Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 49: High Temperature, Vulture 1

A sharp cry shattered the morning quiet as a giant, dark brown bird circled high above Prosperity Gardens. It flew swiftly, soaring and dipping. Its head was bald, covered only in short, dark brown fuzz, and the back of its neck was completely featherless. Its massive wings, with a span of over two meters, beat gently. As it spread them to dive, its hooked beak opened to let out another shriek.

This was a vulture, a creature that mainly inhabits alpine wastelands or deep mountain forests. They are social, carrion-eating animals, ferocious by nature, and will actively attack other creatures. Its talons are extremely sharp, capable of instantly disemboweling large animals like wild oxen and lions.

The vulture flapped its wings, dove toward the ground, and snatched up a black snake before soaring back into the sky. After circling once, it shrieked and flew away.

When Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman knocked on the door, Evelyn Ford was in the bathroom sharpening a knife. To thank her for saving their lives earlier, the two boys had brought her a snake that had just recently died. Evelyn looked at the rat snake, which had died from the heat, hesitated for a few seconds, but took it anyway.

"Miss Ford, when we went out looking for snakes today, we saw an Eagle. It was huge! If Owen Chapman hadn’t dragged me away, it might have carried me off. You have to be careful if you go out."

Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman both had looks of lingering fear on their faces. Evelyn had indeed heard some noises during the day, but she had been busy organizing the miscellaneous supplies in her space and hadn’t gone out to check.

’A huge Eagle?’

"Okay, I’ll be careful. You two as well."

The clothes and shoes on both boys were tattered and worn. Perhaps because they spent a lot of time with Officer Graham, the timidity in their eyes was gone. Though their clothes were ragged, the fortitude shining from within them was impressive.

Evelyn was happy to associate with people who were smart, quiet, and knew how to repay kindness. Although she was used to going it alone, she wouldn’t refuse when others showed her goodwill. By the same token, if someone showed her an ounce of malice, she would always return it tenfold.

Rat snakes were non-venomous and edible. Evelyn carried the snake back to the kitchen, picked up a cleaver, and chopped off its head. She skinned it, removed the guts, and after cutting it into segments, placed them in a basin.

Her appetite had surged in the last two days. ’I’ll enjoy this tomorrow.’

’Rat snake hot pot... that sounds pretty good.’

Evelyn saw the "Eagle" Roy had mentioned on the afternoon of the next day. After watching it through her binoculars for a long time, Evelyn confirmed it was an adult vulture—the legendary large bird of prey that fed on animal carcasses.

Vultures are diurnal. They generally don’t appear or hunt at night.

Having been cooped up for nearly half a month, Evelyn decided it was time to go out.

「At nine o’clock that night, the darkness was thick.」

Evelyn slipped out of Prosperity Gardens quietly. Beneath the brim of her baseball cap, her cold eyes swept sharply across her surroundings. Except for her eyes, Evelyn’s entire body was wrapped up, not a single patch of skin exposed. She had experimented before: when the hot wind from the forty-five-degree Celsius heat blew against her skin, it caused a burning pain and itchiness.

Forty minutes later, Evelyn arrived at the most expensive residential complex in Corinth. Before the apocalypse, the property prices here had been absurdly high; a single spacious flat sold for over a hundred million.

The people who once lived here were either rich or powerful, a class of society that ordinary people like Evelyn could never hope to touch. Now, as she looked up at these buildings again, a bizarre, dreamlike feeling washed over her.

The high-end apartment buildings were now empty towers. The filthy, stinking stairwells couldn’t stop Evelyn’s advance. Putting on her night-vision goggles, she quickened her pace. She had to get back to Prosperity Gardens before dawn, or she would be trapped here by the high temperatures and scorching sun.

Evelyn started on the third floor, searching apartment by apartment. Any unit with an open door had already been looted by someone else, leaving behind only large items that couldn’t be moved. If she saw a body inside a room, the most Evelyn could do was casually cover it with a cloth.

Still, the things in the high-end complex were quite an eye-opener: powerless robots, dried-up swimming pools, private movie theaters, wine cellars, and more.

On the seventh floor, Evelyn found a motorcycle worth several hundred thousand. The thing was cool, but it was a gas-guzzler. After hesitating for a few seconds, she took it anyway. Her space was huge, after all, and it wouldn’t take up much room.

The door on the ninth floor showed no signs of being opened. Evelyn knocked. After a few minutes with no response, she pried the lock open. As she opened the door, her attention was immediately drawn to a huge poster on the wall. The person on the poster was one of the most popular female celebrities before the apocalypse. Evelyn had even seen her TV shows; she was a stunningly beautiful, sophisticated woman.

The news had said she came from an ordinary family, that her parents were both working-class.

Evelyn couldn’t help but sigh. ’To be able to buy a luxury mansion worth over a hundred million just three years after her debut... it must be nice to be a star.’

The apartment was filled with her posters and photos. In the walk-in closet, the dazzling array of clothes and bags was another eye-opening experience for a self-professed country bumpkin like Evelyn.

These beautiful clothes and bags held little appeal for Evelyn. Since she didn’t find a body in the apartment, she guessed the owner might still be alive. ’If she comes back one day and finds her home has been ransacked, she’ll probably have a complete breakdown.’

In any case, the home was filled with flashy, impractical things. Before she left, Evelyn only swiped a set of kitchen knives from the kitchen.

The door to the tenth floor was also shut tight. As soon as she opened it, a foul stench hit her. Evelyn took out her flashlight to find the source. A few seconds later, she saw a highly decomposed body on the living room floor. Next to the body lay the half-rotten corpse of a golden retriever.

Evelyn looked around and was surprised to find a good amount of rice, flour, and bottled water in the apartment. Based on the body’s state of decomposition, the owner had been dead for no more than half a month. He had likely died from a sudden illness. The dog’s bowl in the living room still had kibble and water in it. After its owner died, the dog had refused to eat or drink, starving itself to death.

Evelyn found a clean cloth and covered their bodies. She took everything from the kitchen. On the desk in the study was a photo frame. The man in the picture was tall, lean, and handsome, holding a golden retriever puppy in his arms. He looked to be around thirty, with a mature and refined air.

Evelyn placed the photo frame in a drawer. After a glance around the study, she only took the books from the bookshelf. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

On the eleventh floor, as soon as Evelyn entered, she found the apartment had been completely ravaged by a swarm of snakes. The expensive leather sofa was covered in the stains from rotting snake corpses, and there was barely a clean spot to stand.

The bedroom and study doors were locked. It took Evelyn some effort to get them open. The bedroom was simple and clean, with no signs of the snake infestation. Based on the contents, Evelyn deduced the resident was a successful man in his forties. The walk-in closet was filled with custom-tailored suits and leather shoes. Dozens of watches were displayed in a glass case. Although she didn’t know their prices or brands, Evelyn knew they were luxuries she could never afford even if she worked for decades.

A glance at the time showed it was three in the morning. Evelyn didn’t delay any longer. After gathering the items, she prepared to head back.

The sky would be bright by around four o’clock. She had to get home as soon as possible.