After devouring his fill, Li Xuan let out a series of satisfied burps. It had been a long time since he'd felt this full.
"These supplies should last me several days!"
"It seems everything I experienced in the dream wasn't a dream after all. Everything I went through in that parallel world is real!"
"Two months of binge-eating in the city, and I gained over 60 pounds, only to be dumped by my girlfriend for it!"
"In two different worlds, and I still managed to be a loser in both—one nearly starving to death, the other dumped and treated like a doormat!"
"But starting today, our fates can change dramatically."
"Gold, jewelry, and jade, worthless in the apocalypse, are incredibly valuable in the other world. I can trade them for tons of supplies, enough to live comfortably in this wasteland!"
"In the next few days, I need to get my body in shape. Only with enough strength can I survive a zombie attack and protect myself."
With his mind clear, Li Xuan decisively started working out.
Before, he didn't have enough food—training consumed too much energy, making hunger unbearable. That's why he'd avoided it, conserving strength by staying still.
But now, with an ample food supply, there were no more excuses. Improving his physical fitness was urgent.
He began with 50 push-ups, which felt easy.
100—slightly tiring but manageable.
150—very exhausting, yet not his limit.
200—extremely tough, but he pushed on.
250—finally, he couldn't continue.
"Two hundred and fifty push-ups in one go—this level of fitness clearly isn't normal!"
"That zombie crystal didn't just awaken my spatial ability; it must've enhanced my physical strength too!"
After push-ups, he did 500 sit-ups, 500 jumping jacks, 200 side kicks, and 200 thrust punches.
Exhausted, he devoured more food to replenish his energy.
By 7:30 p.m., he collapsed into bed, falling into a deep sleep.
He noticed his digestion had improved significantly. With a constant food supply, his body was like a ravenous beast, greedily absorbing nutrients, rapidly becoming stronger.
"If I get another zombie crystal and store it in the spatial space, my city self could consume it too. That should boost my fitness and help shed the fat!"
7:30 a.m., the Next Day
Li Xuan woke up, staring at the box of gold bars and the pair of imperial jadeite. It felt like a dream.
Since his apocalyptic counterpart was already training, he couldn't afford to slack off.
But today, he had two tasks:
1. Sell some gold bars for cash. He was broke, unable to pay next month's rent.
2. Stock up on supplies to fill the spatial storage.
Takeout food didn't last long and wasn't healthy. He needed fresh ingredients for his apocalyptic self, plus some reliable weapons.
Kitchen knives were too short, and after heavy use, the blades had dulled.
He needed machetes or hatchets from the black market. Those would be far more effective against zombies.
Guns were out of the question—for now, he had neither the means nor the connections to acquire them.
With his plan set, Li Xuan headed out, gold bar in hand.
His first stop was the nearest gold shop.
Gold shops always bought gold, and with prices surging, demand was high. Pure gold jewelry was selling at 728 yuan per gram, and buyback rates hovered around 550 yuan—but even at that price, gold was in short supply.
Li Xuan didn't waste time. Walking in, he went straight to the point.
"Boss, do you buy gold?"
"Of course!"
The shop owner, a chubby middle-aged man, looked about as round as Li Xuan's city self.
"Take a look at this," Li Xuan said, tossing the gold bar onto the counter.
"Wow, a 500-gram bar!"
The owner tested it with a blowtorch—the gold softened quickly. Then he used a detector to confirm its purity.
"Not bad, 999 pure gold. You looking to sell?"
"Yes," Li Xuan nodded.
"I can offer 530 yuan per gram—that's 265,000 yuan for 500 grams."
"Deal."
Li Xuan agreed without hesitation.
The international price was around 550 yuan per gram, but the shop owner had shaved off 20 yuan. Li Xuan didn't mind. All shops took a cut—that's just business.
After leaving the shop, 265,000 yuan hit his bank account.
To stay under the radar, he didn't sell all the gold to one shop. Too many bars with unclear origins would raise suspicions.
Instead, he visited 30 different shops, selling one bar each. This minimized risk.
He also spread the money across five bank accounts, capping each at a million yuan. The remaining three million went into his WeChat and Alipay accounts.
Never put all your eggs in one basket.
As for the imperial jadeite pair, Li Xuan planned to hold onto them for now. They'd fetch an astronomical price, but he needed the right time and buyer.
After eight exhausting hours of shop-hopping, Li Xuan took a cab to the black market.
He bought two machetes and three hatchets, stashing them in his spatial space. Then, on his way home, he stopped at a large supermarket, stocking up on supplies.
By the time he returned to his rental apartment, it was past 8 p.m.
He was dead tired.
"It's time to buy a car. Hauling supplies would be much easier."
"Maybe even a house—pay in full. But first, I should settle next month's rent."
Li Xuan pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and transferred 3,500 yuan to his landlord, Zhao Dahai.
"Brother Zhao, here's next month's rent."
Zhao Dahai was a businessman in his mid-thirties with multiple properties. In the three years Li Xuan had rented from him, they'd only met twice. Most interactions were through WeChat, including rent payments.
Dealing with a male landlord was easier—less fuss, fewer issues.
Of course, Li Xuan had never missed a payment. Trust was mutual.
Moments later, his phone vibrated.
"WeChat transfer of 3,500 yuan—refunded."
Zhao Dahai: "Xiao Li, I've decided to stop renting out that apartment."