Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: He Is Looking at Her

Although she knew nothing good would come of it, Chen Xing stopped and turned to face the receptionist who had chased after her.

The receptionist felt her skin crawl under Chen Xing’s gaze, but she had no choice. ”Do you have any food? Ms. Xu said you should have some in your backpack, and she hopes you’ll be kind enough to share it with everyone. You know we can’t get to the restaurant on the second floor anymore...”

’Even if we could get there, there’s nothing left!’

Chen Xing couldn’t help but sneer, her eyes turning incredibly sharp and cold. ”I have food, but why should I share it with you?”

The receptionist blushed and anxiously fidgeted with the hem of her clothes.

She hadn’t wanted to come over in the first place, but that Xu Mengyao had insisted she was the only person in charge at the hotel now and had to take responsibility for feeding everyone.

”Look at the times we’re in! Shouldn’t we all be sharing what food we have?” Xu Mengyao’s voice arrived before she did. ”The more difficult things get, the more we need to work together. You can’t just stand by and watch us all starve, can you?”

”Whether you starve or not is none of my business.”

”How can you be so selfish? Haven’t you ever thought that if you were the one starving, you’d want someone to help you? It’s just a little food!” Xu Mengyao acted as if she’d caught Chen Xing in a misstep. ”Share with us now, and when this whole thing blows over, we’ll be sure to thank you. We’ll even pay you back double if we have to.”

’Blows over?’

’In your dreams!’

’Pay me back double? I’d sooner believe they’d try to rob me for double!’

”Will your ’thank you’ fill my stomach?” Chen Xing turned, unwilling to waste another word on her, and started walking upstairs.

”See? I told you she only thinks about herself,” Xu Mengyao said, nudging the receptionist. ”You’re in charge of this hotel now. If she won’t give us food, then don’t let her stay!”

The receptionist: ”...”

’The woman helped seal the building and went to fix the power issue. If anything, she has more right to stay here than we do.’

When the receptionist didn’t say anything, Xu Mengyao became exasperated. ”Fine! We’ll pay you for it. Isn’t that enough?”

The conference room had nothing but bottled water and some dry little crackers, which was hardly enough for dinner.

’Money?’

Chen Xing scoffed and paid her no more mind.

From downstairs, she could hear Xu Mengyao’s incessant accusations and guilt-tripping, and from further below that, the sound of zombies bursting apart.

’If the people in this building end up dead, it’ll most likely be that menace’s fault.’

Chen Xing reached the top floor in one go and didn’t even feel very tired.

The top floor had two luxurious suites. Chen Xing chose the one that directly faced the Research Institute.

Lights had come on in the Research Institute building as well. At first glance, nothing seemed strange... although the pitifully small number of windows was certainly real.

On a building of over thirty stories, there were hardly any windows. The few that were visible looked like those of a normal office.

A few floors higher up were completely lined with windows, but unfortunately, she couldn’t see them from her vantage point.

Just as she looked up toward its top floor, the silhouette of a person’s back appeared in the window of the Research Institute’s director’s office.

Before Chen Xing could get a clear look, the light in the office suddenly went out. The figure slowly turned, its face instantly pressing against the glass.

’He’s looking at me!’

Even though several floors separated them, Chen Xing knew it instantly.

The face on the glass was deathly pale and cold, like a corpse’s. Its eyes held a bizarre glint as they stared fixedly at her.

Although Chen Xing had faced all kinds of monsters, this was the first time she’d felt a chill that seeped straight into her soul. She could feel every hair on her body stand on end.

Just as the gaze became unbearable for Chen Xing, the light in the window flickered back on. The face vanished as if it had never been there, leaving the window empty.

Chen Xing: ”...” She felt like she had just witnessed some inexplicable supernatural event.

Regardless, she refused to believe she had just seen a ghost.

Grabbing the remote, she quickly closed the curtains. Then, Chen Xing eagerly took out the prepared food she had collected from the buffet, completely covering a ten-person dining table.

’Time to eat!’

’I need to eat my fill to have the energy to keep scavenging.’

’As for whatever that thing across the way was, I’m going to get to the bottom of it.’

In her past life, she had been too naive, and the constant struggle for survival had left her with many unanswered questions. This time, she was going to dig deep. She was sure that starting with the Research Institute would lead to some answers.

Alright... time to eat. First, a fruit course to start... a platter of fresh tropical fruit drizzled with hot chocolate. The succulent juice mixed with the sweet fragrance of the chocolate as it slid down her throat, instantly awakening her appetite.

Next came the appetizers... a vegetable salad... followed by a rich, creamy pasta and a supreme stuffed-crust pizza with a glorious cheese pull. One bite of the pizza sent savory juices bursting into her mouth. Then, a slice of sour pickle, and before the flavor could fade, a bite of herbed fantail shrimp...

It was pure bliss!

She doubted she had eaten this much in all ten years of her past life put together.

As she ate until the table was nearly bare, Chen Xing had a sudden realization. Even after several hours, none of the food had cooled down. It had all maintained its original temperature.

’Then what about frozen food?’

She quickly entered her space and took out a bag of frozen dumplings, finding them in the exact same state as when she’d put them in.

This meant that her space didn’t just store items; it also preserved them perfectly, preventing any change or spoilage.

This was so much more incredible than she had imagined!

’Starting tomorrow, if it’s edible, I’m taking it—expiration dates be damned.’

Driven by a will to fight to the end, Chen Xing polished off every last bit of food on the table.

She had eaten a huge amount, but she didn’t feel uncomfortably stuffed.

’Is it because of the space?’

Whatever the reason, she really liked this feeling.

’Worried about getting fat?’

In the apocalypse, only a true powerhouse could afford to get fat. She, for one, wouldn’t mind trying.

It was still early, so she entered her space to organize her belongings. Sorting everything into categories took her more than an hour.

There wasn’t much room left in the space. If she wanted to collect gasoline or diesel tomorrow, she’d have to clear out the low-lying area.

She glanced around the suite—tables, chairs, sofas, beds... anything movable went into her space. She cleared out two whole floors this way.

In no time at all, she had successfully upgraded the space.

Now twice as large, the space should be sufficient for now.

Chen Xing took only the bed back out. She had no intention of returning anything else she had stored in her space.

She doubted the people downstairs would climb more than thirty flights of stairs just to see what was missing.

She collapsed onto the bed, and an unfamiliar yet pleasant sensation of comfort spread through her.

It was a sensation she seemed to have never felt before. For as long as she could remember, she hadn’t truly slept.

It was just so unbelievably comfortable.

This was all thanks to the Space Ring.

An indescribable feeling washed over Chen Xing as she raised her hand to look at the ring.

...The ring had changed again.

The pale green gem had practically fused with her finger, and the silver band looked as if it were tattooed onto her skin. No matter what she did, she couldn’t remove it.

’Why is it different from when Cheng Fang wore it?’

She remembered the ring on Cheng Fang’s hand had always remained a pale green, looking just as it had when Chen Xing first put it on.

Chen Xing: ”...” ’Could it be? In ten years of the apocalypse, Cheng Fang never upgraded the space?’

’What a waste, giving a treasure like this to her!’

Well, it didn’t hurt or cause any problems, so this was actually better. She wouldn’t have to worry about losing it or it falling into someone else’s hands.

Chen Xing decided to go to sleep. Since she couldn’t change the situation, she might as well accept it.

However, just as dawn was approaching, she was jolted awake by a clamor of hurried footsteps and furious shouts.