Actually, Lin Yi had thought about having another child with Wen Jianshu, but considering her own daughter was already so grown up, she really feared Tang Mo might have her own ideas.
Hearing her daughter speak today, she felt a sense of relief; it seemed that some things weren’t entirely impossible.
Maybe stocking up some formula wasn’t a bad idea… it might even bring good luck.
Seeing her mother’s expression, Tang Mo understood. As long as the formula wasn’t opened, it could be stored for a long time. Even past its expiration date, it would still be fine to eat.
In the post-apocalyptic world, formula was one of the most important nutritional supplies. Having more of it certainly wouldn’t hurt!
So, she stopped fussing and obediently returned to her room to pack her things.
The arrival of the apocalypse wasn’t exactly sudden; if one observed carefully, there were signs.
At the end of July, people on the streets had already started wearing long sleeves and pants. The sudden chill made everyone surprisingly happy.
Only Tang Mo knew that all of this was just a prelude to the apocalypse.
The countdown to the apocalypse was only twenty hours away.
Tang Mo didn’t have much luggage to take to school. In fact, she had stored most of her belongings in her private space, only changing into convenient sportswear and carrying a backpack with two bottles of water and some bread.
After saying goodbye to her mother and Uncle Wen, Tang Mo took a taxi back to her school.
T University, where she studied, was the best comprehensive university in T City. The gender ratio was roughly even. It was summer vacation, so most students had gone home. Only a few stayed behind for experiments or because they lived too far away. Counting faculty and staff, the large campus still had about a thousand or so people.
Luckily, it was vacation. During the semester, with thousands of students, the school’s food supplies probably wouldn’t even last half a year.
Tang Mo’s department was Biological Sciences, or the Life Sciences College for short. Due to the nature of the department, some experiments couldn’t be stopped, so many students stayed behind during the holidays.
In her four-person dorm, aside from her, two others had returned early.
Tang Mo got along very well with her roommates due to her personality. Luckily, everyone in her dorm was relatively easygoing. Although they weren’t extremely close, their relationships were much better than with other students.
When she arrived at school around noon, both roommates were out. Tang Mo tidied up a bit and then went out with her phone. Tomorrow would be the apocalypse. She still had the 5,000 yuan her mother had just transferred to her account, and it would be a waste not to spend it.
At the campus supermarket, Tang Mo immediately ordered ten cases of 24-bottle mineral water from the staff. Besides the two large freezers in her private space, the ground was stacked wall-to-wall with mineral water—around 180 cases—but those were not meant to be kept in plain sight. These ten cases would stay in her dorm in view.
In fact, her space was already full. The items she was buying now were meant for her dorm, since she couldn’t always pull things out of her space to eat. Even though there were people with spatial abilities after the apocalypse, Tang Mo didn’t want to reveal the secret of her jade pendant easily.
Besides mineral water, she focused on long-lasting, filling foods: compressed biscuits, instant noodles, sausages, and chocolate. She bought ten cases of these too. Most of her money was now spent, and she was satisfied enough to give her dorm address to the staff.
“I’m a student council officer at the college. These are for an event, please deliver them early; the event starts tonight.” Seeing the staff’s stunned expressions, Tang Mo explained to avoid trouble later.
Apparently, the staff believed her, nodded, and said they would send the items immediately. Luckily, her dorm was on the third floor, so it wasn’t difficult to move everything in.
The four-person dorm was large, with loft beds over desks and a locked cabinet for each person. Tang Mo emptied her cabinet of clothes and miscellaneous items and locked all the food inside.
For items that didn’t fit, she placed two cases of water, one case of instant noodles, one case of compressed biscuits, and one case of chocolate by her bedside. Her bed had a curtain, so nothing could be seen from outside when drawn.
In the afternoon, when her roommates returned, she took them to the supermarket. Using the pretext of pre-semester sales, she encouraged them to buy plenty of food and water.
“Tang Mo, just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean we should buy so much! We’re not hamsters.” Li Lanlan was blunt and couldn’t understand Tang Mo’s unusual behavior.
“Our professor is a workaholic. Once experiments start, he may not have time to shop or eat. It’s better to buy extra for the dorm.” Tang Mo replied while placing nuts and snacks into her basket. She still had a few hundred yuan left and intended to spend it all tonight.
Her roommate Song Qing was a top student and quiet, choosing items methodically. She focused on experiments even more than the professors, so Tang Mo’s reasoning made sense—stocking up was wise.
“I really give up on you two.” Watching her roommates transform into hamsters, Li Lanlan resigned herself and began picking items too.
In her previous life, Tang Mo had been in a very poor state. Her roommates had been crucial in helping her survive six months, dragging her to missions and defending her when she was excluded from food. She would never forget their kindness.
In this life, while she might not save anyone, she could at least help her roommates a little. Gratitude was essential. Plus, they would endure the hard months together; if their supplies were richer, her life would be easier too. She couldn’t just watch them starve.
“Let’s buy something for Professor Tian too. He’s older, so going out isn’t convenient.” Song Qing suggested, careful and thoughtful.
“Good.” Tang Mo almost slapped her thigh at the thought of the 60-something-year-old professor. In her previous life, Professor Tian had treated her so well, even risking his own reputation to protect her and share food with her. She could never forget that!
She checked her money… not enough.
No problem—credit card. Tang Mo quickly decided. After all, within half a month, society would collapse, money would lose its value, and food would become the only currency. She wouldn’t have to pay back the credit card anyway.
Apologetically, she whispered to her credit card and ordered more water and food to be delivered directly to Professor Tian’s staff dorm.
After returning the purchased items to the supermarket in the evening, Tang Mo organized a group dinner of grilled fish.
“Tonight’s on me! Don’t be shy.” Using her credit card, she ordered two whole fish, five to six dishes, plus staples and drinks.
When the food arrived, Li Lanlan and Song Qing were stunned.
“Tang Mo, I see it now—you’re not a hamster; you’re a pig!”
Song Qing nodded in agreement.
Tang Mo focused on eating, ignoring their comments. Tomorrow was the apocalypse. This meal would likely be their last; if she didn’t eat her fill, she would regret it forever.
In her previous life, she skipped dinner to lose weight. In this life, she wouldn’t make the same mistake.
Seeing Tang Mo too busy to respond, Li Lanlan and Song Qing picked up their chopsticks and joined in the feast.
Later, lying in bed, Tang Mo couldn’t sleep, thinking repeatedly about the past and present.
She had done everything she could—her mother was settled, Uncle Wen would protect her, and her mother had the supermarket building as a fallback. She felt relieved.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be by her mother’s side, but without obtaining the treasure to become stronger, simply being present wouldn’t help. Once the first half of the famine passed and beasts ran rampant, how could an ordinary person protect their mother?
Companionship was good, but nothing was more practical than being strong enough to be her mother’s protector. Tang Mo had understood this clearly from the start.
This life, she had the space jade pendant as a treasure trove and a weapon for defense. She had a rough understanding of future events, and her dorm was stocked with food and water.
With these resources, she was determined to live this life better than the last. Tang Mo touched the edge of the instant noodle box by her bed, closed her eyes, and drifted into sleep.