Chapter 3

"The space didn't get any larger!" Lucy exclaimed, slightly disappointed. "That means you don't have enough energy. You need to absorb more Plutings," Hans explained. "I'll get them for you." Though Lucy's space didn't expand, she felt her energy had replenished despite not having breakfast. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she noticed that her dark circles seemed to have faded. She wondered if the Pluting could enhance her complexion. But its smell was just too awful! Feeling grateful to Hans, Lucy decided that she'd better make him some breakfast. She hurried downstairs and went to the kitchen. At this hour, her parents were already out working in the fields. They had left her some breakfast—a few meat pies that were still warm. Made with home-raised pork, the pies smelled amazing. She kept one for herself and stored two pies in her pocket space. As for grains, flour, and oil, she figured taking them all at once would make her parents think that the house had been robbed. … Hans intended to head into the city to find a shop. But since it was already dark out, he had to hurry up and find shelter. He decided to scavenge in a residential area, knowing most homes would have at least some gold jewelry. It seemed there was a time difference between his dimension and Lucy's—they were in opposing cycles of day and night. Hans and Leo found an old apartment building. After taking down two zombies, the wound on Hans' back was getting worse. They took refuge in a dingy unit. Dust coated every surface, and cobwebs draped the walls. A rotting zombie corpse lay inside, but neither man was fazed—they were already used to it. As night fell, the zombies outside grew restless. While their growls and howls echoed in the distance, Hans stepped over a corpse and retrieved a gold necklace from its body. "Hans, what's the point of taking that useless necklace?" Leo asked, clearly bewildered. He wouldn't even bother with it if it were in his way! Ignoring him, Hans strode toward the bedroom, searching for something. "Leo, where do people usually keep their valuables?" "Valuables? What's the use of money now?" Leo rolled his eyes. Money couldn't even fill his stomach. He thought Hans must've gone mad. Asking him where food might be hidden would at least make sense. With this thought in mind, he rushed to the kitchen. But as expected, everything had rotted. A putrid stench hit him as soon as he opened the fridge. Inside were several mutated dead rats. Leo frowned, disappointed that there was no canned food inside this household. Such items could at least last longer. Meanwhile, Hans retrieved a steaming, freshly baked meat pie out of the pocket space—the one Lucy had just stored. The enticing aroma immediately drew Leo's attention. His mouth watered as his eyes widened with disbelief. "Where do you think valuables would be hidden?" Hans asked, biting into his meat pie. Flabbergasted, Leo sputtered, "Where did you get that?" "I bought it with some Plutings," Hans replied casually. "Where did you buy it? I want to buy some too!" Leo exclaimed, growing excited. In this era, no one in their right mind would accept something invaluable like money in exchange for food. Was this person out of their mind? Leo was quick to catch on, and he remembered that most people usually hid their money in cabinets. He sprang into action, tearing through every cabinet until he found a jewelry box containing gold bracelets, gold rings, gold necklaces—likely someone's wedding jewelry. "Hans, here you go! Can I have a meat pie now? I'm starving!" Leo pleaded. "I'll kill to have a bite, please!" He could barely remember the taste of real food, as even grass was out of reach when he was starving. It was normal to go for days without food. Hans was willing to share with Leo. Leo had been his comrade back in the day, and the apocalypse only strengthened their bond. He took out another pie from the pocket space—Lucy had only given him two. Then, he stored all the gold they collected in the space, fairly certain that she'd be able to receive them right away. Leo grabbed the pie, although his hands were still dirty. Taking in the mesmerizing aroma, he almost teared up. "This is actually a real meat pie! I'm not hallucinating, am I?" he said, voice thick with emotion. It had been ages since he last ate a decent meal. Just as he was about to take a bite of it, he was reminded of his family back at the base. His son had been eating moldy leftovers, while his wife had filled her stomach with tree bark. Leo swallowed hard, holding back his hunger. "I have to save this for my son." He truly cherished it, even beginning to look for something to wrap it in. Holding it close to his nose, he was already feeling satisfied just from its smell. "Eat it. We'll find more food." Hans encouraged him and added firmly, "As long as we find enough gold, there'll be plenty more food." Lucy lacked money in her dimension, but she could still buy food. On the other hand, money was literally everywhere in Hans' dimension, but there was no food or water. As long as he could get her something in return, he would have an endless supply of food. He wondered if she had heeded his advice and absorbed the Pluting's energy. "Alright! Let's raid the malls and gold shops tomorrow and get all the gold!" Leo exclaimed, visibly excited. Hans shook his head. Lucy's space wasn't big enough to store all those things. "Just eat the pie," he said. "There'll be more food." "Will we really have more of this?" Leo was reluctant. He still couldn't get over the fact that he was, in fact, holding a meat pie. He couldn't even remember the last time he had meat since all the animals had mutated. Their meat was of a greenish hue, and it was also poisonous. "We'll also have spicy stew, roasted turkey, and pasta," Hans replied, recalling what Lucy said. "Stop it! You're making my mouth water," Leo groaned. "I can't wait to go out and scavenge for gold." Though he wondered if Hans had gained some mysterious power, he didn't ask any questions. Why should he bother when he no longer had to worry about food? Many people had gained superpowers after the apocalypse except for Hans. Yet, he was the commando because his strength was unmatched. Even gaining superpowers was pointless in their dimension. After all, they couldn't conjure food. "The zombies are extremely active at night," Hans said. "Even the slightest sound might blow our cover. Venturing out now would be suicide." At his words, Leo suppressed his urge to go out and scavenge for gold. The meat pie seemed to have reawakened his appetite, and he could barely resist the desire to have another one. It wasn't enough. Men naturally had larger appetites, and with the mutations their bodies underwent in the apocalypse, they needed even more energy. But food was scarce. The longer they starved, the worse their physical condition became. "Do you think we have hope now? With food and water, all of us can survive this, right?"