Chapter 7: The Final Preparations
Chapter 7: The Final Preparations
Today, neither of them went to eat at the restaurant; instead, they bought some food and ate in the car to save time. After finishing, they went straight to buy gasoline.
They purchased some at one gas station, stored it in the space, and then bought more elsewhere.
Along the way, they changed clothes several times. Gu Pan had bought wigs yesterday precisely for moments like these, allowing her to switch hairstyles when buying supplies so no one would become suspicious.
They bought one hundred barrels of gasoline, all stored in the space.
They stayed busy until evening, then went to the car rental place. Since they were just renting, naturally they chose good vehicles.
They rented a brand-new nine-story Hummer and an off-road vehicle, claiming they planned a self-guided trip.
They returned the small truck and each took a vehicle, driving off first to their old house to retrieve the generator and diesel, then went shopping again.
This time, they went to a supermarket, where the variety was greater—perhaps seeing something missing would remind them to get it.
They directly approached the supermarket manager and said it was for a corporate team-building trip, a seven-day island tour for two hundred people’s snacks.
The manager was naturally pleased and led them straight to the storage room.
They didn’t haggle at all and bought three hundred thousand yuan worth of goods. Of course, Gu Pan also bought ten boxes of feminine hygiene products, worried that those from the small market might cause allergies.
They packed up the supermarket’s self-heating meals and instant noodles as well.
Passing by the alcohol section, Gu Pan thought of the phrase “tobacco, alcohol, and tea.” Though not essential in the apocalypse, these were spiritual comforts.
She had even seen people, moments before death, hoping to smoke a cigarette.
So, they bought those items from the supermarket too.
After purchasing everything, the manager said delivery would be tomorrow. Lu Ruisheng slipped him a five-hundred-yuan red envelope, and the delivery was immediately arranged to the old house.
Once everything was settled, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng followed the delivery to the old house, signed for the goods, and stored them all in the space.
When they entered the space, they were stunned by the sheer volume of supplies. Naturally, their cash reserves were down to two hundred thousand yuan—the money from mortgaging the house had mostly been spent.
But they were calm. In the apocalypse, these supplies wouldn’t be worth two billion yuan.
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Three days before the apocalypse, their home had new windows installed—bulletproof and mirrored, so no one outside could see in.
Their curtains were already excellent, providing complete darkness, so no need to replace those.
They also bought car parts since there would be no repair shops during the apocalypse. Lu Ruisheng knew some mechanics himself, so they prepared extra parts, but still felt uneasy, so they rented two more Hummers.
They transferred the water from the old house’s water tanks into the space and replaced them with new tanks for fresh water each day, coming at night to swap tanks.
In the two days before the apocalypse, they stocked up on medicine, then anonymously sent friends and clients supplies like instant noodles and self-heating meals.
Gu Pan sent her childhood friends, Tian Zhenzhen and Dong Mingyue, necessary feminine products and a month’s survival supplies.
Lu Ruisheng sent Guo Gang a month’s worth of supplies and a first-aid kit, as there were elderly people in his household.
Today, Lu Ruisheng also received parts to assemble weapons, which made him feel more secure.
The day before the apocalypse, they drove out in the morning and spent the remaining money on seeds. If they survived into the new era, farming would be crucial, and seeds would be priceless.
On the way back, they scoped out the entrances of several large malls in the city. When chaos erupted, they could come for free scavenging.
They then returned to the old house, storing the remaining water tanks in the space. Ten water tanks had been filled over the past days.
That afternoon, instead of going home, they went to the entrance of Zhuang Jie’s residential complex. Tomorrow was the apocalypse; today, Zhuang Jie would make one last check of the warehouse.
Because of a sudden ten-day blizzard, no one could go outside. Following Zhuang Jie today was the best way to find the warehouse.
Watching Zhuang Jie drive out, Lu Ruisheng followed discreetly. Both had disguised themselves in the newly rented cars, so Zhuang Jie wouldn’t recognize them.
Lu Ruisheng, a former special forces soldier, found tailing someone to be a trivial task.
They soon reached the northern part of the city, an area filled with factories. Zhuang Jie had chosen this spot well.
Zhuang Jie parked and entered a furniture factory. After a long while, he came out and headed toward Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng’s home.
But Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng, unaware and uninterested, watched him leave, then got out to visit the warehouse.
The large iron gate still had an electronic lock.
Lu Ruisheng asked Gu Pan to bring out climbing ropes from the space. He secured one end to the warehouse chimney, climbed up, and entered through the skylight.
Inside, after confirming there were no cameras, he opened the iron door from within and excitedly pulled Gu Pan inside.
“Panpan, Zhuang Jie really stocked up a lot—even more than us. Seems their family has deep resources.”
Gu Pan’s eyes sparkled. “This time, let’s shatter all his dreams.”
She quickly stored everything into the space.
When they entered the space again, they found it more than half full.
When the apocalypse arrived, they could still scavenge a lot—essentially free shopping.
Returning home, they found Zhuang Jie anxiously pacing at the door.
“Brother Lu, sister-in-law, you’re finally back! Let me in for a drink—I’m parched.”
He didn’t know their home had been broken into and was still hoping to sneak in later to retrieve a pendant. If he got the pendant today, those supplies could be stored before the apocalypse, ensuring their freshness. Once the apocalypse started, many things would no longer be fresh.
Lu Ruisheng frowned. “Let’s talk downstairs. Your wife is acting crazy.”
Gu Pan glared at Lu Ruisheng with a look full of suffering, then slammed the door shut.
In the previous life, Zhuang Jie came to Lu Ruisheng’s place more than a month into the apocalypse, seeking refuge because his home was too cold on the lower floors. Back then, Lu Ruisheng and Gu Pan got along well. Perhaps after the apocalypse, they had put aside their grudges and supported each other—that was the only explanation.
But Zhuang Jie had little to say to Lu Ruisheng now and didn’t want to waste time. Suddenly, he wondered if the pendant’s fate, like in their previous life, would only arise two months into the apocalypse.
It was getting colder outside; Zhuang Jie worried about the elderly and children at home. He sighed.
“Brother Lu, don’t be too upset. I just wanted to check on you. You and sister-in-law are really fine, right? Stop arguing. I have no big issues—just seeing you both reassures me. I’ll head back now.”
Lu Ruisheng, a good actor, said, “I’ll walk you out. Let’s find a restaurant downstairs for a drink.”
Zhuang Jie quickly waved him off. “No, Brother Lu, if I’m late, my wife will be mad.” Then he hurried away.
After Zhuang Jie left, Lu Ruisheng opened the door and hugged the eavesdropping Gu Pan, smiling. “How was my acting?”
Gu Pan laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “I never thought you’d be such a good actor.”
Before knowing Zhuang Jie was also reborn, Gu Pan had hoped his family would suffer and die painfully in this life. But after learning he was reborn too, her thinking changed. She and her husband agreed that once order broke down, they would eliminate Zhuang Jie and his wife together to avoid future troubles.
Today, their mood was especially good because their supplies had doubled. Though some items overlapped, there were many they hadn’t prepared. This was truly icing on the cake.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door, and both immediately became alert.
(End of chapter)