Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 55: High Temperature, Clubhouse

The clubhouse was seventeen stories tall, but sand and mud had already buried it up to the second floor. After Evelyn Ford scrambled inside, a wave of sweltering heat and a foul stench assaulted her. She adjusted her mask, emptied the sand from her shoes, and rested for a few minutes before pulling out her flashlight to search for supplies.

On the third-floor landing, there was a golden metal plaque. Evelyn Ford wiped the sand off it and could clearly see the building’s directory.

Baths, sauna, dining, gym, guest rooms, beauty salon, KTV, footbaths and massage, game room, tea room, cafe... The top floor was a private area marked "No Entry."

Evelyn Ford wasn’t in a hurry. She would just search floor by floor. ’Since I’m already here, I have to take *something* with me.’ Her greatest strength was that she never left empty-handed, no matter what she did.

However, upon entering the third floor, she found it littered with human skeletons. Evelyn Ford guessed they were the result of a deadly stampede. The bones were scattered haphazardly across the floor, a grim testament to the tragedy that had occurred.

The bathing area was a complete mess; she couldn’t find anything of value that was still clean.

Evelyn Ford had no choice but to keep moving up. She made her way to the gym. Aside from a few skeletons, the area wasn’t too badly damaged. Evelyn Ford picked up a dumbbell from the floor; it was still usable, so she immediately stored it in her space.

She took two treadmills. Spotting the logo, Evelyn Ford clicked her tongue. ’A high-end brand, over a hundred thousand a pop. So extravagant.’

The guest rooms spanned three floors, but most had been left filthy and in disarray by snakes. In a particularly large storage room, Evelyn Ford found some unopened four-piece bedding sets, quilts, electric kettles, tea bags, hand towels, bath towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, and shampoo.

Other than the cellar at the Temple of Eternal Peace, this was only the second time Evelyn Ford had found such a haul. The feeling was like opening a mystery box and finding a diamond—absolutely exhilarating.

The storage room was huge. ’This must be the housekeeping department’s main storeroom,’ she thought. Her eyes lit up, and she was so excited she wanted to laugh out loud.

She strapped the flashlight to her head like a headlamp, pried open every cabinet, and swept all the contents into her space. Evelyn Ford couldn’t be bothered to check what everything was; as long as it wasn’t dirty or damaged, she took it.

It took Evelyn Ford a full two hours to clear out the supplies for the three floors of guest rooms. This was a perfect example of the saying: make one big score and live off it for three years.

When she reached the beauty salon, she found it was severely damaged. But as she stepped inside, the magnificent, luxurious decor still left her in awe. ’The gap between people in terms of wealth, power, and status is just immense. If not for the apocalypse, I probably would have gone my whole life without being able to afford to come to a place like this.’

She’d heard that to even become a patron here, you had to buy a five-million-yuan membership card, and you had to use it all up within a year.

Inside the salon, Evelyn Ford was drawn to the various cosmetic machines. Before the apocalypse, the medical aesthetics industry had been booming. Beyond routine skincare, many people opted for minor tweaks and full-blown plastic surgery. Although Evelyn was a medical student, she didn’t know much about this particular field. Vials of hyaluronic acid were scattered across the floor. She picked one up; it was a foreign brand. A single injection likely cost tens of thousands.

After a thorough search, she hadn’t found much of value, though she did take a few of the treatment beds.

Reaching the KTV level, Evelyn Ford started looking for the liquor storeroom. Her class had gone to a KTV for their high school graduation party, so she figured the layouts were all pretty much the same. She found a small snack shop, but unfortunately, everything inside was ruined. A few of the storage racks, however, still looked clean. Evelyn Ford had been hoping to find some shelving units for a while. It was just as the saying goes: you wear out your iron shoes looking for something, only to find it when you least expect it.

After stowing the shelving units, Evelyn Ford found a chair, wiped it clean, and sat down to rest for a moment. ’It’s so hot and smelly. This is no work for a human being.’

She took off her mask and hat and wiped her face with a wet wipe. Evelyn Ford pulled a bottle of water from her space, but she still felt hot after drinking it all. Her back, the soles of her feet, her waist, even her armpits and arms were slick with sweat. She closed her eyes and rested for ten minutes. Once she felt recovered, she put her gear back on and resumed her search for the liquor storeroom.

The KTV’s hallways were a confusing maze. After wandering around for what felt like ages, Evelyn Ford somehow ended up right back at the snack shop. She sighed, then used her flashlight to follow the room numbers on the signs. Half an hour later, she finally found the door to the liquor storeroom hidden behind a potted plant in an office.

As she entered the liquor storeroom, the potent smell of alcohol hit her so hard it made her vision blur and her head spin. After waiting a moment to recover, she carefully descended the steps.

Despite the sweltering heat outside, it was cool down here. Evelyn Ford looked at the various wines and pre-mixed cocktails on the racks, picking up a bottle to take a sniff.

Back when the temperature had dropped to over ten degrees below zero, Evelyn Ford had drunk a little baijiu to warm up, but the aroma of red wine was completely different.

Evelyn Ford didn’t know anything about wine tasting, but she did know the basics: red wine doesn’t have an expiration date, just a peak drinking window. As long as it was stored properly, it could be drunk even after many years.

Evelyn Ford carefully put away all the wine and the racks they were on. Looking at the now-empty storeroom, she thought, ’A plague of locusts leaving nothing behind... This is probably what that looks like.’

Leaving the liquor storeroom, Evelyn Ford continued upward. The next area was for footbaths and massage. For some reason, seeing the sign made her laugh out loud.

Whenever there was a police raid on illegal establishments, places like this were always on the list.

She figured most people had the same first impression she did—that it was a shady kind of place.

After a quick search, Evelyn Ford had collected more than a dozen footbath tubs. So much for her prejudice; she was happy to eat her words.

The game room and tea room were connected. Seeing mahjong tiles scattered all over the floor, Evelyn Ford bypassed the game room and headed straight for the tea room. Tea, like wine, could last almost indefinitely if stored correctly.

Luckily, she actually found several boxes of tea in a storeroom. She didn’t know what kind of incredible luck she was having today, but she hadn’t struck out on a single floor.

Around 2 a.m., Evelyn Ford finally reached the top floor.

The top floor was pure, unadulterated luxury. Even the floor tiles were different from those on the lower levels. Evelyn Ford had no time to admire the view; she went straight to the parking garage. In addition to the garage, there was also a helipad. She couldn’t begin to imagine the lives of the wealthy, but she was more than happy to scavenge their abandoned luxury cars.

Seeing several cars still parked in a corner, Evelyn Ford was overjoyed.

’My thanks to the wealthy for their generous donations.’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Evelyn Ford stored them all in her space.

Even though she had already scoured the entire building, Evelyn Ford wasn’t in a hurry to leave. This top floor might still hold more treasures, and she intended to search it carefully.

She glanced at the time: 2:30 a.m. Evelyn Ford ate a piece of chocolate to restore some energy and began searching room by room.

The wealthy owner had probably moved most of the valuables, as Evelyn only found two safes after a full sweep. But at the thought that they might contain gold and jewelry, her spirits lifted again.

’Excellent. My collection of burial goods is growing quite nicely.’