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Hayley Reid was reborn two weeks before the apocalypse began.
In her last life, she survived ten years of hell—only to die at the hands of the people she trusted most.
But this time, she returned with every memory intact… and awakened the Super Base System.
While the world fell into chaos, Hayley sipped wine and held her beloved puppy inside the world’s strongest steel fortress.
-
Chapter 1
"Flu cases are on the rise. Please take precautions, avoid crowded areas, don't gather unnecessarily, and keep warm…"
"Hayley, are you even listening to me?!"
Hayley Reid jolted, staring at everything in
Read more (full body)
Hayley Reid was reborn two weeks before the apocalypse began.
In her last life, she survived ten years of hell—only to die at the hands of the people she trusted most.
But this time, she returned with every memory intact… and awakened the Super Base System.
While the world fell into chaos, Hayley sipped wine and held her beloved puppy inside the world’s strongest steel fortress.
-
Chapter 1
"Flu cases are on the rise. Please take precautions, avoid crowded areas, don't gather unnecessarily, and keep warm…"
"Hayley, are you even listening to me?!"
Hayley Reid jolted, staring at everything in front of her in disbelief.
In the middle of the old, 300-square-foot living room with worn-out renovations was a couch, packed with middle-aged men and women.
In the center was a plump, 70-ish woman with graying hair. She was Eleanor Reid, Hayley's grandmother.
Eleanor glared at Hayley, her jowls bouncing with every movement.
Hayley froze. This was the exact scene from two weeks before the apocalypse, when her "beloved" grandmother, father, and stepmother forced her to give up her house for her brother and his soon-to-be wife.
The last thing she remembered was being stuck in a zombie siege at the eastern base a moment ago.
"Ever since your mom passed, Lucy treated you like her own. Everyone says she's wonderful! Now, Philip is getting married and wants to borrow your house. Why won't you let him? You're so ungrateful!" Eleanor hissed.
"Mom, Hayley's not ungrateful. I'm sure she'll come to her senses," said a plump woman next to Eleanor, pretending to mediate. This was Lucy Reid, Hayley's stepmother.
"Hmph!" Eleanor snorted. "Clear out the house immediately. Philip said the place has been rented for too long, and the furniture is too worn. He needs new furniture before he gets married. You'll pay for it. After all, he's your brother. You should help out a little!"
Hayley, standing in the middle, suddenly laughed out loud.
They wanted her house and expected her to buy new furniture on top of that? Ridiculous.
Even more ridiculous was the fact that she actually went along with it last time!
Hayley's mother, Cynthia, died in a car accident when she was 14. Soon after, Lucy moved in with her son, Philip. On the surface, Lucy seemed perfect—she was attentive and caring.
Hayley, going through her rebellious phase, was prickly with everyone but secretly craved warmth and family. Lucy's gentle, understanding ways fooled her. She supported Hayley in everything, no matter what, and Hayley almost genuinely saw her as a mother.
She gave them everything, even the only house Cynthia had left her. She hesitated for only a moment before agreeing.
The apocalypse soon hit, and Hayley was abandoned repeatedly. When it came time to escape on a rescue vehicle, they shoved her aside to save their skins. That was when Hayley truly understood how fake their love was.
True family didn't exist for her.
She had been nothing but a tool in their eyes, and they had squeezed her dry. Once she was useless, they kicked her aside.
Not a single person there had ever seen her as family.
She wanted to slap her past, foolish self so hard.
Bang!
Hayley tossed a few bags of cheap fruit from the old coffee table straight into the trash, then plopped herself down in front of them.
A young man, who had been glued to his phone on the armchair, immediately dropped it and yelled righteously, "Hayley, what the hell are you doing? These are imported apples Mom got especially for you! She said they're your favorite. How could you just throw them away?"
Hayley sneered. Her favorite? Since when?
She gave Philip a cold glance. "You think you have the right to talk to me about my house?"
Facing her icy gaze, Philip felt a shiver run through him and didn't dare to look at her.
Hayley's eyes carried a murderous energy—the kind she had honed over ten years of surviving the apocalypse alone after they abandoned her.
Philip instantly backed down.
Lucy quickly tried to smooth things over.
"What's wrong, Hayley? Are you not feeling well? If that's the case, we can come back another day. I know you're not happy with this request, but Philip is your brother. Sue's family wants a house in the city center, and you know how impossible that is now. Even with money, you might not get one. They're even doing lotteries for them. So, I'm begging you… Help your brother out. Later, when you get married, we'll try to make it up to you—"
"Why should we make it up to her?"
Bernard Reid, who had been quiet, finally spoke. He glared at Hayley.
"You really think this house is yours? You should step aside and let Philip have it! When you get married, your husband can buy you one. Stop fighting Philip for it!"
Hayley didn't even bother getting angry this time.
In her past life, she had wondered why Bernard treated her, his biological daughter, so badly, while spoiling his stepson. As it turned out, Philip was his real son—his own flesh and blood! Before he married Cynthia, he had already married Lucy in his hometown and had a son.
To him, Hayley was nothing.
And after the apocalypse, he treated her even worse.
Hayley held up four fingers. "Four hundred thousand."
Everyone froze.
"What are you talking about?"
"This house was Mom's premarital property. She legally gave it to me later, so I own this house. You want it? Pay up. Four hundred thousand is already a bargain."
"You're selling the house to us? You must be joking! We don't have that kind of money!"
Hayley lifted her smartwatch. "I'm giving you five seconds to decide. If you don't agree, I'll sell it to someone else. Five…"
"We're your elders! How could you talk money with us?!" Eleanor snapped.
"Four."
"You ungrateful little…! I'm gonna teach you a lesson!"
Hayley ignored Eleanor, speeding up. "Three…two…"
"Don't you dare!" Bernard jumped to hit her.
Hayley kicked his chair out from under him. He landed hard, looking like an idiot. She looked down coldly at him and went on, "One."
"You've lost it! How dare you hit your father!"
Hayley didn't care about their rage. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number. "Mr. Cruz, I'm selling the house. Put it up for 400 thousand…"
The house had been rented out through an agent until Hayley turned 18, which was why it hadn't been sold earlier.
"You want it, huh?" Hayley smiled, glancing their way. "Sure. I'll—"
"Don't say another word! We agree!" Lucy jumped in, panic in her voice. "Sell it to us!"
Lucy knew that the house was actually worth 600 thousand, so getting it for 400 grand was already a steal.
Plus, city-center houses were limited now, with all the residency and lottery rules. Hayley's house was hot property. Even if things didn't go exactly as they expected, the most important thing was getting it for themselves instead of letting an outsider have it.
Even if they had to pay 400 thousand to get it, they would make a quick 200 grand reselling it.
Hayley watched Lucy's reaction and smirked before hanging up.
She had decided to sell the house to them. She was losing a bit, but that was the quickest option. Time was money, and she needed both.
Most importantly, once the house was sold, they wouldn't have extra cash. She knew they only had 400 grand on hand.
In her past life, the government had warned them to stockpile supplies three days before the apocalypse. Hayley was curious to see what they would be able to afford by then.
-
Ding!
[You have received 400 thousand in your account.]
Half an hour later at the bank, Hayley saw the money hit her account. Lucy and the others weren't thrilled but paid up. The real estate agent kept calling Hayley's phone; afraid she'd sell the house to him, the family didn't dare complain.
"The property office is closed for a few days. I'll handle the transfer when they open," Hayley told them.
"No worries. We trust you!" Lucy said, squinting and smiling sweetly. "The transfer can wait. We'll arrange a time later."
Lucy acted generous, but Hayley knew better. The woman was just guarding against her future daughter-in-law, scared that her name would be on the house's deed.
Right now, the deed still carried Hayley's name, which gave her room to stall.
Hayley grinned. This was great!
Philip suddenly said to her, "Since we've bought the house, pack your stuff and get out! And toss out all of your junk. I'll get new furniture with Sue."
Right after paying, their attitude changed.
"Give Hayley a few more days. She's a responsible girl; she'll probably pay you a bit for storage and even replace some furniture. You should be more understanding of your sister," Lucy said.
"Mom, why do you still care about her? This little money-grubber doesn't deserve your kindness! I want her out! And Hayley, get your stupid dog out of the house! If I see it again, I'll chop it to pieces!"
Hayley froze when she heard Philip mention the "stupid dog".
Summer was still alive!
She didn't waste another second with them and ran home.
As soon as she opened her bedroom door, the quiet German Shepherd that was pacing nervously jumped into her arms.
"Woof, woof!"
"Summer!" Hayley almost cried, hugging it.
Summer was a retired military dog, a gift from Hayley's mother on Hayley's tenth birthday. After Cynthia died, Summer had been her comfort through the hardest times.
Lucy's family hated the intuitive dog and had tried several times to get rid of it, but Summer always came back. They wanted to give Summer away, but Hayley had insisted on keeping it, even getting into fights with them over it.
To stay the "kind stepmother", Lucy let Hayley keep Summer but insisted that it be kept locked up in Hayley's room.
After Hayley moved into Cynthia's old house, Summer finally had room to roam, though Lucy's family still locked it up when they came over.
During the apocalypse in Hayley's past life, Lucy's family ate the old dog while Hayley was out scavenging. She had blamed herself for not protecting it.
"Summer," Hayley whispered.
"Woof, woof!" Summer licked her hand.
"This time, I swear, I'll never let you get hurt again!"
"Woof, woof!" Summer barked happily.
Once Summer was settled, Hayley began packing.
The house, rented out for years, had become old and worn. However, the furniture Cynthia had bought back then was expensive. Hayley had been living with her when she was still alive. The furniture was practically useless now, but it still carried a lot of memories.
Being back, Hayley felt a little nostalgic.
Then, a voice rang in her head.
Ding!
[Super Lord System activated! Within one hour, for every 200-dollars' worth of item you carry, gain 35 cubic feet of inventory!]
Hayley froze. Here came the perks!
[Countdown: 59 minutes and 59 seconds!]
Skeptical, Hayley picked up her phone from the table to test it.
Ding! [Phone detected, worth 1,000 dollars. Reward: 175 cubic feet!]
With that, a 175-cubic-feet space appeared in her mind. Her phone vanished from her hand and reappeared there.
She now had an inventory!
Chapter 2
She had read plenty of novels before—this was a so-called system.
Hayley quickly accepted the perk and started sucking in everything she could. She soon figured out the pricing rules. The system valued items at their original purchase price, even if they were used or disassembled.
She jumped straight into moving, dismantling, and collecting everything.
Ding! [Gold jewelry detected, worth 11,600 dollars. Reward: 2,030 cubic feet!]
Ding! [Cup detected, worth 7.80 dollars.]
Ding! [Calendar detected, worth 2 dollars.]
The notifications kept coming.
Ding! [Small desk detected, worth 73.80 dollars. Reward: 35 cubic feet!]
Ding! [Rosewood table and chair set detected, worth 5,000 dollars. Reward: 875 cubic feet!]
Ding! [Trash can detected, worth 3 dollars.]
In about ten minutes, Hayley grabbed everything from shoes, hats, and clothes to pots, pans, pens, cups, trash bins, storage boxes, photo albums, nail clippers, and even larger stuff like tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets.
Even the rotten apples Lucy had brought today got tossed into the pile.
Ding! [Five pounds of rotten apples detected, worth 0.50 dollars.]
Hayley spat. What disgusting liars!
They wanted her to give them a 600-thousand-dollar house while offering her cheap, rotten apples they claimed to be imported. What a family!
But she didn't mind. Every little bit counted, so she collected them all.
Soon, the house was emptied of everything movable. Her sights turned to the big stuff she couldn't normally carry.
Ding! [Toilet detected, worth 400 dollars.]
Hayley yanked the toilet down with force. She had always been strong, but compared to her old self, who had survived ten years of the apocalypse, this body still felt a little weaker. She would need to train soon.
After she stored the toilet, more notifications came in.
Ding! [Sink detected, worth 139 dollars.]
Ding! [Range hood detected, worth 519.80 dollars.]
Ding! [Stove detected, worth 97.80 dollars.]
Ding! [Security door detected, worth 317.80 dollars.]
She was taking everything she could, not leaving even a single screw for them.
Ding! [Windows detected, worth 80 dollars.]
Ding! [Flooring detected, worth 30 dollars.]
Within an hour, Hayley had stripped the house clean. Anything movable was gone. The floors were lifted, the windows and doors removed, and even unmovable tiles were smashed and taken.
Ding! [Three seconds remaining!]
Hayley thought fast—she dashed to the front door, stepped on the railing, and snagged a tiny hallway bulb.
Ding! [Ten-watt bulb detected, worth 1 dollar.
[Time's up! Total space gained: 3,110 cubic feet.]
Hayley finally relaxed and said to Summer, "Summer! Let's go!"
Not long after, Philip's family brought the pregnant Sue Norman to the new house.
"Babe, here's our new place! It's in the city center and a school district, with over 1,000 square feet. It has two units per floor. We don't have a neighbor yet, so the hallway is all ours. The lighting's great, and it has the best layout in the complex. Plus, it's just 100 yards from your work. If you want, you can move in now. Furniture and appliances are ready!"
The group marched up to the east-side unit—and froze.
The house wasn't just empty; it didn't even have doors or windows. Even a hallway light bulb was gone.
Sue turned on her heel. "Hmph! You expect me to renovate this dump? Well, I'm not getting married until you fix this house. And my name has to go on the deed!"
Eleanor was fuming. She wanted to call Hayley to demand what that girl had done.
But the bad news was, they couldn't reach Hayley.
Meanwhile, Hayley was at a tunnel-style fallout shelter on the outskirts of Andersville. It was originally meant for a mountain road, but construction stopped due to insufficient funding and government rerouting. It had been abandoned and repurposed as a fallout shelter.
"What are you renting a fallout shelter for?" the agent asked routinely.
"Starting a business. I'm gonna grow mushrooms," Hayley said casually.
From her previous life, she knew there were three types of shelters.
The first were city-center shelters, built under malls, residential buildings, or hospitals. They were convenient, well-equipped, and fast to evacuate—but useless in a zombie apocalypse. Holding a high population meant it was the fastest to fall.
The other two types were tunnel-style shelters and professional defense installations. Professional ones were critical in the late apocalypse and formed the backbone of stable bases, but Hayley couldn't rent one.
So, tunnel shelters like these were perfect for her: they were secluded, far from people, and big, with a solid ventilation system and a heavy iron gate—exactly what she needed.
Plus, they were cheap.
Hayley's new shelter cost 400 a year to rent, for a minimum of 20 years. She paid three years upfront—1,200 dollars for a space the size of five basketball courts.
The agent grinned, thinking she was an easy mark. Sure, the rent was cheap, but the location was extremely inconvenient and transportation was a headache.
He figured that nine and a half out of ten entrepreneurs were idiots, but he wouldn't warn her. After collecting the money, signing the contract, and taking the 100-dollar service fee, he left.
Hayley watched him leave without a word. She wouldn't reveal her true purpose. After ten years surviving the apocalypse, she learned one thing: never explain disaster plans to fools, because idiots like them were disasters themselves.
After sending the agent off, Hayley entered the shelter with Summer.
She checked everything. The ventilation system was intact, and she found a well left by a previous tenant, plus an electrical wire.
The well's water tasted like mountain spring—totally separate from city water.
Later, when treatment plants were contaminated, tap water would be useless. With this well, Hayley now had a safe water source.
The wire wasn't connected, but that meant power could be set up. If she got a generator, the shelter could have electricity.
Chapter 3
If she repaired the fence and added electricity, her fallout shelter's defenses would get a huge boost.
She decided to get started.
Just then, the voice from the system popped into her head.
Ding! [Super Lord System activated! Please reinforce the original base. Rewards will be given based on the level of reinforcement. Countdown: 15 days!]
Hayley's eyes lit up.
She was just starting to process the new mission when another notification came.
Ding! [Base war dog detected. Reward: War dog's combat power increased 100x! Physical stats increased 100x!]
Hayley watched in amazement as Summer's body started to change. Its muscles doubled in size, its claws grew longer and sharper, and all signs of aging disappeared. In its place was the fierce, commanding presence of a powerful beast.
"Woof, woof!"
Hayley was amazed. "Wow!"
-
Hayley had Cynthia's old car, so she could get around easily. It was now time to start reinforcing her base.
Not long after, she returned to her base. She placed the generator in the innermost storage room of the fallout shelter.
Ding! [One thousand-kW generator detected. Reward: Indestructible, lowest-energy-consumption generator!]
Hayley's jaw dropped.
She stared at the generator, now looking like it was coated in silver. Its strength and durability were immediately way beyond what they had been. And the best part? It was indestructible!
Normally, generators needed maintenance to last long, and Hayley had only been hoping to make it last. However, the system had upgraded it automatically.
Amazing!
She moved on and installed the surveillance cameras on the wire fences she had set up yesterday.
Her tunnel hideout was in a perfect spot. Trees circled it, the main road was about a mile away, and a side road wound into the forest after about 500 yards. No one would ever notice a tunnel covered in wire here.
It wasn't noticeable at all.
The cameras covered every corner inside. Once she connected them to the generator, she could monitor any intruder—human or otherwise.
Immediately, the cameras and electrified fences powered up. Her computer screen filled with tiny surveillance feeds, one for every angle.
Then, the system chimed.
Ding! [Monitoring and electrical grid system detected. Reward: Monitoring system upgraded! Coverage of the surveillance cameras increased 10x and can automatically detect all living and non-living entities! Electrical grid system upgraded. Maximum shock output: 10 thousand volts!]
Hayley stared at her screen, astonished.
She zoomed in on one camera. The pixel clarity was ten times better than before. Her 300-foot range camera now stretched a full mile, letting her see the road through gaps in the trees.
A bird tried to land on the fence. It hovered and chose a spot—and with a loud zap, dropped straight down.
Hayley's eyes glinted. Perfect!
This defense was lethal. Anyone trying to break in? Instant death.
"Summer, stay away from the fences, okay?" she warned.
"Woof!"
Upgraded Summer had grown bigger and smarter, more intuitive than before. Hayley ruffled its head, then pulled out the stuff from her old fridge from her inventory. They ate together.
After the meal, she got back to organizing her base. Even cleaning the fallout shelter earned rewards.
She cleared the water well and trimmed overgrown weeds.
Ding! [Water well upgraded. Reward: Independent mountain-range clean water source!]
Ding! [Weed coverage reduced. Reward: High-quality soil! Crop yield increased 100x! Growth speed increased 10x!]
Hayley grinned. She now had clean water and rich soil.
Her base was getting stronger and better every day. Soon, she could grow her own fresh fruits and vegetables and be self-sufficient. She made a mental note to buy seeds next.
Ten days passed. The apocalypse was less than three days away.
Every inch she cleaned and every fence she reinforced improved the defenses of her base, making it stronger and stronger.
Meanwhile, her deliveries kept coming. During the day, she worked in the shelter. At night, she went to the warehouse to pick up packages.
She had installed massive cameras at the warehouse entrance, and Summer helped guard the place. It was peaceful now, so people wouldn't dare steal with a huge dog watching.
The delivery guys always unloaded truck after truck, then left as soon as they were done.
At night, Hayley would go over everything and pull them into her inventory, then carry them back to her base.
Ding! [Warehouse full.]
All 100 tons of pasta, 1,000 boxes of instant noodles, 200 boxes of sausage, 100 boxes of pickled vegetables, and over 20 thousand meal packs were neatly stored in the innermost warehouse.
Ding! [Reward: Super warehouse! Food remains permanently fresh!]
The massive metal doors now looked like something from a bank vault. Not even professional explosives could open them—only Hayley's iris could.
Inside, all items were sorted and stored. And the best part? Permanent freshness and no spoilage!
Chapter 4
In just ten days, Hayley's fallout shelter looked completely transformed, inside and out.
Now, it was only three days before the apocalypse.
After planting the last tree, Hayley thought about what else she needed.
For a self-sufficient, hidden life, she needed some chickens, ducks, and fish. Even with all the meal packs she had, nothing beat fresh food.
Hayley kept walking through the market, but many stalls were closing. In a corner, she spotted someone selling live baby goats. She bought the last two for 300 bucks.
The seller told her that these goats had been specifically bred for producing goat's milk, but business had been so bad that he started selling them off. The big ones were already gone, and only a few kids were left. By chance, Hayley managed to snag the last two today.
"You should go home after buying these! With the flu outbreak, don't stay out too long," the vendor warned.
Hayley nodded. She always wore a professional medical-grade mask, anyway.
The truth was, the flu had never been the source of the zombie virus. It simply spread so widely and so quickly, lowering people's immunity. When the real virus hit, those with the lowest resistance turned into zombies right away.
That was why everyone blamed the flu, thinking it was the true cause.
It took Hayley ten years of surviving in the apocalypse to figure that much out. Yet, she still had no idea regarding the real origin of the zombie virus.
Some people used to say it was nothing more than a game for the gods, like the Hunger Games. After all, the virus didn't just create zombies. It also changed people in other, stranger ways.
Once Hayley had the vendor deliver her goods to the warehouse, she left the farmer's market without hanging around.
Finding a hidden spot with no cameras, she placed the two goats into her inventory and drove off with Summer. On the way, she stopped at a farm supply store and bought a full set of tools, plus 20 shovels.
Most people didn't realize shovels were serious weapons in survival situations. During conflicts, farmers used them as deadly tools. Even modern military spades evolved from shovels.
In an apocalypse, a melee weapon like this could be more reliable than firearms.
After stocking up on enough shovels, Hayley realized she needed to get baseball bats—another surprisingly effective weapon.
Chapter 5
With that in mind, Hayley walked into a sports equipment store.
After picking up a few of the best, sturdiest baseball bats, she grabbed a bunch of adventure gear—flashlights, helmets, armor, pads, tents, protective suits, tactical jackets…all of it. Everything she needed for the outdoors. This alone cost her over 4,000.
The store also carried emergency kit accessories—tweezers, pliers, bandages, thermometers, and stuff like that. It reminded Hayley that she still needed to stop by the pharmacy.
She left the outdoor store and went to stock up on common medicines—cold medicine, bandages, fever reducers, vitamins, alcohol, iodine, and other essentials.
By the time she left the pharmacy, it was almost evening. The city lights sparkled, neon glowing all around.
Hayley had pretty much gathered everything she could—food, drink, shelter, tools—all the basics covered. Now, she could focus on upgrading daily necessities and a few extra comforts.
She figured it was time to go on a shopping spree. Before the apocalypse hit, she was going to enjoy the world one last time.
First stop: a Michelin-star hotel she had never treated herself to before.
She ordered a full-on feast—mushroom soup, barbecued ribs, pan-seared cod, roasted chicken, and garlic butter prawns—everything she had never been able to afford before. She even had the kitchen prepare ten extra orders of her favorite garlic butter prawns and filet mignon to take home for Summer.
After that, she booked a suite and headed down to the mall.
The mall was packed with goods, from general stores to tempting food stands. Hayley, used to hard times, hit the food section first—sausages, mini corn dogs, sponge cakes, meat pies, fried skewers, fried chicken, pork cutlets, stew, ice cream, milkshakes, assorted pastries…everything.
She wanted it all, but there wasn't enough time or money to buy everything. Most of it was just luxury for a peaceful world—things that wouldn't matter after the apocalypse.
But right now, she could buy and eat without worry.
Hayley went store by store, quietly and extravagantly telling each clerk, "I want all your snacks."
She paid and had everything delivered to her hotel room upstairs.
At the first bakery, everything went into bags—fresh bread, cheesecake, cream puffs, petit fours, marshmallows, Swiss rolls, custard slices, custard tarts, waffles, palmiers—all packed and sent up.
At a fried chicken shop, she bought every flavor—sweet chili, barbecue, garlic, honey mustard—and every type of chicken: boneless, drumsticks, wings, whole chickens.
She then hit up the smoothie bars and ordered every flavor she could—berry blends, tropical fruit mixes, creamy yogurt smoothies, protein shakes, even frozen slushies—everything on the list!
She basically just paid and gave them a delivery address before leaving, not wanting to attract too much attention.
Just buying these snacks cost over 40 thousand. Each shop's stock usually totaled about 3,000 dollars. Hayley only spent around a few hundred dollars on smaller stalls, like the sausage stall and corn dog stand, ordering one of each flavor.
Still, she basically cleared the snack stores in one sweep.
Next, she went to the basement supermarket.
Now, supermarkets were essential. She pushed two huge carts through the warehouse-style store.
At checkout, her carts were filled with single units of all kinds—one bag of each flavored chips, one pack of every cookie or candy, one bottle of each drink, and every cooked food item she could get—roast turkey slices, rotisserie chicken, baked salmon, deli wraps, stuffed pita pockets, and microwavable pasta meals.
Even partially prepared foods—marinated chicken, pork chops, fish fillets, and steak—were included. Household necessities like toiletries, face cream, sanitary pads, disposable towels, wipes—everything she could need.
And now that she had money, she even bought appliances—a washing machine, a robot vacuum, and a fridge. She wouldn't have considered this before, but now she could.
After checking out her two carts, she spoke to the store manager. She wanted the store's entire stock of everything in her carts, except for appliances.
However, she had underestimated the cost and inventory. By the time she had selected just a third of what she wanted, her account was empty—220 thousand, gone in a flash!
She found herself in an awkward position.
Basic staples had been cheap, but processed goods were several times more expensive. Looking at her account balance hitting zero, Hayley decided this was enough.
Chapter 6
As Hayley kept walking through the mall, she suddenly caught sight of two familiar figures.
A young man was walking with a heavily pregnant woman just ahead of her. Philip and his wife—the same couple Hayley had just "pranked" a little while back.
"Babe, calm down. Whatever you want today, just buy it. Forgive me, okay? Don't get mad… You don't want to stress the baby!"
"No! You've been lying to me this whole time, haven't you? Your family doesn't even own that apartment! You tricked me on purpose!"
"It's really ours."
"Then what was all that earlier? Debt collectors at your door claiming the apartment was theirs, sending your grandma to the hospital!"
"I don't know what happened. I swear, my mom paid 400 thousand to buy it from Hayley. We just have to find her and transfer the deed!"
"Wait, didn't your mom say the apartment was a gift from Hayley, so I couldn't be on the deed? How is it suddenly bought by your family and transferable?"
"Uh… A-Anyway! Just know that the apartment's ours now. I'm my family's only son, so I'm bound to get everything. And whatever's mine is yours! Just trust me!"
Sue wouldn't buy it. "How am I supposed to trust you? First, you said it was move-in ready with renovations done, now it's a shell. You said it was your property, and now debt collectors show up. I've finally seen the truth—you guys are messing with me! I won't keep this baby! I'm gonna get rid of it now!"
"Babe! Babe!"
Hayley leaned against a corner, listening to their argument, a small smirk tugging at her lips.
Wow. Just ten days, and things were already a mess at the Reids'. Eleanor even ended up in the hospital.
Still, it could get even more entertaining.
Hayley watched Philip, hands on the escalator railing, chasing after Sue. Mischievously, she whistled at him.
Philip, already flustered, turned and spotted her leaning on the glass railing, casually watching them.
"Hayley?"
He froze, wanting to chase her, but Sue had already gotten to the floor below.
"Babe! Babe!"
One was his wife, about to get an abortion, and the other was Hayley. He wished he could split himself in two.
After weighing his options, he decided to chase Hayley. He figured he would just grab her and make her explain everything to Sue—simple.
He ran up the escalator that was heading down, trying to reach her.
Meanwhile, Hayley walked at a calm, steady pace. By the time Philip caught up, she had already circled to the opposite escalator, making him chase her through the entire mall.
They ended up in the underground parking lot.
"Damn it! You little wench! Where do you think you're going?" Philip, panting, cornered Hayley. "How dare you mess with me behind my back! I swear I'll—"
"Perfect," Hayley said cheerfully, shutting the car trunk with a click. "I was thinking the same thing."
She swung a baseball bat in her hands.
Philip's eyes went wide, alarm bells ringing.
"What the… You're gonna hit me?"
Before he could react, Hayley swung.
She immediately overpowered him, dislocating his jaw so he couldn't talk, and dragged him to the corner of the parking lot, beating him mercilessly.
Ten years surviving the apocalypse meant she had learned every kind of fighting technique. She could take down a grown man in seconds.
But she was merciful with Philip.
For half an hour, she smashed him in the arms and legs, striking only the most painful spots that wouldn't kill him.
After 30 minutes, Philip lay on the ground, barely conscious.
Hayley leaned against the car and kicked him lightly before bending down to grab his phone. She dialed 911 while pressing his head against the floor with her foot.
"See? I'm nice. I even called 911 for you. You're welcome."
Philip nearly passed out from anger. If her foot weren't on his face, he would've admitted she was "nice".
"Damn you…"
She took care of the scene and wiped his ID from the phone, not wanting the hospital to identify him that quickly.
Then she transferred all the money in his digital bank to hers, using his fingerprint to authorize the payments.
Afterward, she moved him to a bar street outside the parking lot, the same place she had called 911 from.
Soon, EMTs arrived. Hayley watched them take Philip away, blending in like any bystander.
Calmly, she sent messages to Bernard and Lucy with his phone, telling them he had been hurt and to check the hospital.
After all that, she sold his phone to a small roadside store. Even if Lucy reported it, they wouldn't trace it back to Hayley in three days. By then, any investigation into Philip would be useless because it would be the apocalypse.
Knocking Philip out added 6,000 dollars to her account. She used the money to stock up again, emptying several convenience store shelves into her car.
As she prepared to leave, her car door slammed—someone had collapsed on it.
Hayley's eyes darkened. Several stylishly dressed men and women helped lift the man.
One tattooed guy waved. "Sorry, miss. My friend's drunk!"
They laughed and carried him away.
"Damn, he went down after two drinks! I remember him saying he could drink anyone under the table."
"Yeah, he used to hold his liquor a lot better."
"Maybe getting married weakened him!"
"Hahaha!"
Hayley leaned on her car, watching them leave. Her gaze fell on the young man in the middle—head down, stiff, pale hands hanging awkwardly.
Soon, he came to.
"What happened to me?"
"You drank too much, that's what!"
"You're useless! You didn't even drink that much!"
"Work stress, I guess. I'm heading back."
"Heading back? No way! Keep drinking! Let's get wasted tonight!"
The group laughed as they walked off.
Hayley's eyes darkened as she watched the scene.
She checked her phone and noted that today was the 9th. In her last life, the zombie outbreak started on the 11th.
The apocalypse…might have started early.
As Hayley grabbed her car keys, a piercing scream cut through the air.
"Ahhh!"
That familiar sound.
The zombie virus had broken out early!