"Is what he said all true?"
It was like her past life playing out all over again. Nina Jacobs looked at Renee Strong.
"It is. You know, Nina Jacobs,
women are drawn to the strong. I'm no different."
There was a hint of smugness in Renee Strong's voice.
'In this life, Liam Grant is going to be even more amazing. And the one standing by his side won't be Nina Jacobs anymore. It'll be me.'
"I have nothing to say,
and while your taste in men is as bad as mine was,
I hope you two never break up."
Nina Jacobs said sincerely.
'I never let a grudge go unsettled.'
'It would be best if those two were stuck together forever. That will make taking my revenge later so much more fun.'
"Nina Jacobs, I'm not some kind of liar.
Come with me, and you'll see."
Before Renee Strong could react, Ivan Lawson tried to grab Nina Jacobs again.
However, an unfamiliar figure stepped in front of him.
Nina Jacobs also looked over in surprise.
"Leo Hale?"
Leo Hale was the eldest son of Daniel Hale and his ex-wife. In her past life, it was from him that she had learned of the deaths of her mother, Vera Coleman, and Daniel Hale.
But back then, Leo Hale had hated Nina Jacobs to the core.
Furthermore, Nina Jacobs's group hadn't stayed long in the shelter, and she had never seen him again after that.
"Is that any way to treat a woman?
Even scum like us wouldn't be as shameless as you."
Leo Hale had never been fond of Nina Jacobs.
But he just so happened to run into the situation today.
Vera Coleman treated him well. For her sake, he couldn't just stand by and watch Nina Jacobs get bullied.
Leo Hale was your typical good-for-nothing rich kid, so he was never short on hangers-on.
Seeing that they were surrounded, Renee Strong had no choice but to grab Ivan Lawson and apologize.
'Their top priority is to hoard supplies.'
"Forget it. You can go.
Just don't bother me again."
Nina Jacobs had already seen the ruthlessness in Ivan Lawson's eyes.
'I've killed in the apocalypse, and so has he. Even with all the guys Leo Hale brought, they wouldn't necessarily be a match for him.'
"You're just letting them go like that? Without teaching them a lesson?"
Leo Hale had a gut feeling that Nina Jacobs was a lost cause.
'No matter what trouble she gets into, I can find people to sort it out for her.'
"You can't beat him."
Nina Jacobs glanced at Leo Hale, preparing to leave.
Leo Hale had been drinking, and he was a size 2XL.
'Letting him fight my battles for me would clearly be unwise.'
Although Leo Hale was deeply annoyed, he still called out to her,
"You should go see Miss Coleman.
Lately, she's been..."
"What's been going on with her lately?"
Nina Jacobs could tell there was something strange about Leo Hale's tone.
Because she had grown up with her grandmother, her relationship with her mother, Vera Coleman, had always been distant.
But if possible, she still hoped her mother would stay alive.
It would also be a way to honor her grandmother's dying wish.
She had already planned to visit Daniel Hale's house before the acid rain started.
"It's... nothing major. You'll know when you see her."
Leo Hale rubbed his nose.
'I don't know why,' he thought, 'but even though I'm three years older than Nina Jacobs, I always lose my nerve around her.'
"Got it. I'll go tomorrow."
Nina Jacobs turned to pay, then grabbed several large bags of food and prepared to leave.
However, she still didn't forget to give him a reminder.
"You should probably head home early these next couple of days, too."
"Huh?"
Leo Hale froze.
'Did Nina Jacobs just talk to me on her own initiative?'
"Hale, who was that chick?
She's not bad looking."
Isaiah Sullivan sidled up to him.
'You can tell just by looking that Nina Jacobs isn't like us.'
It was the first time he'd ever seen the devil-may-care Leo Hale get one-upped by someone.
And by a young woman, no less.
"Get lost. That's my sister."
Leo Hale watched Nina Jacobs's retreating figure, his eyes filled with confusion.
'She carried away several large bags so easily, with just one hand. Has she always been this strong?'
Nina Jacobs walked two blocks before entering the underground parking garage.
The SUV had tinted windows. Only after rolling them all up did she place the packed-up barbecue into her system's storage space.
[Fresh food detected. "Doomsday Gourmet" title unlocked. Reward: 1 dedicated food storage slot!]
'Doomsday Gourmet?'
Both surprised and delighted, Nina Jacobs opened the food storage space and put the five barbecue combos she had just packed up inside.
Rows of neatly divided slots appeared before her. The bags of food were sorted automatically, allowing Nina Jacobs to clearly see what she owned, like a digital menu.
Even the drinks from the combos were placed in a separate beverage slot.
"System, don't I get Experience Points for completing these tasks?" Nina Jacobs asked silently in her mind.
[Initial tasks only yield functional rewards.
Experience Points must be accumulated by killing zombies and obtaining Crystal Cores.]
'Just like in my last life.'
Nina Jacobs understood completely after hearing this.
Her phone buzzed continuously with notifications for the pickup orders she had just placed.
That night, Nina Jacobs drove through every street and alley in City D, only returning to the old house in the wee hours of the morning.
All the food she picked up along the way went straight into her storage space. Including the takeout that had just been delivered, she now had over seven hundred portions in storage.
Nina Jacobs then took out some frozen buns and dumplings from the freezer and started steaming and boiling them.
'After all, cooking in the apocalypse is incredibly inconvenient.'
'The more food, the better.'
Taking advantage of the time, Nina Jacobs had the system bring out her safe house.
A Level 1 safe house was a thatched hut.
A Level 2 was a wooden house.
And this small, red-brick house before her was her Level 3 safe house.
To fit inside the living room, the safe house was currently only the size of a small newsstand.
Nina Jacobs opened the wooden door and stepped inside. Information about the safe house appeared before her.
[Name: Level 3 Safe House (Upgradeable)
Defensive Power: 30
Attack Power: None
Effective Range: 3 kilometers
Description: The Level 3 safe house can withstand normal attacks from 200 monsters. It can conceal the user's biological signature for 3 hours. Its size and appearance (3 options) can be changed at will.]
"A defensive power of 30 isn't much, but it's enough."
Nina Jacobs was very relieved.
Within a 3-kilometer radius, she could make the safe house appear anywhere.
And for the three hours she was hiding inside, zombies wouldn't be able to smell her.
In her past life, she had relied on this very safe house to help Liam Grant and the others escape danger time and time again.
Whenever she ate, drank, and slept soundly inside the safe house, the others were like frightened birds, not only having to take turns on watch but also not daring to make the slightest sound.
Because she couldn't explain the existence of the safe house, Nina Jacobs simply didn't.
Looking back, Liam Grant would always praise the others in front of her but never once mentioned any of her contributions.
Sometimes, they wouldn't even include her when discussing important matters.
'Back then, I thought it was a sign of trust. Turns out I was just being naive.'
The next day, Nina Jacobs made a point to wake up early.
She planned to visit several morning markets in City D to stock up on more breakfast food.
Especially steamed buns, mantou, and various types of flatbreads.
Frozen buns couldn't compare to handmade ones. The thought that the apocalypse might last a lifetime made Nina Jacobs feel like she had far too little time to hoard supplies.
To improve her efficiency, Nina Jacobs went straight to a breakfast shop and, claiming to be purchasing for a large factory, bought out their entire day's production.
"I need 1,000 buns made by tomorrow morning.
Here's the full payment. I'll pick them up tomorrow morning."
Nina Jacobs paid 10,000 yuan directly and added that she would buy any extras at a high price.
She found over ten such breakfast shops in different areas of City D.
Then, she did the same thing with several restaurants and fast-food places, contracting them all for a full day.
'In the apocalypse, you can neglect anything but your stomach.'