After listing his apartment for sale, Logan called his advisor to say there was an urgent matter at home and requested a leave of absence.
With the apocalypse looming, continuing to attend school would be a waste of time. But if he simply stopped going, the advisor would bombard him with calls. So, it was easier to just request a leave; after all, he lived alone, and no one would challenge his excuse.
Logan had considered warning the authorities about the SSS-level solar flare that would erupt in three months. Perhaps this could minimize human casualties and national losses.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
Even if he wanted to, how could a civilian like him reach the upper echelons of the government? Even if he reported it to the police, they wouldn't believe him. Without proof, they'd dismiss him as a lunatic.
Posting about the impending apocalypse online would be equally futile.
In recent years, the planet's climate had worsened, and many people were already speculating about various doomsday scenarios. Even if he spoke with absolute certainty, he'd be dismissed as just another alarmist.
And it would only bring unwanted attention and danger to himself.
Ultimately, he was just a selfish, ordinary person.
Logan drove to a pawn shop.
The gold bars in his safe were bought by his father over a decade ago from a gold shop, so they could only be sold back to a gold shop or pawned.
He sold the five duplicated gold bars, netting $1.05 million in his account.
By the time he finished, it was already dark.
Logan treated himself to a grilled fish dinner before heading home, satisfied.
That evening, Logan made a workout plan for the next three months.
When the frozen apocalypse hit, the elderly and children would be the most vulnerable, with the highest survival rates among the physically strong young adults.
A strong body could better resist the cold, increase survival chances, provide self-defense, and deal with the mutations that would emerge after the apocalypse.
Just as he finished writing his plan, his phone buzzed with a notification.
Logan checked his phone and saw a message from his high school chat group.
It was a small group with only six members. Logan had even pinned it to the top of his messages, showing how important it had been to him in the past.
At the top was a message from Zach.
Zach: "Guys, are you free tomorrow night? Let's hang out! @Everyone"
Henry: "I'm free. Where are we going this time? Logan will lead the way! (Winking emoji)"
Zach: "Let's go to Normande Club. I'm willing to blow my entire paycheck to treat you guys. After all, you're my best buddies."
Sam: "Zach, you're the best, but I'm out of town for a few days. (Crying emoji)"
Fiona: "I'm in! (Cute emoji)"
Zach: "Fiona, places like that aren't for girls."
Ashley: "Ah, I'm away at college. You guys have fun! Let's catch up during the summer break!"
As Logan read the messages, he recalled many details from his past life that he hadn't noticed at the time.
Although Logan and Zach had been middle school classmates, Zach always had his own small group and was only an acquaintance of Logan.
Looking back, Zach's attitude shift coincided with the time of Logan's father's death.
At the time, the news of Logan's father's huge insurance payout had made headlines in Haishi.
After that, Zach and a few of his friends began calling Logan "brother."
They would often find various reasons to invite Logan out for food, drinks, and entertainment.
Knowing that they were all students with little money, Logan would always insist on paying.
In hindsight, over three years of countless outings and expenses, these so-called friends had never paid once.
Zach was especially adept at subtly playing the poor, pitiful friend, constantly feeding Logan the idea that brothers should share their wealth and woes.
He would say it was his treat, but he always found a way to make Logan foot the bill.
Normande Club's prices were far beyond Zach's $3,000 monthly salary.
Reborn with a new perspective, Logan immediately saw through their schemes.
It seemed that today's coin purchase had rattled Zach, prompting him to try and take advantage of Logan as soon as possible.
Seeing that Logan hadn't responded, the others in the group began tagging him.
Logan's lips curled into a cold smile. Since they were so eager, he might as well collect some interest first.
Logan: "Sure, but I'm only free after 8 PM."
…
The next day, Logan woke up naturally at 5 AM, having grown accustomed to early mornings.
The cornucopia's interface hadn't changed—the used item duplication hadn't replenished.
But Logan wasn't worried.
If he could only use it three times, then this new ability was far less practical than the storage space.
Moreover, the number of currency points required to upgrade item duplication was ten times that of the storage space.
This indicated that item duplication was likely much more valuable and powerful!
He didn't dwell on it further.
Once he started upgrading with gold, everything would become clear.
After washing up, Logan went downstairs for a morning run and warm-up, then began systematically training his entire body.
He didn't engage in intense exercise but instead balanced his workout with stretches, building muscle strength while also enhancing flexibility in his muscles and joints.
In the apocalypse, he had developed a training method that suited him best, and now he only needed to proceed gradually.
The first day's training intensity shouldn't be too high, so Logan finished by 8 AM.
After showering and having breakfast, Logan began drafting a list of supplies.
The frozen apocalypse would require many things, and using his previous life's experience, Logan listed everything he would need.
In the afternoon, Logan called a real estate agent and rented a 1,000-square-meter warehouse for one month, paying a $60,000 deposit.
He arranged to sign the contract the next day and hung up the phone.
The warehouse was to divert attention; the supplies he would purchase would be sent there first before being transferred to his storage space.
The warehouse even had a small room for night watchmen, and Logan planned to move in and stay there until his preparations were complete.
As night fell, Zach and the others in the group chat were already urging him to head out early.
Logan wasn't in a rush. He changed clothes and drove to Normande Club just before 8 PM.
By the time Logan arrived, Zach, Henry, and Fiona were already in the private room, having had quite a few drinks.
Fiona's eyes lit up when she saw Logan walk in. Blushing, she immediately wrapped her arms around Logan's and playfully complained:
"Logan, why did you take so long? Did you miss me?"
Fiona was sweet-looking, with fair skin and large, sparkling eyes.
When she looked at someone, it made them feel like they were the center of her attention, giving the impression that Fiona was interested in them.
In reality, she treated everyone in her circle this way.
In the last life, Fiona fared much better than Logan during the apocalypse.
Taking advantage of greeting the others, Logan subtly withdrew his arm.
Fiona was momentarily taken aback.
Before she could ponder Logan's changed behavior, Henry called out to him:
"Logan, come over here! Tonight, we're going to drink until we drop!"
Zach's gaze flicked to where Fiona had grabbed Logan's arm, and the smile on his face visibly faded.
"Logan, Henry, I've got a great surprise lined up for you tonight," Zach said with a mysterious grin.
"What surprise?" Henry asked, intrigued.
Soon after, four stunning women with curvy figures walked into the room.
Logan raised an eyebrow, a mocking look flashing in his eyes.
Zach had actually hired escorts. He might not be much to look at, but he sure knew how to have a good time.
Logan glanced at the bottles on the table.
This tab would easily cost $10,000 to $20,000.
He was curious to see if Zach could actually cover it.
Zach looked at Logan and said with a grin:
"Logan, this is all for you and Henry. Thanks for being my brothers. Let's toast to that!"