Doomsday Dealer

Chapter 10: Lonely Heart

The journey proceeded without incident. After purchasing a backpack, Marcus walked along while studying the materials Sophia had given him, then took a taxi to the outskirts of Talent Community.

The community had no high walls surrounding it. Standing at the roadside, Marcus could see at a glance the gray, weathered six-story old buildings inside. The buildings weren't particularly close to each other, and their facades were crawling with streaks of dark gray cracks, clearly showing their age. Apart from being somewhat old, there was nothing particularly special about them, but fortunately, the building numbers were still clearly marked.

Sophia's Building 7 was visible even from outside the community. After scanning the area for a while, Marcus didn't rush inside. Instead, he took out the map Sophia had drawn and began walking around the community's perimeter.

After about thirty minutes of reconnaissance, he returned to the community entrance. That girl Sophia was remarkably meticulous—her hand-drawn community map had every line carefully measured with a ruler. The proportions of nearby supermarkets, print shops, and other establishments were also relatively accurate. From what he could see, he wouldn't need to spend much effort studying the map further.

Stepping into the community, Marcus noticed there was no access control system, and the security booth at the entrance was essentially useless. Standing beneath Building 7, Unit 2, a smell of kitchen waste permeated the air.

Besides the normal entrance, there was a square opening about forty centimeters wide on one side of the building entrance. Food scraps, soup residue, and plastic bags were scattered below it. A low concrete wall stood nearby, separating the building entrance from this opening.

Marcus had seen this design in the neighborhoods of his childhood—a garbage chute. Each household had a corresponding garbage opening where they could dump trash directly from their hallway down to the ground floor. However, it created strong odors and was prone to clogging... except for some old buildings, this design was rarely used anymore.

An old tree stood directly in front of the building. Marcus quickly walked to the tree and circled it, soon discovering a red mark near the roots. Though somewhat faded, it was still clearly visible. This must be where Sophia had buried the money!

Glancing around and seeing no one nearby, Marcus pulled a pair of gloves from his bag and began digging. After excavating about ten centimeters, a cookie tin with a faded pattern came into view. Opening the tin, he found rolls of small bills and coins inside.

Without time to count them carefully, Marcus once again couldn't help but praise Sophia's thoroughness. He quickly secured the cookie tin, kicked some dirt back into the hole to fill it, then looked up at the glass windows of the building above, his eyes lighting up with satisfaction.

Sophia lived on the fifth floor, and both the second and fifth floors had rental phone numbers posted. If everything went smoothly, he might be able to rent the apartment directly across from Sophia's home... that would make handling any problems much more convenient.

Time to rent now!

Having made up his mind, Marcus memorized the phone number and looked around. Spotting a middle-aged woman, he walked over decisively.

"Excuse me, could I borrow your phone? Mine's dead."

....

Thirty minutes later, at the fifth-floor entrance.

A middle-aged man in a gray short-sleeved shirt was unlocking the door with Marcus standing behind him.

"Young man, you've got good taste. Don't let this old building fool you—back in the day when housing was allocated by work units, this was reserved for people with status: professors, officials, veterans, all from that era." The landlord opened the door and gestured for Marcus to enter, continuing, "Old Frank across the hall, and little Chris the security captain downstairs—he's a military veteran too. The environment might be a bit rough, but living here gives you peace of mind and comfort."

"My son used to live downstairs. If he hadn't begged me to move out, I wouldn't have wanted to leave. I've maintained this place with great care. What do you think?"

"Your son is so filial, and he's making good money too. If I had that kind of ability, my parents would be over the moon. So many people must envy you!"

"Not bad! Not bad! You're pretty impressive yourself, young man!" The landlord spoke modestly while smiling with obvious pride.

Marcus said no more and entered the apartment to tour each room. Two bedrooms, one living room, bathroom, kitchen—except for lacking electrical appliances and a modern toilet, everything else like tables, chairs, and benches was complete... the total area was roughly seventy-plus square meters.

The landlord followed behind, explaining: "Basic furniture is all here, enough for living, but you'll need to get your own appliances. For cooking, there's a gas station outside the community where you can buy a gas tank for sixty dollars, with a hundred-dollar deposit. The morning market is just one street away... what do you think?"

Both men stopped simultaneously in the living room.

Marcus got straight to the point: "Not bad. How much per month?"

"Five hundred. For the deposit... I can see you're a decent person, so let's just make it one month's rent."

"Alright, no problem." After saying this, Marcus paused, then changed the subject: "Sir, you mentioned your son moved out and used to live downstairs. Is that downstairs apartment empty too?"

"Yes, it is empty. But that's my son's place. He never thought about renting it out in the early years, so it's just been sitting vacant."

"Would he rent it out?"

"Huh?" The landlord was momentarily stunned, then nodded: "The downstairs conditions are about the same as this one. If you want to rent it, that would be great—I can make that decision. But how many people are you housing exactly?"

Marcus thought briefly: "Sir, as I told you, I came to Longshan from out of town looking for work. This apartment is just for me, but I have a friend who also wants to come—she's a woman... I thought I'd help her find a place in advance, you know, to show I care! I guarantee you, one person per apartment, absolutely nothing inappropriate going on."

"Ah... so you're trying to court someone." The landlord chuckled: "Alright then, no problem!"

Marcus smiled sheepishly and thanked him, then looked somewhat embarrassed: "But sir, there's one more issue... I just arrived, and renting two apartments at once is a bit tight financially. When my friend comes in a couple days, my expenses might get even higher."

"I can pay you the first month's rent for both apartments, but could I pay the deposits in half a month when you come to check on things? We can write it into the contract—if anything gets messed up or damaged, don't bother collecting the deposit, just kick me out. Would that work?"

The landlord hesitated for a moment, then patted Marcus on the shoulder and laughed: "You seem like an honest young man. This little matter—I can't let it interfere with your romance! Alright, it's settled then!"

.....

An hour later, in the quiet rental apartment, Marcus stood alone by the window, chewing on bitter, unidentifiable vegetable leaves while gazing melancholically outside.

Before him, the sun was setting, its remaining light spreading everywhere, coating everything in a golden glow. In the span of a single day, he had gone from his home to a strange world, visited a psychiatric hospital, and finally rented two apartments... he had made a home.

While busy outside, the tension and helplessness had been constantly suppressed by the unfamiliar environment and his rational mind. But now, with a safe dwelling secured and being alone, his body and mind relaxed... everything felt like a dream, yet terrifyingly real.

Marcus leaned forward slightly, pressing his forehead against the glass and closing his eyes with a long sigh. The bitter taste in his mouth became more pronounced as the panic and confusion that had been building in his heart began to surge violently.

A job forced upon him, and he still had to prepare for the apocalypse...

How did he end up crossing over... how did it become the end of the world?!

Why did this have to happen to him!

He was just an ordinary person—he didn't want this kind of experience!!

Marcus clutched his chest, his mind in complete turmoil.