The blood, as if alive, quickly seeped into the jade pendant and disappeared.
The next second, a gentle force surged from the jade pendant into her body, establishing a mysterious connection with her.
A storage space, roughly only a hundred cubic meters in size, appeared in her consciousness, completely empty inside.
It was a success.
Su Wan let out a turbid breath, her taut nerves relaxing slightly.
With the space, she had the capital to collect supplies.
Zhang Ma's voice came from outside the door again, more respectful than before.
"Miss, breakfast is ready."
At this moment, the jade pendant was no different from an ordinary one, so Su Wan put it into her space, quickly tidied up the messy dressing table, and wiped away the bloodstains from her fingertips.
She walked to the door, adjusted her expression, and resumed that arrogant, dismissive demeanor.
She pulled the door open.
Standing outside the door was a middle-aged woman dressed in a maid's uniform, precisely Zhang Ma.
Zhang Ma's head was bowed low, her posture humble, but her fingers were unconsciously twisting a corner of her apron.
"Miss."
Su Wan's chin lifted slightly, her peripheral vision sweeping over her.
"Mm."
She walked past Zhang Ma and headed straight for the dining room, where the aroma of coffee and toast permeated the air.
This was what the original 'Su Wan' liked, not her; she preferred soy milk and fried dough sticks.
On the long dining table, only one breakfast setting was laid out, with exquisite tableware reflecting a faint gleam.
Zhang Ma silently followed behind her, stopping to stand there, ready to pull out her chair.
Before Zhang Ma could touch the chair, Su Wan raised her hand to block her.
"I'll do it myself."
Zhang Ma's hand paused, then she submissively retreated half a step, lowering her head again.
Su Wan pulled out the heavy chair herself and sat down, her fingertips tracing the cool back of the chair.
She looked at the covered plate in front of her, which was nothing more than fried eggs, bacon, and the like.
She picked up the coffee cup, the steam brushing her face.
Zhang Ma stood to the side, holding a silver tray.
"Miss, is there anything else you need?"
Su Wan put down the coffee cup, the bottom clinking crisply against the saucer.
She looked up at Zhang Ma.
"How much food is still in the villa?"
This question broke the tranquility of breakfast.
Zhang Ma's fingers tightened around the tray she was holding.
She forced a smile.
"Miss, why do you suddenly ask this?"
"The food reserves at home have always been very sufficient."
Her tone tried to sound natural, but Su Wan caught a faint tremor at the end of her sentence.
Sufficient?
In the book, after the apocalypse broke out, the villa's supplies were consumed extremely quickly.
The supplies Su Wan took out from the storage room would be used up very quickly each time.
From once a week to once every three or four days, the frequency became higher and higher, yet the original owner remained oblivious.
Zhang Ma and a few servants secretly hid a lot, preparing for their own escape route.
"How sufficient?" Su Wan's voice was flat, betraying no emotion.
"I'm asking for specific quantities."
"Rice, flour, water, canned goods, tell me one by one."
The smile on Zhang Ma's face froze.
She lowered her eyes.
"This… I'm not sure about the exact numbers."
"It's all handled by the butler."
The butler, Lin Zhong.
Su Wan remembered that this person was also one of those who quickly defected to the new master.
No one in this villa was easy to deal with.
She had to guard not only against the zombies outside but also against the people around her.
Su Wan put down her knife and fork, the clinking of the utensils sounding louder.
"Go call the butler."
"I want to know all the material reserves now."
Zhang Ma's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Yes, Miss."
She turned and left, her footsteps slightly hurried.
Su Wan watched Zhang Ma's retreating figure.
Zhang Ma wouldn't go call the butler; she would only go tip them off.
She had to transfer the untouched supplies in the storage room to her space before those people reacted.
Su Wan quickly finished breakfast and got up to leave the dining room.
She did not return to her bedroom but went directly to the villa's underground storage room.
Most of the villa's supplies were stored there.
She descended the stairs, the air growing colder and more humid.
The basement door was a heavy metal door that required a password.
What was the password?
Su Wan frowned. The original owner never bothered with trivial matters, and the book didn't mention it either.
But she remembered that the original owner liked to use important dates or special numbers as passwords.
The original owner's birthday? Her parents' wedding anniversary?
Su Wan tried entering a few dates she knew by heart, but the metal door remained motionless, only the monotonous "beep" sound from the keypad.
Her heart began to race.
If she couldn't open the door, she wouldn't be able to get most of the supplies.
Amidst her anxiety, a scene flashed through her mind.
The book mentioned that the original owner's most treasured possession, besides the spatial jade pendant, was a music box left by her mother.
On the back of the music box, a small line of numbers was engraved.
The original owner used to stare blankly at that line of numbers.
Could it be that one?
Su Wan immediately ran back to her bedroom and rummaged through her dressing table.
Soon, she found the exquisite music box.
Turning over the music box, it felt cool to the touch, and indeed, a delicate line of numbers was engraved on the bottom: 147890.
That was it.
She immediately turned and rushed back to the basement entrance at the fastest speed.
The cold air of the stairwell assailed her.
She stood before the heavy metal door, her trembling fingers pressing the cold numeric keypad: 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 0.
"Beep—"
The keypad lit up green, but the door didn't move.
Immediately after, a hidden panel on the door lit up, casting a soft light, scanning her facial contours.
A cold, mechanical female voice sounded.
"Facial recognition in progress… Please wait…"
Su Wan held her breath.
"Facial recognition passed."
"Please verify fingerprint."
Below the keypad, a small square area lit up.
Su Wan, as instructed, pressed her right index finger onto it.
"Fingerprint verification passed."
"Click—"
After a dull mechanical sound, the heavy metal door slowly slid inward.
A mix of dry air and a slight musty smell wafted out.
Su Wan stepped inside, her gaze sweeping over rows of shelves piled high with canned goods, compressed biscuits, bottled water, and several boxes of what appeared to be valuable medicines.
The corners of her mouth curved upward imperceptibly.