The days seemed to fly by as Li Yue found herself swept up in the whirlwind of preparing for the apocalypse like it was the world's strangest marathon. Her apartment was turning into a hoarder's utopia, with boxes of supplies stacked to the ceiling, and the delivery trucks never seemed to stop.
It was getting to the point where she worried her neighbors might think Li Yue was running some illegal operation of some kind. Of course, she didn't care what they thought. That was until it dawned on her that, you know, authorities might actually care.
After all, there were still a couple of weeks before the apocalypse hit. And while Li Yue wasn't in a rush to start explaining her unusual purchases to law enforcement, she was in a rush to get her hands on more supplies. So, in a flash of brilliance, a mental lightbulb moment, Li Yue decided that the next logical step was to rent a warehouse.
Because when you're stockpiling for the end of the world, why not go full-on capitalist and pretend you're starting a business?
It makes things so much more logical.
With a warehouse, Li Yue could avoid all the side-eyes from supermarket employees who were probably wondering if she was planning a shopping mall inside her apartment. Plus, the warehouse made it easier to order directly from suppliers, and suddenly buying machinery and even vehicles (despite her lifelong refusal to drive) didn't seem suspicious at all. She could just wave it off, saying, "Oh yes, it's for my new business venture." Simple, right?
Well, almost.
There was a tiny bit of problem.
Money.
Li Yue's funds were starting to run low. Dangerously low. So, in a moment of shameless desperation, she visited Mother and Father Li's graves, asking for their forgiveness for what she was about to do.
With a deep sigh and an apology to her deceased family, she marched straight to the bank and took out a massive loan, putting up her apartment and the cleaning company she inherited as collateral.
Because nothing says "I'm preparing for the end of the world" quite like betting everything you have on a future that's about to go up in flames.
With her newfound financial freedom, Li Yue went on a massive shopping spree that made her previous spending look like window shopping. She secured more suppliers, rushed deliveries, and stocked up on everything she could think of: food, water, tools, seeds, even a shiny new RV.
Now, was she planning to drive that RV? Absolutely not. Driving was still a no-go. But she could store it in her ring and take it out when needed. After all, what's the point of camping out in a flimsy tent when zombies are on the loose? Tents were for Girl Scouts. And this wasn't Girl Scouts—it was the zombie apocalypse.
While looking through her documents, Li Yue also found out that the Li couple left a small farmhouse to her on the countryside. It wasn't operational but it had a secure perimeter and the house was still relatively new.
Li Yue thought that it would be a good temporary base while she waited for things to settle down. The place would also make it easier for her to practice her martial arts again since it would be away from prying eyes. It would also be relatively safer compared to the shelters that would be formed early on the apocalypse.
Those shelters would either be cramped with people with scarce resources or be occupied by those who let go of their morals completely once they have realized that the law has lost its grip on them. Add the fact that ability users would slowly show up one after another, then it's a whole other type of chaos aside from the zombies themselves.
With that in mind, Li Yue started to act on her plans. She bought solar panels, water conservancy generators, and anything else that could make surviving a bit more luxurious. Because why settle for a rugged survival experience when you could have all the comforts of home? As she followed her apocalypse survival list, she couldn't help but feel like she was preparing for an extended vacation… just with zombies. Medicinal herbs? Check. Farming tools? Check. Entertainment resources like books, board games, and a fully equipped entertainment system? Check and check.
Of course, Li Yue wasn't entirely without frustration. Martial arts had always been her pride, so she restarted her training, hoping to regain some of her old strength. Unfortunately, despite all the breathing exercises and basic movements, her spiritual qi was still frustratingly faint. Her stamina had improved, but her once-formidable internal strength was barely a flicker. It was like trying to tune into a radio station in the middle of nowhere—static, static, and more static.
As for weapons, Li Yue had no luck finding a proper pair of daggers or hidden weapons like she used in the Central Plains. She sighed at the realization that modern law and her lack of time had left her settling for knives and sewing needles. Not exactly what she was used to, but beggars couldn't be choosers. At least she could still throw a mean kitchen knife.
Once the final delivery was tucked away in her rented warehouse, Li Yue spent days organizing everything into her storage ring. And by "organizing," she meant stuffing supplies in every available space as orderly as she could. She had ten warehouses worth of supplies, and she was only halfway through sorting them out. But hey, apocalypse prep was a messy business.
With just four days left before D-day, things were starting to get weird. More and more people were getting sick with flu-like symptoms, and the weather had turned erratic, like Mother Nature was in on the whole apocalypse thing. Li Yue felt a strange surge of spiritual qi in the air, though it was tainted, like it had been polluted by the modern world. She figured it was probably the universe's way of giving humanity a "thanks for nothing" before hitting the reset button.
Li Yue feeling that it was a shame to stay cooped up into her home, decided to go for one last relaxation hurrah. She booked a one-night stay at a resort situated at a prime location in the edge of the city. She strapped in Sir Edmund Pawtipurr and with a sudden impulse swept everything in her unit into her ring before leaving for the resort.
Then as an afterthought, she knocked on Wang Ling's door to leave a few boxes of supplies. She couldn't exactly tell Wang Ling about the apocalypse; she would obviously think she was delusional. In fact, that would be the normal reaction.
So, leaving supplies for her in the guise of safekeeping or having too much would be good. With a brief conversation, Li Yue forcefully had Wang Ling accept the boxes of supplies. The latter found it odd but had no choice but to accept.
With her good deed done, Li Yue swept everything in her apartment into her ring, grabbed Sir Edmund, and set off for her final bit of pampering before the end of the world.
Unbeknownst to Li Yue, while she was busy stuffing supplies to a weirded-out Wang Ling and setting off for her one-day resort life, a certain hazel-eyed man was also making his own preparations.
"Young Master, the warehouses are ready. We've followed your instructions and made sure they're all located far from the city," a voice reported over the phone.
"Good. And my parents?" the man asked.
"They found it strange, but they followed your advice."
The man murmured his approval and hung up. He didn't know why he had taken the strange woman's warnings to heart, but his instincts had never failed him before. Something about her words, no matter how bizarre, had struck a chord. And if there was one thing he trusted, it was his intuition.
Still, as he stared at the undercover operation order in his hand, his instincts screamed at him to be cautious. This mission was a trap—he knew that much. But he had no choice but to walk into it, even knowing what awaited him on the other side.
He clenched his fist, his mind already racing with contingency plans. There was no way he would allow himself to be caught off guard again.
And as for that strange woman? Well, it seemed she had more influence over his decisions than she realized.