Chapter 3: No to Species Discrimination, Thank You!

Chapter 3: No to Species Discrimination, Thank You!

"Not here, not here either. Come on, tell me, where exactly do I top up?"

Sheng Qingquan was losing his mind. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else in the reception room, he didn't even bother to control his expression, his face full of frustration.

"I don't even have the chance to worry about what to use for topping up, you simply don't provide this option."

"I even considered what I would do if I had to use my lifespan to top up. After all, stopping the apocalypse comes at a cost."

And Sheng Qingquan thought and thought, and felt that the only things on him worth coveting by this golden finger were probably things like lifespan and luck. He could be reborn after death, even if it meant transmigrating, which also indicates that his luck must be quite good. Otherwise, he wouldn't have a second life.

As for money. He wasn't without money; he had some savings, but the amount that would ensure a carefree life was obviously not something the golden finger would care about.

If money was required, this book should have popped up in the mind of the world's richest person.

Yes, if he hadn't thought much about it before, after seeing the cause of the Doomsday, Sheng Qingquan harbored some conspiracy theories about his golden finger.

"I even contemplated sacrificing myself for the greater good. After all, I'm the only one who can see this book."

He had just intentionally summoned the book in front of the main couple, but obviously, the couple saw nothing. This indicates that only he could see this book.

Thinking of this, Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but get angry again, glaring at the novel and accusing it.

"Do you have any idea how tough it was for me to make this decision? I haven't even spent all the money in my bank card yet!"

"And you didn't even provide a top-up channel, that's just too much!"

Ning Luoxing and his husband, who were pretending to be busy in the kitchen, felt fortunate that the book didn't require using lifespan or luck to top up. If it really were the apocalypse, then there's no question—when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact—and anyone else would make the same choice.

But now, the world hasn't reached a point where such self-sacrifice is necessary.

However, if it really required lifespan or luck to top up, I wonder if this could be crowdfunded.

Ning Luoxing's thoughts couldn't help but diverge.

Draining one person, even to the point of killing them, the amount of luck and lifespan obtainable is limited. But if it could be crowdfunded, even if each person contributed a day of lifespan, a bit of luck, the price each person pays wouldn't be too high, but the collective amount might not only satisfy the book, but could potentially overwhelm it.

Sheng Qingquan didn't know what the people in the kitchen were thinking, after desperately searching through the entire book without finding a top-up method, he could only give up for now.

"No way, the shortcut's a no-go."

"This golden finger is just a broken version!"

"Forget it, let's go back and finish reading the free chapters first."

"Maybe after reading through the free chapters, the top-up channel will automatically appear." Sheng Qingquan still held a faint hope in his heart.

Even though they knew the chances were slim to none, at this moment, both Ning Luoxing and Luo Huanian couldn't help but pray, it must be like this.

"After returning home, the main lead pulled the main love interest into another loving session, spending a passionate night."

This doesn't need to be said out loud, right?!

Ning Luoxing's face was slightly flushed, completely unable to imagine how many people heard this sentence. If it weren't for the fear of interrupting and affecting the subsequent plot, he would have rushed out by now. Even so, Ning Luoxing couldn't help but glare at his lover.

"The next day, the main lead got up and made breakfast while listening to the morning news."

"Are the main leads in novels always so physically extraordinary? After such a wild night, they can still get up early the next day. Unbelievable!"

Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but glance towards the kitchen, subconsciously muttering to himself.

["In recent years, our country has made significant investments in pollution control, strengthened environmental supervision, improved environmental conditions, and protected the ecological environment, which has now paid off. Lush mountains and clear waters are more valuable than gold and silver. Our country's ecological environment has been greatly improved. Taking the Xuanhuang region as an example, as of today, the vegetation coverage there has reached 67%, compared to the previous 44%, clearly demonstrating the dedication of our staff and the strong public cooperation."]

"Strange, the protagonist is clearly busy cooking, why is he listening to the news so attentively? Is the author just padding the word count?"

Sheng Qingquan questioned. But soon he dismissed this possibility himself.

"Probably foreshadowing?"

["Now we are in Yunteng City of the Xuanhuang region, through the camera, we can see that even in the city's bustling areas, the surrounding greenery is thriving, with plants full of life."]

["Reports indicate that even in urban areas, plant coverage has reached an astonishing 45%. Many rare birds are flying..."]

"It's indeed foreshadowing."

Sheng Qingquan flipped a couple of pages and saw the key point, couldn't help but sigh.

"Who would have thought that a seemingly ordinary news report was actually the precursor to the apocalypse?"

"On the surface, the efforts to control pollution and improve the environment have paid off. In fact, while there is this reason, the vibrant plants and flying birds the reporter saw, which seemed ordinary at the time, were actually already infected by the virus. There were subtle signs of mutation."

"Isn't Yunteng City where the protagonist couple lives!"

"No wonder the mutation began here first."

"After the apocalypse, when the protagonist recalls this, it's a cruel flashback kill by the author."

But now, Sheng Qingquan doesn't feel sorry for the protagonist couple, he feels sorry for himself.

The protagonist couple lives right above him. To check if he was affected, Sheng Qingquan raised his hands and did a hand exercise. After confirming his hands were still flexible and not stiff, he quietly sighed in relief.

"It seems I haven't been infected yet. This virus is so unfair. For plants and other animals, while there is some zombification, they more often mutate to become stronger. For humans, it's different—no benefits, just a bunch of disadvantages."

"What, humans are only good for becoming zombies, not for getting stronger and surviving?"

"You'd think it was developed by some extreme animal and plant protection group, specifically to wipe out humanity!"

"Let's reject species discrimination, okay?"

"This is just tragic—no superpowers, and this damn virus is contagious. Getting scratched or bitten by zombies will turn you into one."

This is a common development in apocalyptic stories. Even though they had a premonition, Ning Luoxing and Luo Huanian couldn't help but frown upon hearing this.

If the zombie virus wasn't contagious, it would be better, but it is contagious.

Just thinking about it shows how tough it would be for humans.

"Life is so hard; even though the protagonist couple can occasionally catch their breath in the space and hide there during fatal dangers. Even so, they've narrowly escaped death multiple times, let alone ordinary people."

"At first, the protagonist couple considered simply living in the space. But the time they can spend in the space each day is limited. They can't stay inside all the time."

"They also considered bringing relatives and friends into the space and even thought about offering it for research to see if more spaces could be created, providing humanity with a sanctuary."

This is indeed something they would do, and they even have the means to do so.

Both Ning Luoxing and Luo Huanian felt more identified with being characters in that apocalyptic novel.

"But after just one experiment, they discovered that any living thing besides them would die upon entering."

"It's understandable that the male lead can enter, after all, the space ring is blood-bound, using his blood. If other living beings can't enter, then how can the male lead's partner also enter? Is it because they are in a romantic partnership?"

Sheng Qingquan was puzzled, especially since he didn't find any answers after reading the free chapters.

"Finished reading the free chapters, feels like there's no other information, the whole text is about the couple's struggle for survival, drenched in human suffering."

"The only result is confirming that the storekeeper mentioned earlier is indeed a disposable villain."

"Not only did he take advantage of his familiarity with the environment to occupy the warehouses in the industrial park, but he also targeted the couple."

"The most outrageous thing is, he even abandoned his own father and pressured his stepmother into compromising herself!"

"After the apocalypse, his family was quite lucky, all three family members survived unscathed. Yet, he controlled vast food supplies and refused to give even a bite to his own father."

"His father had always been good to him since childhood, never forgot him after remarrying, and didn't have a second child for his sake. He always cared for and nurtured him well."

"Yet, this monster demanded his stepmother's... favors before he would give food to his father."

"What a despicable human being!"

"His stepmother and father were truly in love, nearly succumbed. Fortunately, his father took his stepmother and escaped. Not only did they inform the couple, but they also received help from them and managed to survive."

"Not to mention, the author's writing is quite good, the characterization is masterful, that scumbag made my blood boil. Seeing the stepmother and father successfully escape and find the couple, I felt a wave of relief."

"Unfortunately, after reading the free chapters concluded, I didn't see the scumbag's fate!"

"Infuriating!"

While Sheng Qingquan was silently fuming, hearing that the free chapters concluded, Ning Luoxing then retrieved a cake from the fridge. It was originally meant for his breakfast the next morning, but now he took it out for an emergency.

Luo Huanian also took out some snacks from the cupboard.

The couple emerged casually. They weren't too angry, mainly because the events hadn't happened yet, but they also mentally filed away the storekeeper's actions.

"Here, have some snacks," Ning Luoxing warmly offered.

Sheng Qingquan was a bit stunned looking at the snacks covering the coffee table. Preparing these didn't require staying in the kitchen for so long, right? Aren't these all ready-made?

But he didn't think too much about it, now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

Thinking about his purpose for coming, Sheng Qingquan looked at the two, putting on the performance of his life, somewhat embarrassed, he asked, "I remember Mr. Luo used to wear a very beautiful white jade ring. Could I take a look at it?"

"I heard it's your love token, I don't mean anything else, just since moving in, knowing how well you two get along, I'm really envious. Want to absorb some of that relationship magic. Maybe in the future, I can also find a partner and have a sweet relationship like yours!"

Sheng Qingquan, committed to lifelong bachelorhood, was now more earnest than a marriage proposal.

Not a trace of falseness could be seen.

"If the space ring has already been activated, no matter how silver-tongued I am, they definitely wouldn't show me such an important item. They would find an excuse to refuse."

"If the space ring hasn't been bound by blood yet, and is still an ordinary ring. Then even if it's a love token, even if they are reluctant to let me hold it and examine it, getting a quick look while it's on his hand should still be okay, right?"

"I remember at weddings, relatives would gather around the bride to look at the diamond ring on her hand, and her gold accessories. The bride seemed quite willing."

"Same concept, right?"

Sheng Qingquan fixed Luo Huanian with an eager gaze. On the surface, he just seemed envious of their relationship, but in reality, he was extremely nervous.

"This isn't just about looking at a ring."

"This is a critical indicator of the apocalypse's arrival!"

"The weight of the entire world rests on the couple's words!"

Someone appeared silent on the surface, but their thoughts were screaming.