With most of the supplies they needed already stockpiled within the country, Lu Chenzhou still wasn’t satisfied.
“Some things can only be found overseas.”
He placed a newly issued passport in front of Shen Niannian.
She flipped it open, glanced at the photo and her name, then looked up at him.
“When did you get this?”
“The night we made the supply list.”
Lu Chenzhou had already opened his laptop. A world map filled the screen, with more than a dozen locations marked across it.
“Two months. Seven countries. We’ll take it slow. No rush.”
Before they departed, Lu Chenzhou did something that surprised Shen Niannian.
He hired a nutritionist and a personal trainer to create a customized diet and fitness plan for her.
“Every time you store supplies, you’re exhausted,” he explained. “Physically and mentally. That means your spatial ability consumes some kind of energy. You need to replenish it.”
Their breakfasts became even more extravagant than before.
In addition to fish maw, sea cucumber, and bird’s nest, they now had Spanish Iberico ham, French oysters, and Russian black caviar. Lu Chenzhou even had premium Japanese Wagyu air-freighted over, searing a small portion for her every morning to boost her protein intake.
The first time Shen Niannian saw caviar on the breakfast table, she froze.
“Isn’t this a little too luxurious?”
Lu Chenzhou spooned a serving of caviar onto her truffle scrambled eggs, his expression calm.
“You need the nutrition.”
Looking at his cool, composed face, Shen Niannian decided he had a point.
Their first stop was Thailand.
By the time the plane landed, dawn had just broken over the city.
Shen Niannian had slept through most of the flight with her head resting on Lu Chenzhou’s shoulder. When she woke, she realized he had gently gathered her hair to one side, exposing the curve of her neck. His fingers still lingered at the ends of her hair, absentmindedly playing with the strands.
“We’re here?” she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
“We’re here.”
He calmly withdrew his hand and reached for the luggage.
Waiting for them at the airport was Mr. Lin, a Chinese manager in his forties from a local fruit import-export company.
The moment he saw Lu Chenzhou, he was visibly stunned.
Perhaps he’d never expected someone dressed in a bespoke suit, carrying such an aloof and elegant aura, to be here negotiating fruit purchases.
His gaze then shifted toward Shen Niannian, lingering on her face for a brief moment.
Lu Chenzhou’s fingers tightened ever so slightly around her waist.
His eyes swept toward Mr. Lin—not particularly sharp, yet enough to make the manager immediately look away.
For the rest of the trip, he didn’t dare glance at Shen Niannian again.
The warehouse was located on the outskirts of Bangkok.
When the massive doors swung open, crates of fruit stretched from floor to ceiling in perfectly stacked rows.
Durians. Mangosteens. Rambutans. Mangoes. Wax apples. Jackfruit. Coconuts. Papayas.
Every variety was the finest of the season.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Niannian placed her hand on the nearest crate of durians.
With a single thought, an entire wall of fruit crates disappeared into her space.
But after storing less than a third of the warehouse, beads of sweat had already formed on her forehead, and a dull ache throbbed at her temples.
“Tired?”
Lu Chenzhou walked over, his thumb gently wiping away the sweat at her brow.
“A little.”
She answered honestly.
His brows furrowed.
Walking to one side, he retrieved a bottle of electrolyte water and a bar of dark chocolate from his backpack. Unscrewing the cap, he handed them to her.
“Take a break first.”
She accepted the water, drank several mouthfuls, then bit into the chocolate.
Standing before her, Lu Chenzhou slipped his fingers into her hair and gently massaged her temples. His fingertips were lightly calloused, the pressure neither too firm nor too gentle.
“I never got this tired collecting supplies before,” she murmured.
“Before, you stored things one item at a time with your thoughts. Now you’re moving dozens at once.”
His fingers slid from her temples to the back of her neck, gently kneading the tense muscles.
“Of course the mental strain is much greater.”
After resting for ten minutes, she stood up and continued.
By the time the last crate of coconuts disappeared into her space, she was almost completely drained.
Her legs gave way beneath her, and only Lu Chenzhou’s embrace kept her from collapsing onto the floor.
“It’s done.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he effortlessly lifted her against him.
“We’re finished.”
She buried her face against his chest.
“I’m so tired…”
Looking down at her, his eyes were filled with heartache… and something else she couldn’t quite identify.
His hand gently rubbed her back while his chin rested atop her head.
That evening, at their hotel in Bangkok, Shen Niannian stepped out of the shower with damp hair, wearing nothing but a hotel bathrobe loosely tied around her waist.
Lu Chenzhou stood by the window speaking fluent Thai into his phone, his deep voice carrying effortlessly through the room.
The city lights outlined his profile, making him look exceptionally handsome.
After hanging up, he turned around.
His gaze traveled from her face to the loose collar of her robe.
It lingered there for a moment before he walked over.
“You’re coming out without drying your hair?”
Taking the towel from her hands, he gently guided her onto the edge of the bed and stood behind her, carefully drying her hair.
His fingers threaded through her silky strands, occasionally brushing against the edge of her ear.
When her hair was nearly dry, his hand paused at the back of her neck.
His thumb slowly stroked the delicate skin there.
Her breathing hitched.
“…Brother?”
“Mmm.”
His thumb lazily traced another circle.
“What are you doing?”
“Drying your hair.”
His expression remained perfectly composed.
Yet his thumb never left her neck.
Their second stop was Japan.
Japan’s priority was premium rice and seafood.
Hundreds of tons of high-grade Japanese rice.
More than a hundred tons of fresh seafood.
Frozen seafood as well.
Standing inside the freezing warehouse, Shen Niannian’s breath turned white in the frigid air, her fingers quickly reddening from the cold.
Lu Chenzhou immediately took her hands into his own.
Lowering his head, he breathed warm air onto them before rubbing them vigorously.
Then he pressed both of her hands against his chest, warming them with his body heat.
“That’s enough.”
He looked at her firmly.
“I’ll handle the rest.”
“How? You don’t have a spatial ability.”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he crouched down.
“Get on.”
He carried her on his back, running through the warehouse so she only needed to focus on extending her consciousness to envelop and transfer the supplies, sparing her the effort of walking.
By the time the final shipment of king crabs had been stored away, her fingers were nearly numb.
Lu Chenzhou gently cupped both of her hands against his cheeks.
“Still cold?”
She shook her head.
His hands were warm.
His face was warm.
Slowly, feeling returned to her fingers.
Instead of pulling away, she gently stroked his cheek.
His skin was smooth.
His jawline was sharp and well-defined.
She traced it once.
Then again.
Lu Chenzhou caught her mischievous hand.
Lowering his head, he pressed a soft kiss to her fingertips.
Her ears instantly turned bright red.
Their final stop in Japan was Hokkaido.
Standing beside the sea, Lu Chenzhou pointed toward the endless expanse of ocean.
“Don’t waste this either.”
Closing her eyes, Shen Niannian extended her consciousness into her space, guiding seawater into a specially designated “ocean zone.”
This drained far more energy than collecting any ordinary supplies.
Water flowed endlessly and lacked any fixed form.
It required constant mental control to guide.
After about thirty minutes, her face had turned noticeably pale.
Standing behind her, Lu Chenzhou wrapped one arm around her waist while the other rested lightly against her lower abdomen, helping her maintain her balance.
“That’s enough.”
She persisted for several more minutes until the water level in the ocean zone reached exactly where she wanted it.
Only then did she stop.
Her body immediately went limp against him.
Without a word, Lu Chenzhou scooped her into his arms and carried her back to the car.
He laid her gently across the back seat, covering her with his own jacket.
Half-asleep, she felt his fingers softly brush across her forehead.
Then a gentle kiss landed between her brows.
Their third stop was South Korea.
It hadn’t originally been part of the itinerary.
But during the flight, Shen Niannian came across a food recommendation online.
Looking up excitedly, she said,
“Brother, let’s go to Korea. Kimchi, Hanwoo beef, soy-marinated crab…”
Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Lu Chenzhou immediately changed their schedule.
Their focus there became kimchi and seasonings.
He contacted a century-old kimchi shop and ordered every variety imaginable—napa cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, cucumber kimchi, green onion kimchi, watery kimchi.
Five thousand jars of each.
To be completed over three months.
The owner thought it was a scam until Lu Chenzhou flew over personally, enjoyed a full meal at the restaurant, and transferred the payment on the spot.
Shen Niannian accompanied him.
Sitting beside Lu Chenzhou, she looked at the table overflowing with kimchi and side dishes, her eyes shining brightly.
She picked up a piece of soy-marinated crab, took a bite, and happily narrowed her eyes.
Watching her smile, Lu Chenzhou’s lips curved upward.
He quietly placed the crab from his own bowl into hers.
“You’re not eating?”
“You eat first.”
Without any hesitation, she happily finished his portion as well.
A little sauce lingered on her glossy lips.
She unconsciously ran her tongue across them.
Lu Chenzhou’s gaze paused on her lips.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
He reached out, gently wiped away the sauce from her lower lip with his thumb…
Then calmly placed that thumb into his own mouth.
Shen Niannian’s entire face turned crimson.
Their fourth stop was Australia.
As the kingdom of livestock farming, Australia posed a unique challenge.
Collecting live animals was far more difficult than storing food.
Animals struggled.
They resisted.
When the first shipment of Angus cattle arrived, Shen Niannian nearly failed.
One frightened cow let out a loud bellow before violently struggling.
The impact slammed into her mental power like a battering ram.
She staggered backward, her face instantly turning pale.
Lu Chenzhou immediately caught her.
“Change the method.”
“We’ll sedate them first.”
He contacted local veterinarians and purchased sufficient anesthetics.
Every cow and sheep received a proper sedative before transportation, allowing them to fall peacefully asleep.
Afterward, collecting them consumed less than half the mental energy it had before.
That night in their Sydney hotel, Shen Niannian was so exhausted she couldn’t even summon the strength to shower.
She lay sprawled across the bed like melted butter.
Emerging from the bathroom, Lu Chenzhou paused.
Her long hair fanned across the pillow.
Her bathrobe had loosened, exposing part of her shoulder and back.
After a brief silence, he walked over and carefully pulled the robe closed.
His fingertips brushed lightly across her collarbone.
They lingered for the briefest moment before withdrawing.
“Go take a shower.”
His voice had grown slightly hoarse.
“I don’t want to move.”
He remained silent for several seconds.
Then he bent down.
One arm slid beneath her shoulders.
The other beneath her knees.
Lifting her effortlessly into his arms, he carried her toward the bathroom.
She let out a startled yelp and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I’ll help you bathe.”
His face remained perfectly calm.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to move?”
Her cheeks instantly flushed as red as a cooked shrimp.
Their fifth stop was Brazil.
This was the destination Shen Niannian had looked forward to the most.
Coffee.
Lu Chenzhou directly contacted several major coffee plantations and purchased dozens of tons of premium coffee beans.
Standing among the endless rows of coffee trees stretching across the hillsides, Shen Niannian took a deep breath.
The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of coffee blossoms.
She wore a simple white dress.
Her hair rested loosely over her shoulders.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering patches of light across her figure.
She crouched down, gently touched a green coffee cherry, then leaned closer to smell it.
Behind her, Lu Chenzhou quietly took out his phone and snapped a photo.
Hearing the shutter, she turned around.
“You secretly took a picture of me?”
Laughing, she ran over to steal his phone.
He simply raised it higher.
She couldn’t reach it.
Standing on tiptoe, she nearly pressed herself against him, yet her fingertips still fell just short.
Looking down at her, amusement danced in his eyes.
Her hands rested on his shoulders.
Their faces were only inches apart.
Close enough for him to count every eyelash.
Lowering his head, he gently kissed the corner of her lips.
She froze.
Then hurriedly stepped back, cheeks burning.
“You… stole a kiss.”
“It wasn’t stealing.”
He calmly put away his phone.
“It was out in the open.”
Their sixth stop was the United States.
This was the most important destination.
It was also the one Lu Chenzhou approached with the greatest caution.
In her previous life, Shen Niannian had possessed no powers.
She could only hide behind him, watching him return covered in wounds while she could do nothing.
This lifetime was different.
She had her space.
They had months of preparation.
And now they could obtain the world’s most advanced weapons.
Through every channel available—legal, gray-market, and several methods Shen Niannian deliberately chose not to ask about—Lu Chenzhou acquired an enormous arsenal.
Firearms were the priority.
AR-series rifles.
M4 carbines.
Remington shotguns.
Glock pistols.
Every model of sniper rifle imaginable.
Each came with tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The first time Shen Niannian held a gun, her fingers trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From curiosity.
“Teach me.”
She looked up at him.
Lu Chenzhou stared into her bright eyes before quietly shaking his head.
“You don’t need to learn this.”
She blinked.
“Why?”
Without answering, he gently took the gun from her hands and laid it on the table.
Then he turned back.
Both hands cradled her face.
His thumbs brushed softly over her cheekbones.
“I’ll handle these things.”
His voice was barely above a whisper.
She looked into his eyes.
There was tenderness.
Restraint.
And something else she couldn’t quite describe.
Perhaps heartache.
Perhaps an unwavering desire to protect her.
“But—”
“No buts.”
He rested his forehead against hers, their noses lightly touching.
“As long as you’re alive… and happy…”
“…that’s enough.”
Her nose stung.
“I don’t want to rely on you for everything.”
“You can.”
His answer was quiet but unwavering.
“You always can.”
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she buried herself against his chest.
His heartbeat echoed steadily beside her ear.
“What if one day you’re not here?”
His embrace tightened.
“I won’t leave.”
“What if?”
He remained silent for a long moment.
Finally, his lips brushed the top of her head.
“Then use them.”
His voice was low.
“But I’ll never let it come to that.”
She lifted her head to look at him.
His expression was calm.
His eyes were not.
There was killing intent there—not directed at her, but toward anyone who might someday force her to pick up a weapon.
She didn’t argue anymore.
She knew he never wanted her to touch guns.
In his heart, she was supposed to remain the girl who spent her days choosing dresses, jewelry, and lipstick—not someone who aimed rifles and pulled triggers.
Even if the world changed…
He wanted to preserve an unchanging world for her.
Still…
She secretly learned.
Whenever he wasn’t around, she trained with instructors at the shooting range for several days.
Not because she wanted to help him.
She knew he didn’t need her help.
She simply didn’t want to become a burden if the worst ever happened.
Lu Chenzhou knew she was practicing in secret.
He never exposed her.
Every evening, when they returned to the hotel, he would take her hands into his own and carefully inspect the web between her thumb and forefinger for bruising.
His thumb gently massaged the reddened skin.
“Stop practicing.”
“No.”
She refused without hesitation.
He glanced at her and said nothing more.
But every night, the way he rubbed her sore hands became even gentler.
Besides firearms, they purchased a huge quantity of tactical equipment.
Bulletproof vests.
Night-vision goggles.
Thermal imagers.
Tactical flashlights.
Optical sights.
Suppressors.
Cold weapons weren’t overlooked either.
American tactical knives, survival knives, and military daggers—all among the best in the world.
They even acquired an armored vehicle.
Shen Niannian had no idea what channels Lu Chenzhou had used to obtain it.
Bulletproof.
Blast-resistant.
Reinforced body.
Bulletproof glass.
Solid run-flat tires.
When she first saw it, she fell silent.
“…Are we preparing for war?”
Opening the driver’s door, Lu Chenzhou inspected the interior.
“It’s better to be prepared.”
“…”
She couldn’t argue with that.
Their seventh and final stop was Europe.
France for wine and cheese.
Italy for olive oil and truffles.
Switzerland for watches and Swiss Army knives.
Germany for machinery and tools.
They stocked away more than ten thousand bottles of wine, from everyday table wines to the finest grand crus.
Their final purchase was seeds.
Europe possessed one of the richest collections of plant varieties in the world.
There, Lu Chenzhou supplemented their collection with even more seeds and seedlings.
French lavender.
Dutch tulips.
Bulgarian roses.
“We’re collecting flowers too?”
Shen Niannian couldn’t help asking as she looked at the tulip bulbs.
Lu Chenzhou glanced at her.
“You like them.”
She did.
She loved flowers.
She loved beautiful things.
She loved having color in her life.
She had never told him that.
Yet somehow…
He had always known.
He had always remembered.
On the flight home, Shen Niannian leaned against Lu Chenzhou’s shoulder and sent her consciousness into her space.
The grain section.
The fruit section.
The seafood section.
The meat section.
The medical supplies.
The weapons.
The planting area.
The livestock zone.
The ocean.
The coffee storage.
The wine cellar.
Every section was perfectly organized.
Every one of them was overflowing.
Opening her eyes, she turned to look at Lu Chenzhou.
His eyes were closed.
His eyelashes were long.
His breathing was slow and steady.
He wasn’t asleep.
His fingers were still intertwined with hers, their hands clasped tightly together.
“Brother…”
She called softly.
He opened his eyes and looked at her.
“Thank you.”
His fingers slipped gently into her hair.
A tender kiss landed on her forehead.
“You don’t have to thank me.”
His voice was soft.
“It’s all yours.”