July 14, 05:00 AM
31 hours before the apocalypse descends.
Dawn had not yet broken, but the air was already as hot and suffocating as a massive steamer. The outdoor temperature had already reached 38°C, yet it still couldn’t stop people from heading out early to earn a living.
Lin Chu drove her modified Hummer toward the city’s largest suburban agricultural distribution center.
She wasn’t here to buy meat (she had already stockpiled more than enough from the overseas “zero-cost haul”). She was here to buy “hope.”
In the apocalypse, stored supplies would eventually run out. To survive long-term, one needed a sustainable ecological cycle—simply put, growing vegetables and raising livestock.
First Stop: Seeds and Agricultural Supplies
“Boss, I want seeds.”
Lin Chu walked into a small agricultural shop that hadn’t even opened yet and directly woke the dozing owner.
“Baby greens, lettuce, chives, spinach… fast-growing leafy vegetables with high yield. I’ll take fifty pounds.”
“Potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn… staple crops. Give me one hundred pounds.”
“And watermelons, tomatoes, chilies, cucumbers… whatever you have in stock, I want them all.”
The owner rubbed his sleepy eyes and instantly brightened with joy.
“Got it! Anything else?”
“Soil,” Lin Chu said, pointing outside. “Bagged black soil, fertilizers, nutrient solutions, pesticides. Fill my trunk—no, the truck I brought.”
With these, she could build a green garden in her hillside villa—whether above ground or in the underground ecological system.
When others would be fighting over half a rotten apple, she could casually pick a fresh cucumber still covered in dew and eat it with dipping sauce.
Second Stop: Seasoning Wholesale Area
This was her most important stop.
Most people stockpiled rice and flour but forgot the most crucial thing—seasonings.
Without them, even the best meat would taste bland and fishy. Garlic and ginger also had medicinal value in the apocalypse.
“Garlic—single-clove type, good for storage. Two tons.”
“Old ginger—still covered in soil. Two tons.”
“Dried chilies, Sichuan pepper, star anise, cinnamon… 500 pounds each.”
“And green onions—keep the roots intact. I’ll replant them later.”
As bags of spices filled her space, Lin Chu could almost already smell braised meat simmering in her future villa.
These were “soul supplies.” Absolutely essential.
Third Stop: Live Poultry Area
The smell here was unpleasant, but to Lin Chu, it was the scent of wealth.
“How much for these chicks?”
“These are barred chickens, those are laying hens. All healthy and energetic!”
“I’ll take them all.”
She waved her hand decisively.
“And those ducklings, two breeding pigs, and a pair of goats. Strengthen the cages—I’m taking them all.”
Her space had a static storage zone for preservation, and a special livestock area (or she would raise them later in the villa yard).
These would become her future sources of eggs and fresh meat.
By the time she finished her sweep, the sun had already risen high.
The scorching heat made the asphalt shimmer, and the market was filled with irritated curses and sweaty crowds.
Lin Chu was about to leave when she suddenly stopped.
In a corner stall sat an elderly woman with white hair. In front of her were woven baskets filled with homegrown vegetables—morning glory and long beans.
The vegetables had already wilted under the heat. The old woman fanned them with a worn palm leaf fan, her wrinkled face covered in sweat, eyes anxious yet honest.
She was trying to sell them to earn a little money for food.
For a moment, Lin Chu’s heart tightened.
In her past life, she had once met a similar old woman during her escape—who had given her half a sweet potato, only to be killed by looters the next day.
In this world that would soon turn into a cannibalistic hell, this was the last trace of human warmth.
She walked over.
“Grandma, how much are these vegetables?”
The old woman looked up, her cloudy eyes lighting slightly.
“Two yuan a bunch for morning glory, three yuan for beans… homegrown, no pesticides. Just a bit wilted from the heat. I can sell cheaper if you want…”
“I’ll take them all.”
Lin Chu knelt down and lifted the baskets without hesitation.
She pulled out a stack of red bills—two to three thousand yuan—and placed them into the old woman’s hands.
“Ah? No, no, it’s not worth that much!” The old woman panicked, trying to return the money.
“Keep it,” Lin Chu said softly, holding her rough hands.
“Grandma, listen to me.”
She leaned closer, her voice gentle but serious.
“Go home early today. Don’t sell anymore. Use this money to buy rice and flour—and some water.”
“This weather… something is wrong.”
“And no matter who knocks on your door, don’t open it easily. Just stay home and keep your food safe.”
The old woman froze, then nodded slowly, unsure but trusting.
“Alright… alright, I’ll go buy rice right away…”
She slowly packed up and left on her tricycle.
Lin Chu stood still, watching her disappearing figure.
This was all she could do.
She couldn’t save everyone—but giving kind people a chance to survive was the only way she could avoid becoming a completely cold-blooded monster in the future.
Back at the Villa
It was already noon.
Lin Chu closed the door, sealing out the scorching heat.
She stored the livestock in her space’s static zone and placed the seeds and soil in the basement.
Then she went to the kitchen and tied on an apron.
Since this was the “last meal,” it deserved ceremony.
She didn’t use her stockpile—she cooked fresh food herself.
A plate of stir-fried morning glory with lots of garlic, tomato egg soup, braised pork, and a bowl of steaming white rice.
Simple dishes—but the last taste of the civilized world.
She sat alone at the table in the empty villa, eating slowly.
Outside, cicadas screamed as if singing a final elegy.
When she finished the last bite, she set down her chopsticks.
Her eyes turned cold again.
“I’m full.”
“Time to get back to work.”
She picked up her phone.
July 14, 14:00 PM.
At that exact moment, the annoying ringtone arrived.
Incoming call: [Bank Credit Department]
Lin Chu looked at the flashing screen and let out a cold smile.
“Gu Yan… your death notice has arrived.”