After a month of hustling outside, Su Nian returned to her apartment, slumping onto the couch, feeling exceptionally exhausted.
However, her heart was profoundly content.
Just gazing at the abundance of supplies in her space, Su Nian felt a great sense of security.
She took out the printed list again, checking for any omissions or inadequacies.
With less than a month left until the apocalypse, she needed to carefully examine what else needed to be purchased.
Upon closer inspection, Su Nian realized she had indeed missed quite a few things.
Diesel generators, gasoline generators, solar battery panels, solar energy lamps, solar-powered charging banks, flashlights, batteries, candles, fans, air conditioning fans, small sun heaters, and warming packs—all of these needed to be arranged.
And there was one very important thing: seeds.
After the apocalypse, the climate became extreme, unsuitable for crop growth outdoors, making life increasingly difficult.
Although Su Nian couldn't farm, having some seeds on hand might prove useful in the future.
To ensure nothing was left to chance, Su Nian bought seeds from the seed store and collected seeds left by farmers in the countryside.
They were just holding onto them, unable to preserve them once the weather got too hot, so they were better off selling them to her.
Su Nian wasn't heartless. Seeing these simple old folks, she still reminded them, "A friend of mine works at the meteorological station and said there will be continued high temperatures. It's best for you to stock up on food and drinks and store them properly."
A simple reminder without leaving any traces to be followed.
She probably wouldn't see these people again.
Plus, she deliberately disguised herself, so even if they did meet again, they might not recognize her.
After buying the seeds, Su Nian went to buy fuel.
In terms of fuel, Su Nian bought twenty tons of coal.
After some thought, she also added gas cylinders, which she would need to transport using her car, at least storing a thousand of them.
Portable gas canisters also needed to be bought in hundreds of boxes.
Su Nian also bought ten diesel tricycles, ten pedal tricycles, and ten bicycles.
She bought many spare parts for each type of vehicle.
In the apocalypse, few people could drive cars.
Being able to drive a diesel tricycle was already quite impressive.
Most people either rode pedal tricycles or bicycles.
During her time in other cities, whenever Su Nian had the chance, she would search for delicacies.
Now in her space, there were shelves full of various cooked foods.
To accommodate more delicacies, Su Nian also bought small shelves to place on top of the big shelves.
At a glance, the shelves were neatly arranged, making the most of every inch of space.
There were ten empty shelves beside them, where Su Nian planned to put the meals she cooked herself.
From now on, Su Nian didn't plan to go out anymore. She would cook every meal herself.
Each time, she would make a little extra, put the leftovers in disposable lunch boxes, store them in the space, and take them out directly to eat when it was inconvenient to cook.
For the past two months, Su Nian had been busy collecting various supplies and hadn't paid much attention to time.
Now that she had some free time, she realized it was already mid-August.
Su Nian specifically searched online for posts and found everything seemed normal online, with no mention of the apocalypse.
But Su Nian knew this was just the calm before the storm, and it wouldn't last long.
In the days that followed, Su Nian only occasionally went out to buy some small things she suddenly remembered.
Most of the time, Su Nian stayed in her apartment cooking.
Su Nian was already skilled in cooking, although she had been out of practice for ten years due to the apocalypse, she quickly regained her touch.
Cooking various dishes every day, the aroma almost drifted for miles.
Even in the neighborhood chat group, someone was asking who cooked delicious food all day, making them wake up hungry at midnight.
Seeing this message, Su Nian just smiled.
What she cared more about were some posts online.
As the end of August approached, the temperature not only did not drop but continued to rise.
Every day on Weibo, there were news reports of passersby fainting from the heat, and kind-hearted people helping to make emergency calls.
At first, everyone saw these news reports and expressed sentiments like "there's still kindness in the world."
But as time went by, some people quickly sensed that something was wrong.
One early morning, while Su Nian was having breakfast and scrolling through her phone out of habit, a post pushed to the top caught all of Su Nian's attention.
"This weather is becoming increasingly abnormal. Early this morning, the temperature has already risen to forty degrees, and the weather forecast says the highest temperature during the day will reach forty-five degrees. Not only is it just hot, haven't you all noticed that there have been reports nationwide of high temperatures, and it hasn't rained for over a month? I've heard the older generation say, 'When things go against the natural order, there must be a reason.' It's best for everyone to stock up on food and drinks at home, being prepared is always good."
Seeing this post, Su Nian wanted to give it a like, but she ultimately resisted.
The post was already getting a lot of attention, with hundreds of comments below.
Some agreed with the poster's viewpoint, while others said the poster was unnecessarily worrying.
"Just hot, happens every year, what's the big deal?"
To these comments, a sarcastic smile flickered in Su Nian's eyes.
Soon, these people would realize whether the poster was overreacting or not.
Su Nian remembered that in her previous life, the temperature reached fifty degrees on September 1st.
Fifty degrees was already an intolerable temperature for human survival. At that time, all companies gave employees time off, switching to telecommuting.
Even supermarkets, malls, and various shops on the streets switched to nighttime operations.
With three days left until September 1st, Su Nian decided to go out.
However, as soon as Su Nian stepped out of the apartment building, she sensed that something was wrong.
Heat waves surrounded her, not a trace of wind, and the air seemed to be distorted by the scorching sun.
Just stepping into the sunlight, Su Nian immediately retreated to the shade.
Yet even so, the exposed skin still reddened, making Su Nian feel a fiery pain.
Frowning, Su Nian turned and went back into the building, taking the elevator upstairs.
Back in her room, Su Nian found an outdoor thermometer and extended it out of the window.
The numbers on the thermometer kept jumping up, and when they stopped, the two digits clearly displayed 51.
Su Nian looked at the thermometer, her brows furrowing.
Had the heatwave erupted earlier?
Although it was beyond expectation, thinking about it carefully, it was within reason.
She could be reborn; it wasn't impossible for things to happen earlier.
However, the temperature rose so quickly, giving people no time to buffer; probably many people weren't prepared.