Lin Shi answered the phone. Liao Peng's voice came through, "Boss, I've been all over Shashi these past few days and found three locations that meet your requirements. I've sent the detailed information to your phone, please take a look."
"Alright, I'm busy right now. I'll call you back later," Lin Shi replied. He first went to open the warehouse doors and helped the dozen or so workers unload the goods. It took them more than three hours to unload all seven containers. After the workers left, Lin Shi placed his hand on the pile of supplies and transferred them into his space.
Looking at the small portion of the supplies in his space, Lin Shi knew this was just the beginning. After a quick shower, he reviewed the information Liao Peng had sent. He had to admit, Liao Peng had not let him down; the three locations were all suitable. They were all elevated, secluded, and without tall buildings nearby, making it easy to start construction. One location, in particular, was very spacious, located in the eastern suburbs of Shashi. It was large enough to build not just a private shelter but even a residential complex. Lin Shi suspected that the official shelter from his previous life might have been built there. If that were the case, it would be a significant loss if the government requisitioned it, so he decided to disregard it.
The remaining two locations were: one in the western suburbs, behind a village, with a hill about ten meters high. The hill was about ten kilometers away from the first location, and there used to be a Taoist temple on it, though it had collapsed, the foundation remained. The last location was in a fishing village called Xidao along the coast of Shashi, where there was a cliff about ten meters high. There was a flat area on top of the cliff, which had once housed several families who later moved away.
Lin Shi sent a text to Liao Peng, asking him to arrange for someone to survey the geological conditions of the hill and the cliff. He didn't want to risk living in a place where the foundation could collapse. Although the cliff was made of rock, years of exposure to wind and waves might have caused it to erode, making it unsuitable for building a shelter. In comparison, the hill with the former Taoist temple seemed more ideal, but he would wait for the survey results before making a decision.
After finishing these tasks, Lin Shi went to bed. Over the next three days, the deliveries to the warehouse were the fresh produce he had ordered from the farmers' market. Lin Shi hired four people locally to handle the receiving and unloading. On the 8th, he went to the lumber market.
In the extreme cold, when humans lost access to electricity, natural gas pipelines across countries were frozen and ruptured. The demand for fire sources became enormous. Without fire, people couldn't cook food or stay warm, and many survivors resorted to a primitive lifestyle. Countless others froze to death in their sleep. Therefore, wood became extremely valuable. Lin Shi bought 500 tons of firewood, which was much cheaper than regular lumber, consisting mostly of scrap and offcuts. This amount required 25 containers, and fortunately, because of the large order, the lumber market was willing to handle the loading and unloading.
Next, he purchased as many gas cylinders and coal as possible, buying 800 tons of coal. He then bought windproof lighters, flint, windproof matches, and other fire-starting tools. He also ordered cold medicine, antibiotics, disinfectants, emergency bandages, and other medical supplies online. Additionally, he bought respirators, oxygen tanks, tactical axes, jungle knives, and anti-riot suits for survival gear.
On the 9th, Lin Shi went to the largest generator factory in Haishi and purchased ten portable generators, ten household generators, and two industrial generators. Apart from the industrial generators, he chose the quietest gasoline-powered models. The industrial generators, which used diesel, were noisy but necessary for high-power situations. For normal use, the household generators would suffice.
He then bought tens of thousands of meters of various types of wires. Even if the power lines were not destroyed by an electromagnetic storm, they would likely be damaged by the extreme cold. Lin Shi planned to run the wiring indoors to create a self-contained electrical system. To avoid power outages due to aging or short-circuiting, he stocked up on extra wires.
Next, he needed diesel and gasoline to operate the generators. However, petroleum products were prohibited from private sale. Filling up a large SUV's tank multiple times would take too long to accumulate enough fuel. So, Lin Shi visited the "Chengxin Pawnshop" again.
...
"Do you want 100 tons of diesel and 100 tons of gasoline? Do you think I run a gas station?" Xie Jinxin looked at Lin Shi with a "are you joking" expression.
Lin Shi smiled bitterly. 100 tons wasn't much; a large SUV's tank could hold 100 liters, and filling it up ten times would be a ton. He needed to stock up as much as possible. No one knew when the apocalypse would end, and in his previous life, the extreme cold hadn't shown any signs of abating even after eight years.
Just as Lin Shi was about to leave, Xie Jinxin thought for a moment and said, "However, I can get you up to ten tons."
A flash of joy appeared in Lin Shi's eyes, but he quickly composed himself when he noticed Xie Jinxin'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 800,000 yuan. Wow, diesel was less than 10,000 yuan per ton, and gasoline was around 10,000 yuan per ton. Even if he bought ten tons of each, it would only be around 200,000 yuan, but Xie Jinxin had quadrupled the price!
"Don't complain about the price. I'm not in the business of selling these, and I'm taking a big risk. If you don't want it, that's fine," Xie Jinxin said.
Lin Shi wasn't one to be taken advantage of. He still had some gold bars in his space, but he wanted to negotiate. "Twenty tons of gasoline and twenty tons of diesel for five kilograms of gold."
Taking a risk, Xie Jinxin agreed. Seeing how quickly Xie Jinxin agreed, Lin Shi's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Can you get me some medicines? We can discuss the price."
"You tell me, what are you preparing all these things for?" Lin Shi's requests were getting stranger, and although it was taboo to ask about a client's intentions, Xie Jinxin was too curious. Cold weapons, cold-weather gear, petroleum, and now medicines—what was he planning?
Xie Jinxin began to consider the possibility that Lin Shi might really be planning to settle in Antarctica, as he had claimed. Lin Shi, of course, wouldn't reveal his true purpose. "Didn't I say? I'm going to settle in Antarctica."
Lin Shi then listed the medications he needed, including antibiotics, cold medicine, and treatments for internal and external injuries. Xie Jinxin was skeptical but agreed on a price.
After leaving the pawnshop, Lin Shi decided to go to the appliance market to buy some essential electronics. In the apocalypse, he would need to use these for years, so he needed to stock up on a variety of items. Soon, Lin Shi arrived at the largest appliance store in Haishi.