Reborn with Nothing but My Farm and Vengeance in the Apocalypse novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: New Neighbor

Melody Summers said in shock, "The space? You—how did you get out!?"

Albus licked its paws as a voice echoed in Melody’s mind:

’The crops and animals in the Arcadian Space have been multiplying. The more they multiply, the more energy I have, so I was able to come out.’

"Then what are you doing out here?" Melody was still in shock.

Albus blinked. Once the Arcadian Space was running smoothly, Melody had fallen into a daily routine. She would pop in as if clocking in for work, harvest the crops, feed the animals, and then leave. Facing the same animals every day had become quite boring for Albus, so it wanted to come out and look around.

But it told Melody: ’I know this planet is about to face a disaster. You are my host, so I must stay by your side to protect you.’

Melody stared silently at Albus, taking in its tiny form that looked like it could be sent flying with a single swat. She was speechless.

Albus continued, ’Besides, I need to supervise your money-making efforts. Don’t forget, you need a hundred million in total to unlock the next area.’

Ever since Melody heard that she needed a hundred million to unlock the rest of the space, she’d started to slack off. The cat felt she had completely lost her motivation to earn money, and it wanted to help her get that hundred million as soon as possible.

Melody was still hesitant. "If you know how chaotic the world is getting, what will you do if you run into danger out here?"

Melody had seen plenty of news about people stealing or abusing cats. She was afraid that a moment of carelessness on her part could put Albus in danger.

Albus replied, ’I *am* the space, a form of energy. Nothing can harm me.’

Melody scooped Albus into her arms and stroked its head. The little cat let out a rumbling purr.

"Alright, you can stay with me," Melody said, resigned. A headache was already forming; after all, she’d never owned a cat before. "Do you need anything? A cat bed? Canned food? Cat treats? Litter? A scratching post?"

Albus tilted its head. ’I just want a cat bed.’

Melody nodded. Thankfully, the shops downtown were still open. She decided to head out right away.

*

Just as she was leaving her house, Melody ran into someone she knew.

A man and a woman were standing in front of the two villas to the right of Melody’s house, where movers were busy. Judging by their clothes, they were clearly wealthy and influential.

The man was handsome and stylish, and the woman had waist-length hair, every strand perfectly cared for. She was fair-skinned and beautiful.

Melody recognized the woman.

"Sophie Thorne?"

Sophie Thorne was one of Melody’s university classmates, well-known on campus as a wealthy heiress. Everyone knew she was the young lady of the rich Thorne Family—the epitome of beauty, wealth, and class.

Sophie and Melody had met at a freshman welcome gala. The event required four hosts—two men and two women—and the student body had voted for Sophie and Melody to be the female emcees.

Most people found Sophie arrogant and difficult to approach, a typical snobbish heiress who looked down on everyone. But after getting to know her, Melody realized she was actually a very kind person, just a bit reserved, not at all hard to get along with.

"Melody?" Sophie was also a bit surprised, but then it clicked. "Is this your house?" she asked.

Melody nodded.

Sophie beamed. "Looks like we’re going to be neighbors, then!"

Sophie then gestured to the man beside her, introducing him to Melody. "This is my boyfriend, Ronan Rhodes." Turning to Ronan, she said, "This is my university classmate and good friend, Melody Summers."

Ronan and Melody exchanged greetings.

Then Sophie affectionately pulled Melody aside to catch up.

Melody was the kind of person who wouldn’t even touch an online loan.

Besides, if she wanted to get money through illegal means, she could have already used the space to sneak into the Lancaster Villa and clean it out for cash.

The heatwave had only just begun, and society was still functioning normally. Why stir up unnecessary trouble?

Melody didn’t lack supplies, and her family was safe. Her desire to unlock the next part of the space wasn’t that urgent, so she planned to take her time with the hundred-million goal.

*

Arriving at a large mall, Melody parked the car and brought the cat inside to wander around.

To her surprise, the mall was absolutely packed with people.

In Melody’s memory, brick-and-mortar malls had been mostly empty since the rise of e-commerce. But now, it was so crowded you could barely move. She’d never seen it this busy, not even during major holidays.

She made her way to a pet supply store and let Albus pick out its own bed.

Melody struck up a conversation with the young woman working at the store. "It’s pretty crowded in the mall today."

The clerk nodded. "The recent tornado destroyed a lot of homes, and everyone’s waiting in line for repairs. Now that the storm’s over, the adults have gone back to work, but the elderly and the kids have nowhere to go, so they’ve all ended up at the mall."

’No wonder it was so crowded today,’ Melody thought. ’People whose homes were damaged are using it as a shelter.’

’It looks like it’ll take a while for all the houses to be repaired. I wonder if they can finish before the nationwide heatwave hits.’

Just then, Albus finished picking out a small cat bed. It was shaped like a little green mushroom, much like the ones in the forests of the Arcadian Space.

Melody had the clerk pack up the cat bed, and she also bought a few grooming tools. After the clerk bagged everything together, Melody paid and left the pet supply store with her purchases.