Lin Bing wandered around in the space.
The place she appeared was next to a house, which resembled an ancient siheyuan (traditional Chinese courtyard house) with green bricks and red tiles, looking quite old. The siheyuan had four doors, all opening from the outside, each with a different pattern.
Lin Bing tried them one by one. She could only open the door on the south side. Inside was a quaint room, with the door opening into a hall. On the wall directly opposite the door hung a grand landscape painting, majestic in its scope. Below the painting was a long table with brushes, ink, and a dusty old blue-covered book. Aside from two chairs, there was a bamboo woven cushion, a place for meditation.
Not far from the south door was a clear stream, with trees growing along its bank. The other side of the stream was shrouded in mist, obscuring the distant terrain.
To the west was black soil, with the stream flowing through that area. To the east was a mountain, but only the base of the mountain was visible, with the rest covered in thick mist. Lin Bing, gathering her courage, walked towards it but found that the mist-covered area was impossible to enter.
Lin Bing also discovered that the underground of the room she could access had a large warehouse, much bigger than a football field. Fortunately, there was a place to store things, as she had been worried about where to put supplies if she bought them.
In this apocalypse, having a space was dependent on the individual's mental strength. It seemed that everyone's space varied, and those with space abilities were never supposed to reveal what their space contained.
The water had fish, so the water source was assured. Now, even the issue of water was solved.
Lin Bing was quite satisfied.
However, where was her bracelet?
She thought about it, trying to exit the space, exit the space...
It should be done this way, right?
Bingo! She actually got it right. After thinking about exiting the space, she returned to her original room. Then, Lin Bing kept smiling, looking like a fool.
She searched her room for a long time but still couldn't find her bracelet. Unwilling to give up, she went to the bathroom, locked the door, and carefully examined herself in the mirror. Finally, she discovered a small green dot on the palm of her right hand. Was this it?
Then, Lin Bing tried holding the wash cup with her hand, thinking in her mind, "Put it inside."
Instantly, the cup disappeared.
She tried touching the towel with her finger, thinking, "Put it inside."
There was no response; the towel remained hanging on the hook, unmoved.
Lin Bing realized that it seemed she could only put things into the space by touching them with her palm. Indeed, the bracelet was on her palm, and the green dot was the bracelet, which, if not looked at closely, resembled a small, shallow black mole.
Although it was hard to notice, Lin Bing was still a bit uneasy. She needed to prepare a practical glove.
Lin Bing entered the space again and confirmed that the items put into the space were stored in the underground warehouse. The wash cup was left alone on the floor, which was very empty. Lin Bing thought she needed to buy some cabinets and partition the warehouse; otherwise, it would be difficult to retrieve things when there were many items. She wondered if the warehouse could keep food fresh; she would have to test it. If it couldn't, she would need to buy some easy-to-store and vacuum-sealed food, with instant noodles being a necessity.
As Lin Bing exited the space again, she heard a knock on the door.
Opening it, she saw her mother, Lin Mu, standing outside.
Lin's mother, surnamed Zhang, called Zhang Ruoxin, had been living comfortably with Lin's father since their marriage. She used to have a carefree and happy life in her family home with her relatives looking out for her. After marrying Lin's father, she found herself well taken care of in the Lin family, with Lin's father managing all the big and small matters at home. Her life was smooth sailing except for having a somewhat troublesome daughter. Even now, at her age, she retained a romantic and somewhat naive personality.
Lin's mother had been living well, maintaining her appearance, with fair and smooth skin and almost no wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Her smile was pure and clean. Lin's father, having dealt with many sharp and shrewd women in the business world, preferred a simpler life at home. Perhaps that was why the couple had rarely quarreled over the years and continued to live harmoniously.
Seeing Lin's mother looking a bit embarrassed and awkward, Lin Bing guessed that they must have gone to see the doctor earlier and confirmed the pregnancy.
"Mom, come in quickly," Lin Bing said, half in joy and half in worry, calling her mother inside. She intended to take this opportunity to reveal the impending apocalypse to her mother and prepare her for it. Although it was an unbelievable topic and might make her mother think she was crazy, Lin Bing felt she had to say something.
She was only about fifty percent sure her mother would believe her.
After Lin's mother entered, Lin Bing locked the door to her room, carefully led her mother to the bedroom, and closed the windows and partitions. She had her mother sit on the edge of the bed while she stood, her expression serious.
Lin's mother was startled by Lin Bing's actions.
"Ice, what's wrong? Why are you closing the windows in broad daylight? What's going on?"
"Mom, are you pregnant?" Lin Bing asked, knowing the answer but wanting to start from this topic. She planned to gradually explain the situation about the apocalypse, taking it step by step.
"Yes," Lin's mother replied, her face slightly flushed with embarrassment. At her age, being diagnosed with a pregnancy was quite unexpected. Nevertheless, she wanted the child.
"Mom, I had a dream yesterday. I learned about your pregnancy from the dream," Lin Bing said seriously, looking into her mother's eyes, speaking each word carefully.
Lin's mother looked at Lin Bing with confusion.
Before she could speak, Lin Bing stopped her, "Mom, don't say anything yet. Just listen to me, okay?"
Lin's mother nodded.
"I dreamed that a month from now, on August 15th, the apocalypse would come. I was watching a movie outside, and when I came out, the sky was filled with red light. Then it started raining heavily, and the rain contained chemical substances. Everyone who got caught in the rain underwent mutations—some turned into zombies, and a few gained superpowers, though the latter were rare. Later, I was infected and had a high fever while living in an apartment. You came to take care of me, and after three days, I woke up to find that you had miscarried. The outside world was in chaos with zombies everywhere, and the Lin family had already fled. Dad was out of town on business and was not in the city. We couldn't find him or the Lin family members, and because of the miscarriage, your health continued to deteriorate..."
"Zombies are former humans. On the first day, most of those who got caught in the rain turned into zombies. At first, their families thought they were just sick and sent them to hospitals, which were the places with the highest infection rates. Zombies only eat people and don't die easily—only destroying their brains will kill them completely. It's similar to what you see in the 'Resident Evil' movie. Have you seen that film?"
As she spoke about the zombies, Lin Bing felt disgusted and found it hard to continue, preferring that her mother watch the movie to understand, as it was quite similar.
Lin's mother remained silent, sitting on the bed, unsure whether to believe or doubt.
Lin Bing continued, "Mom, I'm telling you this just in case. You must not let Dad leave H City or the old house. You must stay with them. Also, if possible, sell the stocks, houses, and other things that can be sold, and exchange them for supplies. We can say it's for opening a supermarket—prepare as much as you can."
Currently, houses are still appreciating, and selling them would be expensive with high taxes, which most people would think is not worthwhile.
But that's before the apocalypse. After it, houses won't mean much.
"Mom, what do you think? Do you believe what I'm saying?"
Lin Bing was unsure about her mother's reaction.
"..." Lin's mother frowned deeply, then sighed heavily and looked at Lin Bing. "I will prepare some supplies," she said before closing her mouth tightly and walking out of Lin Bing's room with a heavy heart.
Before she left, Lin Bing reminded her, "Don't tell Dad. He definitely won't believe it."
Lin's mother hesitated but eventually nodded slowly.
Lin Bing felt relieved. She knew her mother was soft-hearted and couldn't keep secrets, so she would inevitably tell her father. Since her father was a cautious person, he would definitely investigate further.
For now, she didn't need to worry about her family. She had to think about herself—stockpiling supplies, training, and also posting online to spread the word about the apocalypse. Whether people believed it or not was beyond her control; she could only do what she could.
Looking at the clock, it was already 5 o'clock.
Lin Bing changed into sportswear and put on running shoes. She planned to go for a run. There was a large park near the old house with good surroundings. The sun set around seven or eight in the summer, and it was still bright now. However, there were many trees in the park, so it should be fine. She aimed to run 20 laps.
Lin Bing knew she had to take it slow, but there was no time to waste. Her current body was too thin and malnourished. She needed to improve her nutrition and strengthen her body. Even if she couldn't run, she had to finish the walk!
Lin's mother, with a heavy heart, went to find her husband.
After asking a few questions, she told him everything Lin Bing had said, which made her feel a bit lighter. She then repeatedly reminded Lin's father, "Don't tell anyone else."
She sighed and said to her husband, "Do you think Ice has been cursed to dream such things?"
Lin's father, deep in thought, replied casually, "Maybe." However, he had already started making plans in his mind. His gaze unintentionally fell on Lin's mother's belly, considering the possibility that even if there was only a tiny chance it was true, dealing with a pregnant woman during the apocalypse would be challenging.