Countdown Day 16, 10:00 AM
The early summer sunlight had already taken on an abnormal, oppressive heat. It spilled across the asphalt road, distorting the air into shimmering waves.
Lin Qi drove her low-profile black Porsche Cayenne out of the bustling city, following a private mountain road hidden within dense green forest as it wound steadily upward. As the altitude increased, the air outside the window gradually turned cooler and fresher, while the noise of the city was completely left behind below.
At the end of this dragon-like winding road halfway up the mountain lay the city’s highest, most secure, and most mysterious luxury district—“Cloud Summit Heaven.”
Lin Qi’s hands rested firmly on the steering wheel, her deep eyes glinting with cold, rational light.
She had not chosen a downtown luxury apartment or a suburban villa for her safe house because she knew better than anyone what the coming disaster would bring to this city within the first month.
After extreme heat… would come months of torrential rain.
In her previous life, that apocalyptic rainfall that seemed to tear the sky apart triggered an unprecedented global flood. The city’s drainage system collapsed on the first day. Torrents of filthy water mixed with sewage, industrial waste, and unknown viruses swept through everything like a tidal wave of destruction.
The CBD towers the city once took pride in, the luxury low-density residences—all submerged in black, foul toxic water. At the peak, flood levels reached the 30th floor of residential buildings.
Countless people drowned in their sleep. Even those lucky enough to climb onto rooftops later froze into ice sculptures when extreme cold followed, with no way to escape the surrounding frozen waters.
To survive such a hellscape, there was only one rule:
Get high enough.
“Cloud Summit Heaven” was built halfway up the city’s highest peak at an elevation of 500 meters. Not only was it immune to flooding, it was backed by solid granite bedrock capable of withstanding later geological disasters. Most importantly, there was only one private mountain road leading in and out.
If the apocalypse brought chaos and violence, controlling that road meant controlling life and death itself.
“One man defending the pass… ten thousand cannot break through.”
The Cayenne stopped smoothly in front of the luxurious VIP sales center of Cloud Summit Heaven.
A valet in a tuxedo immediately stepped forward and opened the door respectfully.
Today, Lin Qi wore a black biker outfit, her long hair tied high, sunglasses on. Her entire aura screamed: do not approach.
The moment she entered the lobby, a sales supervisor in a professional suit and exquisite makeup greeted her with a polite smile.
“Welcome to Cloud Summit Heaven. Do you have an appointment, miss?”
Her tone was sweet, but her eyes subtly scanned Lin Qi. Units here started at 50 million. This woman looked too young, too casual—more like a rich family’s rebellious daughter than a real buyer.
“No appointment,” Lin Qi said flatly, removing her sunglasses. “I heard you have a top-floor duplex penthouse for sale. The one with a thousand-square-meter terrace. Take me to see it.”
The saleswoman’s expression stiffened slightly.
“That would be our Tower 1 top-floor unit—the ‘Sky-View Supreme’ layout. Indoor area is 1,200 square meters, plus a 1,000-square-meter rooftop terrace. It has the best view and largest space in the entire development.”
“But…” she lowered her voice, “a client is already negotiating for it, and they’re in the final stage. How about I show you other units instead?”
“They haven’t signed or paid yet,” Lin Qi said calmly. “That means it’s still available to anyone willing to pay more. Lead the way.”
Her voice carried an undeniable pressure that made the saleswoman instinctively step back half a pace.
Before she could respond, the carved wooden door of the VIP room suddenly swung open violently.
“Are you people at Cloud Summit Heaven trying to screw me over?! I’m willing to look at this place, that’s already giving you face! Three billion? I’ll pay two billion—and in installments over three years! Where’s your CEO?! Tell him to get out here!”
A young man in flashy designer clothes walked out, arms around a heavily made-up influencer girl, his face full of arrogance.
Following him was a sweating sales manager bowing repeatedly.
“Young Master Zhou, please calm down! This unit alone had 80 million invested in renovations—three billion is already the lowest price we can offer!”
Zhou, the rich heir, snorted coldly. “Enough talk. I’m paying two billion. Take it or leave it.”
Then his eyes landed on Lin Qi.
Instantly, his expression changed. He pushed the woman in his arms aside and walked over with a grin.
“Well, well, what’s this? A little ice beauty.”
He whistled. “You here to see the house too? Cloud Summit Heaven isn’t for ordinary people. If you call me ‘big brother,’ I might just buy you a little cage to live in.”
A flicker of disgust passed through Lin Qi’s eyes.
She ignored him completely and turned to the sales manager.
“How much is the base price?”
The manager hesitated. “Three hundred million…”
Zhou exploded. “Hey! I’m still talking! You dare ignore me?! Do you know who I am?!”
Lin Qi’s voice turned icy.
“Quiet.”
One word.
The entire lobby froze.
Then she slowly opened her backpack and pulled out a black card emitting a deep, metallic sheen.
She slapped it onto the marble counter.
“This card holds 7 billion in liquid funds.”
Her voice was calm, but crushing.
“I want this unit. Three billion.”
“And I’ll add another 500 million. Total: 3.5 billion, full cash, immediate payment.”
Silence.
Dead silence filled the entire lobby.
Even Zhou froze completely.
Cash. Full payment. Immediate transfer.
And an extra 500 million just to cut the line.
What kind of monster was this?!
“I only have one condition,” Lin Qi continued. “I want the contract drafted within ten minutes. All transfer procedures started immediately.”
“Now. Process the payment.”
The sales manager snapped back to reality and nearly screamed with excitement.
“Yes! Right away! I’ll handle it personally!”
He grabbed the black card like it was a sacred artifact and ran.
Zhou’s face turned green.
“You bitch… you dare steal my deal?!”
He pointed at her. “Do you know who my family is?!”
Lin Qi didn’t even look at him.
“Security.”
Her voice was calm, indifferent.
“I just spent 3.5 billion. If I can’t have five minutes of silence here, then I don’t need this place either.”
The security team panicked instantly.
“Remove him!!”
Zhou was dragged out kicking and screaming, thrown directly onto the street.
Finally, silence returned.
Five minutes later, the payment went through.
The sales manager returned with contracts and keys, bowing deeply.
“Congratulations, Miss Lin. From now on, this Sky-View Supreme penthouse is yours.”
Lin Qi took the keys without hesitation and went directly upstairs via a private elevator.
The moment the doors opened, even she paused slightly.
1,200 square meters of open space. Floor-to-ceiling glass revealing the entire city skyline. A terrace large enough to land a helicopter.
Perfect.
Truly perfect.
This was no longer just a house.
It was the foundation of her apocalypse fortress.
Just as she began planning renovations, a cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed in her mind:
[Ding! Permanent property meeting requirements detected.]
[Apocalypse Fortress System binding location…]
[Binding complete. Fortress Level: Lv0 (Locked)]
[System: Please reinforce the entire structure with military-grade bulletproof materials. Once physical defense reaches 100%, Fortress Lv1 will activate and unlock advanced defense technologies.]
A dangerous smile appeared on Lin Qi’s lips.
Money? She had plenty.
Materials? Even more so.
“Sixteen days left,” she murmured. “Time to show this city what it means to spend money like water.”
She pulled out her phone and dialed a heavily encrypted underground black-market number.
A highly insane fortress construction plan—built on tens of billions in cash—was about to begin above the clouds.