Back when Su Chen dated Liu Linger, it was Xiao Mei who had constantly driven a wedge between them.
And when the apocalypse struck, Xiao Mei was also the one who pressured Liu Linger to abandon him after he risked his life to save them.
Now that he had returned to the past, Su Chen would not let her off so easily.
He thought for a moment and replied to her message:
"I'll be busy for a while. Let's meet in a month at the Phoenix Mountain Scenic Area."
On the other end, Xiao Mei was overjoyed when she received his message!
She glanced smugly at Liu Linger beside her, who remained completely unaware of what was going on.
Sorry, Linger. You had your shot and blew it.
Compared to you, I've got both the looks and the charm. It's only natural Su Chen would pick me.
"Great! See you then~ (*￣︶￣)!"
Su Chen glanced at her reply, then tossed the phone aside.
Right now, the most important thing was to figure out this so-called Doomsday Fortress System.
Earlier, when talking with the driver Old Xu, Su Chen noticed something strange—Old Xu didn't react at all to the glowing white screen.
It was as if he couldn't see it.
That confirmed Su Chen's suspicion: the system was only visible—and usable—by him.
He stepped back into the RV's cockpit. Sure enough, the white screen reappeared, floating quietly in the air.
Su Chen reached out and tapped on Storage Space again to continue his testing.
After a series of experiments, he discovered several key things:
Anything within a 30-meter radius of the Nomadisen could be stored directly.
Identical items could be stacked, up to a maximum of 9,999 units.
Time was frozen inside the storage space—whatever went in, came out in exactly the same state.
Living creatures could not be stored. Birds flying overhead, for example, were unaffected.
Items that were fixed or part of larger structures, like pavement tiles or trees, could not be stored either.
Even with those restrictions, Su Chen was ecstatic.
If he could fill up the entire storage space, he'd never have to worry about supplies once the apocalypse hit!
He suppressed the excitement in his chest and continued exploring the system.
Next, he tapped on Energy Shop.
Two items were available under his current level (LV1):
🔋 Gasoline – 1 energy point = 1 liter💧 Water – 1 energy point = 1 kilogram
Reading that, Su Chen's heart burned with anticipation.
Perfect.
To survive the apocalypse in a mobile fortress like this, fuel, water, and food were the three absolute necessities.
If the system could provide an unlimited supply of fuel and water, then all Su Chen needed to do was stockpile food—and he'd be unstoppable!
The only downside? He still didn't know how to obtain energy points.
But that was fine.
He still had time.
The end wasn't here yet. He could figure it out as he went.
Looking up at the darkening sky, Su Chen decided not to return home.
Instead, he lay down on the luxurious Simmons mattress inside the Nomadisen, feeling the soft bedding beneath him.
His thoughts slowly faded as he drifted off to sleep, a hint of a smile lingering on his lips.
The next morning.
Su Chen woke up early, washed up in the fully-equipped bathroom, and enjoyed the breakfast Old Xu had kindly brought.
With a full stomach, he began laying out the next step of his plan.
First priority: stockpiling essential supplies.
But that wasn't enough.
Although the Nomadisen was designed for rugged off-road adventures and could handle harsh terrain, it still wasn't ready for the chaos of the apocalypse.
Extreme weather was only part of the problem. There would also be bloodthirsty zombies… and people even more dangerous than zombies.
To truly survive, he needed to modify and upgrade the RV.
But whether it was buying supplies or making modifications, everything required one thing—money.
Money wasn't everything, but without it, you were nothing.
After paying Liu Ke the one-million-yuan down payment, Su Chen was nearly broke.
What now?
He thought for a moment—and came up with a solution:
High-interest loans.
In today's society, you could borrow anything—except money.
Borrow ¥100? That's a friend.
Borrow ¥1,000? That's a brother.
Borrow ¥10,000? That's a relative.
Borrow ¥100,000? That's your parents.
Borrow ¥1,000,000? Only a loan shark can help you.
"Old Xu, take me here," Su Chen said, pointing at a location on his phone's map.
"Yes, Mr. Su!"
Old Xu returned to the driver's seat, started the engine, and the Nomadisen roared to life once again, attracting stunned stares as it pulled away.
Not long after, they arrived outside a building with a large sign that read:
"Qiangsheng Finance Co., Ltd."
Inside the building, employees heard the thunderous engine and rushed to the windows, staring in disbelief.
"Holy crap, what kind of monster is that?!"
"Wow, you've really never seen anything. That's a Nomadisen—the Rolls-Royce of RVs!"
"It must cost at least five million!"
"Five million? Please. That thing goes for ten million easy!"
The door opened, and the electric steps lowered.
Su Chen stepped out in style.
Everyone looked at him with reverence and curiosity as he approached.
"Excuse me, where is your boss?" Su Chen asked flatly.
"Our boss is upstairs. Please, this way, sir!" said a sharp-looking employee, who eagerly led him into the building.
On paper, Qiangsheng was a legitimate financial company.
But anyone with local knowledge knew they ran loan shark operations under the table.
Su Chen had heard of them before—which was exactly why he came here.
"Hello, sir. I'm Gao Qiqiang, general manager of Qiangsheng Finance," said a man in a tailored suit, extending his hand.
When the Nomadisen had pulled up outside, Gao had already been watching from the upper floors.
Anyone who could afford such a beast of a vehicle was someone worth knowing.
No matter what Su Chen was here for, Gao was eager to make a connection.
"I'm Su Chen," Su Chen said casually, shaking his hand.
After a few pleasantries, Su Chen got straight to the point.
"Manager Gao, to be honest, I've hit a rough patch in my business. I'd like to take out a loan. What do you think?"
"Of course! That's what we do here," Gao Qiqiang said, grinning. "But I have to warn you up front… our interest rates are not low."
"I wouldn't have come to you if I didn't already know that," Su Chen replied with a calm smile.