A few days later…
Danielle was working hard in her small garden. It no longer looked barren like when she first bought it — now it was full of lush green plants.
Rain was beside her, dragging the hose around to help water the plants.
Danielle suddenly felt a chill on her back and quickly stepped away.
"Rain!"
Rain stuck out his tongue, let go of the hose, and ran toward the figure just entering through the gate.
"Daddy!"
"Hmph."
Danielle rolled her eyes. This little rascal was getting more mischievous by the day.
She pointed at the soaked garden. "Don't cover for him. Just look at what he's done to the place."
Zachary quickly hid the disappointment in his eyes and forced a smile.
"It's fine. I'll clean it up."
He rolled up his sleeves and began tidying up the mess Rain had left behind.
Danielle and Rain exchanged glances.
She smiled awkwardly. "How was your day? Did you find a suitable hunting team?"
Zachary's lean back visibly tensed, and Danielle could see his muscles tighten.
"No. But don't worry, I won't be a freeloader. If I don't find a team tomorrow, I'll go hunt beasts on my own."
He had always been used to working alone anyway.
Now that he didn't have to carry Rain everywhere, he'd be able to hunt more efficiently.
Danielle felt a bit guilty. That sounded like she didn't appreciate him.
She knew how proud Zachary was. Since moving into the mid-level zone, he had insisted on handling all the housework.
His quiet determination made her both helpless and proud.
She looked up at the sky — time to prepare dinner. They'd been eating nutrition packs for the past few days while cleaning the house. Tonight she'd make a proper meal.
"Rain, stay here and help your dad. No slacking, okay? Mommy's going out to buy some groceries."
She had spent a fortune buying a small villa with a garden — over ten million credits gone in a flash.
Now she only had a few million left. Fresh vegetables and meat were so expensive, she had to be careful with every purchase.
As soon as she mentioned food, little foodie Rain nodded like a bobblehead.
"Yay! Daddy, did you hear that? Mommy's going to cook today!"
Even Zachary's deep eyes lit up, and his excited gaze made Danielle smile.
"Wait at home like good boys!"
In the kitchen…
Danielle expertly shredded cabbage and placed it on a plate. She added a splash of chili oil — it sizzled with a delicious aroma.
She tossed in some salt, a bit of vinegar, and a dash of soy sauce.
Peeking outside to make sure no one was watching, she secretly added a pinch of sugar.
Rain went crazy for sugar and couldn't stop once he started, so he couldn't find out.
She tasted the mixture — mmm, perfect! Sour, slightly spicy, and flavorful. The perfect side dish.
With the cabbage done, she grabbed a tomato.
One slice — juice splattered everywhere. A seed landed on her hand.
As she reached to wipe it off, her mind suddenly buzzed — she was pulled into her space again.
A line of text floated in the air: "Tomato seed detected. Plant it now?"
Tomato seed?
She looked at the tiny seed floating nearby. Could that be the one that just touched her hand?
"Plant it!"
As soon as she spoke, the seed shot into the strange patch of soil.
Danielle blinked, confused. That's it? No watering or anything?
Just as she was thinking that, a dark cloud suddenly floated over in the sky.
Splash, splash, splash.
A hint of green quietly sprouted from the soil.
Danielle's eyes widened—no way, that was way too fast.
But this amount of water was enough. Any more, and the seedlings might die.
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, the dark clouds in the sky quickly vanished.
Seeing this, Danielle had a realization. Could it be that she was the one controlling the water?
She tested it a few more times, and it turned out to be true. There was even fertilizer in that space.
Happy with the discovery, Danielle immediately sliced up the remaining tomatoes.
Although the tomatoes were small and skinny, they still gave her hundreds of seeds.
Soon, the space was filled with tomato seedlings—lush green and full of life.
"Come on, time to eat!"
A pot of white rice, a small bowl of shredded cabbage salad, and a plate of tomato scrambled eggs—that was tonight's dinner.
Just as Danielle called out, she turned around to find the big and small one already sitting at the table, both staring hungrily at the food.
"Did you wash your hands? No eating if you didn't."
Rain pulled back his sneaky hand, looking pitifully at Zachary.
Without a word, Zachary picked him up and carried him to the bathroom.
Danielle shook her head with a smile. Just as she was about to serve the food—ding dong.
The doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
Danielle dried her hands and walked toward the door.
Before she reached it—bang! With a loud noise, the white front door was kicked open from the outside.
A few thuggish men in white synthetic suits holding iron rods strolled in casually.
"You're Danielle?"
The leader had a long neck and an arrogant look, like a modern-day wannabe gangster.
He thought he was being cool as he looked Danielle up and down, clearly impressed.
Danielle crossed her arms and stood tall.
"Yes, I am. Who are you? Why are you breaking into my house?"
No matter where you are, there are always bad guys.
But Danielle wasn't scared. In Elysium, people with awakened abilities were strictly protected, and troublemakers were punished harshly.
The group of thugs glanced at each other, then looked at the long-necked leader.
"Boss? What now? She doesn't seem scared."
Wei You frowned and glared at his men, trying hard to look fierce.
"Danielle, you must be new here. Do you even know whose territory Xiuhé District is?"
"I don't, and I don't care. Leave now, or don't blame me for what happens next."
Her voice was cold.
The thugs laughed. Wei You scoffed.
He'd been told that although this woman had a space-related ability, it was newly awakened.
Besides, spatial powers were mostly for storage, not fighting.
And with a useless husband and kid, scaring her a bit should send her crawling back to the lower zone.
"Just giving you some friendly advice. You've angered someone important. Leave while you still can—go back to the lower district."
Hah.
Danielle's eyes were full of mockery. No doubt, the person who didn't want her to rise up was her fake sister, Dora.
The original Danielle had a bad temper, especially around her, but was generally polite to others.
Wei You thought Danielle was frightened and was about to threaten her again.
But suddenly, random stuff appeared in the air above the yard and came crashing down on him.
Clang!
A water scoop hit Wei You's head. He froze, blood trickling down his forehead…
"Who? Who just ambushed me?!"