Chapter 3
Day one, light rain.
My apartment was calm and peaceful, with only the patter of rain outside.
“Chloe: @everyone See? It’s raining! It definitely has to rain to cool things down before the heat wave, right?!”
She followed up with a smug, sassy head-toss emoji.
“Some people @Iris, feeling scared now? While it’s not hot enough to die today, hurry up and get a basin to collect water! Tomorrow, the moment the sun comes out, your crappy building will turn into an oven. Don’t go crying and quitting the group on the second day, that’d be so embarrassing!”
The others, who had been wondering about the rain, immediately became lively, praising her intelligence.
Finn’s message seemed out of place.
“@Iris, how are things on your end? Did you find any supplies in your safe house?”
This concerned inquiry provoked Chloe’s displeasure.
“Vice President! Why are you so worried about her?!”
“If you were so worried, why didn’t you team up with her back then? Feeling sorry for her now? Then go find her yourself! Humph!”
Followed by a string of exaggerated emojis.
Finn fell silent.
The group chat also became eerily quiet for a few seconds, with only the faint sound of raindrops hitting the window.
Soon, one of Chloe’s minions jumped out, directing his anger at me.
“What’s wrong with the Vice President caring about everyone’s safety? Iris, you’re digging your own grave, don’t drag the Vice President into getting yelled at by Chloe!”
“Exactly! Just seeing her message annoys me. Let’s mute her. That way, if she’s really dying, she won’t be whining and crying for help in the group, wasting resources and ruining everyone’s mood. Anyway, zero people want to save her!”
[Administrator ‘Mike’ has muted ‘Iris’.]
The cold system prompt popped up on my phone screen.
No one said a word for me.
Good. Peace and quiet.
I put down my phone and started searching the apartment.
The space wasn’t large, the layout was straightforward, but it was empty—not a single grain of rice.
Finally, I pushed open the balcony door and took a deep breath. The scent of water molecules in the air filled my body.
Reverse photosynthesis. As long as there are water molecules, I can replenish my energy.
This time, I wouldn’t be troubled by any resource shortages.
I felt mentally refreshed, and the faint hunger disappeared.