Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 27: The System's Being Generous

"Those nine people I called out today, think it through tonight. When we talk tomorrow, I want a clear answer. If you don't meet Ms. Townsend's requirements, leave on your own."

...

After closing her door, Mariella moved all the supplies she had bought that night into her storage space.

She didn't start organizing right away. Instead, she went to the bathroom and took a hot shower.

After she finished and dried her hair, she opened the door again. Everything outside was quiet.

Still in her pajamas, she quietly made her way downstairs.

A shadow suddenly shot out, startling her.

She looked closer and realized it was Lucky.

Lucky happily circled around her, rubbing against her legs and lifting his front paws, asking to be picked up.

"Shh." Mariella raised a finger.

Lucky immediately quieted down, his round eyes fixed on her.

Mariella patted his head. "Come with me."

She opened the storage room on the first floor and walked in. Lucky followed right behind her.

She shut the door and turned on the lights, revealing a room packed with supplies.

Lucky sniffed around, pacing from one spot to another, curious about everything.

Everything in this storage room had been stockpiled by Mariella, including one ton of diesel, along with various large and heavy items.

Back when her storage space had been tight, she had temporarily moved things here so she could keep buying more.

Now, after feeding her storage space gold, silver, and jewelry, she had gained nearly 180 square feet of living area and almost 5,000 cubic feet of storage space. There was no problem moving everything back in.

Even though bringing it all back would take up space again, the hardships of her previous life had left her feeling uneasy. She still believed it was safer to keep everything with her.

Without hesitation, Mariella moved everything in the storage room into her storage space, then went inside to organize it.

What used to be an 860-square-foot two-bedroom had expanded into a 1,040-square-foot three-bedroom, and even the ceiling height had increased by about one and a half feet.

That alone added nearly 1,700 cubic feet of extra space, which made her thrilled.

The bulky appliances she had bought earlier—ten freezers, five medical refrigerators, ten portable car fridges, 20 space heaters, and 20 cooling fans, had all been delivered to the club by the store and handled by Chandler.

With those no longer taking up space, along with the extra width and height in the living area, Mariella was finally able to move all non-expiring supplies into the three-bedroom space without using up her precious static storage space.

She went back into the static storage area and organized everything again. Looking at over 100 cubic feet of supplies, including a full stock of medical equipment and medications, she felt deeply satisfied.

Having so many supplies gave her a strong sense of security. Even her mood improved.

But now that she had freed up more than 100 cubic feet again, the urge to stockpile came rushing back. She wanted to fill every bit of space.

Just as she was about to leave the storage space, she noticed something new.

Right outside the balcony of the living area, there was now a small garden of about 100 square feet.

It felt like a hidden paradise. The stars and moon seemed close enough to touch, yet the height still matched the ceiling of the living space.

Even so, this was an incredible new addition.

Mariella's heart raced, and her palms turned sweaty.

She quickly pulled out the seedlings she had bought earlier and planted three pepper plants, three cucumber vines, three cloves of garlic, and three tomato plants.

If they grew successfully, then when the apocalypse came, she would have a small plot to grow fresh produce. She wouldn't have to worry about running out of food.

Because she had land she could plant, and that was a living, endless new hope.

...

She got so excited that she completely lost track of time.

When she left the storage space, she found herself back in the storage room on the first floor and pressed a hand to her forehead.

Uh, she had been too impatient.

It would have been safer to go back to her room before entering the storage space.

She checked the countdown timer, wanting to see how long she had stayed inside.

But when she saw it, she froze.

The timer showed 5 hours and 32 minutes.

What is going on? The storage space grew a garden, and the timer doubled too.

This storage space is being ridiculously generous!

Mariella was stunned. She could hardly believe something this good had happened.

She pinched herself. Feeling the pain, she burst out laughing.

After laughing, she suddenly felt a little weird.

Laughing alone in an empty storage room like this would look pretty creepy if anyone saw her.

Luckily, it was already late. No one knew she would be down here, since she was the only one who could open this room.