Tang Xiaoman didn’t know Zhou Yichen’s background very well, but after what happened yesterday, she had developed enough trust in his character.
He couldn’t stand Su Ke bullying the weak and had stepped in to help a complete stranger—that alone proved his sense of justice and responsibility.
He would rather be fired than lower himself to apologize to the Su family, which showed his strong backbone and firm boundaries.
Most importantly, aside from him, Tang Xiaoman hadn’t found anyone else she could trust for now.
So she handed him a bank card worth one million yuan, entrusted the five bodyguards to him, and immediately turned back to her stockpiling work.
Tang Xiaoman had limited space in her storage ability, so she only stored life-saving supplies meant for herself.
In addition to that, she also needed to reserve a batch of shared supplies for team expenses.
She planned to hire sixteen bodyguards, but in the end, only eight to ten would remain—an elimination rate of nearly half.
The apocalypse was brutal, so her selection had to be strict.
Anyone who didn’t meet the requirements would be eliminated. Time was not on her side.
This time, Tang Xiaoman went straight to a cigarette and liquor supermarket.
She bought everything—white liquor, red wine, fruit wine, rice wine, champagne… from Wuliangye, Moutai, Fenjiu to vodka, whiskey, and Martell.
Then she cleared out all brands of cigarettes, especially cartons of Huazi (premium cigarettes), buying them all.
The store owner was so shocked his jaw could have dropped to the floor. Once he reacted, he happily helped load everything into the pickup truck.
Tang Xiaoman swiped her card without hesitation—over three million yuan in total.
The owner was so moved he nearly cried, thinking a god of wealth had arrived.
When she left, he respectfully handed her a business card.
“Please come again anytime. If you need anything, just ask—I’ll do my best.”
Tang Xiaoman drove back to the rented garage and stored all the cigarettes and alcohol into her space.
In the apocalypse, cigarettes and alcohol would become hard currency. Liquor in particular had no expiration date—making it one of the safest investments.
She checked her account balance: over 87 million yuan left.
Before the natural disasters arrived, she had to convert as much of that money as possible into supplies, or it would all lose value.
She then drove to a hardware store—this time to stock up on melee weapons.
Because firearms were strictly controlled, the only legal weapons she could currently store were from hardware stores.
Fifty large nail guns and thirty high-powered chainsaws.
The nail guns had a range of nearly ten meters and were extremely practical in combat. The chainsaws had strong destructive power and deterrence.
The store owner looked at her strangely.
“Miss… what exactly are you planning to do with all this?”
She didn’t look like a construction foreman at all.
Tang Xiaoman smiled gently and casually made up an excuse.
“My friend is starting a renovation crew and is too busy, so I’m helping him buy tools.”
“These are very dangerous items,” the owner warned repeatedly. “The largest nail gun fires steel nails up to ten meters. If misused… it can kill people.”
Tang Xiaoman nodded obediently.
“I understand.”
But inwardly, she thought it still wasn’t strong enough. If she had time later, she would find a mechanic to modify it—extending the range to twenty meters would be ideal.
She also bought ten buckets of camouflage paint, electric drills, welding machines, and various types of nails.
Different types of pliers, wrenches, and expansion screws were also added to the list.
The owner helped load everything into the truck.
She drove back to the garage and stored everything in her two-bedroom apartment space.
The apartment was already filled with various supplies—including deflated inflatable boats and kayaks. Space was becoming tight.
And after adding over three million yuan worth of cigarettes and alcohol, she had used up another ten cubic meters of space.
Only about twenty cubic meters remained for fresh-keeping storage.
She moved all non-perishable alcohol crates into the apartment, making the room even more crowded.
Fortunately, this freed up another four cubic meters of space.
That meant she could store more perishable supplies again.
Tang Xiaoman decided that once Zhou Yichen finished renting the new training site, she would move some bulky supplies there to free up more space for stockpiling.
She drove out again.
Her phone suddenly vibrated—an unknown number.
Because she had just hired six bodyguards, she worried it might be an urgent update, so she answered.
“Miss Tang, this is Bo’ai Pet Hospital. The dog you boarded here has reached its renewal date. Would you like to continue boarding it?”
A sweet voice came from the nurse on the line.
Tang Xiaoman froze.
Boarded dog?
Her Fubao!
Fubao was the stray dog she had adopted.
From a weak, starving little pup picked up on the roadside, it had grown into a strong and majestic German shepherd. She loved it very much.
But because Gu Heng didn’t like it, and because she had moved from the Su family villa to a cramped apartment unsuitable for pets, she had boarded it at the pet hospital.
In her previous life, she never managed to bring it home before the flood disaster.
Fubao likely drowned in the flood.
Its death had always been a deep wound in her heart.
Now that she had a second chance at life, she would never let it happen again.
She would bring it home.
Tang Xiaoman rushed to the pet hospital and stood in front of Fubao’s cage.
“Fubao!”
“Clang!”
“Woof!”
A tall, strong German shepherd raised its paws and scratched desperately at the cage, whining softly like it was crying.
It hadn’t seen its owner in so long—it thought she had abandoned it.
“Fubao!”
Tang Xiaoman’s eyes turned red. Guilt and regret flooded her heart.
In this life, she would never abandon it again.
She asked the nurse to open the cage. The moment it was opened, Fubao rushed out and slammed into her arms.
Tang Xiaoman nearly stumbled from the impact, startling the nurse.
“Miss Tang, are you okay? Should I call a doctor?”
“I’m fine,” she shook her head. “It’s just too excited from not seeing me.”
She hugged Fubao for a long time. It whined softly the entire time.
“I’m sorry, Fubao… I’ll never leave you again.”
She personally put a leash on it and gently patted its head.
“Let’s go home.”
The other boarded dogs in the cages became restless, scratching and barking loudly in jealousy.
Fubao proudly rubbed against her leg and walked out with her, basking in the envious stares of its peers.
Its owner was taking it home.
Goodbye, buddies!
Tang Xiaoman bought thirty boxes of assorted pet canned food, fifty bags of dog food, and thirty bags of freeze-dried food.
She also purchased a dog bed, litter box, pet bathtub, shampoo, and wet wipes.
Fubao was ecstatic. It felt like the happiest dog in the world.
She had bought it so many things—it was truly a lucky dog.
Workers helped load everything into the pickup truck.
She opened the back door, and Fubao immediately jumped in, even bringing the leash with it.
After thanking the hospital staff, Tang Xiaoman said casually:
“A friend of mine works at the meteorological station. They said a super typhoon will pass through within the next month, likely causing severe flooding. Your hospital is in a low-lying area—you should consider relocating the animals to higher ground early.”
The staff paused, then smiled and nodded politely.
Tang Xiaoman didn’t know if they truly took it seriously. She had already warned them—that was all she could do.
Everyone had to rely on their own fate.
Just as she got into the driver’s seat, another call came in.
She had just picked up Fubao and was in a good mood, so she answered.
“Tang—Xiao—Man,” Gu Heng’s furious voice came through the phone, each word gritted with rage. “Don’t push things too far!”
“Huh?” Tang Xiaoman frowned slightly.
Gu Heng’s voice was cold as ice.
“You’re doing all this just because you’re jealous of Rou’er and trying to get my attention, aren’t you?”
“I’m telling you—your behavior will only make me hate you more. I advise you to stop while you still can!”