Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging
Chapter 24: Ice Cream

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Ice Cream

Moira was dressed in loose-fitting sweats, which made her stand out a bit from the people around her in their shorts and short-sleeved shirts. She couldn’t care less about their stares, though.

’The temperature outside is so high, exposing your skin directly to the sun is an easy way to get burned.’

Arriving at the women’s clothing section, she saw that while it wasn’t empty, very few people were stopping to buy anything. After all, money was tight for everyone right now—barely enough for food, let alone new clothes.

Besides, these clothes cost thousands at the drop of a hat, and their quality wasn’t necessarily any better than what you could find at the second-hand markets outside.

As she walked on, Moira came to a place selling ice cream. From a distance, she could see plenty of people stopping in front of the freezer, staring for a long while before walking away.

Moira walked over to take a look and instantly understood why.

A single, small tub of ice cream cost 1,880.

If this had been the price back in the old days, it would have been enough to become a trending topic online.

Moira shook her head and turned to leave just like the others. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford it, but there was no need to waste the money.

Just then, a voice suddenly called out from behind her.

"Moira Lynch!"

Hearing someone call her name, Moira Lynch turned around. It was a high school classmate of the body’s original owner, someone she hadn’t been in contact with since after the college entrance exams.

Gigi Keaton and her two companions walked up to Moira Lynch. She first looked Moira up and down, then feigned surprise. "Moira Lynch, I can’t believe I’m running into you here. Why didn’t you come to our class graduation party?"

"Yeah," Gigi Keaton’s little follower deliberately said in a loud voice, "you were never very social, but I can’t believe you’d skip the very last class reunion. Do you look down on all of us or something?"

"Chloe, how could you say that? Moira Lynch is just not good at socializing, I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose," Gigi Keaton said, shooting a fake, chiding glance at Chloe Lawson beside her.

"Moira Lynch, don’t mind Chloe. She just speaks her mind. But... I heard something happened to your parents? And that your family is in a lot of debt? I heard all the assets your parents left behind were seized to pay it off. You must be having a really hard time."

The moment she finished speaking, Chloe Lawson and the other follower beside her burst into gleeful, malicious laughter.

Only then did Gigi Keaton act as if she’d just realized what she’d said. She covered her mouth, her face a mask of apology. "Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I touch a sore spot? I didn’t mean to, really. I’m so sorry. You’ve always been so magnanimous, Moira Lynch. You’ll forgive me, right?"

Gigi Keaton had never liked Moira Lynch. She’d disliked her from the very first glance.

As a transfer student, Moira had immediately stolen her title as the class beauty. On top of that, she had two loving parents, a happy family, and good grades.

Ever since Moira transferred, everyone—both teachers and students—had been drawn to her.

And to top it all off, Moira acted as if she couldn’t care less about any of it, which made Gigi grind her teeth in frustration.

Heaven knows how happy Gigi had been when she heard about the accident with Moira’s parents. And when she heard Moira had started selling off family assets, she was convinced it was because she had no other choice to pay off her debts.

Gigi Keaton looked at Moira Lynch, a thick sliver of malice flashing in her eyes.

Moira Lynch watched them prattle on. To her, these childish games were completely ineffective; they didn’t bother her in the slightest. She just felt like an idiot for stopping and wasting her time.

’But according to the original owner’s memories, she barely had any interaction with this Gigi Keaton. The original owner was an introvert and a transfer student, keeping a polite distance from her classmates. She rarely said more than a few words unless it was absolutely necessary.’

Seemingly noticing the way Moira was looking at her like she was an idiot, Gigi Keaton’s brow furrowed in displeasure. "What’s with that look! Your family is bankrupt. I bet you won’t have the chance to eat ice cream ever again. How about this? I’ll treat you."

This made Moira, who had been about to turn and walk away, stop in her tracks. "You’re the one who said it."

This was the first time Moira had ever really spoken to her. For some reason, a bad feeling welled up in Gigi Keaton’s heart.

But words, once spoken, are like spilled water. Gigi stubbornly said, "Of course." Then she pointed to the freezer and waved her hand grandly. "Take whatever you want."

Hearing this, a faint smile touched the corners of Moira Lynch’s lips. ’This is a first,’ she thought, ’someone practically begging to be my patsy.’

Acting on the principle that only an idiot passes up a freebie, Moira turned and waved to the salesclerk in the distance. "All the ice cream here... I’ll take it all."

After saying that, she thought for a moment and added, "Do you have any insulated boxes?"

"Actually, never mind. An insulated box would be too small; it probably wouldn’t fit much anyway. I’ll give you an address. Just deliver it all to my home."

The salesclerk moved quickly, fetching an insulated box and then pulling out one of every kind of ice cream from the freezer.

Then, as everyone stared dumbfounded, Moira Lynch pointed at Gigi Keaton and said, "She’s paying."

The salesclerk was the first to snap out of it. She swallowed hard and forced a polite smile. "Because of the large quantity, we’ll need some time to calculate the total price. You may have to wait a little while."

Hearing this, Moira Lynch waved her hand magnanimously. "That’s fine. Just make sure the items get delivered to me. It’s not like I’m the one paying, anyway."

She had seen what happened just now. It was obvious these three young women were here to cause trouble.

The salesclerk gave Moira Lynch a pitying look. She couldn’t believe that such a young woman had lost both her parents.

Weren’t the things those three had said just now the same as rubbing salt in her wounds?

"This way, miss. Please follow me," the salesclerk said to Gigi Keaton with a beaming smile.

"You did that on purpose!"

Facing an enraged Gigi Keaton, Moira Lynch’s smile was perfectly composed. She said softly, "Thank you for treating me, classmate Gigi Keaton."

Seeing that Moira was about to leave, Gigi Keaton rushed forward to grab her. "Wait a minute! You’re not allowed to leave."

Moira Lynch turned and looked at her. "Are you going back on your word?"

"I’m not," Gigi Keaton retorted instinctively.

"If you’re not going back on your word, then why are you grabbing me and not letting me leave?" Moira Lynch tilted her head, a half-smile playing on her lips as she looked at her.

At that moment, Gigi Keaton suddenly felt that the Moira Lynch before her was a complete stranger, nothing like the person she had been back in school.

While the two were tangled up, the salesclerk on the other side had already finished totaling the price of the ice cream. It came to over two hundred thousand.

Gigi Keaton’s expression turned ugly the moment she heard the price. Her family was wealthy, yes, but they didn’t just let her squander money however she pleased—let alone spend two hundred thousand on ice cream.

She had only wanted to humiliate Moira Lynch.

Staring at the bill the salesclerk was holding out, Gigi Keaton refused to reach out and take it. Behind her, her two little followers had lost all of their previous arrogance. They both kept their heads down, their gazes shifting about nervously.

Hearing the commotion, a number of people in the surrounding area had all stopped to watch, eager to see how the drama would unfold.

Noticing the appraising and mocking stares from the crowd, Gigi Keaton turned her head to look at Moira Lynch. "Are you satisfied now?"