Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging

’If there’s one fish here, there must be a second, a third, and a fourth.’

With this thought in mind, Moira Lynch began searching the area around the small stream.

Another twenty minutes or so passed.

Moira followed the stream downward and, sure enough, found traces of many more fish.

Besides the type she had found earlier, she discovered many others—large ones, small ones, long ones, short ones; there was every kind imaginable.

The fish were all swimming around, looking quite harmonious. There were no signs of them suddenly devouring one another.

’Under normal circumstances, that would be impossible. It’s the law of the jungle: big fish eat little fish.’

’Could it be because...’

Driven by curiosity, Moira observed them carefully for a while longer and finally discovered the truth. It turned out the fish were feeding on the insect eggs and newly hatched larvae in the water.

The water was teeming with countless eggs and larvae. Every time the fish opened their mouths to breathe, it was like someone was stuffing a big mouthful of food in for them.

These fish didn’t have to worry about going hungry; if anything, they had to worry about accidentally eating themselves to death. In such a situation, it was only natural that they wouldn’t resort to cannibalism.

After collecting the larger fish into her space, Moira continued forward.

As she walked further, Moira discovered that in addition to the eggs and fish, the water was also filled with vast patches of aquatic plants, so dense she couldn’t see the end of them.

From a distance, it looked like a green blanket spread across the water’s surface.

"Is this... aquatic grass?"

’Another species I’ve never seen before. Don’t tell me it’s another mutation?’

’What kind of mutation is it this time?’

’Water hyacinth?’

"Patience, scan it."

[Water Stain Grass: Edible. Texture is similar to kelp. It has little nutritional value, but it’s easy to cultivate and grows quickly. It can survive in almost any body of water, including saltwater, freshwater, or even a stinking ditch.

PS: Water Stain Grass absorbs nutrients from the water to grow, so please do not plant it in overly filthy environments.]

After hearing Patience’s introduction, she began to furiously stuff the Water Stain Grass into her space.

The Water Stain Grass in the stream stretched as far as the eye could see. It took Moira a long time to collect all of it.

Since Patience said the Water Stain Grass had little nutritional value, Moira decided not to plant it in her space. It would be a waste of time and, more importantly, a waste of space.

She might as well use the extra room to plant more Knotweed Kelp.

’But just because I don’t care for it doesn’t mean others won’t.’

’The people at the base would probably go crazy with joy if they knew about Water Stain Grass.’

’As for the fish, I just don’t know if they’re safe to eat yet.’

Although Patience speculated that the fish were non-toxic and edible, she still needed to have them tested to be sure.

She searched for a while longer but came up empty-handed.

It seemed she had picked the small stream clean.

She looked up at the sky. It was almost dusk; time to head back.

Just as Moira was about to call Black Wolf to head back, she saw him walking toward her at a leisurely pace.

But that wasn’t the most important part. The most important part was that Black Wolf was carrying a wild boar in his mouth. It looked to be over a hundred pounds—not huge, but definitely not small either.

"Where did you catch this boar?"

Black Wolf set the boar down and licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. "AWOO."

’Just up ahead. There’s a whole herd of them.’

"A whole herd of boars? You didn’t kill them all, did you?"

"AWOO."

’Of course. This is my personal food supply.’

"AWOO."

’The stuff in your space tastes good and all, but it lacks a certain something. Besides, I’ve been cooped up in there for so long, I was itching for some action. These boars showed up at the perfect time.’

Hearing Black Wolf’s "words," Moira couldn’t help but think of the few apple trees in her space that had died after having their bark scratched completely off.

At first, she thought the White Lion had done it when she wasn’t looking. After all, lions are felines too.

But it turned out to be Black Wolf.

Moira followed Black Wolf’s lead to the place where he had hunted the boars.

Moira had originally thought his "herd" would be a dozen or so at most. She never expected there to be so many.

The ground was densely covered with dead wild boars. The blood on some had not yet coagulated, a clear sign they had just stopped breathing.

She did a rough estimate. There were at least several dozen boars, large and small. The biggest one probably weighed over a thousand pounds, while the smallest looked like it had just been born.

’Black Wolf really didn’t leave a single one.’

’How did so many boars survive until now? And they don’t seem to have been affected by the insects. Is it because of their thick hides?’

’Whatever. I’ll just collect them into the space first.’

With a single thought, all the boars on the ground vanished.

Moira leaped onto Black Wolf’s back and said, "Let’s go. We should head back."

The next second, Black Wolf shot off like a gust of wind.

By the time they returned to the base, the sky had not yet turned completely dark.

After returning to the base, Moira recalled Black Wolf into her space.

She didn’t go home immediately, instead heading to the base’s dedicated testing agency.

When people on expeditions found unfamiliar insects or plants, they would bring them back. If it was confirmed to be a new species, they would receive a reward.

If the new species was edible or had other value, the reward would be doubled.

Because of this, the place was especially crowded every day.

When Moira arrived, there were still more than a dozen people in line ahead of her.

Seeing this, Moira obediently got in line at the very end.

The line moved quickly. After all, new species weren’t that easy to find.

So, most people went in full of joy and came out looking dejected.

When it was Moira’s turn, a weary-looking staff member sat behind a rather simple desk.

Seeing Moira’s clothes and appearance, the person immediately guessed she lived in Sector A.

After all, in this post-apocalyptic world, only people from Sector A could afford to keep themselves so well-maintained.

"Hello, are you here for an Identification or to submit a mission?"

Under the staffer’s gaze, Moira took out a basket of fish and a basket of Water Stain Grass.

She first pointed to the basket of fish. "These fish are mutated. They’re non-toxic, but I don’t know if they’re edible." Then she pointed to the Water Stain Grass. "This is Water Stain Grass. It’s edible and grows fast, but it doesn’t have much nutritional value."

Hearing Moira’s words, the staff member on the other side was a bit slow to react, unsure what this person was even saying.

However, she quickly realized the importance of the matter. She shot up from her chair and said to Moira, "Because the quantity of items you’ve brought is so large, our Identification will take some time. Please be patient. The earliest we’ll have results is tomorrow morning. Could you please leave your name and address? We will notify you as soon as the results are in."

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