Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: Paying the Price

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Jerry Li had no choice but to swallow his pride. Losing money was one thing, but losing face was something he simply couldn't afford.

Without another word, he yanked out his credit card and tossed it onto Logan's lap. "Fine, a bet's a bet. From now on, all your purchases in this mall are on me!" he spat, though his mind seethed with rage.

The girls surrounding Logan giggled and cheered, adding to Jerry Li's frustration.

"Great, then I won't hold back," Logan said, waving goodbye to the girls and heading out of the store.

Jerry Li followed closely behind, with Fiona trailing after them.

Next, Logan visited a men's undergarment store. He ordered a staggering 1,000 sets of thermal underwear, 1,000 pairs of thermal socks, and 2,000 pairs of briefs. The total came to over $260,000.

The store clerks were stunned by the massive order and had to double-check with Logan before contacting the manufacturers to fulfill it, as their store's inventory couldn't cover such a large purchase.

The shipping address Logan provided was his warehouse.

Watching Logan blow through his money so recklessly, Jerry Li leaned in, his voice low and threatening, "Haven't you had enough? I'm warning you—don't push your luck."

To Jerry Li, it was clear that Logan was intentionally trying to bankrupt him. After all, who needed that many undergarments?

The credit card Jerry Li had handed over contained not only his monthly allowance but also an overdraft limit of $500,000. By now, Logan had nearly maxed it out, leaving Jerry Li with no money to live on for the rest of the month.

Logan ignored the warning, his smile widening to reveal perfectly white teeth. "You're the one who said you'd cover all my expenses in the mall today. What's the matter? Thinking of backing out again?"

Logan's voice was loud enough for Fiona to hear, and she turned to Jerry Li with a look of contempt and disgust. She despised men who were dishonest and lacked integrity.

Jerry Li hadn't expected Logan to take full advantage of the situation. His face twisted in anger as he jabbed a finger at Logan. "Fine, you win! But you better watch out!"

With a final glare, Jerry Li stormed off, abandoning his credit card and leaving the mall in a huff. From the look in his eyes, it was clear he wasn't done with Logan yet.

As he watched Jerry Li retreat, Fiona leaned in and whispered, "Jerry's father is a shareholder in a publicly listed company…"

"Oh." Logan barely acknowledged the information with a nonchalant nod.

Having seen the depths of human depravity in the apocalyptic future, Logan found the threats of these wealthy young men laughably insignificant. He had weapons stored in his space, so what was there to fear? Besides, Jerry Li's wealth wouldn't mean anything once the apocalypse hit in two months.

Logan smiled dismissively and continued his shopping spree.

He picked up 100 pairs of snow boots, 50 insulated flasks, 100 backpacks, and a variety of thermal hats and gloves.

By the time Jerry Li's card was maxed out, Logan had everything he needed and finally called it a day.

Handing the now useless card back to Fiona, Logan said, "Stop following me."

With that, he left the mall, leaving Fiona fuming. She had spent the entire afternoon following him around the mall, her feet sore from her high heels, and he didn't even offer to buy her dinner. This was not the Logan she remembered!

Fiona stomped her foot in frustration.

Returning to his warehouse, Logan found it stocked with the latest delivery of appliances and the last batch of fish he had ordered. The thoughtful shop owner had even included ice packs in each box of fish.

Along with the fish were several packages of medicines he had ordered online. After dismissing the delivery workers, Logan stored everything neatly in his space.

His supplies now included over 200 boxes of cold medicine, more than 100 boxes of antibiotics, and several hundred boxes of other medications for bacterial and viral infections. He had also stocked up on wound care supplies, with thousands of bandages and splints, and 200 tubes of anti-frostbite cream.

Sitting down with his initial shopping list, Logan methodically checked off the items he had already acquired. The only things left were windproof lamps, sleds, and other outdoor gear, as well as toiletries.

Logan quickly ordered these remaining items online: shampoo, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and towels.

In the post-apocalyptic world, these items would be considered luxuries. Logan hadn't originally planned to buy them, knowing that in the extreme cold, most survivors wouldn't bother bathing. The natural oils and grime on their bodies actually provided some insulation and protection for the skin.

And without hot water, even a sip of warm water was a luxury, let alone a bath.

In his previous life, Logan had only managed to wash a few times using snow during the eight years of the apocalypse. But now things were different. He had been given a second chance, and he intended to live as comfortably as possible.

Next, Logan ordered kerosene lamps, windproof lanterns, moisture-proof mats, sleds, snowboards, batteries, radios, water purification tablets, and other essential outdoor gear from an online store specializing in outdoor sports.

Sleds were a crucial mode of transportation in the apocalyptic winter. When the endless snowstorms hit, the snow piled up so high that the entire planet was blanketed in a thick, suffocating layer.

At first, the freshly fallen snow was so soft that a person could easily sink into it, making travel nearly impossible, especially for vehicles. As the snow solidified over time, most vehicles were buried under the ever-thickening layers of snow.

Even the vehicles that survived couldn't start in the extreme cold, or worse, they slid uncontrollably, leading to fatal accidents.

The arrival of the apocalyptic winter set human technology back by centuries.

In addition to ordinary sleds, Logan purchased 20 snowmobiles. These vehicles were the best mode of transportation in the extreme cold.

Currently, snowmobiles were mostly used as recreational vehicles, rented out to tourists for snow excursions. A good snowmobile could reach speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour on snow, and they weren't particularly expensive—just a few thousand dollars for a top-tier model.

The only downside was that they were noisy and attracted attention, just like regular motorcycles.

With everything ordered and ready, Logan finally washed up and went to bed.

Later that night, Logan suddenly woke up. Reaching for his phone, he checked the time—it was already past 2 a.m.

But at that hour, Logan heard the sound of a truck approaching. The noise was growing louder.

Logan moved stealthily to the warehouse door, careful not to make a sound.

In the moonlight, he saw a large truck pulling up to his warehouse and coming to a stop right in front of it.

Logan's eyes narrowed, his senses on high alert.

Although he had placed numerous orders in recent days, none of them were supposed to be delivered in the dead of night.

His mind flashed to Sidney, wondering if this could be the diesel and gasoline he had ordered earlier.

Sure enough, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, two men jumped down from the truck.

Both were dressed in black and wore masks, and one of them had a build similar to Sidney.

Despite recognizing Sidney, Logan didn't let his guard down. He silently reached into his space and pulled out a handgun.

After checking the warehouse number, Sidney walked up and gently knocked on the large iron door.