Ivy stayed seated across from Raymond Thompson, her posture relaxed, a faint smile playing on her lips.
He was Dr. Thompson’s son, and the irony of his current situation almost made her laugh out loud.
’Your greatest nightmare is unfolding right under your nose,’ she thought coldly.
She suppressed the smirk threatening to surface and instead maintained a calm, neutral expression.
"I recently received news," Ivy spoke evenly, her voice gentle, "that the prices of supplies inside the base will be rising soon."
Raymond fell silent.
The faint sll of dust and old fabric hung in the room as his fingers tightened against his knees.
He did not have many zombie crystals. Both he and his father had always relied on their mind rather than strength, and now that Ivy had casually ntioned his father’s hospitalization, he had not even dared to ask about the cost.
He already knew the answer would be devastating.
Now, hearing that food prices were going to rise as well, unease crept into his chest like a slow poison.
He looked at Ivy, forcing a smile that barely held.
"Why... why are you telling this?"
Ivy’s gaze softened slightly, though there was no warmth in her eyes.
"What I’m about to say may hurt you," she said quietly. "But I think you deserve to know the truth."
Raymond’s heart clenched.
Before he could prepare himself, Ivy continued in a soft, almost regretful tone.
"Your father ran away."
Raymond froze.
The words echoed in his ears as if struck by a hamr.
Ivy did not give him ti to recover.
"He learned that the hospital fees amounted to twenty thousand zombie crystals," she added calmly. "He couldn’t pay it."
She paused deliberately.
"He left a note stating that all remaining expenses, including food costs, should be handled by you since you are his son."
Raymond sprang to his feet instinctively.
"That’s impossible!" he blurted out. "I don’t have that many zombie crystals!"
Ivy raised her hand gently.
"Don’t rush," she said calmly. "Listen to everything first."
Raymond’s legs felt weak. He sank back into his seat, the worn cushion creaking beneath him.
Before the apocalypse, he and his father had accumulated wealth through dark ans.
They owned nurous properties and countless assets and lived comfortably. But now, none of that mattered.
Real estate ant nothing without stability. Food was everything.
Zombie crystals were everything.
’How am I supposed to pay twenty thousand... plus daily expenses?’ Panic gnawed at his thoughts.
Ivy observed his turmoil quietly before speaking again.
"I’ve heard that soone inside the base is willing to exchange assets," she said casually. "Real estate, gold, antiques, pearls, even diamonds. They convert them into zombie crystals."
Raymond’s eyes widened. "That’s... that’s possible?"
Ivy nodded slightly.
"If you have anything of value, it can be exchanged for crystals and then for food."
Raymond did not hesitate.
"I want to do it," he said imdiately.
He thought that Ivy was kindly giving him a way out and he was filled with gratitude.
Ivy lowered her gaze briefly, hiding the satisfied glint in her eyes.
’Exactly as planned.’
She hesitated outwardly.
"The value won’t be the sa as before the apocalypse," she cautioned. "You may only receive a fraction."
Raymond shook his head firmly.
"That’s fine," he replied quickly. "Even one-fourth is acceptable."
Ivy nodded.
"If you want, I can act as the middleman."
Raymond agreed without a second thought.
Then his brows furrowed.
"I don’t have the physical docunts for the properties," he admitted. "I don’t even know how to transfer them."
Ivy smiled softly.
"Everything can be handled online now," she said calmly. "Before the apocalypse, systems were already advanced enough to allow seamless transfers."
Raymond opened his mouth to ntion electricity, then froze.
The base had power. A slow smile spread across his face.
"That’s good," he said with relief. "I’m ready to transfer everything."
After a pause, he added, "I also own gold, but it’s locked in a bank vault."
Ivy nodded.
"As long as the location is provided, it can be retrieved and converted into zombie crystals as well. However, the prerequisite is that gold is still there."
Raymond’s eyes glistened.
"You’re my savior," he said sincerely.
Ivy waved her hand dismissively.
"I just feel sorry for you," she replied lightly. "Your father abandoned you and left all his debt behind."
That sentence ignited sothing dark inside Raymond.
Anger burned hot and sharp.
’He really ran away...’
mories surfaced... mories of his father’s cruelty long before the apocalypse, even attempts to discard him when he was no longer useful.
Raymond clenched his jaw.
"Sotis," he muttered bitterly, "I don’t even know who’s the father and who’s the son anymore."
Ivy watched him carefully. He had swallowed the bait.
She nodded and slid a tablet toward him.
"List all the properties you own."
Raymond complied without hesitation.
He knew the apocalypse would not end soon. From insider knowledge, he was aware that it could last a decade or more.
Researchers were scattered, resources were limited, and solutions were slow.
He planned to rebuild later. For now, survival ca first.
As Ivy scanned the list, her expression remained composed, but inside, she was stunned.
Nearly twenty properties. And she knew instinctively that this was not even the full list.
’Half of this... and still so much blood behind it,’ she thought.
A wave of nausea surged within her. The urge to slap him rose sharply, fueled by the knowledge of how many lives had likely been destroyed to amass such wealth.
She suppressed it.
’Patience,’ she reminded herself coldly. ’This is only the beginning. Once I have all his assets, I will teach him a good lesson.’
Then Ivy calmly left the place she had been in.
The eting, after all, had been conducted inside Raymond’s house, and the faint scent of old furniture and dust still clung to her clothes as she stepped out.
Once outside, she handed a folded note to Martha.
Martha didn’t waste a second. The mont she received it, she activated the online system that, miraculously, had not yet shut down.
With swift, practiced movents, she summoned Raymond and another individual to the office.
The mont Raymond entered and saw the elderly man waiting inside, his heart skipped.
’This must be him,’ Raymond thought instantly. ’The buyer.’
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