Free Web NovelChapter 464: Chapter 464: A Sudden Accusation
Ever since Winnie Summers and Adam Lawson divorced, Melody Summers and her mother had relied on each other to get by. There were almost no secrets between the two of them; Winnie would always consult Melody whenever something came up.
That was why Winnie’s recent odd behavior left Melody so baffled.
But for the next few days, no matter how much Melody questioned her, Winnie refused to say anything.
Melody felt dejected, so she tried to distract herself by farming, picking fruit, mining, and fishing in the Arcadian Space.
As the ice and snow vanished, temperatures continued to soar. The oceans began to thaw, and the ice layer, more than ten meters thick, gradually melted in the sunlight.
Fishing boats from all over the world began setting sail, and the seafood supply on the market started to recover. With her monopoly broken, The Arcadia Shop could no longer sell its seafood at such high prices. With a heavy heart, Melody renegotiated the prices with the hotels she supplied, and her sales revenue dropped to just one-tenth of what it had been.
To earn as much money as possible, Melody restocked some of her fruits and vegetables. She spent her mornings picking and packing produce, her afternoons fishing out at sea, and her evenings mining in the mountains after dinner. She was like a perpetually spinning top, constantly and happily occupied.
The reason Melody began her high-intensity grind was that she now had a new goal: she needed to earn 10 billion as quickly as possible.
A few days prior, Melody had redeemed three doses of the S Level Far Sea Secret Medicine from the Odyssey Station. With her cumulative transaction volume, her trade catalog had now unlocked up to page 80.
And right there, on page 80, an option appeared that made her heart pound with excitement—the "Plant and Animal Gift Package."
The item description explained that the Plant and Animal Gift Package was specially created for planets that had suffered devastating blows, such as natural disasters or nuclear radiation. It would allow flora and fauna that had been driven to extinction by the calamity to grow and thrive once more.
Melody was overcome with excitement the moment she saw the item. She had been thinking about it for a while: after the extreme temperatures and the drying up of water sources, many plants and animals had gone extinct. ’If humans end up being the only living creatures left on Terra, what’s the point?’
That was why Melody was so desperate to get this gift package—to preserve Terra’s original flora and fauna.
The only catch was that the "Plant and Animal Gift Package" was extraordinarily expensive, costing a full 10 billion.
billion was no small sum. Melody couldn’t count on digging up expensive diamonds every time, nor could she always catch rare Blue Scale Prawns. She could only save up bit by bit, with every pound of produce and every single fish and prawn.
The days passed quickly as Melody kept herself busy.
「Time flew, and soon it was early April.」 Just as Melody remembered from her past life, a light drizzle began to fall outside the window that morning.
The apocalypse had now lasted for two full years, from April 2025 to April 2027. At long last, the earth was receiving its first rainfall in two years.
The residents of The Metropolis Residences had no idea this light drizzle was the prelude to torrential downpours and devastating floods. They assumed the apocalypse was finally over and that the climate was returning to normal. In this mindset, everyone gathered downstairs, cheering as they let the rain wash over them.
Another piece of good news arrived with the drizzle: power and internet service had finally been restored to The Metropolis Residences.
With the return of electricity and the internet, The Metropolis Residences’ residents’ group chat, silent for months, finally pinged with new messages:
"4-1209 Goofing Off: !!!!!!!!!"
"4-1209 Goofing Off: Long time no see! So excited! Is everyone doing okay?"
"3-805 Fruit Gummy: We’re good, we’re good, we’re good! My whole family made it! We had run out of charcoal, and I almost thought we were going to freeze to death. I can’t believe it warmed up so quickly. So lucky!"
"2-1408 Bella Grant: Oh my! Today is such a good day. The power is actually back on!"
"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: It is! Power, water, and internet... it’s like a dream! I’m going to give my kids a nice hot bath!"
"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: The temperatures have finally gone back to normal. Does that mean this whole disaster is finally over?"
"4-1009 Lowell On Deadline: @3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two It must be over. The power and water are both back. I heard from my relatives back home that they started planting spring wheat at the end of last month!"
"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: @4-1009 Lowell On Deadline Really? That’s amazing! It’s raining today, and spring rain is precious. This year is bound to be a good harvest! Once it comes in, we’ll be able to eat proper meals again!"
"7-901 Adventurous Lawson: My dear neighbors, I’m here to say goodbye. It’s been a pleasure living with you all these past few years. Farewell, and may we meet again."
"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: @7-901 Adventurous Lawson What? Why so sudden? Why are you leaving?"
"7-901 Adventurous Lawson: @3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two This whole disaster made me realize that living in the city isn’t as good as being in the countryside. I’ve decided to go back home to farm. I’m leaving tomorrow. My apartment is already on the market."
"4-1009 Lowell On Deadline: @7-901 Adventurous Lawson Are you nuts? You think the countryside is better than the city during a disaster? How can a rural area’s disaster resilience even compare to a city’s?"
"12-1803 AAA Lawson Materials (Closed): @7-901 Adventurous Lawson Are you joking? Do you have any idea how many people died in rural areas these past few months because they didn’t have central heating?"
"7-901 Adventurous Lawson: @4-1009 Lowell On Deadline @12-1803 AAA Lawson Materials (Closed) But the disaster is over, isn’t it? What’s the point of disaster resilience now?" freewёbnoνel.com
"7-901 Adventurous Lawson: Well, I’m going back regardless! I still have a few acres of land back home, and it’s the perfect time to plant. I’m going to go home, farm, and grow my own vegetables. Be self-sufficient. I am never eating sand vine cakes again!"
"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: @7-901 Adventurous Lawson I’m so jealous! It’s a shame I don’t have any land back home, otherwise I’d go back to farm too. I really want my kids to eat a proper meal..."
"2-1408 Bella Grant: Don’t we have greenbelts in our complex? The shrubs in them died ages ago anyway. Let’s plant vegetables there!"
"5-1107 Azure: @2-1408 Bella Grant Great idea! I have some vegetable seeds at home, bought the year before last. I don’t know if they’re still any good, but we could plant a few to try!"
"..."
Melody’s brow furrowed slightly as she read about the resident selling his apartment to go back home and farm.
’Selling an apartment in The Metropolis Residences now... it’ll be hard to buy one’s way back in later...’ freewebnσvel.cѳm
After a moment’s thought, she sent the resident a private message, tactfully advising him to be cautious about selling his apartment and to leave himself a fallback plan.
After sending the PM, Melody switched back to the group chat. She found that the mood—which just moments before had been cheerful with talk of planting vegetables in the greenbelts—had abruptly shifted, becoming tense and confrontational.
Frowning, she scrolled up to see what happened and found that it all started when one resident posted a message:
"5-801 Lil Howell: Everyone, pay attention! The owner of 5-805 is a murderer! He killed Miss Kane in 5-804 and her whole family!"
"5-801 Lil Howell: The power and internet were out before, so I couldn’t tell anyone. Now that the network is finally back up, I’m exposing this murderer’s crimes to everyone! You all have to be careful and watch out for him!"
