Countdown Day 16, 12:00 PM
“Ding—”
With a soft exclusive elevator chime, the armored entrance door of the top-floor penthouse in Cloud Summit Heaven slowly slid open.
Lin Qi stepped inside in black Martin boots, expressionless, entering the “Sky-View Supreme” duplex she had just purchased for 350 million in full cash.
What greeted her was extreme luxury in French palace style. The 1,200-square-meter space was paved with Italian custom natural marble, while a dazzling Swarovski crystal chandelier hung overhead. Through the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, the entire city sprawled beneath her feet—so close it felt as if she could grasp it in her hand.
Yet Lin Qi did not spare even a glance at any of it.
“Welcome home, Miss Lin!”
Inside the elevator foyer stood two rows of neatly dressed, respectful staff. Leading them was an English butler in a tailcoat with meticulously combed hair, followed by four maids and two gardeners responsible for the rooftop landscaping.
This was the standard elite private service team provided for the “King of Units” owner.
“Miss Lin, I am your personal butler Richard. I have prepared a temperature-controlled bath and Michelin chef afternoon tea. Regarding the smart home system of this residence…” he said with a perfect professional smile, preparing to continue.
“Shut up.”
Lin Qi coldly cut him off.
Richard froze, his smile stiffening slightly. He had served countless wealthy clients, yet he had never encountered such a cold, impatient young woman who didn’t even allow polite conversation.
Lin Qi walked straight to the large leather sofa and threw her backpack onto the coffee table.
“Unzip it.”
Richard dared not hesitate and immediately complied.
The next second—
Everyone present gasped sharply.
Inside the bag were stacks upon stacks of crisp hundred-yuan bills, tightly bundled together. The strong smell of ink mixed with the luxury fragrance of the room, creating a jarring yet overwhelming visual impact.
“Here is one million in cash.”
Lin Qi turned around, looking down at them with emotionless eyes—cold, absolute, and unquestionable.
“You are all fired. This is your severance pay. Split it yourselves.”
“Now, immediately hand over all access cards, spare keys, and property communication devices. Then leave my sight within five minutes with your personal belongings.”
Richard was stunned. “Miss Lin… we have long-term contracts with the property management company. If you are dissatisfied, we can—”
“I don’t need service. I need absolute silence and privacy.”
Her fingers tapped lightly on the marble table—each sound like a countdown to death.
“Four minutes left. Take the money and leave, or I’ll donate it to the security downstairs and have them throw you out. Choose.”
Under her overwhelming pressure—and the irresistible lure of the cash—Richard and the staff completely broke down.
No one could resist money when no labor was required.
“We’ll go! We’re leaving now!”
They hurriedly grabbed the cash, dropped all keys and devices, and fled into the elevator like evacuees.
“Ding.”
The doors closed.
The massive 1,200-square-meter penthouse fell into absolute silence.
Lin Qi exhaled slowly and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. Sunlight poured over her body, but could not warm the coldness deep in her soul—the frost of a past apocalypse.
At that moment—
A cold mechanical voice suddenly exploded in her mind like a bell:
[Ding! Detected: all irrelevant lifeforms removed from designated territory.]
[Apocalypse Fortress System fully locked onto location: Cloud Summit Heaven Tower 1, top floor.]
[Scanning structure… 10%… 50%… 100% complete!]
[3D fortress blueprint generated. Optimizing defense upgrade routes…]
“Buzz—”
Her vision blurred.
A translucent, blue holographic projection unfolded directly in front of her eyes.
It displayed the entire duplex and terrace in perfect 3D detail—every beam, pipe, and glass panel clearly marked.
But what truly made Lin Qi’s pupils contract was not the blueprint itself.
It was a blood-red laser-like line that suddenly appeared at the edge of the hologram.
It traced the armored entrance, wrapped around the outer walls, and sealed the entire 1,000-square-meter terrace into a perfectly enclosed crimson boundary.
[Ding! Core system mechanism activated: “Absolute Defense Red Line.”]
Lin Qi’s heartbeat quickened uncontrollably. Her instincts screamed—this feature was something that could satisfy her deepest “insufficient firepower fear.”
[Absolute Defense Red Line Rules:]
1. Threat Detection & Early Warning:
In extreme apocalypse conditions, any creature carrying lethal intent, weapons, or unknown infected mutations approaching within 50 meters will trigger a high-level neural pain warning to the host.
2. Kill Countdown:
Once the fortress reaches Lv1 or higher, the red line becomes a physical high-frequency energy barrier. Any unauthorized entity crossing it even half a step…
The system paused.
Then continued with chilling finality:
All hidden defense matrices will activate (including but not limited to: 100,000-volt invisible electric grids, high-energy laser cutters, and automatic tracking heavy machine guns), executing indiscriminate and instantaneous physical annihilation.
“Those who cross the red line… will be torn to pieces.”
“Those who cross the red line… will die…”
Lin Qi stood in the empty hall, repeating those words softly.
Then she laughed.
At first quietly.
Then louder.
Finally, the laughter echoed through the vast penthouse—wild, liberated, and almost manic.
This was exactly what she wanted.
A line on the ground that defined life and death.
In her previous life, when mobs smashed through her wooden door and dragged her out like livestock, she had no power to resist.
But now—
She had a line.
A red line.
And anyone who dared step across it would turn to ash.
[Ding! Fortress level currently: Lv0.]
[Red Line kill function is in dormant state.]
[Upgrade mission: reinforce entire structure with military-grade bulletproof materials.]
Requirements:
Concrete resistant to C4 explosives
Aircraft-grade ballistic glass resistant to anti-materiel rifles
Independent energy system with massive fuel reserves
Vault-grade reinforced main door
Reading the insane requirements, Lin Qi’s eyes burned even brighter.
If she was going to build a fortress—
She would build the hardest shell in existence.
Ordinary contractors could never handle this level of military-grade transformation in such a short time.
But she had money.
Seventy billion in liquidity.
And knowledge from the previous apocalypse.
She pulled out a heavily encrypted satellite phone and dialed a black-market number.
After a full minute, a sandpaper-like voice answered:
“This is Black Hawk. We only take jobs that cannot see daylight. State your request. No money, we hang up.”
Black Hawk Engineering Team.
An underground elite group of ex-special forces and demolition experts who built bunkers for drug lords and safehouses for international fugitives.
Lin Qi spoke calmly:
“I don’t need you to know who I am. I have a 1,200-square-meter penthouse. I want it turned into a fortress that even cruise missiles cannot penetrate.”
A loud laugh exploded on the other end.
“You’re insane. You think you can build a bunker in a high-rise apartment? And military-grade materials? You don’t understand logistics at all—”
“Ten billion.”
Silence.
Even the laughter stopped.
“I will pay ten billion in cash. No delay.”
Lin Qi’s voice sharpened:
“Replace all glass with aircraft-grade ballistic panels. Reinforce walls with steel rebar and C4-resistant concrete. Install a titanium vault door. Add geothermal and solar systems.”
“I don’t care how you get the materials up here. I don’t care how many rules you break. I only want results.”
“Ten days. If you fail, or leak even a word…”
Her tone turned ice-cold:
“You won’t live long enough to spend it.”
A long silence followed.
Then—
“Deal.”
The voice was now sharp, excited, almost trembling.
“Two hours. I’ll personally bring my team.”
Lin Qi hung up.
She looked out at the city again, already imagining it transforming into a steel coffin.
This was only the beginning.
Once the fortress was complete—
She would leave for America.
And there, in the coming chaos of “zero-dollar shopping” riots, she would finally cure her deepest fear:
lack of firepower.