Chapter 2

"I accept gold, diamonds, or anything valuable in return!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Do you have water?" Hans rasped. "Would you like mineral water or purified water? We also have coffee, soda, and beer! Which one do you prefer?" "Just water, please," Hans replied, his cracked lips in desperate need of clean water. All the bottled water on his planet had been infected by parasites. While Lucy could enter the space, Hans could only retrieve or store things in it. Lucy darted into the kitchen, quickly brewing a cup of herbal tea for Hans. She even put a few sugar cubes in it. "Look at the time now! Aren't you going to help with the chores? You're supposed to feed the cattle!" Tatiana screeched when she saw Lucy running around in her pajamas at 9:00 am. Disdain flickered in her eyes—she despised Lucy. She was a misogynist, so she resented Lucy's parents for only having a daughter. In fact, she favored the children of her eldest son more. "Women are absolutely useless!" Tatiana hollered. "They can't earn money, and once they get married, they'll belong to another family. "Supporting you in college was a complete waste! I told your dad it was pointless. He might as well save it for his nephew's wedding instead!" Watching Lucy leave, Tatiana thought she was slacking off again, likely going back to bed. … Lucy put the cup of tea in her pocket space, yet Hans didn't take it. "Hey!" she called out to him, but there was no response. Remembering that Hans had said that he was surviving in a post-apocalyptic world, she couldn't help but wonder if he had been killed by zombies the moment he connected with her space. Lucy began to lament the fact that he didn't even bother to pick up the gold and diamonds scattered on the ground. … In the torn-down city, the screeches of zombies reverberated through the air. Hans' shoulder was injured, and the blood soaking his clothes had dried into a stiff, caked mess. He eyed the ruins of the city warily. A thick fog obscured his view, and he couldn't see his surroundings clearly. What was once a lively city was now a desolate wasteland—a paradise for zombies. At the moment, Hans was in a city overrun by zombies; their disgusting stench filled the air. He had to constantly keep his guard up in case the zombies showed up. Suddenly, a zombie appeared and lunged at him. The wound on his back throbbed in pain as he sliced its head off promptly. Hans regained a good deal of his strength after replenishing himself with some food and water. Passing through a street strewn with rubble and cracks where weeds had begun to sprout, he found himself surrounded by scrapped vehicles. Dusk was approaching. The zombies became more active at night, so Hans and his teammate needed to find shelter—and fast. "Hans, I can't hold on any longer," Leo Wright gasped. "If I die, take care of my family for me. My son… he's still so young." Due to severe dehydration, his lips were parched and cracked to the point of bleeding. "Stop talking nonsense! Since I found you, I won't let you die here!" Hans snapped, his brow furrowing. He reached into his pocket space to retrieve half a bottle of water for Leo. But to his surprise, there was now a steaming cup of herbal tea in there instead. That woman must have prepared it. Hans made up his mind—he had to save Leo now, and then he would go to the store and scavenge some gold for the woman. After some contemplation, he tossed the Pluting he had just extracted into the space pocket. It was an energy orb, something she should also be able to absorb. Metahumans, who were granted spatial manipulation powers, could naturally use these orbs. "Here, have some water." Hans was reluctant to share the herbal tea and handed over the soda he'd previously drunk instead. Parched beyond measure, Leo didn't question where the bottle came from despite his confusion. He cautiously took a sip. "It's delicious." The soda had indeed tasted great. It was something that Lucy had purchased; the brand was unavailable in Hans' dimension. "Where did you find this drink?" Leo asked in surprise after snapping back to his senses. "It's a long story," Hans replied. "But there will be more food in the future." Leo's eyes lit up. If Hans said there'd be food, he would believe him! Remembering that Lucy said that she accepted gold, diamonds, and even Plutings in return, Hans wondered if she had received the Pluting he'd just placed into the space. … Indeed, Lucy had received it. The moment she saw the bottle of soda disappear into thin air, she immediately knew Hans had taken it. But what was this green, quail-egg-sized sphere? It even smelled terrible. "What is this?" she asked, frowning. "That's a Pluting, extracted from a zombie's brain," Hans explained, his voice now steadier. "Since you're also a metahuman, absorbing it will enhance your energy." "Extracted from a zombie's brain?" Lucy recoiled, dropping the Pluting in shock. A zombie's brain—that meant it was practically dug out of someone's head. As someone who lived in a peaceful world, she couldn't wrap her head around scraping out someone's brain. "I-I think I'll pass," she sputtered. "Just gold would suffice." "This space is too small. The Pluting might help upgrade and expand it," Hans insisted. "That way, I can bring you even more gold and diamonds. I could even haul in artifacts from museums for you. I can get anything you want from this world for you—except food and water." In their post-apocalyptic world, food was scarce. Plants mutated, soil became toxic, and water was heavily polluted. They desperately needed food. "Okay. How do I absorb the Pluting?" Lucy asked nervously. Recalling Hans' advice about expanding her space for more gold, she steeled herself and picked up the green orb on the ground. She thought it needed a good rinse with tap water before absorbing it. "The best way is to swallow it," Hans said. "But if you can't handle that, you can also crush it to absorb its energy." "Okay!" Lucy exited her space and rinsed the Pluting under tap water, though the strange odor lingered on her hands. Crushing it? The man wasn't joking, was he? Yet, the texture did feel a bit like gummy candy. If she hadn't been told that it came from a zombie's brain, she might have found it tolerable. After some hesitation, Lucy crushed the orb. Green mist wafted out from it, allowing her to absorb only a small portion of its energy. Most of it had dissipated. However, the smell was quite overwhelming. "It'll enhance your physique and make you stronger."