Video game I Can Turn Waste Into Treasure novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Andrea thought, ‘Great, the energy booster code is mine now! She opened the potion and sniffed it. It had a faint orange

scent

She suddenly remembered she had bought a few fresh oranges the day before, but she had no idea where she had stashed them.

After rummaging through the mountain of ingredients for a while, she finally dug them out. The oranges looked fresh. She wondered where the rat had gotten them.

She chopped the oranges and tossed them straight into the food. Andrea didn’t waste any more time on it.

She needed to save time for herself, so she chopped up some meat and veggies to make a giant wrap.

She took two energy boosters and pretended to pour them into the food, but actually slipped them into her space.

Once the food was ready, the female horn beast called for someone outside to pick it up. Then she helped Andrea scrub down the kitchen and headed home happily.

Andrea waited until she was well out of earshot. She opened the kitchen door and peeked out. The first floor was empty.

She glanced at the kitchen supplies, smiled, and stored everything in her space. Not a single pot, pan, bowl, or dish was left behind.

I’m not planning on coming back anyway. Thanks for the free loot,‘ she thought. After making sure not even a scrap of trash was left, Andrea left the building in a great mood.

She had walked through the nearby streets the day before, and there were barely any supplies left. Andrea headed toward he tunnels, moving toward the outer edge.

More players were out here in the outer zone. Every few hundred yards, she spotted skittish players who darted away as soon as they saw her.

Why? Am I really that scary?‘ she wondered. What Andrea didn’t know was that the players were shocked to see her walking casually down the street while patrolling horn beasts waved at her.

Their jaws nearly hit the ground. They thought, ‘Why is this person on such familiar terms with the monsters while we’re being chased away?‘

The players quickly decided Andrea was not to be messed with and kept their distance.

There were a few villa neighborhoods in the outer area. Supplies were scarce, but there were plenty of big appliances.

Andrea looted tons of fridges, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, AC units, computers, TVs, and projectors.

Beyond that was the edge of the city. The area outside was desolate. Weeds were everywhere, and so were bones. Andrea even saw a few human skeletons.

She thought, “This dungeon is seriously barren. No wonder there is no penalty for failing the task here!

Andrea came to a grain silo. She circled it twice and only found some torn food wrappers, half a grindstone, and a small piece of steel plate.

But when she read the item description for the steel plate, she was overjoyed. It was a fragment of a silo that had stored grain. This one item made the whole trip worth it.

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2.38 pm PP p

Chapter 24

Andrea kept going, walking through a grove of trees, when a lake suddenly came into view. Her eyes lit up.

she opened her crafting station and made 200 plastic water barrels, each holding 20 gallons. Then she knelt there and hauled water for ages.

This was precious fresh water, she thought. She ran out of time, though. She only filled 200 barrels before she had to leave eluctantly.

Luckily, the barrels all fit into one inventory slot. Otherwise, her space would have been full.

I was almost dark. Andrea wolfed down one of the meals Dustin had prepped for her. Then she hurried to one of the tunnel

‘ntrances.

he had made a plan with Gwen that morning: each would guard one entrance. As soon as the key appeared, they’d grab it.

Andrea sent one of the two energy boosters she had gotten that morning to Gwen. She had a feeling this would be a long ight.

he slowed down as she neared the tunnel entrance, moving quietly. One of the two giant rats she had seen earlier was tanding at the tunnel mouth.

To Andrea’s surprise, a slightly chubby man was in front of it, chattering away nonstop. The man and the rat seemed to be getting along great.

Andrea checked the sky. She still had time, so she waited patiently instead of rushing. Ten minutes later, the man finally urned to leave.

Andrea was standing right in his path. She didn’t move to hide. The man was in a great mood, walking quickly toward her.

He turned the corner, and a knife pressed into his lower back. “Hey, don’t do anything rash!” He panicked when he realized what was behind him and begged quietly.

Andrea had no intention of hurting him. She just had a few questions. “What were you two talking about?”

I sold him some snacks! Just popcorn. Want some popcorn? I’ve got more.” The man pulled out a bucket of popcorn to ›rove it.

As soon as he opened it, Andrea smelled a sweet, buttery scent. It was exactly the kind of food rats would love.

No wonder the giant rat is so happy,‘ she thought. She didn’t take the popcorn. “Want to make a deal?”

What kind of deal?” The man perked up instantly. He turned to face her, eyes bright, completely forgetting the knife at his

>ack.

Andrea sighed, lowered her long knife, and stepped back. “Lure that rat away for me. Name your price.”

The man didn’t agree right away. He frowned and thought for a moment. “It’s easy, but I need something I don’t have.”

What do you need?” Andrea asked. ‘Does this rat have a weird hobby or something?‘ she thought.

A pack of cigarettes.” He leaned in mysteriously. “I checked its claws and smelled its fur. No way it’s got that look and scent without ten years of smoking.”

Andrea glanced at the rat’s brown claws. ‘Aren’t all rat claws this color?‘ she thought. ‘But it’s worth a try

She didn’t want to spook her prey yet. She wanted to scope out the tunnel interior first.

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Chapter 24

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64 vouchers

She happened to have a pack of cigarettes. She was glad she hadn’t sold them for taking up space. “Let’s exchange friend codes

“Sure, the man agreed eagerly.

The second the nicknames popped up, both of them froze. “It’s you,” they blurted out at the same time. Andrea couldn’t believe she had run into someone she knew again.

“Man, I was so scared I thought I was a goner. It’s you. Guess I get to live a few more years.” Jason grinned, his round face looking even chubbier.

Andrea handed him the cigarettes. “Let’s get this done first.” Jason stopped joking. He took the pack, gave her a businesslike nod, and hustled back toward the rat.

Andrea stared in shock. In less than two minutes, Jason and the rat went from trading partners to buddies, slinging an arm over each other’s shoulders and walking off.

That stuff is really that effective?‘ she wondered. Without wasting time, Andrea slipped into the empty tunnel.

She planned to wait inside for the rat to bring the key in, then catch it off guard with a surprise attack.

But when she saw two separate tunnels ahead, she was totally speechless. The map was a goddamn cheap sketch.

Andrea studied them for a minute. The two tunnels looked identical. She had no idea which one to pick.

With two tunnels, if the rat ran, the difficulty would be more than doubled. She had no idea if the tunnels connected somewhere.

Just as Andrea was frustrated, Gwen messaged her: [Sorry, I couldn’t stop the rat. A pack of mutant wolves showed up out of nowhere.

[They brought the key and tossed it into the tunnel, then attacked me. I’ll come help you as soon as I take care of the wolves.]

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