Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 68: Setting the Trap

Felt dizzy and weak, Mariella collapsed onto the ground inside the storage space.

After resting for a while, she removed her oxygen mask, grabbed a cup of caramel latte, and slowly sipped through a straw.

Half a cup of caramel latte went down, quickly restoring some of her strength.

She bit into half a Snickers bar before finally pushing herself back up.

Collecting those massive loads had taken a serious toll on her. She was close to her limit.

But looking at the three large vehicles she'd secured, she couldn't help but feel satisfied.

Her 35,000 cubic feet storage space was large, but after adding all these supplies and nearly twenty vehicles of various sizes, only one-third of the space remained.

Mariella realized she needed to find more gold, silver, or emeralds to expand the storage space. Otherwise, she'd run out of room again soon.

...

After resting for fifteen minutes, Mariella left the storage space.

To conserve space, she made sure to check what each vehicle was carrying before deciding whether to take it.

She found a truck labeled agricultural plastic film. After a moment's hesitation, she took it.

Once the apocalypse began, industrial production chains would collapse. Plastic film would become a non-renewable resource.

Even though farmland would gradually become unsuitable for planting, it was better to be prepared. Agricultural plastic film could be used to build greenhouses, protecting crops from harsh conditions. Some ultra-thin films could even be used for peanut cultivation.

She collected a few more vehicles and supplies and only surfaced when her oxygen tank finally ran out.

She untied the rope securing the boat, then climbed back up onto it.

Checking the time, it was already 10:30 p.m.

She was too exhausted to dive again, so she entered the storage space, removed her diving suit, and took a hot shower.

After changing into clean clothes, she grabbed the assassin's phone and stepped back out.

Sitting in the boat's cabin, she powered it on again and, as expected, saw the bounty hunter repeatedly asking for a meeting time and location.

The other side even said they'd already transferred 5,000,000, with the remaining payment to be completed after receiving her.

They specifically requested that she be delivered alive.

Mariella thought for a moment, then sent them a meeting location, telling them to arrive in thirty minutes.

She immediately tossed the phone back into the storage space.

That way, they wouldn't be able to track it.

The world's systems hadn't fully collapsed yet, and Harvey still had capable people working for him. She couldn't take chances.

Just as she finished, a message from Chandler came in. "We're done with our run and heading back. Need us to pick you up?"

The bodyguard team was using inflatable boats, which had limited capacity. Once they were full, they had to return.

Mariella still had a little game to play with Harvey, so she replied, "I've got something to handle. Head back without me."

...

Half an hour later, Mariella arrived at an abandoned office building.

The building sat on lower ground, and the floodwater had already reached the sixth floor.

She climbed in through an open window, stored the boat, and hid in a concealed spot.

Taking out the assassin's phone, she saw over a dozen missed calls and a flood of unread messages.

The bounty hunter said they'd already arrived at the designated location but couldn't find her.

Mariella smiled faintly and sent her current location.

"Changed spots. Didn't trust you. Get here now."

This time, she kept the phone on instead of putting it away.

When they called, she declined the calls repeatedly. After a few attempts, they stopped calling.

About twenty minutes later, she faintly heard the roar of a helicopter approaching.

Mariella's eyes narrowed slightly. A helicopter? That's a nice ride.

She estimated her storage space could probably fit a few small helicopters, and a new idea formed in her mind.

...

Kingston, wide awake in the middle of the night, brought two bodyguards and excitedly took Harvey's helicopter to the first location provided by the bounty hunter, only to find nothing.

He was irritated, convinced he was being played.

Now at the second location, he grabbed a loudspeaker from the helicopter and shouted toward the building, "Hey! I'm here to pick her up for Mr. Graham! You'd better not try anything funny!"

Mariella leaned out from the sixth-floor window and waved her arms, shouting, "Help! Over here!"

Finally seeing her, Kingston was thrilled. At least this trip wasn't a waste.

The bounty hunter relayed the assassin's demand: the helicopter had to land on the rooftop. Once the remaining payment was transferred, Mariella would be delivered immediately.

After the full payment was received, Mariella checked the assassin's account balance. It held over 80,000,000.

That was the assassin's years of earnings from killing. Now, all of it belonged to her.