Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 189: A New Evolution

The static storage space had expanded as well, reaching an astonishing total of 200 thousand cubic feet.

Mariella's initial reaction was excitement, but she quickly realized something was different. The growth ratio didn't match before.

The villa's expansion had clearly slowed, while the garden and storage space had increased at a much higher rate.

That meant the space had its own upgrade logic.

It seemed to have determined that the villa had reached a saturation point, so its growth slowed—redirecting the remaining expansion into the garden and storage space.

And now, the garden no longer had a clear height limit beneath the sky. For the entire space, this was a leap forward.

A full acre of land was not only capable of farming, but also large enough to store massive cargo ships.

If the land kept expanding, one day it might even hold ten-thousand-ton vessels or aircraft carriers.

Mariella knew that in the future, the apocalypse would become a world dominated by the ocean. Whoever controlled massive ships would have the power to withstand the sea.

A ten-thousand-ton ship could endure level-12 storms, while an aircraft carrier could withstand up to level-15 waves.

Those would become floating bases for survival.

Within three to four years, earthquakes and tsunamis would grow more frequent. Tectonic plates would be fracturing and colliding, leaving less and less land to live on.

Some disaster experts had predicted that by the fifth year, humanity would rely primarily on ocean-based survival.

Mariella had always worried about how she could ever get her hands on a ship that size, and even if she did, how she would store it.

But now, she finally saw a glimmer of hope.

"The black soil expanded pretty fast." A low, familiar male voice came from behind.

Mariella didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Other than Chandler, no one else could enter her space.

She was in such a good mood that she couldn't contain her excitement.

Turning around, she suddenly threw her arms around him in a tight hug, then rose on her toes and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

Chandler froze, his whole body stiffening as if he just got struck by electricity.

Mariella, having successfully stolen a kiss, stepped back with a mischievous smile.

"I'm just too happy. Couldn't help myself," she said lightly, glancing at him.

Chandler was still frozen in place.

Mariella didn't explain further. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the space.

Back in the central villa of Elmgrove Estates, the bodies had already been cleared. Black Bear must have sent people back.

Too bad for them, they were too late. Everything valuable was already in Mariella's storage space.

Chandler held an AK, alert as he listened carefully to their surroundings, watching for any ambush.

Mariella took out her phone, about to check the Celestine Ridge group chat, when something suddenly felt off.

"Captain Zimmer, have you noticed something?"

Chandler scanned the area, then replied, "No enemies so far."

"Not that. Something else is wrong." Mariella pointed at the spot beneath her feet. "I don't think this is where I entered the space last night."

Chandler hadn't paid attention to that detail. "Is the difference big?"

"Not really. Maybe seven to ten inches." Mariella touched the corner of a table. "Last night I entered from the right side of this corner. But when I came out, I was on the left."

Chandler was impressed by her attention to detail. "This never happened before?"

"Before, I always exited exactly where I entered, never even a millimeter off." As she spoke, Mariella slipped back into the space.

A moment later, she came back out. This time, she had shifted another seven to ten inches again.

That meant every time she entered the space, her exit point shifted in the same direction.

Chandler's expression turned thoughtful. Then he raised a practical concern.

"What if there's a wall in between?"

Mariella loved that kind of sharp thinking. She gave him a thumbs-up. "Let's test it."

She pressed herself right up against a wall and slipped into the space. When she stepped out again, she was on the other side of the wall.

Phase-shifting. Actual phase-shifting!

So once the space evolved to a certain level, it developed additional abilities.

This positional shift eliminated one of its biggest limitations.

Mariella ran several more tests and discovered she could control her exit point through her mind.

She could still exit exactly where she entered, or choose any point within the shifted range.

However, the only limitation was distance. The maximum shift seemed to be about 10 inches. Beyond that, she couldn't go further.

Chandler reassured her, "Since the space evolved this shifting ability, the range might increase later."