The first stop was the water companies.
In the dark days of disaster, water bodies either dried up or were contaminated by deadly amoebas.
The survivors suffered dehydration and gastrointestinal diseases, and hospitals overflowed with patients.
Even after the disasters, the struggle for water intensified—alien beasts guarded the few remaining sources, making survival dependent on bottled water produced before apocalypse and mental power users capable of producing and purifying water.
Lu Nanzhi did not hesitate. She purchased 1, 000 thickened stainless steel tanks, each capable of holding 30 tons, and arranged for several mineral water factories to fill them. These would be delivered to her factory warehouse.
She also acquired 2,000 plastic and steel containers, ranging from 20 gallons to 20 tons, for household storage. Additionally, she bought 5,000 boxes of five-gallon bottles and 5,000 boxes of twelve-packs of half-liter purified water, all for two million yuan.
But water alone would not be enough. The blistering heat of the future would require ice reserves. She found an ice-processing company and ordered 2,000 large ice bricks measuring one cubic meter and another 2,000 smaller blocks, spending 140,000 yuan.
As she inspected the factory's machinery, her thoughts turned to water filtration. The factory manager, eager to please such a generous customer, offered a lead. "There's a water treatment facility for sale. It's been abandoned due to lack of funds. I know the owner personally."
Lu Nanzhi's eyes gleamed with interest.
Water filtration machines might not survive the coming disasters, but letting valuable resources go to waste was unforgivable.
Should she buy it? Or should she opt for zero-dollar shopping?
(A/N: Zero-dollar shopping is slang for looting.)
The facility was only an eight-hour drive from home.
As she mulled it over, another thought struck her.
Would the virtual farm unlock a water production function? Her curiosity burned, but she kept her face straight.
"I'll think about it," she replied.
Three days later, it was time to return to the Grand Central Market. After settling her final payments, the workers loaded her orders into the truck. She swiftly transferred them to her inventory space before setting out again.
Her route spanned across major production areas. First, she visited textile, garment, and bedding factories. Posing as a department store owner, she placed a grand order:
A thousand sets of dark-gray sportswear and assault suits with scratch-resistant, stab-proof, and waterproof features. A thousand sets of breathable cotton clothes for spring and summer, thick cashmere outfits for winter, and underwear tailored to her own size.
She added hundred each of cashmere blankets, fleece quilts, duck down comforters, summer cool quilts, electric blankets, and pillows, totalling to 670,000 yuan.
Preparedness was key. She ordered ten sewing machines, both manual and electric, a hundred boxes of thread in various colors, sewing kits, and rolls of the same fabric used for the assault suits.
In times of chaos, even paper became precious. She visited a paper mill and stocked up on two thousand boxes of paper rolls, toilet paper, tissues, and A4 sheets. She also secured a hundred boxes of pens, pencils, and markers.
Her next destinations were pharmaceutical factories. With a smile as sweet as honey, she crafted her story:
"My company is organizing a charity drive to provide medicine for clinics in impoverished areas. Could you help with the supplies on this list?"
No single company could fulfill her needs. She traveled tirelessly, accumulating hundreds of boxes filled with remedies for colds, inflammation, pain, diarrhea, and cough. She gathered burn ointments, mosquito repellents, dermatitis creams, and acne treatments. Vitamin supplements for calcium, iron, and zinc deficiencies rounded out her stockpile.
She added five thousand N-95 masks, two hundred fifty boxes of cotton rolls, a hundred sets of isolation gear, five hundred gas mask filters, hundreds of radiation suits, hundreds of surgical gowns, and fifty surgical kits.
Fighting would be inevitable. She secured trauma care essentials: suture kits, blood clotting sprays, disinfectants, bandages, and syringes. From a pharmacy, she bought one hundred oxygen cylinders.
"Manager, please select only the freshest stock and the highest efficacy. I need versions for both adults and children. My performance depends on this event. If I earn a bonus, I'll always return to your company for future charity drives."
The five thousand yuan she slipped into his pocket sealed the deal. The Manager's eyes sparkled.
"Rest assured, Miss. I'll handle it personally."
Her expenditures totaled thirty million yuan.
Weary from relentless travel, Lu Nanzhi finally headed back to the city. She parked her truck and climbed the stairs to her apartment, only to find an unexpected figure waiting outside her door.
"Sister!"
Lu Nanzhi froze.
"..."