Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging
Chapter 7: Serene Ranch 3

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Serene Ranch 3

Moira Lynch followed the instructions and placed the cart in the designated spot. A mechanical arm immediately appeared and lifted the entire cart.

After a series of operations Moira couldn’t comprehend, a steady stream of fresh cow dung was poured into a larger machine nearby and incinerated.

Seeing this, Moira Lynch wasted no time and headed deeper into the waste treatment plant.

’There should be other things in here besides cow dung.’

Sure enough, after walking a short distance inside, she saw a machine incinerating wool.

At first, Moira Lynch didn’t recognize it as wool. It wasn’t until she smelled the strong, gamey scent of sheep that she was sure.

It was normal for a ranch to have sheep. She was raising some in her space as well, though they were all just lambs for now.

Moira Lynch hurried forward and began stuffing the wool into her space. Wool could be spun into yarn and then knitted into clothes, or it could be made into woolen blankets, which were comfortable and warm for winter.

Moreover, Moira tried feeling the texture of this Starfarer sheep’s wool. It was even better than the wool from Caelus—exceptionally soft.

It was also very clean, with no dirt stuck to it. Aside from the slightly strong gamey smell, it was practically perfect.

The waste treatment plant seemed to be fully automated, so Moira Lynch didn’t have to worry about anyone disturbing her.

By the time she had collected all the wool, an hour had passed.

She glanced outside. The sky had turned completely dark, but Moira was too excited to feel the slightest bit sleepy.

’She had only collected wool so far. There were still other goodies in this waste treatment plant.’

There were cow and sheep bones, picked clean of meat. Though the flesh was gone, the marrow inside was a delicacy. Back where she was from, some people specifically loved eating bone marrow—it was the best part.

In addition, there were many byproducts from slaughtering the cattle and sheep: whole cowhides, sheepskins, and even donkey hides, as well as the blood of the animals, all stored in different large iron vats.

She didn’t know how old the blood was, so Moira Lynch didn’t plan on taking it. She took everything else.

At this moment, Moira Lynch couldn’t help but feel glad that she hadn’t ordered too much meat earlier, only buying some cooked food to tide her over, all because she could raise animals in her space.

After all, what you buy could never be as satisfying as what you get for free. Besides, the animals in the starfaring era were clearly much larger than those on Caelus.

A single, unfurled cowhide was even larger than five or six cows from Caelus put together.

Moreover, upon inspection, Moira Lynch was surprised to find that the cowhide still had the four hooves, the head, and the tail attached.

These parts probably had little meat and were difficult to process, so they were simply discarded.

Moira checked the other animal hides and found they were all the same.

By now, the smile on Moira Lynch’s face was almost impossible to contain.

Besides these things, she also found a mountain of fat. Glistening white fat had been casually discarded here, a terrible waste to see.

Inside her space, time in the warehouse was frozen, so Moira wasn’t worried that the offal and other things she collected would spoil.

Continuing deeper, she came across a small mountain of bottles and cans.

She didn’t recognize the writing on them. After opening one, a rich, milky aroma washed over her.

It was milk!

Recalling the introduction to Serene Ranch, which specialized in providing high-quality dairy and meat products for the Starfaring Peoples, the appearance of milk seemed perfectly normal.

She looked at the milk in her hand. The milky fragrance was rich, more intense than any milk she had ever drunk.

But for it to be here...

It must be expired or close-to-expiration milk.

Moira Lynch had her suspicions, but that didn’t slow down her pace of collecting the milk.

Expired milk had simply passed its best-by date; it didn’t mean it had gone bad. And that was even more true for milk nearing its expiration.

"There’s even milk powder!"

After toiling for a long while, Moira Lynch stored the last can of milk powder in her space and collapsed onto the ground, panting. A wave of drowsiness washed over her.

’No, I can’t sleep!’

Moira took out a super-sour candy, steeled herself, and tossed it into her mouth. In an instant, an intense sourness overwhelmed her taste buds. Moira’s face scrunched up from the acidity, and her sleepiness vanished immediately.

Deciding that wasn’t enough, she then downed an iced Americano and ate a sandwich to fill her stomach.

She could sleep anytime, but barring any surprises, she only had three days in this instance.

She still had to complete her tasks during the day, which meant she could only make use of the night.

Moira Lynch continued her treasure hunt in the waste treatment plant. Besides all the expired products, there were also many miscellaneous items, likely discarded by the ranch owner. As long as she thought something was good, she would stash it in her space, regardless of whether she knew how to use it.

’Anyway, she’d have plenty of time to study them later.’

Just as dawn was breaking, Moira finally collected a mountain of cow dung patties before leaving the waste treatment plant, thoroughly satisfied.

Since there was still some time, she could take a quick nap.

An hour later, her alarm clock rang right on time. Moira Lynch struggled to her feet and changed into a set of athletic wear. After working all night in the waste treatment plant, her pajamas were soaked with sweat.

Patting her cheeks, Moira Lynch sighed, "It’s great to be young. I’m full of energy after just one hour of sleep."

However, this was probably also due to her constant busyness over the past few months. Although she hadn’t deliberately exercised, her daily physical activity was substantial.

Today, Moira Lynch’s tools were a small iron bucket and a pair of rubber gloves.

Led by the grey bird, Moira Lynch finally saw the ranch’s animals for the first time.

Although she had guessed they would be large, seeing them for real still left her shocked.

Such huge cows, such fat sheep. ’I want to raise them.’

Moira Lynch stared at the cows and sheep, practically drooling with envy.

Just then, the grey bird landed on the back of a black-and-white dairy cow and gave her a look that said, ’You can start work now.’

Moira Lynch nodded obediently, moved under the cow, and prepared to start.

Although she had never milked a cow before, she had seen others do it in videos. It didn’t look too difficult.

She tried once and failed. She tried again and failed again.

However, Moira Lynch didn’t panic. She was afraid that if she rushed, she might hurt the cow.

A kick from an ordinary cow could half-kill her, let alone one of these dairy cows.

"I remember buying a book about this."

She had bought many books during her previous shopping sprees, covering all sorts of topics, which naturally included cattle raising.

After finding the book, Moira Lynch began to read it intently. After a good while, she finally found a page with the correct milking technique.

Following the method described in the book, Moira tried again. Instantly, a stream of milky-white liquid squirted out. The air filled with a rich, milky aroma, though it was lighter and fresher than the scent from the milk she had opened yesterday.