Four days until the apocalypse.
After a busy day, Su Jin’s fourth-floor apartment already held plenty of supplies large and small.
He’d spent the morning scouting the area and the afternoon shopping at the wholesale market.
His haul included ten water barrels, dozens of bags of milk powder, twenty bags of salt, vitamin tablets, common medicines, gauze, rubbing alcohol, and iodine. He’d also ordered grain and cooking oil at a grain shop six kilometers away, dropping a deposit for a scheduled night delivery in two days.
On top of that, he bought plenty of plastic bags, toilet paper, and a few portable plastic toilets.
Out of all the supplies, the toilets were essential.
Once the world ended, water would be precious.
Even if the sewers somehow survived, using precious water to flush a toilet would be wasteful.
He’d have to rely on the portable toilets lined with plastic bags.
Plus, what if the zombies followed smells? A well-placed bag of human waste could make for a useful improvised biochemical bomb.
Sure, standard plastic buckets would function just fine, but on the off chance he died, he preferred to die with a little dignity.
Furthermore, after talking with Fu Qingdai, he’d bought a batch of sanitary pads.
While primarily intended for feminine hygiene, they had other uses too—at the very least, they could serve as shoe inserts.
Two more days of grinding, and his shopping would be complete.
Su Jin ran the mental arithmetic. Just as he struck a line through the acquired goods on his notebook, his stomach let out a hollow growl. He glanced toward the front door.
He had planned to eat dinner at Fu Qingdai’s place tonight. He hadn’t physically met her parents yet, but he had learned quite a bit about them.
The visit mattered. He needed to be able to see Fu Qingdai openly.
Securing the trust of the Fu couple would make everything he did later much easier.
Fu Qingdai’s father, Fu Hu, had been a soldier. He had retired from the military after an injury; with even a little retraining, he would likely be stronger than an ordinary person.
Even if he was out of shape now, a little training should help.
And the mother, Zhang Wan, a textile factory worker… proficient needlework was a useful skill.
Tomorrow he planned to buy ready-made clothes and thick fabric, along with some rolled aluminum from a hardware store.
Sewing cloth pockets onto the clothes and sliding in pre-cut aluminum plates would create simple armor.
It was simple, practical, and necessary.
…
Around six o’clock, footsteps and voices echoed from the corridor, followed by the sound of a key in a lock.
Then the apartment door across the hall swung shut.
Su Jin rose and went to the mirror to straighten his clothes.
From their voices, Fu Hu and his wife had arrived together. Perfect timing.
Winning them both over at once should not be too difficult.
After a quick check, Su Jin slid his phone into his pocket, grabbed three movie discs and a notepad, and stepped out into the hall.
He paused before Fu Qingdai’s door, collecting himself before knocking.
The door cracked open seconds later, revealing a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a rather fierce-looking face.
Sizing up the unfamiliar face on his doormat, Fu Hu looked puzzled.
“Who are you?”
“Fu Hu?” Su Jin looked surprised for a moment, then composed himself.
“Yeah? Who’s asking? Do I know you?” Fu Hu pulled the door wider, standing in the doorway.
Su Jin ducked his head, offering a small smile. “My apologies. I’m the new tenant across the hall. The name is Li Haocheng.”
“Li Haocheng? How do you know my name? I don’t think we have met. Did Old Li across the hall tell you?” Fu Hu was a straightforward man, and irritation showed on his face.
Having some random kid drop his full name at his own doorstep was rather rude.
Su Jin held his gaze, his voice deadpan and authoritative. “Of course I know you. Fu Hu, soldier of the 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, 7th Company, 3rd Battalion, 571st Regiment, 191st Division, 12th Army Group. Your company commander was Huang Chongwen, nicknamed Huang Pao. Your squadmate was Yang Huai…”
As Su Jin recited his service details from memory, Fu Hu abruptly stepped out into the hallway, pulling his door shut behind him.
He was on guard. “Who the hell are you?!”
Su Jin dropped the polite neighbor facade instantly. He grew serious. “Allow me to formally reintroduce myself. I am Director Li Haocheng, National Key Risk Intervention and Execution Bureau.”
“The National… what?” Fu Hu’s hostility flatlined into sheer confusion.
It sounded like alphabet-soup nonsense. He had never heard of such a department in his life.
“We call it the Bureau for short. Your rank was too low for you to know about us. We report exclusively to the highest levels of government.” Su Jin retrieved his Xiaomi 6, swiping across the screen.
After a few swipes, Fu Hu’s ID appeared on the display.
Su Jin tilted the screen to present the document. “I have your ID. As for how I know you, it is simple. Years ago, our bureau was selecting a group of soldiers for a special training program. You made the shortlist. I had not joined the department then, but upon reviewing the records, our internal assessment of you was favorable. Your name stuck.”
“Uh… you… this…” Fu Hu stammered, at a loss. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
He could not tell whether the young man was telling the truth.
He had never heard of the bureau and his first instinct was to doubt it.
But the kid had recited his platoon structure flawlessly, and the ID on the phone gave him pause.
Most importantly, that handheld device… the image was so clear and the device looked so advanced!
An ordinary person would not have such a thing.
Fu Hu thought it over.
Whatever, he thought. Keep him calm and find out why he is here… I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?
“Uh… Director Haocheng.” Fu Hu adjusted his stance, his tone pivoting to cautious respect. “You came to my…”
“Director Li.”
“Ah, yes, Director Li. What official business brings the Bureau to my door?”
Su Jin’s stern look faded and he smiled. “Old Fu, relax! Pure coincidence. We really are just neighbors now.”
“Something urgent has come up, and I need to borrow your television. I did not expect to run into you. May I come in?”
“Ah… yes… please, step inside.” Fu Hu, still confused, stepped aside and gestured inward.
Su Jin strolled through the threshold calmly.
The living room opened onto the dining area. Fu Qingdai, clad in pajamas, was hunched over the table scribbling in a workbook.
At the sight of Su Jin, her eyes lit up, but she instantly snapped her head down, pretending to be engrossed in her homework.
“Up, up, Qingdai. We have a guest. Take the homework to your room!” Fu Hu barked, before turning back to Su Jin with an awkward, apologetic smile. “My daughter.”
“Fine,” Fu Qingdai said unhappily, gathering her homework and retreating to her bedroom.
Just then, Zhang Wan emerged from the kitchen, her hands still wet.
Seeing the stranger standing in her living room, her brow furrowed as she looked to her husband.
“Who is this…?”
“A relative of an old comrade. Nothing you need to worry about! Keep working on dinner. The Director and I need to have a private chat.” Fu Hu shot his wife a look. Zhang Wan pursed her lips and went back to the kitchen.
“Director Li, please, take a seat.” Fu Hu gestured respectfully toward the sofa.