Chapter 2 Domain As A Reward

With a single thought, Theresa summoned the phone, and in a flash, it materialized back in her hand from the mysterious domain, as if it had never left! Her heart leaped with exhilaration as joy lit up her face—this was exactly what she had imagined! Having devoured countless novels, she instantly recognized this as the fabled system she had dreamed of! She wasted no time marveling at her fortune. Instead, she threw herself into a frenzy of action, testing the system's limits. It wasn't long before she uncovered a crucial detail—the system calculated the value of items based on their original purchase price, completely ignoring their current state! None of the scratches, dents, or disassembly mattered! Realizing the potential, she dove headlong into a whirlwind of activity—packing, dismantling, and hoarding with unmatched determination! 'Ding! Gold jewelry detected, worth 58,000! Reward! 5,800 cubic feet!' 'Ding! Water cup detected, worth 39!' 'Ding! Calendar detected, worth 10!' 'Ding! A small desk detected, worth 369!' 'Ding! A table and chair set detected, worth 25,000! Reward! 2,500 cubic feet!' 'Ding! Trash can detected, worth 15!' Within a matter of minutes, Theresa had ransacked her entire home like a relentless tornado. Nothing escaped her grasp. She collected every conceivable item—shoes, hats, clothing, cookware, utensils, stationery, cups, trash bins, storage containers, photo albums, nail clippers, and more. From the smallest trinkets to the largest pieces of furniture, such as tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets, she left no stone unturned. Even the rotten apples Oliver's family had brought earlier weren't overlooked. With a determined expression, she scooped them up and hurled them into the domain! 'Ding! 5 pounds of rotten apples detected, worth 2.5!' When she heard the value, she let out a sharp scoff. "Ugh, what rotten luck!" Rotten apples being passed off as imported delicacies for fifty cents a pound? And then they have the gall to demand a house worth three million? What kind of shameless parasites were these people? Still, she wasn't about to let her disgust get in the way of practicality. "Even crumbs add up to a meal," she muttered under her breath, pocketing the apples without hesitation. Before long, the house was stripped bare of anything portable. Her gaze then landed on the fixtures—the so-called "unmovables"—and a sly grin spread across her face. 'Ding! Toilet detected, worth 1,999!' With a decisive grunt, she rolled up her sleeves, braced herself, and with a single mighty pull, yanked the toilet loose with sheer force! Strength had always been one of her assets, but compared to the hardened survivor she had become after five years in the apocalypse, her current body felt alarmingly fragile and untested. Looks like it's time to rebuild my strength, she mused, clenching her fists. Weakness isn't an option! Once the toilet was out of the way, her mind lit up with new possibilities. 'Ding! Washbasin detected, worth 699!' 'Ding! Range hood detected, worth 2,599!' 'Ding! Stove detected, worth 489!' 'Ding! Security door detected, worth 1,589!' Her eyes gleamed with determination. Hell no! Not a single screw is staying behind for those j*rks! 'Ding! Glass window detected, worth 400!' 'Ding! Flooring detected, worth 150!' Fueled by sheer spite and a touch of exhilaration, Theresa got to work. In just an hour, her home was stripped bare! Anything that wasn't bolted to the ground was dismantled. And even if it was, she made sure it wasn't spared! The floors were ripped up, windows and doors were methodically removed, and any tiles she couldn't carry off were smashed to pieces and packed away. By the time she was done, the house was a shell of what it once was, with only the walls standing as silent witnesses to her actions. 'Ding! Three seconds remaining!' As the seconds ticked away, she had a sudden flash of inspiration. She dashed toward the front door, climbed onto the railing, and yanked down a small light bulb from the hallway. 'Ding! 10-watt light bulb detected, worth 5! Time's up! Total—28,900 cubic feet acquired!' With a satisfied smile, she turned to Summer and said, "Follow me, Summer!" Not long after their departure, Oliver's family arrived, bringing along their newly pregnant daughter-in-law. "Honey, here it is—our new home! It's in the heart of the city, within over 1,000 square feet! We share the elevator with just one other household, and our neighbor hasn't moved in yet, so we have the whole hallway to ourselves! The lighting is perfect, and this is the best layout in the entire complex! Plus, it's very close to your office! If you'd like, you can move in right away—everything's already set up with furniture and appliances!" The large group of people ascended to the third floor, their steps full of anticipation. But as they reached the east-facing unit, their excitement quickly turned to disbelief. What was this...? The entire place was not just bare but completely stripped—no doors, no windows! To make matters worse, even the light bulbs in the hallway had been taken! Oliver's wife, seeing the state of the place, spun around and huffed, her face contorted in frustration, "So you expect my family to foot the bill for renovating this empty shell? Let me make this clear—no renovation, no wedding! And I want my name on the deed!" Oliver's grandmother, furious beyond belief, was on the verge of calling Theresa to demand an explanation for what had happened! They didn't care much for the existing furnishings and planned to buy new pieces, but they never imagined the house would be left in such a state! A few new pieces of furniture would suffice, especially since the flooring laid by Theresa's mother was still in good condition. But how had it ended up like this? The real problem, however, was that they couldn't get in touch with Theresa anymore! … Meanwhile, Theresa stood before a tunnel-turned-bunker on the outskirts of Ansford. The bunker was built within a tunnel originally intended for a mountain-crossing road. However, due to funding shortages and a shift in government plans, the project was halted, leaving the tunnel unused. The government later repurposed it as a bunker. "Why rent a bunker?" the agent who had brought her there asked, following standard procedure. Theresa shrugged. "Starting a business... growing mushrooms." In her past life, she discovered that bunkers could be divided into three distinct categories. The first type included the typical bunkers found in the heart of the city, beneath malls, parking garages, or residential buildings, as well as underground hospitals. These bunkers were well-located, equipped with necessary amenities, and designed for quick evacuation. However, in the event of a zombie apocalypse, they were utterly useless. The high concentration of people in these areas made them the first to fall! The second type consisted of tunnel-based bunkers and highly specialized national defense fortifications. These specialized facilities proved crucial in the later stages of the apocalypse, with many large, stable camps relying on them for survival. Unfortunately, these were not available for rent to someone like Theresa! This tunnel-based bunker before her was exactly what she needed! It was tucked away in a quiet, isolated spot, far from the hustle and bustle, offering plenty of space, and equipped with a reliable ventilation system and a large iron door—everything she had hoped for! Not only was it ideal, but it was also incredibly affordable. The bunker she rented only cost two thousand a year, with a minimum lease term of twenty years. She paid for three years upfront, a total of six thousand, securing a space as vast as five basketball courts! The agent, upon hearing her plans to start a business, nearly burst out laughing. He couldn't believe his luck—another naive soul who didn't understand the value of location. The price was cheap, sure, but this place was so remote it would make transportation a nightmare in the future! The reality was that nine and a half out of ten startups were doomed to fail, and this one seemed no different. However, he wasn't about to tell her that. Someone else taking the place was good for business. He collected the money, signed the contract, pocketed his five hundred service fee, and quickly made his exit. Theresa silently watched the agent walk away, a grin still plastered on his face, but she didn't utter a single word. Her gaze remained detached, knowing full well that sharing her true plans with him was out of the question. Surviving for ten years in the apocalypse had taught her one crucial lesson—never bother warning the ignorant about the dangers ahead, for they themselves are the real threat! Once the agent was out of sight, she led Summer into the bunker. She gave the place a thorough inspection, and besides the fully operational ventilation system, she was pleasantly surprised to discover a well and an electrical wire that had been left behind by the previous occupant! She examined the water from the well and was pleased to find it was pure mountain spring water, untainted and completely separated from the city's water supply! Back then, in the late stages of the apocalypse, the tap water had become undrinkable as the water treatment plants had been contaminated, but this well proved to be an untouched, viable source! As for the electrical wiring, although the power wasn't active, it was clear that the space had been set up with an electrical system! The fact that the wiring was already in place meant she could easily install a generator and restore power to the entire space!