After hearing Lin Ba’s perspective, Lin Ma instantly felt that the idea of returning to the countryside was indeed inappropriate.
“I was thinking that if we go back, we could sell this apartment of ours to exchange for supplies. But it seems we can only live here now—at least it’s safe when the flood comes.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Ze’s face fell with disappointment. It’s over, we can’t go back.
His big orchard, his childhood.
“I actually think the idea of going back home is feasible,” Lin Ran offered a different perspective.
Lin Ze’s face instantly lit up. “Sis, you mean we can return to the village?”
“Yes. I just checked the latitude, longitude, and altitude of our hometown. Combined with the information I heard in my previous life, that area happens to be able to avoid the flood.”
“Ranran, is that true?” Lin Ma asked in surprise.
“Yes. Actually, the real cause of the flood in my previous life was the melting icebergs due to high temperatures. Polar bears all drowned in the vast ocean because they couldn’t find landing spots.”
“Our farm happens to be located on the Dragon Spine Mountain Range, which was least affected by the melting icebergs. Mom, the place you mentioned is perfect. Let’s return to Grandpa’s farm.”
Praised by Lin Ran, Lin Ma’s face—already glowing white from soaking in the Spirit Spring Water—flushed with two patches of red, making Lin Ba’s heart flutter as he sat closest to her.
Why does my wife suddenly seem so girlish?
Lin Ma laughed. “Well, I am your mother after all, Ranran. You’ve been smart like me since you were little.”
Lin Ze leaned in and asked, “Then who do I take after?”
Lin Ma stroked Lin Ze’s slightly curled hair (from the electric shock) and said, “Silly boy, of course you’re like your father.”
Lin Ba: “…”
Why does it feel like I just got insulted by my wife?
Lin Ran secretly smiled to herself, then coughed lightly to steer the conversation back on track. “Since we’ve decided to return to our hometown, we can sell this apartment.”
“Then it’s best to split into two groups. Two people stay here to stockpile supplies, and two others return to our hometown to renovate and reinforce the old house. After all, in a year, this world will be overrun by zombies and mutated animals.”
“Alright, let’s do it that way.” Lin Ba clenched his fist. “Tomorrow is the weekend—I’ll get up and contact an agent to list this apartment.”
“Mm, I’ll also go transfer ownership of our supermarket tomorrow. It’s a prime location with three large storefronts—should sell for around ten million.”
“Mom, I’ll go with you. We can also store all the supermarket goods in the Dimension.”
“Good, we’ll act together tomorrow.”
Lin Ze scratched his head. “What about me?”
Lin Ba reached out his hand. “You’ll come with me tomorrow, of course. Give me the list you and your sister made today—your mom and I will check if anything’s missing.”
Lin Ze lowered his head, tapped his phone lightly, and sent a long text message to the “Happy Family” group chat.
“I just typed all these items into my phone. If you think anything’s missing, just message the group and I’ll add it.”
Lin Ran didn’t expect Lin Ze to be so meticulous and silently gave him a thumbs-up.
Hearing this, Lin Ba and Lin Ma quickly picked up their phones to check.
“Mm, food, clothing, and daily necessities are all listed.” Lin Ba nodded appreciatively. “But common medicines aren’t included. We can’t stop medications even during the apocalypse.”
Lin Ze lifted his chin. “The medicines are listed—scroll further down.”
“Ahem, oh, right, I see it now.”
“By the way, energy is also a major issue. We need to stockpile more coal. And petroleum—every time we drive past a gas station from now on, we should fill up the tank and then transfer it into Ranran’s Dimension.”
“Okay.”
“Candles, storm lanterns, flashlights—we need to stock up on more of those too. Ranran said after the extreme cold comes eternal night. With no electricity and no sunlight day after day, how are we supposed to live through that?”
“We should also buy a boat.”
“And stock up on gas canisters.”
“Cold-weather gear, quick-dry clothing.”
“Multivitamins.”
“And weapons.”
…
Lin Ba earnestly added items while Lin Ze tapped rapidly on the screen, cross-checking and filling gaps together with his father.
Lin Ma sat nearby, occasionally offering her own insights as the whole family diligently expanded the shopping list.
Suddenly, Lin Ma had a flash of inspiration—couldn’t Ranran’s Dimension hold people too?
Wouldn’t that mean they could hide inside indefinitely?
At this thought, Lin Ma immediately asked: “By the way, Ranran, couldn’t we just stay hidden in your Dimension forever? If it’s so dangerous outside, wouldn’t it be better for us to live in your Dimension permanently?”
Regarding this suggestion, Lin Ran shook her head with a bitter smile.
Of course she wished her family could stay forever in her safe Dimension, but there was a time limit.
“Currently my Dimension is at level 5. At most, everyone can only stay inside for two hours per day. Any longer isn’t possible unless we upgrade it.”
Lin Ze commented: “I knew it had to be like this. Such an overpowered ability like a Dimension usually comes with time restrictions.”
Lin Ma shot Lin Ze a disapproving look: “What nonsense have you been reading to know all this? I seriously doubt you’ve been focusing on your studies. So Ranran, how do you upgrade it?”
“Using Crystalline cores from Zombies or mutated creatures, but these things only appear one year after the apocalypse, so we can’t upgrade for now.”
Lin Ma nodded to show she understood.
“Ranran, it’s fine that we can’t upgrade temporarily. Our situation is already much better than most people’s. Two hours might not seem like much, but this is our greatest trump card.”
After saying this, Lin Ma’s expression suddenly turned very serious: “Everyone listen carefully. You must memorize what I’m about to say.”
“About Ranran having a Dimension—keep your mouths completely shut. Don’t tell anyone, not even in your dreams. Take this secret to your graves.”
Everyone understood how dangerous it would be if this information leaked, given how unpredictable human nature could be.
They all nodded solemnly.
Lin Ze raised both hands in assurance: “Sis, don’t worry. Even if I get married someday, I won’t tell this secret to my wife.”
Because, in their previous life, his sister had died precisely because of this Superpower.
The family continued talking, repeatedly revising their supplies list until they finally noticed how late it had gotten and retired to their rooms.
But that night, everyone stayed up late.