The Last Queen of the Apocalypse novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Space

Testing her new ability, Iris muttered “phone” under her breath. In an instant, the device reappeared in her hand.

Joy surged through Iris.

Just as she’d guessed, this was the legendary system from the novels she’d read so many times before.

Quick to adapt to this cheat code, she began frantically collecting everything in sight.

As she worked, she discovered the system’s pricing rule: it recognized items based on their original purchase price, regardless of wear and tear or whether they were disassembled.

Without hesitation, Iris threw herself into moving and dismantling.

“Ding. Detected gold jewelry, value 58 thousand dollars! Reward: 2049 cubic feet!

“Ding. Detected a water cup, value 39 dollars!

“Ding. Detected a calendar, value 10 dollars!

“Ding. Detected a small desk, value 369 dollars! Reward: 141 cubic feet!

“Ding. Detected a four-piece mahogany furniture set, value 25 thousand dollars! Reward: 883 cubic feet!

“Ding. Detected a trash can, value 15 dollars!”

In just ten minutes, she collected everything movable—from shoes, clothes, pots, bowls, paper, pens, cups, trash cans, storage jars, photo albums, and nail clippers to tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets.

Even the rotten apples Adeline brought earlier were scooped up and tossed into the space.

“Ding. Detected five pounds of rotten apples, value 2.5 dollars!”

Iris spat in disgust at the announcement.

How shameless!

Bringing rotten apples and lying about them being imported, then demanding her three-million-dollar house? What a bunch of freaks!

Still, she didn’t hesitate to keep them. She’d take whatever she could get.

Soon, all movable items were gone, and her focus shifted to the immovable ones.

“Ding. Detected a flush toilet, value 1999 dollars!”

With a mighty heave, Iris pulled the toilet out of the floor.

She’d always been strong, but compared to her body after five years of struggling in the apocalypse, her current form felt weak.

It seemed that Iris needed to start exercising soon to build up her strength.

After removing the toilet, the notifications continued.

“Ding. Detected bathroom vanity, value 699 dollars!

“Ding. Detected range hood, value 2599 dollars!

“Ding. Detected gas stove, value 489 dollars!

“Ding. Detected security door, value 1589 dollars!”

Screw them. She’d take everything she could dismantle, not leaving a single bolt for those bastards!

“Ding. Detected glass window, value 400 dollars!

“Ding. Detected floorboard, value 150 dollars!”

…

By the end of the hour, Iris had stripped the house bare.

Except for the walls, which she couldn’t move, every other fixture was either dismantled or destroyed.

Floorboards were pried up, windows and doors removed, and even the tiles—too heavy to take whole—were smashed into pieces and collected.

“Countdown: 3 seconds remaining!”

Hearing the warning, Iris had a last-minute idea. She rushed to the entrance, climbed onto the railing, and grabbed the small light bulb in the hallway.

“Ding. Detected a 10-watt light bulb, value five dollars!