Lu Qingyuan agreed quickly.
But the moment Chu Yian stepped into the kitchen, she nearly choked.
It was cleaner than her own face.
All the pots, pans, and utensils were there—but every single one was empty.
There was no rice, oil, salt… nothing.
And inside the fridge?
Just bottled water.
"What is he, some kind of immortal? Doesn't eat food—just drinks water and survives on air?"
Chu Yian took a deep breath, then went to her suitcase.
She took out her protective suit—everything else inside was food.
She did a quick inventory:
8 packs of instant noodles
4 boxes of self-heating rice
10 compressed biscuits
Enough to survive for two or three days, sure.
But nutrition, flavor, variety? Forget it.
Game: Day 19.
Peaceful.
Today was another loot box day. Chu Yian opened it with high hopes—and got...
A roll of toilet paper.
Wow. Thanks.
Game: Day 20.
Also passed without incident.
Day 21.
A rumor suddenly shot to the top of all unofficial news feeds:
A cure has been developed!
The first batch: 10,000 doses.
Allegedly, this miracle drug could completely cure the virus—even those on the brink of death.
One injection, and not only would you survive—you'd also gain permanent immunity.
But the supply?
Nowhere near enough.
The first doses were reserved for government officials and global elites.
For everyone else, even a single shot was nearly impossible to get.
On the black market, a single dose was going for over 100 million—and that's if you could even find one.
"Holy crap…"
Chu Yian stared at the news, stunned.
If this was true… how was she supposed to get her hands on it?
Game: Day 22.
Chu Yian started tracking official media channels, but none of them reported anything about the cure.
Meanwhile, unofficial sources were on fire—dozens of rumors circulating.
The most widespread said that global production of the drug was extremely limited, only 200,000 doses per day.
That might sound like a lot—until you compared it to a global population of 15 billion.
Without any confirmation from mainstream media, Chu Yian—who already knew from earlier that real production wouldn't start until Day 40—began scouring for more intel.
Eventually, she joined two small private groups claiming to have "insider info."
["It's true! The richest man in Country A got infected—one shot cured him! (pic 1) (pic 2)"]
["The drug is so rare, even a prince from a tiny country couldn't get one before he died."]
["Please, someone help. My son's not gonna make it. I'm willing to pay 800,000. Anyone have a source?"]
["800k? That's nothing. Didn't you see the report—one shot sold for 50 million."]
["It's real. I used to work for XX Corp—our CEO already offered 1 billion and is still on the waiting list. They have to supply the top-tier first. At 200,000 per day, it shouldn't be long… but for regular people like us?"]
Chu Yian frowned as she scrolled through the messages.
Getting the cure might be harder than surviving 20 days.
But there was one small win today:
She opened her loot box and found a whole crate of mangoes—each the size of her two palms.
Eight in total, glowing with vibrant yellow skin and filling the room with sweet, fragrant aroma.
She cracked one open right away—juicy, rich, minimal seed. Sweet as honey.
She originally planned to share with Lu Qingyuan…
But somehow… she ate the whole thing by herself.
There were seven left in the crate.
"…Might as well open another."
Normally, Lu Qingyuan only came downstairs to eat—never for anything else.
When he saw the plate of mango chunks on the table, he froze for a second.
His expression seemed to say:
"Where the hell did these mangoes come from?"
But he didn't ask.
He sat down across from her, eating like always.
His eyes briefly glanced at her phone screen while she was eating.
"What are you reading?"
"The cure."
Chu Yian blinked. She thought he might not know.
"There's word going around that the miracle drug is already out. You didn't hear?"
"I heard."
Lu Qingyuan nodded calmly and went back to eating.
"It was developed by the International Disease Research Center—using the world's top medical experts. But supply's limited for now. In five or six more days, it should be easier to get."
Five or six days…
That would be Day 28 or 29 of the game.
Chu Yian noted that and kept reading.
"Still… the sooner I can get it, the better."
Game: Day 23.
Chu Yian had now joined ten groups related to cure rumors and black market sources.
In one of the smaller groups, the chat was suddenly muted, and the admin posted a message:
[‼️BREAKING‼️ We got 3 doses of the cure through very special means. (pic) (pic) (pic)]
[These were obtained with our comrade's life. Auction starts in 6 hours! Serious buyers only—must provide proof of funds. Starting bid: 5 million.]
Chu Yian was shocked.
5 million starting price—for one dose of the cure.
Sure, it was less than the 100 million rumor from earlier.
But for most families, 5 million might as well have been a fantasy.
She considered messaging the admin directly…
But before she could, he posted another update:
[If you don't have the money or aren't planning to buy, DO NOT add me. I'll remove anyone who does.]
[This cure cost our friend his life. He used one dose himself. We want to keep the rest, but we're broke.]
Apparently, others had already tried what Chu Yian was thinking. The admin was cutting it off at the source.
Six hours passed.
The group was still muted—for seven full hours.
The moment the chat reopened, it exploded:
[Where's the auction? What happened??]
[Auction moved to a new group—everything's sold. One went for 80 million, one for 120 million, one for 140 million. Damn, these rich people are wild.]
[Who bought them? Anyone know?]
[You think billionaires are gonna out themselves here? The only disease in this world is being poor.]
[Is there any cure left? Please—someone help me. My son is dying. I'll sell my house, my car, I'll work the rest of my life for you… please…]