Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging
Chapter 9: Serene Ranch 5

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Serene Ranch 5

By the time Moira Lynch finished collecting everything and walked out of the waste treatment plant, it was already broad daylight outside.

The sight instantly jolted Moira, who had been busy all night and was dead tired. She had only one thought at that moment.

’Damn it. Am I already late for work? It’s all because the stuff inside was so alluring. What a bunch of captivating little demons.’

Just as Moira was about to sprint to her work station, the robot from before suddenly appeared, blocking her path. It held a bottle of light-blue liquid.

Moira looked at the pale blue liquid being offered to her. She took it, wondering, ’Is this for me to drink?’

After handing the bottle to Moira, the robot turned and walked away.

Moira opened the bottle and sniffed. The liquid inside had a faint, fruity aroma, but she couldn’t identify the specific fruit.

She took a sip. It was sweet, and much of her drowsiness immediately dissipated.

Her eyes lit up as she noticed the change. ’This is good stuff! I didn’t think Serene Ranch would be this considerate.’

Considering she still had work to do, Moira downed the entire bottle in one go. She instantly felt refreshed and clear-headed, as if she had just woken up naturally from a full night’s sleep, all fatigue completely gone.

’Today is the last day of the game. I wonder if the system will give out a reward for completing all the tasks.’

’Going by the usual novel tropes, there should be a reward. I just wonder what it will be.’

When she arrived at her work area for the day, a flock of incredibly woolly sheep were grazing leisurely.

The sight once again made Moira want to raise one of her own.

’With that much wool, who would need a wool blanket in the winter? You could just sleep right on the sheep and be guaranteed to stay warm.’

Today’s tool was a pair of sharp shears.

Moira looked at the shears in her hand. At least they weren’t safety scissors this time. But the sheep here were larger than the cattle back on Caelus; there was no way she could shear many of them with just a single pair of shears.

’This is way too inefficient. It’ll seriously slow down my wool collecting.’

At this thought, Moira remembered she should have a set of electric sheep shearers in her storage space—they were a freebie from when she’d bought some sheep in the past.

’They’re still a bit small, but they’ll definitely be much faster than these hand shears.’

After rummaging for a while, Moira finally found what she needed amidst a pile of brand-new, still-packaged tools. She then approached one of the sheep.

The grazing sheep sensed Moira’s approach and glanced back at her. As if it understood her intentions, it obediently lay down.

Moira stroked the sheep’s soft fleece.

The wool she’d collected from the waste treatment plant had a strong, gamey odor and would require special processing before use. But this sheep in front of her had no scent at all.

’Darn it, now I want one even more.’

Moira resisted the overwhelming urge to pull the sheep in front of her into her storage space.

’Resist.’

’There was no one at the waste treatment plant, but that robot still found me without fail. That means they know my every move.’

’They didn’t make a fuss only because I was taking useless junk. They even took the initiative to lead me to an even bigger waste treatment plant.’

’But if I dare to touch these sheep, I’m sure I’ll be kicked out of the game immediately. And that would probably be the lightest punishment.’

Moira knew the difference between one good meal and eating well every day.

Moira started shearing at the sheep’s belly, directly storing the shorn wool into her space.

Even with the help of the electric shearers, it still took Moira about an hour to finish one sheep. Plus, she had to change the blade after each animal before she could continue.

Gradually, noon arrived, and the other players went to lunch. Yes, the game provided lunch and even a break, but Moira had never taken either. It was a waste of time.

She’d rather use the time to shear a few more sheep.

Moira remembered that on the first day, the system had told them to complete the ranch owner’s tasks "excellently." She felt that had to be an important clue.

’Otherwise, it would have just said to complete the tasks. Why add the emphasis on doing it "excellently"?’

Besides, judging from the content of the cards the gray bird had brought her over the past two days, the ranch owner seemed very satisfied with her work.

Moira took out a sandwich and polished off her lunch in a few quick bites.

Just as she was about to get back to work, the robot from that morning appeared behind her once more.

Moira jumped, startled yet again. She couldn’t help but pluck up her courage and complain, "Could you please not sneak up behind me? You’re really scary when you just pop up like that."

The light on the robot’s head flashed twice. It made the same incomprehensible sounds as before, but after last night, Moira understood what it meant: she was to follow it.

’Is it taking me to the waste treatment plant again?’

’But I can’t collect much during a short lunch break.’

Following the robot, Moira arrived at a red building. The interior was divided into individual pens containing sheep, cattle, pigs, and even horses.

Without exception, these animals were several times larger than their counterparts on Caelus. This was especially true for the horses. Even though Moira knew nothing about them, she could tell they were of superb quality.

Moira’s heart began to race. ’Did the owner of Serene Ranch want to dispose of a batch of these animals and need my help?’

’Or was this a reward because I’ve been performing well and moonlighting as a trash collector?’

’This ranch owner is pretty great, then.’

However, it turned out Moira was getting ahead of herself. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Eventually, Moira followed the robot to a nursery area.

It was only then that Moira realized nearly all the cattle, sheep, and horses she’d seen earlier were pregnant.

The robot led Moira past pen after pen of young animals, finally stopping before one particular enclosure.

This enclosure also held young animals, but they were noticeably thinner and weaker than the healthy ones she had just seen. Some didn’t even have the strength to stand, lying on the ground and panting laboriously.

It was clear at a glance that these young animals hadn’t developed properly in the womb, much like premature human infants.

Moira pointed at the sickly-looking young animals, then pointed to herself, silently asking, ’Are all these for me?’

Who knows if the robot understood, but it nodded its head.

"In that case, don’t mind if I do."

She had just been regretting her inability to take a few sheep or cows, and now this. Talk about perfect timing—it was like someone offering a pillow just as you’re nodding off.

’Although these young animals looked sickly and on the verge of death, I’m not put off in the slightest. I can raise them in my storage space for now. If they really don’t make it, well, there’s always the meat.’