Catastrophe Countdown: 161 Days
Bank Balance: 37,587,540 Yuan
Half of the second floor inside Shen Hanyin’s space was now occupied.
One weekend, she took out one of the ice makers she had stored and decided to start producing ice cubes.
She had already purchased edible ice from supermarkets and online stores, but she always felt that the ice used in milk tea shops was somehow better. Since she had the equipment, she figured she might as well make her own.
That afternoon, Shen Hanyin visited a hardware store.
She bought tools of every kind.
Hammers in various sizes.
Wrenches.
Flashlights.
Power drills.
Cutting machines.
Nail guns.
Chainsaws and electric saws.
The quantity was so large that the owner personally helped load everything into her vehicle. The trunk filled up immediately, and the rest had to be stacked on the back seats.
With a bright smile, the owner waved her off.
Next, Shen Hanyin stockpiled:
2,000 boxes of smokeless charcoal
2,000 boxes of honeycomb coal briquettes
100 smokeless stoves
She also purchased two hundred liquefied gas cylinders.
After having them filled at different locations in separate batches, she transferred them all into her space.
That evening, she ordered two hundred sets of stab-resistant clothing and slash-resistant arm guards online.
She chose the most expensive models available.
After reading countless reviews and test videos, she learned that while they weren’t completely slash-proof, they did offer meaningful protection.
As for bulletproof vests…
Those simply weren’t available.
The apartment renovation had already been completed.
One day, Shen Hanyin visited a bird, flower, fish, and pet market to buy some decorative plants and succulents.
After loading everything into her car, she happened to notice an antique street across the road.
She suddenly thought:
I might as well pick up a couple of decorative ornaments while I’m here.
She wasn’t particularly demanding when it came to interior decoration.
Since she had already come this far, she decided to browse around.
Most of the antique shops displayed nothing but porcelain and decorative jars.
She casually entered a store packed with ornaments.
Originally, she intended to buy a few inexpensive decorations.
Then she saw the blade hanging on the wall.
The weapon was long and slender.
Shen Hanyin didn’t recognize it.
That didn’t matter.
She wanted it.
If she ever needed to defend herself, she couldn’t exactly run around swinging a kitchen knife.
Pretending to be interested in the patterns engraved on the scabbard, she asked about it.
The owner immediately introduced it.
“This is a Miao Dao. The patterns on the scabbard are custom-made. It’s excellent as a house-guarding blade.”
“Has it been sharpened?” she asked.
The owner immediately laughed.
“Miss, don’t joke around. If it were sharpened, I wouldn’t be allowed to sell it.”
“Boss, my family has been having some bad luck lately. Someone recommended that I come to this district and buy a house-guarding blade.”
People involved in business and politics often believed in feng shui and fortune-related customs.
Shen Hanyin didn’t need to explain further.
The owner understood immediately.
He fell silent.
After a moment, Shen Hanyin continued.
“I need one that’s sharpened. Can you arrange that?”
Sharpening a blade could be difficult or simple depending on the circumstances.
The problem was that she neither knew how to do it herself nor wanted to waste the effort.
“I’m afraid we’re not destined to do business together.”
After some consideration, the owner refused.
“I know the regulations are strict. I’ve visited many shops already, and yours is the only place where I’ve even seen a blade. If buying and selling are equally risky, then I’m buying this to save my life, not to throw it away.”
Her expression was so sincere that even she almost believed her own words.
“Boss, whatever you’re asking, I’ll pay three times the price.”
After a prolonged barrage of persuasion and financial temptation, money finally crushed the last of the owner’s resistance.
He quoted a number.
Shen Hanyin immediately paid the deposit.
“I’ll also need a shorter blade.”
“Not too short.”
“I’ll pay the same price.”
“And it needs to be sharpened too.”
The owner nodded.
“Deal.”
The two agreed on delivery seven days later.
The owner knew perfectly well what she wanted.
She wasn’t interested in decorative weapons.
She wanted functional blades.
Admittedly, he was taking a gamble.
But one blade or two blades made little difference.
He didn’t believe this young woman intended to commit any crimes.
Once the money arrived, he could easily shut down his barely profitable antique shop and retire comfortably in his hometown.
…
Catastrophe Countdown: 130 Days
Bank Balance: 31,065,234 Yuan
Shen Hanyin was becoming visibly poorer.
Her consciousness entered the space.
Gasoline, diesel, clothing, and other non-perishable items were all stored on the open ground outside the building.
Nothing would decay there.
The space contained no static electricity, so fuel storage wasn’t a concern.
After organizing her inventory list, she identified several remaining necessities.
More shelving.
Batteries of every size.
Rechargeable battery packs.
Battery-powered lamps.
Two hundred power banks.
Electric fans of every type and size.
Fifty thousand water purification tablets.
Hand warmers.
Hot water bottles.
Thermos flasks.
Insulated tumblers.
Garbage bags.
Cat litter.
Heat patches.
Self-heating meal packs.
Cooling patches.
Mosquito coils.
Cockroach poison.
Rat poison.
Twenty smartphones.
Ten tablets.
Twenty hard drives.
She even contacted online sellers and paid them to preload the hard drives with useful information.
Emergency medical knowledge.
Traditional Chinese medicinal herb identification.
Agricultural guides.
Farming techniques.
Recipe collections.
Pastry-making tutorials.
Everyday survival skills.
Anything that could be downloaded was downloaded.
Everything was carefully categorized and labeled before shipment.
It was troublesome.
But in Shen Hanyin’s experience, there was no such thing as an impossible business deal.
There was only insufficient money.
This semester passed quickly.
More and more often, Shen Hanyin felt as though her life had split into two separate worlds.
Inside the university was reality.
Outside the university was something almost unreal.
The money disappearing from her account, however, was undeniably real.
Apart from classes, her days consisted of stockpiling supplies, siphoning fuel whenever possible, attending mixed martial arts training, and practicing archery.
She had already moved out of the dormitory.
Every night, she practiced using the Miao Dao.
After all, a weapon was useless if she didn’t know how to use it.
At that point, a kitchen knife might actually be more effective.
A week before final exams, Shen Hanyin terminated the warehouse lease.
There were no longer any supplies that required large-scale storage operations.
Every night before bed, she entered her space and reviewed her inventory.
Checking.
Adjusting.
Filling gaps.
Little by little.
By then, most of the second floor had also been filled.
…
Catastrophe Countdown: 111 Days
Bank Balance: 30,515,663 Yuan
Summer vacation arrived.
Shen Hanyin returned to Nancheng.
This time, she planned to sell both the villa and the apartment.
At the same time, she resumed her chef-hiring project.
The salary remained sixty thousand yuan per month.
Instead of renting another property, she simply used her own apartment.
Since she would soon leave Nancheng permanently, there was no need to be overly cautious anymore.
She also purchased spare parts for her vehicles.
Extra tires.
Snow tires.
Motor oil.
Replacement components.
Anything prone to wear and tear.
If it was available, she bought it immediately.
If it wasn’t, she waited.
She still had time.
Shen Hanyin also enrolled in two new courses.
A diving certification class.
And a live-fire shooting club.
She didn’t own a gun.
That didn’t mean she couldn’t learn.
The range offered pistols, rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, and various civilian sporting firearms.
Shen Hanyin focused only on pistols and rifles.
Haicheng didn’t have facilities like this.
The ammunition was expensive enough to make her heart ache.
Unexpectedly, she ran into an old acquaintance there.
Chen Ke.
Her high school classmate.
His family had been wealthy for generations and was well-known throughout Nancheng.
He was a regular at the shooting club.
Occasionally, he shared tips and experiences with her.
Under his guidance, Shen Hanyin improved rapidly.
She also contacted three manufacturers and purchased:
One seawater desalination system
One integrated water purification system
Both units were containerized industrial models.
After checking the dimensions, she confirmed that her rented warehouse could accommodate them.
As for generators, she bought ten diesel-powered units and ten gasoline-powered units.
She also purchased several backup models of varying sizes.
Even so-called silent generators still produced considerable noise.
Especially inside apartment buildings.
Even with soundproofing mats underneath, neighbors downstairs would hear them clearly.
Next came portable power stations.
Together with expansion batteries, she purchased five hundred units in various sizes.
Finally, she bought twenty pedal-powered generators.
She found them highly appealing.
They generated electricity while providing exercise.
Most importantly, they produced almost no noise.
Shen Hanyin was extremely satisfied.
Every morning she visited local breakfast markets.
She arranged standing orders from several bun shops.
Two hundred buns per shop per day.
Fifty portions each of:
Fried dough sticks
Jianbing
Soy milk
Pork brain soup
The deliveries would continue until her vacation ended.
Meanwhile, she successfully completed her diving certification.
Afterward, she purchased fifty diving suits and three hundred oxygen cylinders.
Every night when she returned home, she collected the meals prepared by her chefs.
Then she ordered mountains of takeout food.
Everything went into the space.
Even foods she disliked.
Because once the catastrophe arrived, nobody would have the luxury of being picky.
Three days before summer vacation ended, she settled wages for the chefs and kitchen assistants.
As usual, she paid each person an extra three-thousand-yuan bonus.
Afterward, she emptied the apartment and villa.
Anything worth taking was transferred into her space.
The vehicles followed.
As for her parents’ belongings, she had already organized those during her freshman year.
When everything was finally packed away, she handed both properties over to real estate agents.
Then she visited her parents’ graves.
Standing before them, Shen Hanyin quietly paid her respects.
This departure felt different.
Because deep down, she knew something.
Once she left this time…
She might never return again.