Chapter 416: Chapter 416
After putting down her phone, Melody Summers felt a little conflicted.
’The Blue Scale Prawns aren’t a species from Terra,’ she thought. ’Having them just appear in front of everyone... I don’t know if this will be a blessing or a curse.’
’I just hope this doesn’t cause any unnecessary trouble...’
******
The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, it was December 2026. The extreme cold continued unabated. The outdoor temperature was already approaching minus seventy degrees Celsius, and the entire world was enveloped in severe frost.
The snow outside the window wasn’t as heavy as it had been recently, but it was still falling intermittently. The snowdrifts had already buried the fourth floor of the building.
Melody Summers had been keeping track of the date. Before the snow disaster, the government had distributed a two-month supply of disaster relief materials in one go. But now, two months had passed since the disaster first began.
With the power out, Melody couldn’t check the group chat. She had no idea how her neighbors were doing or if they were short on food and charcoal.
Melody’s life had been relatively peaceful these past few days. Every day, she would go into her space to feed the Leopard, occasionally sell some vegetables, fruits, and meat, and then go fishing in the Arcadian Sea to make deliveries to various hotels, catching some Blue Scale Prawns for herself while she was at it.
The income from selling seafood was quite substantial. A couple of days ago, Melody Summers had saved up another billion. She took the money to Odyssey Station and exchanged it for some pills with different functions, including the S Level Far Sea Secret Medicine she had been longing for.
After exchanging for the pills, Melody unlocked pages 11 through 15 of the "Trade List," giving her access to purchase even more items.
The newly unlocked pages of the trade list contained many interesting things. Besides a wide variety of pills, there were flying swords, a "Space-Time Window" that could trace back time to see the past, and even the extinct Sabertooth Tiger.
Unfortunately, the further she unlocked, the more expensive the items became. Melody could only leave Odyssey Station with tears in her eyes, planning to wait until she had saved up enough money to go on another shopping spree.
After her last transaction, Melody Summers had saved up enough S Level Far Sea Secret Medicine. There was enough for everyone in her family to have one pill each.
So, under the guise of handing out calcium supplements, Melody gave a pill of the S Level Far Sea Secret Medicine to everyone in her family.
It was hard to say whether it was thanks to the S Level Far Sea Secret Medicine or the Blue Scale Prawns, but either way, her family’s physical condition had visibly improved during this time.
Her grandmother used to have a poor appetite, but recently, she was eating significantly more. She looked much younger, and even the new hair growing on her head was jet black. Miss Lowell also mentioned that her presbyopia seemed to have improved a lot.
’This must be what the product description for the S Level Far Sea Secret Medicine meant when it said it could "gradually restore aging bodily functions,"’ Melody Summers thought.
Melody marveled internally. ’This pill really is as miraculous as the description claims! No wonder a few of them cost over a hundred million.’
Seeing her family’s health improve, Melody Summers was greatly encouraged. She decided to work harder and exchange for more pills for them.
In addition, Melody had also been intermittently observing the situation in apartment 1501 through her security monitors.
When the couple, Gene Young and Yvonne York, first regained consciousness, they were shocked. They couldn’t understand how they had ended up tied up!
They were even more furious when they saw Noelle Quillan free. They assumed Noelle had kidnapped them, so they struggled violently, trying to break free from their restraints.
When Melody first saw the couple’s frantic struggles on the monitor, she couldn’t help but worry. She was afraid Noelle wouldn’t be able to handle them.
Fortunately, Noelle Quillan did not disappoint her.
At first, Gene Young and Yvonne York went on a hunger strike together, threatening Noelle to release them or they wouldn’t eat.
So, Noelle Quillan really did starve them for three days.
Three days later, when Noelle tried to feed them sand vine cakes again, they wolfed them down without a fuss.
Later, while eating a sand vine cake, Gene Young bit Noelle’s hand hard. It took all of Noelle’s strength to pull free.
After that, Noelle stopped feeding them by hand. She would just throw the food on the floor and make them eat it on their hands and knees, like dogs.
They would shout that they needed to relieve themselves, demanding that Noelle untie them and let them use the toilet. Instead, Noelle would just pull down their pants, place a plastic bucket beneath them, and pull their pants back up when they were done.
In short, no matter how much they yelled, Noelle absolutely refused to untie them.
Noelle also threatened them. If they dared to cause trouble, she would dump the contents of the bucket on their heads and make them live with their own filth for the next few months.
Just like that, the couple was subdued into complete obedience by Noelle.
Although it was troublesome to take care of these two giant babies, Noelle also reaped some benefits—
Gene Young and Yvonne York had made a lot of dirty money. With ample funds, they had hoarded a large amount of food in apartment 1501.
Noelle fed the couple cold sand vine cakes, but she didn’t skimp on her own meals. Every day, she sat by the stove, cooking herself lean meat congee and noodles with shredded pork.
In just one week, Noelle’s complexion had improved significantly. Her body, which had been drained by her miscarriage, had now recovered a great deal. Melody Summers clicked her tongue in amazement. She felt that Noelle was truly a person who would do whatever it took to survive.
In any case, seeing that Noelle could handle Gene Young and Yvonne York, Melody stopped worrying about it.
On top of all that, Melody also received some good news—Susan Warren had given birth, and both mother and daughter were safe.
The delivery had been incredibly difficult, but fortunately, the baby was small. Moreover, it wasn’t Susan Warren’s first time giving birth, so she had prior experience. With the help of Joyce Lawson, the medical student, Susan successfully delivered a daughter.
Upon hearing the good news, Melody discussed it with her family. She went to the storeroom and grabbed some hand warmers, a few pounds of rice, two cans of milk powder, and a few packs of sausages, then headed straight for apartment 1505.
When Mrs. Vance saw Melody arrive with so many things, she quickly tried to refuse. "Oh my, why did you bring so much over again? We have plenty of food here, you should take these back!"
Hearing this, Melody smiled and said, "It’s alright, Mrs. Vance, don’t be so formal with me. Keep them for Susan to help her recover!"
Only then did Mrs. Vance accept the items, looking a little embarrassed.
Melody walked into the bedroom. In the light of the stove fire, the first thing she saw was a new, simple little table.
On top of the table was a folded quilt, fashioned into a makeshift crib. A tiny, tightly swaddled baby was sleeping on it.
Melody tiptoed over, afraid of waking the sleeping infant.
As she got closer, Melody saw that the baby looked a bit small and frail, as if a gust of wind could blow her away. It was likely due to Susan Warren’s lack of nutrition during her pregnancy.
But thankfully, the baby’s complexion was good. Her chubby little cheeks were rosy, and her breathing was even and steady, as if she were having a sweet dream.
Her little hands were clenched into fists next to her face, and every so often, she would smack her lips, making a soft sound as if she were talking to someone.
Looking at the adorable little one, Melody smiled gently.
Then she turned, glanced at Susan Warren who was still asleep on the bed, and quietly asked Joyce Lawson, who was standing beside her, "How is Susan doing?"
Joyce Lawson replied in a hushed voice, "She’s fine, just exhausted. She needs to get more sleep."
Melody nodded, completely relieved.
Just then, the sound of shattering porcelain suddenly rang out from outside the door, startling Melody.
Hearing the noise, the baby on the table furrowed her brow uneasily, her face scrunching up as if she were about to cry. Mrs. Vance saw this and quickly went to soothe her, trying to keep her from wailing.
Melody asked in a low, confused voice, "What’s going on out there? Why is there so much noise?"
Mrs. Vance looked helpless and replied in a hushed tone, "Don’t even ask. It’s the people across the hall in 1506! They’ve been fighting almost every day recently, smashing things at the drop of a hat. I don’t know how many things they have to break, they’ve been at it for so long and still haven’t run out!"
