Logan answered the phone.
David Lin's voice came through, "Boss, I've spent the past few days exploring South City and found three locations that match your requirements. I've sent the detailed information to your iMessage. Take a look."
"Got it. I'm in the middle of something right now. I'll get back to you later."
Logan headed to the warehouse and opened the door. Together with a dozen workers, he spent over three hours unloading the seven cargo containers.
Once the workers left, Logan placed his hand on the stacks of supplies, transferring them all into his space. Despite the significant haul, it barely made a dent in the available storage. This was just the beginning.
After taking a shower, Logan reviewed the information David Lin had sent. David had done an excellent job, identifying three potential sites that met all of Logan's criteria: high elevation, seclusion, and no surrounding high-rise buildings, ready for immediate construction.
One location, in particular, stood out—a vast area on the eastern outskirts of South City. It was so spacious that it could accommodate not just a private shelter but even an entire neighborhood. Logan suspected that this might have been the site of the official shelter in his previous life.
If that were the case and the site was later requisitioned by the government, he would suffer a huge loss. So he decided to pass on that one.
That left two options.
One was a hill behind a village in the western apron of South City, with the hill standing only about ten meters high. It was about ten kilometers away from the first location and had once been the site of a Taoist temple. Though the temple had collapsed, the foundation remained.
The last option was in a fishing village called West Island along the coast. It featured a ten-meter-high cliff with a spacious plot of land on top. Several families had lived there before moving away.
Logan texted David to arrange for someone to survey both the hill and the cliff to check the geological stability. He didn't want to deal with a collapsing foundation after moving in.
Though cliffs are usually made of solid rock, years of exposure to wind and waves could have caused significant weathering, making them unsuitable for building a shelter. On the other hand, the hill with the former Taoist temple seemed more promising.
He would wait for the survey results before making a final decision.
After taking care of that, Logan fell asleep, preparing for the days ahead.
Over the next three days, the deliveries to Logan's warehouse primarily consisted of the fresh produce he had ordered from the farmers' market. Logan hired four local workers to help with receiving and moving the goods, allowing him to focus on other tasks.
On the 8th, Logan visited the lumber market.
After the apocalypse, humanity would lose access to electricity, and natural gas pipelines worldwide would freeze and leak. The need for firewood would become critical, as people would need it not only for cooking but also to stay warm. Without heat, many would freeze to death in their sleep.
So Logan bought 500 tons of firewood.
Firewood was much cheaper than regular lumber, being mostly composed of scrap wood and offcuts. Transporting such a large amount required 25 cargo containers, and Logan had to place a sizable order to convince the lumber market to handle the logistics.
He also bought propane tanks and coal, stocking up on 800 tons of coal.
Next, he purchased windproof lighters, fire-starting tools, and matches, along with ordering medical supplies online, including cold medicine, antibiotics, disinfectant, emergency bandages, and more. He also ordered respirators, oxygen tanks, tactical axes, survival knives, and protective gear.
On the 9th, Logan visited Harbor City's largest generator factory. He bought ten portable generators, ten household generators, and two industrial generators.
Aside from the industrial generators, all were the quietest gasoline-powered models available. The industrial generators were for backup and high-power needs, running on diesel but generating significant noise.
In normal circumstances, the household generators would suffice.
Logan also bought electrical wiring. After the apocalypse, even if the power grid wasn't destroyed by the electromagnetic storm, exposed outdoor wiring would likely be damaged by freezing temperatures. Logan planned to run the wiring inside his shelter to create a self-contained electrical system.
To prepare for any potential failures due to aging or short circuits, Logan purchased several kilometers of various types of electrical wiring.
Next, he focused on diesel and gasoline. Generators would need fuel, but private individuals weren't allowed to buy large quantities of petroleum. Filling up the tank and then siphoning it out would take forever to gather enough.
So, Logan made another trip to the Pawnshop.
...
"You want 100 tons of diesel and 100 tons of gasoline? Do you think I run a gas station?" Sidney Reynolds stared at Logan incredulously.
Logan sighed. A hundred tons wasn't that much. A large SUV could hold around 100 liters in its tank, so filling it up just ten times would be one ton. He needed to stockpile enough to last, as no one knew how long the apocalypse would last. Even eight years into the apocalypse, there was no sign of the extreme cold letting up.
If Sidney couldn't deliver, Logan would have to buy a vehicle with a large enough fuel tank and drive to different gas stations to collect it himself.
Just as Logan was about to leave, Sidney reconsidered, "Well, I can manage ten tons."
Logan's eyes lit up, but he quickly hid his excitement when he noticed Sidney's probing gaze. "What's the price?"
"Ten tons of gasoline and ten tons of diesel for two kilograms of gold."
Two kilograms of gold was worth over $80,000.
Given that a ton of diesel cost less than $10,000 and a ton of gasoline slightly more, the total should have been around $25,000. Sidney was charging him more than four times the market price!
"Don't complain about the price. I'm not in the business of dealing in fuel, and it's risky. If you don't want it, that's fine," Sidney said.
Logan wasn't one to be easily swindled. He still had some of the duplicate gold bars in his space, but he wasn't about to let himself be gouged, "Twenty tons of gasoline, twenty tons of diesel, and I'll give you five kilograms of gold."
Weighing the risks, Sidney gritted his teeth and agreed.
Seeing Sidney's quick acceptance, Logan's eyes flickered as he asked, "Can you get me some medical supplies? Price isn't an issue."
Sidney couldn't resist asking, "What exactly are you planning to do with all this stuff?"
Logan's shopping list had become increasingly bizarre. While it was taboo to pry into a customer's business, Sidney's curiosity was getting the better of him. Cold weapons, thermal gear, fuel, and now medicine—what was this kid up to? Could he really be planning to live in Antarctica as he claimed?
Sidney found himself considering this outlandish possibility.
Logan wasn't about to reveal his true intentions, so he repeated his cover story, "Like I said, I'm planning to move to Antarctica."
Logan then listed the types of medication he wanted: antibiotics, cold medicine, and various treatments for internal and external injuries.
Though skeptical, Sidney agreed, and they settled on a price.
Leaving the pawnshop, Logan decided to head to the electronics market to buy some essential appliances. He needed multiple sets of every critical device, enough to last for years in the apocalypse.
Soon, Logan arrived at Harbor City's largest electronics store.