped up from Zhou Yichen.

“We’ve finished the mission and are heading back. Do you need us to pick you up?”

Their team was transporting supplies via assault boats, which had limited capacity and needed frequent returns.

Tang Xiaoman replied:

“I still have something to do. Go back first. Don’t wait for me.”

—

Half an hour later, she arrived at an abandoned office building.

Its foundation sat low—so low that floodwaters had already reached the sixth floor.

She climbed in through a broken window, stowed her boat, and hid herself inside.

Taking out the assassin’s phone again, she saw over a dozen missed calls and a flood of unread messages.

The bounty hunters said they had arrived at her designated location—but she was nowhere to be found.

Tang Xiaoman smiled faintly and sent them her new position.

“I changed locations because I don’t trust you. Hurry up.”

This time, she kept the phone powered on.

When they called, she simply hung up.

After several attempts, the calls finally stopped.

About twenty minutes later, the distant roar of helicopter engines echoed through the air.

Tang Xiaoman lifted her gaze slightly.

A helicopter.

Luxury, huh?

She briefly considered whether her space could even hold a few small helicopters.

That gave her an idea.

—

Meanwhile, Su Ke couldn’t sleep.

He had brought two bodyguards and boarded Gu Heng’s helicopter with excitement, following the bounty hunter’s coordinates—only to find nothing.

His temper flared instantly.

Now they were en route to the second location.

He grabbed a megaphone and shouted toward the building’s windows:

“Hey! We’re here to pick up the target on behalf of Young Master Gu! Are you there? Stop screwing around!”

From the sixth floor, Tang Xiaoman leaned out and shouted back at the top of her lungs:

“Help! Over here!”

Finally seeing her, Su Ke’s expression lit up with satisfaction.

Good. This time wasn’t a wasted trip.

The bounty hunter relayed the assassin’s final condition:

Land the helicopter on the rooftop.

Once the remaining payment was received, they would immediately hand Tang Xiaoman over.