Chapter 36: The Frozen City
The cold inside the bank vault was unbearable.
Even with thick thermal clothing, Anshul could feel the freezing temperature slowly creeping through the layers of fabric. His breath formed white clouds every time he exhaled, and the metal surfaces around him felt like blocks of ice.
But the sight in front of him made the discomfort worth it.
The deposit boxes contained far more than he expected.
Gold jewelry carefully stored in velvet cases. Diamond necklaces. Rings set with large gemstones. Small gold bars sealed in protective containers. Some boxes even contained rare coins and collector pieces that would be extremely valuable in any normal world.
One by one, Anshul opened the boxes and placed the valuable contents directly into his storage space.
The advantage of his ability became very clear here.
Normally, carrying large amounts of gold would be impossible. The weight alone would slow a person down quickly. But with his storage space, the items simply disappeared the moment he placed them inside.
No weight.
No space limitations.
Only accumulation.
After nearly half an hour of continuous work, Anshul finally stepped back and examined the nearly empty vault. Dozens of boxes had already been cleared, and the floor around him was covered with broken locks and opened containers.
He rolled his shoulders slightly.
"Not bad for the first stop," he muttered quietly.
But he had no intention of stopping there.
This entire city was abandoned.
And if one bank vault held this much wealth, there was no telling what he might find in other locations.
Anshul closed the vault door behind him before returning to the frozen lobby. The broken glass entrance allowed the freezing wind to rush through the building again, and the temperature dropped immediately.
Outside, the sky remained dark gray.
Snow continued drifting slowly through the empty streets.
He stepped outside carefully and looked around.
Several tall buildings surrounded the area, their upper floors completely buried in ice and snow. Vehicles were frozen in place along the streets, many of them half buried under thick layers of snow.
The entire city looked like time itself had stopped.
Anshul adjusted the hood of his jacket before continuing down the street.
His next destination was obvious.
A jewelry store.
The building stood across the street, its sign barely visible beneath layers of frost. The front entrance was partially blocked by fallen debris, but one of the side windows had shattered long ago.
Getting inside wasn't difficult.
The interior was dark and silent.
Glass display cases lined the store walls, many of them still containing expensive jewelry that had been abandoned when the disaster struck.
Anshul walked slowly through the store, examining the displays.
Gold bracelets.
Diamond earrings.
Luxury watches.
Everything that once held enormous value in the old world now sat here completely forgotten.
He opened the first display case.
Within minutes, the contents disappeared into his storage space.
The process became almost routine.
Open case.
Collect items.
Move to the next one.
Despite the cold, Anshul remained focused.
However, after nearly an hour of working through the store, he finally paused and leaned against the wall for a moment.
The environment here was extremely dangerous.
Even with proper equipment, staying too long in such temperatures could cause serious problems.
His gloves were already stiff with frost, and his breathing felt heavier than before.
Anshul checked the time briefly.
He had already spent several hours in this world.
That was enough for the first expedition.
There was no reason to push his luck.
He stepped back outside and looked down the frozen street again.
The city stretched endlessly in every direction.
Hundreds of buildings.
Thousands of abandoned stores.
Banks.
Museums.
Private collections.
This place was a treasure vault waiting to be explored.
Anshul smiled slightly beneath his scarf.
"I'll be back."
The next moment, his figure disappeared from the frozen street.
The empty city returned to silence once again.