Chapter 14: The Breakfast Machine Got Crushed
Ten minutes passed—still no movement.
Jiang Ze was confident that as long as he stayed in his room, the petite-looking landlady couldn’t do anything to him. Surely, she wouldn’t break down the door and drag him out, right?
Su Tao had had enough. She directly instructed the system to teleport him out, dumping him outside Gate 3 where people were bustling about.
Then, she pulled up the tenant information and contacted Jiang Ze’s roommate, Fan Chuanhui, asking him to come back as soon as possible.
Su Tao sat in the living room, waiting until 2 p.m. When Fan Chuanhui finally arrived and saw the mess, he was stunned.
“Th-this… I’ve only known him for less than three days! I only moved in with him to share the cost of the double room. I even told him last night not to play with fire in the room, but he didn’t listen. He even mocked me for not having any abilities. We’re totally different kinds of people! I always follow the rules. I can compensate for the damages—just please don’t kick me out!”
Fan Chuanhui was just an ordinary person with a decent job, but he had always been drifting from place to place without a stable home. He was terrified of being forced to move out again.
To him, Taoyang was far better than any place he had lived in his past 30 years. If possible, he wanted to settle down here, get married, and live out his life.
Seeing his pale face, Su Tao quickly reassured him:
“I’m not asking you to move out. You don’t need to pay for the damages either. I just needed you to come back and check your belongings to see if there’s any loss. Later, I’ll prepare a new room for you to stay temporarily.”
She wasn’t about to punish an innocent person for someone else’s actions. Individual actions meant individual responsibility.
She even felt a bit guilty for renting to someone as irresponsible as Jiang Ze, creating a safety hazard for all the tenants.
Fan Chuanhui was taken aback. He thought he’d have to move out again, just like every time he found a place to settle down but was forced to leave.
Unexpectedly, the landlady was only concerned about his property loss and even arranged a temporary room for him.
He was a bit at a loss, only able to thank Su Tao repeatedly. He even took the initiative to clear out the burnt furniture and clean whatever could be cleaned.
Su Tao urged him to eat first. Then, she repurchased furniture from the system store, repainted the walls, and restored the double room to its original state.
The total cost was only 1,000 federal credits.
When you think about it, it was Jiang Ze who lost out. The rent for the double room was split evenly, meaning he had already paid 7,500.
And Su Tao had no intention of refunding him.
She also expanded a single room. Once it was renovated, she let Fan Chuanhui stay there temporarily. Next month, if he found a suitable roommate, he could move back into the restored Room 005. The rent would remain the same—no need for any refunds or additional charges.
Fan Chuanhui was deeply moved by this arrangement. Being a straightforward man who didn’t know how to say pretty words, he wrote an earnest piece titled “After a Lifetime of Wandering, I Finally Found a Home in Taoyang” that very night.
His words were simple and unadorned, yet the emotions were raw and genuine.
Recently, Taoyang had been a trending topic within the Dongyang base. As soon as his article was posted on the Dongyang local network, it shot to the top of the trending list.
For a while, the term “Taoyang Housing” became the number one search term.
Su Tao had no idea about this, as she was busy welcoming the second batch of tenants.
This batch included four people. One was a single young woman in her thirties, staying in Room 006. She had ordinary features but a remarkable presence, and her name was Pei Dong.
Shi Ziyue whispered to Su Tao, mentioning that Pei Dong had thick calluses on her palms—a sign of someone who often handled firearms. She guessed Pei Dong might have a military background, much like her brother, and advised Su Tao to tread carefully.
Of the other three tenants, only one, Meng Xiaobo, who was moving into Room 007, looked tall and strong. The others seemed like ordinary people, all quite polite and easy to get along with.
In her heart, Su Tao prayed they would all be trouble-free. Otherwise, she truly wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Just as Su Tao finished thinking this, Meng Xiaobo curiously touched the breakfast machine… The thick alloy casing now had a palm-shaped dent—broken.
Everyone: “……”
Su Tao: Help!
Meng Xiaobo’s girlfriend immediately slapped him on the head:
“I told you not to be so careless! Don’t you know your own strength?”
Then she turned to Su Tao with an apologetic smile:
“Landlady Su, his ability is ‘Super Strength.’ It’s really hard for him to avoid accidentally breaking things. We’ll pay extra as a deposit, and you can deduct any damages from it.”
With that, she transferred 20,000 federal credits to Su Tao.
Su Tao: Well… if the money’s there, I guess it’s fine.
Still, she couldn’t help but remind them:
“Fighting is not allowed in Taoyang District, and you absolutely can’t use your powers to hurt others. You also can’t deliberately damage other tenants’ belongings.”
The couple nodded eagerly, like pecking chickens:
“Of course, of course.”
Su Tao sighed inwardly. The more tenants moved in, the more worries piled up.
She reluctantly went back to the system store to purchase a new breakfast machine.
The damage caused by Meng Xiaobo’s grip was right at the machine’s output port. She didn’t know how to fix it, so buying a new one was the only option.
Suddenly, Xing Shuyu, who had been secretly observing, appeared and asked curiously:
“You have more than one of these machines?”
Su Tao didn’t think it was necessary to hide it. As more people moved in, she’d need more machines anyway—everyone would see.
“Yes,” she said frankly.
Technically, the system store had no purchase limits; as long as she had enough funds, she could buy as much as she wanted.
Xing Shuyu’s eyes lit up:
“Can you sell me one?”
Su Tao was taken aback and shook her head:
“Once this machine leaves Taoyang, you can’t restock it. When the food inside runs out, that’s it. It’s not like here, where it can be replenished endlessly. If that were the case, you might as well take all the food instead of buying the machine.”
“…Alright.” Xing Shuyu had originally wanted to buy one as a gift for the old man back home. Last time, he ate all three portions she brought back by himself.
However, she also gained valuable information: Taoyang District was like a protective umbrella—zombies couldn’t enter, machines couldn’t be taken out, and residents not only enjoyed safety but also privileged access to resources.
Hmm… I have to admit, Taoyang is a good place.
Su Tao suddenly spoke up:
“You seem to be very curious about everything here. You’re not just looking for a place to live, are you? Are you with the military or the local government?”
Xing Shuyu hadn’t expected Su Tao to be so perceptive. She stayed silent for a moment before responding:
“I mean no harm.”
Su Tao nodded:
“I know. That’s why I haven’t thrown you out. But if you have questions, you can ask me directly. I don’t really like being secretly observed.”
Her words made Xing Shuyu feel a bit embarrassed:
“I’m sorry. I am with the military. Our intention was simply to build a friendly relationship and learn more about your situation. There’s absolutely no malice. We didn’t reveal our purpose and identity at first because we didn’t know much about you, so we were a bit cautious.”
