Chapter 12: The Expansion of House Space

Before the disaster, Mr. Jones was a billionaire business owner in Emeraldon, a prominent figure in the community. His mind, naturally, was sharper than the average person's.

Even in these harsh conditions, he was still capable of thinking clearly. He grew increasingly suspicious of the door he was observing. So, he decided to let Charles and his group handle it. 

They were like bandits now, experienced in breaking into places. Most importantly, they likely had stronger weapons. With their help, breaking through the door shouldn't be a problem.

"But how do we get a message to Charles?" someone asked.

"Don't worry, I saw someone in protective gear heading this way the other day," Mr. Jones replied with a snort. "Charles must be eyeing our area by now. Before, it was me who sent them away, but their recent scouting indicates they might resort to force."

"Ah, I see..." William understood. "Since they're going to make a move anyway, might as well let them deal with David..."

Mr. Jones glanced at William, "I never said that. Everyone heard it, right? William said that, not me." After saying this, he began to walk downstairs. The stairway had been cleared of ice, so it was safer than before.

Seeing Mr. Jones head down swiftly, William's face turned pale. He quickly added, "I... I didn't say anything."

"We all understand," the others said with complex expressions, then dispersed.

Left with no choice, they couldn't bear it any longer. In the end, only William remained in the stairway.

David clicked his tongue, disappointed that the drama had ended so abruptly. He put a slice of tripe dipped in sauce into his mouth, savoring the burst of juice and crisp texture. He had to start planning his next steps.

David had underestimated the situation. He thought people couldn't venture out in these conditions but forgot about Charles. 

Charles had grown into a formidable force during the early stages of the disaster. Those targeted by Charles' group either demonstrated a valuable skill and joined them or had their food and resources taken.

This reminded David of his hostile neighbors. The day after the police lost contact, they started causing trouble. 

David didn't know their exact methods, but he was confident in his iron door, which could withstand a bomb blast. However, he still needed to consider his next steps.

"Just in case," he thought, "I should get physically stronger before they arrive."

Most importantly, he needed to improve his shooting skills. He had a pistol with ten bullets. That should be enough. He didn't believe Charles had many reckless henchmen. Sometimes, just showing you have a gun is enough.

He continued to enjoy his hot pot, letting go of his previous worries.

As he savored the hot pot, its aroma spread throughout the building. In these times, when most were starving, the scent of hot pot was particularly enticing.

Meanwhile, William's family huddled together in their bed, their mouths watering from the smell of the hot pot. They were so hungry they couldn't even produce saliva.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," whispered William's daughter, Mia.

"I'm hungry too," William replied irritably, jealous of his 'resurrected' neighbor who was living better than him.

"Let's open that bag of beef we saved," suggested his wife. "I'm afraid it might go bad if we keep it longer."

"And with Charles coming soon, we'll have more food," she added.

They had a small amount of food left: two bags of chicken breast, one bag of beef, and one bag of spiced cod. This would last them a few more days.

"That's more than I thought," William was surprised.

"David had a bag of chicken breast hidden in his clothes that they didn't find," his wife revealed.

"Great, once Charles breaks into David's place, we won't have to worry about food for a while. Let's eat the beef today!"

They were eating food stolen from David's place. If it weren't for David, many in the building would have died. William couldn't understand why David had to survive and live even better than him.

He scoffed at the thought of hot pot, content with his beef. The small 80g portion of beef, meant as a meal for someone on a diet, had to be shared among three people.

"This is so tough!" William complained after a bite.

"What else can we expect now?" his wife said. "It took me ages to cut it with a knife."

All they could do was hope for Charles to arrive soon and break into David's place for a good meal. They even fantasized about having hot pot, willing to die after such a feast.

Little did they know, their savior, Charles, was nowhere to be seen.

...

"It's time to check in again," David said, looking forward to midnight. His most anticipated time of the day was 12:00 AM.

He wondered what he would receive this time. As the clock struck midnight, he mentally checked in.

Immediately, the system's voice rang in his ears:

 "Today's sign-in reward: House Space Expansion*1."