Elena and Ethan arrived at Seafood City and quickly began looking for the person they had contracted with a week earlier. Upon reaching the warehouse, they found the others waiting for them, ready for the final payments.
Elena insisted on inspecting the goods first before fulfilling the payments.
"Can we check the quality?" she asked.
"Sure," the person replied, gesturing toward the stock.
Ethan began to examine the array of dried seafood: dried anchovies, dried cod, dried squid, dried seaweed, dried shrimp, dried clams, dried fish maw, dried mackerel, dried octopus, dried scallops, dried sardines, dried pollock, dried perch, dried herring, dried cuttlefish, dried tuna, dried crab, dried clam meat, dried abalone, dried mussels, etc.
Satisfied with the quality, he signaled Elena to proceed for the payment.
"We discussed needing 5 tons of each dried seafood, and the total was calculated at 400 million green coins, right?" she confirmed.
"Yes," the person nodded.
Elena proceeded to make the payment, and looking at the piles of dried seafood, she felt happy. This was one of her favorite foods, but in the past, it had only been available to military higher-ups. She suddenly urged to buy more and asked, "Do you still have more dried seafood?"
The person looked bewildered. "I'm sorry, miss, but we are fully booked. Many people have been buying from us, and our stock is running low. Now I'm worried about where to get more."
Ethan raised an eyebrow at this revelation. "Has it always been like this, sir? Are many people buying dried seafood, or is it just this month?" he probed.
"Just this month," the person replied, scratching his head. "I don't know why, but people are contacting me and my colleagues to amass a lot of it, even doubling the price. Is there an event? Is seafood the new trend?"
"Not really, but it's best to store up," Ethan suggested. "Who knows, the price might double in a few months." He encouraged them to stock up, thinking it could be useful during a natural disaster.
"I don't think so; maybe the price will go down sooner," the person rebutted.
Ethan decided to keep his thoughts to himself. He had already hinted to store more.
Meanwhile, Elena was deep in thought, pondering who might hoard products like them. "Do you know who has been buying up all the seafood?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
The person shook his head, responding honestly, "I don't know. According to my colleague, they ordered tons of it, and he's currently waiting for them at another warehouse to transfer the goods. The buyers are supposed to pick up the items later this evening. That's why I'm curious if there's a new trend, as the orders seem urgent."
Elena's interest was piqued.
Did someone else know that the apocalypse was approaching?
"Sir, please sign this paper so my company knows the agreement is fulfilled," the person said, handing over the document.
"Okay," Ethan replied, signing the paper.
The person quickly left, as he had other customer orders to fulfill.
Once alone, Elena transferred the dried seafood directly into the Southern Inventory. It took her around 10 minutes to settle everything.
Ethan turned to Elena, curiosity etched on his face.
"Who do you think this person is?"
"I don't have any idea at the moment."
Both Elena and Ethan were lost in their thoughts when the phone rang, breaking the silence. The person they had contracted for the aquatic animals informed them that he was now at the other warehouse they had rented.
"Let's go find him," Ethan said, eager to get moving.
"Okay," Elena replied, and they drove the truck to the meeting destination. After a few minutes, they arrived and saw people transporting live aquatic animals inside the warehouse. They decided not to disturb them and quietly approached the personnel handling the order.
As they neared, the manager strode over to greet them. "Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell, we are currently moving the aquatic animals. While we wait, let's check the quality to ensure it meets your standards. Though I believe our products are good, it's always better to be safe."
Hearing the manager call Elena as Mrs. Caldwell invigorated Ethan, he nodded in agreement. They began inspecting the lively aquatic animals swimming in the boxes: salmon, tuna, sea bass, mahi-mahi, snapper, lobster, crab, oysters, mussels, clams, sea cucumbers, abalone, scallops, octopus, barramundi, sardines, tilapia, prawns, cobia, triggerfish, etc.
"It's all good," Ethan said with approval.
The manager beamed at their feedback. "To be honest, you're lucky to have ordered these aquatic animals a week ago. Someone had already booked our company, and all our aquatic animals were sold at double the price."
Elena and Ethan exchanged glances, a sense of unease settling in.
Someone definitely knew that a natural disaster was approaching.
"May we know who this person is?" Elena asked, her curiosity piqued.
Considering it wasn't a secret and maybe these two would trust them more if they knew that an influential person had chosen their company, the manager replied, "It's the prominent clan in City G, the Heather family. I don't know what they're up to, but they mentioned they would donate this seafood to charity. They are really good people."
Elena felt mixed emotions upon hearing the Heather family's name. She didn't react outwardly, but inside, she almost laughed at the irony of the situation, especially when the manager praised them for their good deeds.
Charity? LOL, they will donate this product to their own warehouse.
After they finished transporting everything and settling the payment, Elena noticed movement at the back of the truck. Curiosity piqued, she asked, "Is there an animal back there? I think I heard a sound."
The manager replied honestly, "Actually, it's a pair of dolphins, some turtles, a seahorse, starfish, etc., but the customer canceled the order, and we're currently looking for buyers. Are you interested, Mrs. Caldwell?"
"Let's check first," Ethan suggested.
"Sure!" the manager replied, instructing his team to bring the aquatic animals down.
As they approached, Elena's heart sank at the sight of the distressed dolphin, making a sound that seemed almost like crying. She felt a surge of compassion and decided to buy and keep the animals in the Eastern lake.
"I'll buy them all," Elena declared.
The manager beamed at her decision, thrilled that she would take everything off their hands. He quickly arranged for the animals to be transported to the warehouse, and soon after, they finalized the payment.
Elena carefully moved each aquatic animal to its designated pond. Last week, she used the Golden Tablet to dig ponds near Eastern Lake, which significantly diminished the spiritual energy from the Reserve Energy Tab.
Once everything was settled, she called for Little Mia, Poochi, and Mimi the cat to witness the inauguration of their new aquatic friends in their new home.
The animals seemed to thrive in their new environment, especially the pair of dolphins, who kept making joyful noises as if thanking Elena and Ethan for their rescue.
"Look, it's a dowphin! I see a real dowphin jumping!" Little Mia exclaimed, mimicking the dolphins' leaps with excitement.
"Aw~awww~aaw," Poochi barked, his curiosity piqued.
Mistress, this animal is so weird; they walk in the lake!
"Meow~meow," Mimi chimed in, her eyes sparkling.
What a big fish!
The trio displayed different emotions as they watched the aquatic animals swim, but one thing was clear: they were all delighted to see these creatures in Eastern Lake.
Ethan glanced at Elena, his eyes filled with hope and concern. "Wife, maybe our children will be happy seeing these aquatic animals someday. Let's buy more. I hope they won't only see animals in pictures. Sigh, I fear these creatures will go instinct once the apocalypse descends."
Children in apocalypse? They will definitely become the most well-known victim of human cannibalism.
Her heart turned cold upon remembering those dark days.
"Children? No, not for now, especially in this apocalyptic era. Let's not think about it until the world is free from chaos," Elena said with determination.
Ethan, unaware of the weight of her words, continued, "I mean, what if we have an unexpected situation? Wouldn't they look cute, just like you? They might—"
Before he could finish, Elena snapped, "I said no, No, NO! You don't understand, and you will never understand. Children in the apocalypse are doomed to die."
Ethan was taken aback by her outburst. He gently hugged her, trying to comfort her. "Wife, please don't cry. It's my fault. No kids in the apocalyptic era, okay?"
Elena defintely loved children and had always dreamed of having one, but her past experiences had hardened her resolve. After Little Mia died from lung disease, she sought solace by giving food to toddlers. She had grown close to a little boy who often visited her in their rented room at the base. But one day, he didn't return, and she learned that he had been eaten by cannibalistic humans.
That day, she vowed to suppress her emotions and focus solely on Ethan. As her abilities awakened, she became busy with a new purpose. When her time manipulation manifested, she hunted down every cannibalistic human she encountered without mercy.
Back in the present, Ethan continued to soothe her. Once she calmed down, he gently probed, "Wife, are you really okay?"
Elena took a deep breath, her voice steady. "Sorry, husband. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you."
"It's fine, as long as you're okay," Ethan replied, concern etched on his face.
Elena then shifted the conversation to the goods the Heather family had hoarded.
"What should we do about the seafood the Heather family amassed?"
Seeing that Elena was feeling better, Ethan decided to drop the subject of children for now.
"Should we steal them?"
Elena smiled, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"We really have the same mind," she said, kissing his cheek.
They quickly began devising a plan to rob the Heather family of their hoarded seafood.
Unbeknownst to Elena, fate had other plans in store for her. She would soon find herself facing the reality of motherhood amidst the chaos of the ongoing apocalypse.