Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging
Chapter 25: Turmoil

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Turmoil

"Don’t talk so big next time if you can’t afford it." Moira Lynch glanced up at Gigi Keaton with utter contempt. "I’m leaving. Hope we never meet again."

In the end, Moira Lynch decided not to take the ice cream. It was worth over two hundred thousand, after all. Her conscience would bother her if she actually accepted it.

She just wanted to teach those foul-mouthed young women a lesson.

’Even though I’m not the original owner of this body, I won’t let anyone get away with bad-mouthing her parents.’

She checked the time. If she stayed any longer, it would be completely dark outside.

Just as Moira Lynch was about to leave, the mall’s lights suddenly went out.

The entire mall plunged into darkness, filled with the sounds of panic and attempts to comfort one another.

In the gloom, Moira Lynch felt a sharp pain in her shoulder as someone violently ripped the backpack off her back.

Moira Lynch immediately yelled, "A thief! I’m being robbed!"

She quickly pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight. Hearing her shout, the people around her did the same.

But the thief had already vanished into the crowd.

Moira Lynch could only guess the general direction of their escape based on the sensation of the grab.

Moira Lynch frowned, staring in the direction the thief had fled. Seeing her expression, people nearby came over to console her.

"Young lady, what’s gone is gone. The important thing is that you’re safe." "Yeah, all that matters is that you’re okay."

Moira Lynch put on an expression as if she were on the verge of tears, but inwardly, she felt nothing at all.

’That bag was just a decoy. It only had a pack of tissues inside. I stored all my truly valuable things in my space long ago.’

Soon, a broadcast announcement explained the reason for the power outage.

Apparently, the extreme heat outside had caused most of the electrical wires to catch fire, leading to the blackout. The government was organizing emergency repair crews, but it was unclear when the power would be restored.

Moira Lynch didn’t have much hope. ’The weather outside is just too hot. Even if they fix it, who knows when the power will go out again.’

With the air conditioning off and so many people crowded together, the ambient temperature rose quickly, and the crowd grew restless.

To avoid getting caught in a potential stampede, Moira Lynch found a fitting room and slipped inside.

Bored, Moira Lynch took out a box of popsicles and started eating one. ’Isn’t this much better than that cloyingly sweet ice cream?’ she thought, opening a game forum on her phone to check for updates.

It wasn’t just their area suffering blackouts from the heatwave. Power outages were occurring worldwide, and in some less developed nations, the electrical grids had collapsed entirely.

On the forum, quite a few people were spreading apocalyptic rhetoric, inciting others to take advantage of the blackout to loot and plunder, and then establish themselves as kings.

This is what happens when someone’s ability outstrips their character.

Moira Lynch saw that many people were already joining these groups, some of which had already formed small factions. ’Looks like there’s no shortage of people who think they’re special,’ she mused.

Reading through the doomsday posts, she had to admit they were incredibly persuasive. If you followed their line of reasoning, you could easily get swept up in it.

Even though you knew these people were just making empty promises, you couldn’t help but feel the urge to join them.

She closed the forum. The day’s events served as a wake-up call. ’Maybe I should withdraw all the cash from my bank account.’

’If this heat keeps up, blackouts are going to be a regular thing. There’s no telling if mobile payments will even work then.’

She had bought a lot of supplies recently. There were still several hundred thousand left in her account. Combined with the million she had already withdrawn, it would be enough.

Using her spiritual power, Moira Lynch could sense the crowd outside slowly dispersing.

It was understandable. Most people had come for the air conditioning. Now that it was off, they’d rather go home than be stuck in a hot, crowded mall.

Of course, quite a few people were having less-than-honest ideas and had started secretly pocketing merchandise.

At first, it was only one or two people, but gradually, more and more began to follow suit.

Listening to the commotion outside, Moira Lynch decided it was best to stay put for a while.

After a moment, the noise outside began to die down. Just as Moira Lynch was about to push the door open and leave, a sudden shout made her freeze.

Then, through the crack in the door, she saw a flash of purple light, heard the CRACKLE of electricity, and the sounds of a fight.

’Players!’

’I just saw on the forum that people were planning to use the blackout to loot supplies. I can’t believe they’re already putting it into action.’

Moira Lynch curled into a ball, trying her best not to make a sound.

Fortunately, their target wasn’t the second floor, and Moira Lynch was spared.

Knowing this was no place to linger, Moira Lynch waited until she was sure it was safe, then pushed the door open and sprinted for the mall exit.

Thanks to her spiritual power, Moira Lynch didn’t run into anyone and had a clear path.

Stepping out of the mall, she found the high temperature outside was strangely reassuring.

Many of the people outside had fled the mall just like her. Moira Lynch found her electric scooter and, while she was at it, called the police.

When the police heard that Awakeners were involved, they took the matter very seriously.

As she rode her electric scooter away from the mall, she saw similar scenes of chaos unfolding everywhere. Some supermarkets had even been completely taken over by Awakeners.

They had hung a massive banner outside that read: "All Awakeners Welcome! Let’s Rule This World Together!"

Moira Lynch curled her lip at the sight. ’Whoever wrote this banner must have a terminal case of eighth-grade syndrome. "Rule the world together"? More like "leave this world together."’

’That kind of stunt might fly in other countries, but here, it’s just asking for a death sentence.’

’Looks like I won’t be buying any more supplies today.’

Moira Lynch found an ATM, intending to withdraw all the cash from her account.

Her several hundred thousand in savings was enough to empty several ATMs before she had all the cash.

She stuffed the withdrawn cash into her backpack, waiting until she was out of the bank before transferring it to her space.

She made her way home and flipped on the lights.

Moira Lynch breathed a sigh of relief when the lights flickered on. ’Thank god, the power’s not out here.’

She was prepared for a blackout, but she’d rather that day come later than sooner.

She first scanned the area with her spiritual power. After confirming no one had snuck in, she covered the swimming pool and then took out a can of bug spray and went to work.

Once she had sprayed a sufficient amount, Moira Lynch vanished into her space.

Ever since the weather turned hot, the insects had multiplied instead of diminishing. The mosquitoes were especially bad near any source of water, so dense you could kill a dozen with a single swat.

Anyone who walked past would end up with at least a dozen large, swollen mosquito bites.