Chapter 8: I'm Afraid My Shelf Life Is Shortening

Under the incessant chattering of the system interface, Lu Li pushed open the door on the left, entering a world of soft pink. She carefully placed Jiang Linyi onto the lace-covered bed, tucked him in, and tiptoed away.

The moment the door clicked shut, the man’s eyelashes fluttered. His fingers reached under the pillow, gripping a scalpel that glinted with a sharp, cold light.

Another pot of hot water was ready, and Lu Li poured it into the bathtub with excitement. She finally had toiletries and hot water.

Humming an off-key tune, she even felt elegant enough to prepare some flower petals. As a lock of hair slipped down to obscure her vision, Lu Li instinctively looked up, only to be met with a hideous face in the mirror.

It was a female ghost with blood streaming down her face!

Lu Li stumbled back in terror, and it took quite a while before she could accept that the ghost was her own reflection.

The flower juice on her cheeks and lips had been smudged by the steam. But recalling Jiang Linyi’s completely normal face, Lu Li calmed down. The smearing must have happened after he fainted, otherwise, he would have killed her already. So, she hadn't been exposed?

"Damn system, open the store! Let me see the cosmetics!"

[Host, well... to prevent you from reselling and disrupting the market, the prices in the system store are basically on par with the world you are in! But everything in the store is guaranteed in quality and quantity, and they are rare treasures indeed!]

"Stop the nonsense. Show me some long-lasting cosmetics. I want cheap and bulk items!"

The interface flickered through some operations, and Lu Li went numb.

"Why does an 80ml bottle of foundation cost 3,000 points! Why is a 3g lipstick more expensive than the foundation!"

[Love of beauty is a woman's nature! Host, these things will be hard currency in the apocalypse a hundred years from now, especially among women! But the host is forbidden from reselling! Once discovered, there will be no leniency!]

"Hmph! Get me the cheapest black colored contacts and a file for grinding my teeth!"

[Host, you can only afford daily disposables for now. I'll give you a week's supply. That’s a total of 35 points, 5 remaining.]

After simply washing her face, Lu Li stepped into the long-awaited bathtub. She touched her cold skin, which the hot water couldn't warm, and once again felt the reality that she was no longer human. Saddened, she buried her head in her knees and submerged her entire body in the hot water.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Li twitched her nose. "System, do you smell something?"

"Has something gone rotten?"

Lu Li sniffed all over the water's surface until she followed the scent to her own body. Her voice carried a hint of a sob, "System, have I been soaked rotten by the hot water?"

[Host, you're overthinking it!]

Feeling that she was only getting smellier the longer she soaked, Lu Li stood up abruptly. She splashed herself with cold water, deciding that from now on, she would soak in ice water every day to extend her shelf life.

"System, do you have an ice coffin? I don't want the bed anymore! Give me that instead!"

[Host, you have no electricity! An ice coffin would just be a decoration!]

"How many points for a complete electrical installation?"

[A solar panel costs 20,000 points.]

Very well. If for no other reason, she had to get electricity just to survive!

Draining the hot water and finishing a simple bath, Lu Li walked past Jiang Linyi’s door with a profound gaze.

In the darkness, she lay on the luxurious bed the system had set up for Jiang Linyi, eyes wide open, watching the moonlight fade outside the window as the sky began to brighten.

The morning sun pierced through the night sky into the room. Lu Li shook her dazed head; that damn nocturnal routine from her past life had followed her here.

In the faint morning light, a dark shadow dove down but stopped abruptly outside Lu Li’s window, then began darting around like a fly that had lost its target.

Lu Li looked at that familiar bird, and unpleasant memories flooded her mind. Her gloomy mood turned into resentment. Stretching her stiff body, she carefully opened the door and went downstairs.

This time, she would kill it in one strike! That damned bird would not be allowed to poop on her property again!

She put on Jiang Linyi’s clothes, made sure nothing was exposed, and pulled out her dagger.

A sudden crackle of electricity came from the living room, startling Lu Li. She looked toward the source.

"Today is the 100th anniversary of the apocalypse. We are now announcing some good news: after years of official exploration, it has been confirmed that the greatest threat to humanity—the zombies—are completely extinct! Humans may now begin leaving the safe zones to explore the surrounding environment, but remain cautious of other mutated creatures; do not provoke or approach them lightly! Exploration teams with the strength to collect valuable mutated specimens will receive generous rewards..."

Looking at the satellite radio, which she remembered as completely obsolete, Lu Li curled her lips in a sneer.

Zombies completely extinct? If she believed their nonsense—"officially confirmed," they said—then what was she?

"Within the safe zone, the last piglet with a pollution level below 20% has mutated, and its pollution level has soared to 27%. The current plan to raise pigs has temporarily failed. A reward of 100,000 contribution points is now offered for any live wild boar with a pollution level below 20%..."

Picking up a packet of nutrient paste, Lu Li walked over to the radio. When the apocalypse broke out, all communication equipment was rendered useless, leaving only satellite devices that could occasionally receive signals. Consequently, they became highly coveted supplies early on, and even now, satellite equipment remained a scarce resource.

The original heroine had happened to obtain a satellite radio by chance, and she had used it to trade for a great deal of supplies in the early stages.

The jelly-like liquid slid into her mouth. It was sour, flavorless, had a bizarre texture, and stuck to her throat. In short, it was not good.

Lu Li stared at the morning light reflecting off the packaging: "26th Generation." She vaguely recalled the original heroine describing the "24th Generation" as if it were a heavenly delicacy. Was this stuff getting worse with every update, or was her sense of taste different from a human's?

Listening to the broadcast about the status of the safe zone, Lu Li completely lost hope of living there. Not to mention that her non-human status would force her to eat that awful, expensive nutrient paste every day—it would be better to eat the free, spoiled bird that had come to her doorstep!

In the short time she had been distracted, the bird had disappeared from view. Lu Li ran to the floor-to-ceiling window to peer outside, and she chuckled.

The mutated blackbird was leaving its mark right in front of Jiang Linyi’s window.

Lu Li decided not to touch the bird for now. She was going to fleece Jiang Linyi—for room and board, food expenses... and a "pollution fee" for the mess outside!

Sitting in a chair, watching the blackbird run wild, Lu Li thought that after staying up all night, she would fall asleep quickly—after all, according to her previous life's schedule, this was her prime sleeping time. But she had miscalculated.

Staring at the sun as it fully rose outside, she felt no sleepiness at all, though her stomach let out a growl.

Looking at the empty packet of nutrient paste, Lu Li accepted her fate; that stuff was definitely not for non-humans.

She grabbed the remaining bird, headed to the kitchen, and skillfully bled and plucked it. She threw it into a pot of water to boil. She would try it plain-stewed.

A rustling sound came from upstairs. Lu Li grabbed the interface and ran into the bathroom.