Apocalyptic Disaster: I Hoard Billions in Supplies and Kill the Saint

57: Chapter 57 Leaving a Glimmer of Hope[@UrbanObserver]: ”This is ridiculous. I bought a bag of coal briquettes for 200 yesterday, and today it’s up to 600?! This is daylight robbery!”

[@SmallTownYouth]: ”Everyone is rushing to the supermarket to hoard food. I went to buy instant noodles today, and only a few seafood-flavored packs were left on the shelf; everything else was empty!”

[@RationalNetizen]: ”Does the government really have no countermeasures? The temperature drop is just absurd. How could this possibly be ’normal weather’?”

[@ApocalypseProphet]: ”Could there really be some kind of major catastrophe coming... I just feel like the atmosphere is all wrong.”

[@HomeInNortheast]: ”It’s minus 30 degrees in the Northeast now! The boilers in some residential compounds have broken down. People are freezing to death in their homes, and the property management can’t do anything about it!”

[@SurvivalGuide]: ”Everyone, take my advice! Buy coal, buy firewood, and hoard some compressed biscuits. There’s no guarantee that this cold wave will be short-lived!”

Tianlang Mountain Base.

Ye Nanxing looked at the mountain of coal piled up inside the base and finally revealed a faint, satisfied smile.

Although there were still 20,000 tons left at the coal storage yard that hadn’t been brought back, the current reserves were enough to last the base at least ten years.

However, just at that moment—

Shen Qingyan’s phone suddenly rang!

She answered the call, and her expression changed drastically.

”Nanxing! Something’s wrong—the city has started to restrict the transport of coal!”

Han Yiran also frowned.

”The news just reported that the government has started seizing large amounts of privately hoarded coal. Coal prices on the market have skyrocketed tenfold, and some gang factions are also driving up prices!”

Ye Nanxing’s expression turned slightly cold as she pondered for a moment.

”It seems the crisis... is finally here.”

”The government’s restriction order has been issued, and coal transport is completely shut down.” Shen Qingyan put down her phone with a grave expression. ”There are still 20,000 tons of coal left at the storage yard. What should we do?”

Han Yiran frowned: ”If we can’t transport it out, it’s useless to leave it there.”

The high-level members of the base were all discussing the situation, but Ye Nanxing remained silent.

After a moment, she spoke slowly: ”...I will stay behind and handle it alone.”

”What?”

Shen Qingyan looked up abruptly, anxious.

”The government is watching so closely right now. It’s too dangerous for you to stay in the city alone!”

Han Yiran also tried to persuade her.

”This time it’s different. Before, it was just ordinary transport, but now these are energy resources explicitly prohibited by the government. If you get caught, our entire base will be targeted!”

Ye Nanxing’s gaze was cold, and her voice was calm.

”That’s why we can’t let anyone find out.”

”I have my own arrangements for the coal that can’t be transported.”

The command room fell silent.

None of them knew that Ye Nanxing possessed a storage space.

But the risk of this operation was simply too great—not only the government, but also the black market and underground factions were eyeing the coal resources!

After a moment, Ye Nanxing spoke slowly.

”I won’t go alone.”

”Zhang Tianjin, Sun Hao, Zhao Wei, and Zhou Cheng will stay in the city with me.”

These four were the core team members she had been cultivating since before the Apocalypse, and they were also her most trusted combat strength.

Zhang Tianjin: Combat and grappling expert, formerly served in special forces, possesses extremely strong individual combat capability.

Sun Hao: Reconnaissance expert, proficient in stealth, tracking, disguise, and other skills.

Zhao Wei: Mechanical and demolition expert, skilled in modifying machinery and picking locks.

Zhou Cheng: Electronic warfare expert, possesses hacker-level skills, capable of hacking into surveillance and communication systems.

”Once the government’s attention dies down, we will look for an opportunity to collect the supplies.”

Ye Nanxing’s tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

11:00 PM, outskirts of Huabei City.

The biting cold wind howled across the empty road. Outside the car window, everything was a vast expanse of white, and the road surface was covered in a thick layer of frost.

A low-profile black SUV drove silently toward the coal storage yard in the outskirts under the cover of night.

In the driver’s seat, Ye Nanxing wore a black thermal suit, her expression cold and stern.

She hadn’t told Zhang Tianjin, Sun Hao, Zhao Wei, and Zhou Cheng that she intended to act alone.

The reason was simple—she had her space ability, and this mission didn’t require anyone else to take the risk.

In the trunk, besides spare fuel, ropes, and tools, there was a handgun equipped with a silencer, just in case.

”If everything goes smoothly... I can completely resolve the coal issue tonight.”

She gripped the steering wheel tightly, took a deep breath, and accelerated.

Perimeter of the coal storage yard.

The coal storage yard was located in the southeastern suburbs of Huabei City. The surrounding area, once wasteland, was now covered in thick snow, and everything was silent, as if it were a dead zone.

The government had explicitly prohibited private coal transport, so the gates to the coal storage yard were locked tight. Two security guards were in the guardroom keeping warm, lazily staring at the surveillance screens.

Ye Nanxing parked the car, turned off the engine, got out silently, and used the cover of darkness to circle around to the side gate.

She had long known about the security here—nominally under government control, but in reality, only a few guards were arranged, and it wasn’t tight at all.

However, as she prepared to act, she suddenly sensed something unusual.

In the warehouse area, there were actually people already ”stealing coal”!

By the faint moonlight, Ye Nanxing saw a few dark figures rummaging near the coal piles, their movements hurried but quite practiced.

She crouched behind cover, narrowing her eyes to observe carefully.

These people were not an organized theft ring, but individual ordinary citizens. Each person was dressed in rags, and some were even wearing only thin cotton-padded clothes.

”...These people, they aren’t doing this to get rich, but to survive.”

Ye Nanxing frowned, feeling a slight stir in her heart.

The current temperature had dropped to minus 30 degrees, yet they were still risking their lives to come and steal coal... This only meant that they had no fuel left at home!

If they couldn’t get coal tonight, their families might not make it through the winter.

Ye Nanxing didn’t rush to act; instead, she moved a bit closer to observe carefully.

One of the men had hands frozen bright red, struggling to drag a bag of coal back, his steps unsteady, almost falling.

Another middle-aged man wearing a thin military coat was shoveling coal chunks one by one into a woven plastic bag. He was panting white mist, and his hands were frozen stiff, almost devoid of sensation, yet he gritted his teeth and persisted.

Ye Nanxing sighed slightly in her heart.

These weren’t black market profiteers or violent looters; they were just desperate people struggling to survive in the winter.

Ye Nanxing didn’t disturb these people; instead, she chose to start her operation from a coal pile on the other side.

She gently reached out her hand, and with a thought, the entrance to her space opened quietly.

In an instant, the coal in front of her began to disappear without a sound!

Tons of coal were instantly absorbed into the space, as if they had never existed.

One minute... ten minutes...

In just half an hour, a full 19,000 tons of coal had been collected into Ye Nanxing’s space!

However, when collecting the last batch of coal, she stopped her actions.

She glanced at those few people who were still working hard to move the coal, and finally sighed softly, leaving behind one ton of coal as a final glimmer of hope for them.

In this world that had become incredibly freezing, she couldn’t save everyone, but she would help where she could.

After finishing all this, Ye Nanxing retreated quietly, without alarming anyone.