Yun Zhuan sat up abruptly in bed. “I like Lin Po? Who says?”
His roommate replied nonchalantly, “Everyone who knows you both says so. College is the best time for dating, yet you two never ask girls out. You’re glued to each other every day—if that’s not dating, what is? Don’t worry, Brother Yun, we don’t have anything against being gay.”
Is this what love is? Yun Zhuan was certain he didn’t find Lin Po’s confession disgusting, and he truly liked him as a friend, but as for romantic love, he felt they weren’t quite there yet.
It doesn’t matter, Yun Zhuan thought. The days ahead are long; we can take our time and see.
The Lin family woke up early the next morning. Lin Chuansen handed a bank card to Lin Po. “Son, your mother and I are going to drive to the shop, load up the food and supplies, and haul them back to the old house in the countryside. Take this card and buy whatever else you think we’ll need.”
Wang Yurong gave him a sharp pinch. “Buy what? What does the shop not have that we need to spend more money? We don’t even know if this is real yet, and you’re just throwing money around. What if it’s all for nothing?”
Lin Po knew his parents didn’t fully believe him yet. He didn’t bother arguing; words were useless now, and everything depended on proof. Once the “heavy blow” at Jinhua Overpass struck tomorrow night, it wouldn’t be too late for them to believe.
“Mom, I’m not buying anything frivolous. I’m just getting some handy tools. Even if nothing happens, I can sell them second-hand. They won’t expire, so don’t worry too much.”
Lin Po tucked the card into his pocket and said to his father, “You two just focus on the food. I’ll handle the rest.”
After the comet arrived, at least a third of the population would lose their lives and turn into zombies. Between that and those injured later, every industry would grind to a halt. There would be no water, no electricity, and no signal. He had a lot to prepare.
Then there was his mysterious “space.” Many plants were already growing inside, but he didn’t know if things bought from the outside could grow there. He needed to buy a variety of seeds.
As for how much money he spent, it didn’t really matter. Once the apocalypse arrived, money would lose all value. Gold and antiques might become hard currency, but eventually, crystal nuclei—harvested from zombies—would replace paper money as the new unit of value.
Lin Po immediately linked his father’s card to his digital wallet. He went online and ordered survival supplies: entrenching shovels, axes, matches, magnesium fire starters, flashlights, compressed rations, and water purification tablets. He set the delivery address to their ancestral home in the countryside. Then, he went to a mall and bought several sets of durable, rugged clothing. Finally, he visited a seed shop. Unfamiliar with most of the seeds, he simply bought a wide variety based on the owner’s recommendations.
The owner, beaming with joy, arranged for someone to help Lin Po load the haul into his car.
“Buying this many seeds, young man—are you starting a farm? Don’t you worry, my seeds are top quality, all high-yield varieties. If they grow well, remember to come back next time.”
Lin Po simply nodded. He recognized the corn seeds and knew they were edible, so he didn’t say much else.
Lin Po drove out of the city center, stopping to buy a bag of steamed buns on the way. After driving for nearly an hour, he pulled over on a deserted path. He got out of the driver’s seat and sat in the back, staring at the pile of seeds in the trunk.
A question had occurred to him after buying the seeds: If he could take mangoes out of the space, could he put outside objects into it?
He focused his mind on the bag of buns in his hand. With a single thought, the buns vanished. He projected his consciousness into the space and, sure enough, found the bag of buns lying on the ground inside.
Relieved, Lin Po began moving the seeds into the space. This was his “final spark” of hope. If the soil outside on Earth became unfarmable, the soil within the space should still work. As for the mysterious seeds on the curio shelf inside the space, he didn’t plan to touch them yet. He still had doubts about the “Panacea” and would wait for a later opportunity to experiment.
After handling all of this, Lin Po remembered something else. He bought an email account online, registered on a forum, and posted a vague message in the “Supernatural” section.
He had no choice; he was completely unskilled in computer technology. If he had the skills of a hacker and could hide his digital tracks, he would have explained everything in detail. But he was just an ordinary person who happened to have a bit of luck, so he had to rely on this clumsy method.
There were many people posting in the supernatural section—fortune tellers, diviners, and people making vague predictions about the future. He didn’t stand out among them.
“Cast a hexagram this morning. The signs suggest difficulties and disasters ahead. I suggest everyone stock up on some extra food at home…”
The comments below were a mix of believers and skeptics. Since his warning was so vague, it didn’t stir much trouble. Lin Po couldn’t say more; he didn’t want to lose his freedom by alerting the authorities.
Lin Chuansen and Wang Yurong drove their delivery truck to their small supermarket. This box truck was something they had bought when they first started the business. It was old, but because Lin Chuansen took such good care of it, it didn’t look particularly worn.
To get the cheapest wholesale prices, Lin Chuansen often did the sourcing himself. A shipment of rice, flour, and oil had just arrived at the shop, making it the perfect time to haul everything back to the old house.
Wang Yurong leaned back in the passenger seat, her brow furrowed with worry. “You really believe him, just because of a dream? If it’s fake, we’ll lose a lot of money closing the shop for even a day. And you gave our son a card… Oh, my heart is aching with worry.”
While she loved her son, she was a frugal woman by nature. Making such a huge fuss over something so mystical and uncertain went entirely against her character.
Lin Chuansen lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, “Our son has always been a steady person. Since he’s saying this, he must be fairly certain. The dates on the stock we’re moving are fresh; even if it turns out to be false, we can just bring it back and sell it. As for the lost revenue, I’ll just pick up a part-time job when I get back. I won’t let you or the boy suffer.”
The reason Lin Chuansen hadn’t dismissed the matter as nonsense was because he had grown up in the countryside and had seen or heard of strange occurrences. He figured some people really did have “encounters” that allowed them to foresee fortune or misfortune. Plus, their family was much better off now than before, and they could afford to let their son “be reckless” once.
“What our son predicted happens tomorrow night. We’ll haul the stuff to the old house today. You stay there and get things ready, and I’ll come back to wait for news.” Lin Chuansen took one last long drag and exhaled his worries along with the smoke.
Wang Yurong stopped complaining. She was simply terrified—not just because her routine had been shattered, but because of the fear of an unknown apocalypse. Now that it was out in the open, she felt a little better.
The Lin family’s supermarket was located in an old district. When the city developed, this area had been forgotten. The economy lagged, and transportation wasn’t convenient, so the rent was cheap, and the residents weren’t wealthy.
The reason their shop hadn’t been put out of business by large supermarkets was because their prices were lower, and they were located close to the residential blocks. Many people who were used to shopping there didn’t want to trek to a mega-mart. Consequently, while the Lin supermarket didn’t have as much variety, it was stocked with essential, fast-moving daily necessities.
Lin Chuansen hadn’t become a tycoon, but he had a fair amount of savings. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to build a house in the country and still pay a down payment for an apartment in Jiang City. He could afford this gamble. If his son was right and they did nothing, the regret would be unbearable.
Lin Chuansen parked the truck at the back door of the shop. Usually, they employed a cashier to handle the register and stock the shelves, but they hadn’t called her in today and didn’t open the front doors, wanting to avoid questions from curious neighbors.
That was the thing about doing business with acquaintances—any small change immediately drew attention. Lin Chuansen didn’t feel like making up lies to appease everyone, so he simply bypassed them.
Aside from the storefront, the supermarket had several warehouses. Lin Chuansen didn’t touch the items on the shelves. For one, the items were already unpacked and would be difficult and bulky to move. Secondly, if the end of the world really did come, leaving the items in the shop would serve as supplies for the neighbors. People had looked out for him over the years; he couldn’t warn them, but he could leave them a path for survival.
He and his wife used a hand trolley to make over a dozen trips, clearing out the warehouses of unopened bags of rice, flour, oil, seasonings, noodles, instant ramen, and other ready-to-eat products. From the produce warehouse, he only took items that were easy to store. He left the rest; they wouldn’t be able to eat it all anyway. It was better to leave it there or sell it at a discount tomorrow.
Wang Yurong had been full of sorrow, but after the physical labor, she was too tired to overthink. Paradoxically, she felt much more at ease.
Once everything was loaded, Lin Chuansen drove his wife back to their ancestral home. It was a small county town on the outskirts of Jiang City; the drive took about two hours via the highway, so he could still make it back that night.
Before leaving, Lin Chuansen sent a text to his son, letting him know they were packed. Lin Po replied with an update on his own progress.
In the bustling city, this one family began to toil and hustle for their future.
After returning from the outskirts, Lin Po parked his car in the underground garage. He didn’t bother taking the clothes or other items out of the car; they’d be going back to the country anyway, and he didn’t want to waste the effort.
The day’s errands had drained most of his energy. For the time being, he had no time to think about Yun Zhuan. To him, the confession had resolved the regrets of his previous life. What remained was figuring out how to save the lives of those close to him. As for love—in the long period that followed the apocalypse, it would become a rare and precious sentiment.
Yun Zhuan didn’t take the initiative to contact him, either. Under the influence of his roommate’s teasing, he felt he needed to handle his feelings for Lin Po with a cool head.
After all, Lin Po had just confessed to him last night and had seemingly been crying—Yun Zhuan had noticed his eyes were red when he left. Yun Zhuan was afraid that if he didn’t strike the right tone, he might cause more emotional distress.