After leaving the pharmacy, Cheng Lin turned toward the Building Materials Market. Under the pretext of renovating the villa, she purchased two hundred steel bars of various specifications and two hundred thick iron plates. She arranged with the owner to have them delivered to the automated warehouse before eight in the evening.
Watching the balance in her mobile bank account slowly drop, Cheng Lin felt an unusual sense of security.
She sat in her car, staring at the bills, and could not help but sigh.
Truly, she was spending according to her wallet’s balance—buying whatever she wanted, purely based on personal preference. Even the system linked in her mind could not resist a few “Heheda” scoffs, clearly finding her impulsive hoarding method somewhat baffling.
Cheng Lin paid no mind, focused instead on the thrill of buying and spending it all.
By six-thirty in the evening, the sun had set, painting the horizon in a warm orange glow.
Cheng Lin, accompanied by Mo Yang, headed to a large shopping mall in the city center, intending to savor one last round of pre-apocalypse shopping.
She first visited an electronics experience store, purchasing ten drones, ten iPads, three of the latest smartphones, ten high-capacity power banks, and ten e-readers in one go.
Next, she went to the mall’s bakery, sweeping all the breads, cakes, cookies, and chocolates from the shelves, having the staff pack them up and deliver them to the car in the parking lot.
Passing by a sporting goods store, Cheng Lin stepped inside, bought several yoga mats, and a few small exercise devices. The villa already had the large equipment for the gym, so there was no need to purchase more.
After finishing these stops, she and Mo Yang entered the mall’s large supermarket.
Cheng Lin pushed the shopping cart while Mo Yang obediently sat at the front. Together, they began another round of sweeping—snacks, drinks, rice, noodles, oil, condiments, toilet paper… anything useful Cheng Lin tossed into the cart.
An hour later, Cheng Lin pushed a cart overflowing with goods, exhausted and sore in the back and waist. Mo Yang lay in the cart, panting with his tongue out. The two of them settled at a Korean restaurant on the top floor, ordering a portion of army stew while waiting for one hundred sushi and rice balls from the neighboring Japanese restaurant to be packed for them.
Of course, Cheng Lin also had the restaurant pack one hundred portions of the semi-prepared army stew to be delivered to her car.
By nine-thirty at night, the city lights began to flicker on as darkness deepened.
Cheng Lin and Mo Yang, full and content, slowly walked to the parking lot and loaded all the shopping into the car. Looking at the vehicle piled high with supplies, Cheng Lin smiled in satisfaction, started the engine, and drove off.
She first went to the automated warehouse to retrieve the steel bars and iron plates delivered from the Building Materials Market, then headed to the temperature-controlled warehouse to store the sushi and army stew semi-prepared meals. On the way back, she filled the SUV’s gas tank at a roadside station.
Blasting deafening rock music in the car, she felt an unprecedented lightness of mood.
The car sped along, quickly returning to the villa in Yunjin Residential Area.
As soon as she entered, her phone “dinged.” It was a message from Jiang Yi, full of concern.
Since Jiang Yi had contacted her yesterday, he had sent her a message every few hours, checking on her situation with a tone filled with care. Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning their recent breakup, as if that unpleasant past had never occurred.
Cheng Lin sat on the sofa, holding Mo Yang, chatting with Jiang Yi back and forth. They talked animatedly for an hour without noticing the time.
Finally, Father Jiang’s urging came from Jiang Yi’s side, and he reluctantly said goodnight to Cheng Lin before setting down his phone.
The last day before the apocalypse woke Cheng Lin with the sound of wind and rain.
She did not know whether the apocalypse might arrive early, and her mood was heavy. Even knowing her preparations were thorough, anxiety lingered.
“Heheda, is the apocalypse coming early? Is this year’s rain toxic?” Cheng Lin asked the system nervously.
“Host, do not worry. According to the original record, the rain this morning is safe. The afternoon is uncertain.”
Cheng Lin realized she still had 100,000 yuan left to spend. She put on her raincoat and boots, drove the SUV to the roadside tea shops, hoarding 30,000 yuan worth of various teas, and raided six convenience stores for cigarettes and “youngling perished” sets—these would all be hard currency in the apocalypse.
Seeing only 5,000 yuan left in her account, she drove to Dumpling King Restaurant, bought all the frozen dumplings in stock, and finally drove back to the villa with the remaining 100 yuan.
The midday sun could not pierce the thick clouds. Cheng Lin stood by the window holding Mo Yang, watching the rain.
Suddenly remembering the beginner’s gift pack, she had been too busy with renovations and hoarding to use it or the weekly lottery rewards she had stored. She called to the system: “Heheda, I should have three lottery gift boxes, right? Open the stored lottery boxes and see what rewards I got.”
“Beep! Congratulations, Host, you obtained Protective Shield x1, can block a full strike from a Zombie Emperor level attack. Cooldown 10 minutes per use.”
“Beep! Congratulations, Host, you obtained Invisibility Cloak x1, grants invisibility for 15 minutes. Cooldown 60 minutes per use.”
“Beep! Congratulations, Host, you obtained Family Survival Pod x1, contains 3 seats, single-use item.”
She had hit the jackpot! All were highly practical—she had never dared hope for a survival pod while hoarding supplies, the system was impressively generous.
“Tomorrow is the apocalypse. Host, do you want to use the rewards from the beginner’s gift pack?”
“Heheda, I’ll use them in half an hour. I need to notify Jiang Yi first, so he won’t worry if he can’t contact me.” Cheng Lin picked up the phone and dialed Jiang Yi. “Darling, H City had a heavy downpour today—it was terrifying!”
“Don’t worry, baby. My father sent people to H City to protect you. Due to delays on the road, they should reach the villa by noon tomorrow. There are a man and a woman carrying my photo.”
“When will you come back?”
“Sorry, baby, I won’t be back for a week.” Jiang Yi’s voice was tinged with guilt.
“Then be careful. I’ll be in the villa waiting for you. This weather is perfect for sleeping; I plan to nap soon. Don’t worry if I don’t reply!”
“Okay, cover yourself with the blanket. Good afternoon, baby.”
“Good afternoon!” After hanging up, Cheng Lin asked the system, “Heheda, did something happen to Jiang Yi in B City? Why would he accept his father’s help to protect me but not return himself?”
“Sorry, Host, the original text does not mention it, and it cannot be inferred in such detail.”
“Alright, then, first take the marrow-cleansing pill.” Cheng Lin took it and immediately ran to the bathroom, filling the bathtub with water, sprinkling jasmine petals, lighting incense, and lying down in the tub.
It hurt intensely—the novel did not lie; the marrow-cleansing pill made her feel a mix of aching and pleasure, almost to the point of life-and-death intensity.
When she regained consciousness, it was already dark outside. Picking up her phone, she saw it was ten at night. There were several missed calls and messages from Jiang Yi and Uncle Si, which she replied to one by one before lying back in the tub. Seeing the black water, she jumped out and pressed the water-change button. After half an hour of rinsing in the shower, she finally emerged refreshed.
“Heheda, take the fitness pill and beauty pill.” After taking them, she felt no immediate effect, unlike the marrow-cleansing pill.
“Host, the fitness pill and beauty pill work gradually, so changes will not be abrupt or make familiar people unrecognizable.”
“That’s good. Otherwise, I’d be afraid Jiang Yi wouldn’t recognize me when he returns, haha.”
The wall clock struck eleven. Cheng Lin realized she hadn’t eaten anything in the afternoon. She grabbed Mo Yang and ran to the sofa, turning on the variety channel on TV while taking from the storage a portion of fruit salad, a cup of herbal tea, and a bowl of fragrant and pungent snail noodles. She picked up a golden fried egg—utterly satisfying!
Full and content, she and Mo Yang lay down on the bed, waiting for the apocalypse to arrive the next day.