Chapter 2
"You're my boyfriend. If I don't trust you, who else would I trust?"
I pretended to support Jake unconditionally and transferred him two hundred thousand yuan to stock up on supplies.
Once he finished making his shopping list, I suggested we split up to move faster, then drove off—alone—to one of my other properties.
My parents had run a small business before passing away in an accident, leaving me a generous inheritance—several properties among them.
So after being reborn, I came up with a plan.
Hide a knife behind a smile. Distract in the open while making real moves in secret.
On the surface, I was helping Jake prepare for the apocalypse. Behind his back, I was building a shelter of my own.
Why this apartment, out of all the ones I owned?
Because it was in a poorly located complex with low occupancy. My unit was on the top floor, with no taller buildings nearby.
In the apocalypse, the more people around, the more danger.
This place had been vacant for a while. Before doing any renovations, I hired a cleaning crew to deep-clean every inch of the apartment.
Then I cleared out everything but my bed. Every other inch of space would be used for storing supplies.
While the cleaners worked, I contacted several contractors to reinforce and modify the apartment.
In the apocalypse, human nature twists and fractures. The worst instincts are magnified a hundredfold. People kill for food, for water—anything.
So, aside from stockpiling, the shelter's security was my top priority.
I replaced all the windows with bulletproof glass and installed one-way film so no one could see inside.
For the front door, I contacted the best local manufacturer of explosion-proof doors and ordered a bank-grade steel door.
They claimed it could even withstand artillery fire.
Whether that was true, I had no idea—but it sounded reassuring.
I also had soundproofing foam installed inside the walls, following online guides to make sure not a single noise would escape.
Because I offered wages far above the market rate, the work moved fast.
The moment the cleaners finished, the contractors and door manufacturers started arriving.
Once I explained what I needed, they got to work right away, promising to finish everything within three days.
Since I didn't need to supervise them closely, I drove to the electronics market next.
I bought six large refrigerators for storing supplies—four for me, and two to be sent to Jake.
After all, I had left under the pretense of gathering supplies. If I came back empty-handed, he'd get suspicious.
But then it hit me—while I had bought freezers, I hadn't solved the electricity issue.
Soon after the apocalypse began, the city would lose power.
Without a solution, everything in the fridge would rot in days.
So I contacted solar panel installers and asked them to mount the best-quality panels on the rooftop.
Since the building didn't technically allow private power installations, I told them to disguise the panels somehow.
I'd read too many apocalypse novels. Survivors got themselves killed just because someone spotted their solar panels.
Details determine life or death. I won't make the same mistake.
The workers adjusted the angle and added light camouflage to the panels.
Sure, the energy output was lower now—but the stealth was worth it.
Just to be safe, I also bought two diesel generators and stored them in the apartment.
Better overprepared than dead.