Smack! Smack! Smack!
Inside the boxing gym, Su Chen was throwing furious punches at the sandbag in front of him.
After a flurry of strikes, he finally stopped. His face was drenched in sweat, and he was slightly out of breath, but there was a satisfied look on his face.
Back in college, Su Chen had already been an athletic star.
It was thanks to his athletic prowess that he'd managed to win the heart of the campus beauty, Liu Ling'er.
With his excellent physical condition, he had survived for quite a while in his previous life in the apocalyptic world.
But now, having been reborn, Su Chen realized that his physique seemed to have improved even further.
Under the guidance of a professional coach, his progress over the past two weeks had been astonishing.
Although he still wasn't a match for the former national-level coach, no one else in the gym—even those who had trained for two and a half years—could best him anymore.
"Brother Chen, come here and wipe your sweat!"
A female trainer in tight yoga pants, her figure curvaceous and elegant, sauntered over and handed Su Chen a towel in a sweet and coquettish voice.
While Su Chen wiped off his sweat, she stepped behind him and started giving him a shoulder massage.
Such treatment was enough to make everyone else in the gym green with envy.
But envy was all it was—no one dared complain.
After all, Su Chen had spent lavishly, dropping over a hundred thousand yuan to hire an entire coaching team when he joined the gym.
Several attractive female trainers in the gym were practically fighting to stay close to him every day.
With the apocalypse fast approaching, Su Chen made no effort to refuse them, and had easily gotten all these women under his thumb.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang—it was a call from Zhang Chi.
"Hello, Mr. Su. The job's done—I've finished the modifications just as you requested."
"Great, I'll head over right now!"
Su Chen was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected Zhang Chi to finish the work ahead of schedule.
As soon as he hung up the phone, the female trainer behind him leaned in closer, her breath warm against his ear as she whispered coyly:
"Brother Chen, I'm free tonight. Want to come keep me company?"
Any man would find it hard to resist such an offer—and Su Chen was no exception.
But the apocalypse was only two or three days away.
If Zhang Chi had done a great job with the modifications, Su Chen planned to set out tonight.
So, gritting his teeth, he declined firmly:
"I've got something to take care of tonight—maybe another time!"
Ignoring her wistful and disappointed gaze, he took a shower, changed clothes, and headed straight for Zhang Chi's auto shop.
Zhang Chi and Old Xu, the driver, had already been waiting for a while. When they saw Su Chen arrive, they walked up with beaming smiles.
"Mr. Su, I followed all your instructions to the letter. Come take a look!"
The modified Nomadison stood quietly before them.
Its originally tan exterior had been repainted in camouflage colors, making it much better for stealth.
As per Su Chen's request, the vehicle's body had been reinforced with bulletproof steel plates.
According to Zhang Chi, the steel's protection was top-notch—it could even withstand RPG rocket attacks.
The cab and main body of the vehicle had also been fully integrated, allowing free movement between the two without needing to step outside.
After a full inspection, Su Chen was very satisfied.
"Excellent work, Director Zhang. I appreciate your effort."
"No trouble at all!"
Zhang Chi rubbed his hands together, grinning widely.
"Mr. Su, about the modification fee…"
"No problem. I'll transfer the money right now."
Su Chen didn't hesitate. As agreed, he transferred half of the payment to Zhang Chi's account.
"The remaining balance will be paid one month from now."
"No problem at all!"
Seeing tens of thousands of yuan added to his account, Zhang Chi could hardly contain his joy.
Car modification was already a highly profitable business, and Su Chen had paid him double the usual price.
"Old Xu, here's your salary."
Su Chen also transferred 20,000 yuan to Old Xu.
"Thank you, Mr. Su!"
Old Xu was equally delighted.
Su Chen personally started up the Nomadison, making sure everything was in working order, then drove off from Zhang Chi's auto shop.
As they watched his figure disappear into the distance, both Zhang Chi and Old Xu couldn't help but feel a little reluctant.
After all, big spenders like Su Chen were rare.
Due to the modifications, the Nomadison now exceeded the legal height limit for vehicles.
If it entered the downtown area, it would definitely be stopped by traffic police.
Fortunately, Su Chen had already packed up all his belongings—there was no need to return to the city.
After leaving the garage, he headed straight for the Walmart warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
Using the excuse of "talking business with Manager Zhao," he parked the Nomadison next to the warehouse and discreetly transferred as many supplies as he could into his storage space.
Luckily, it was a workday and there weren't many people in the warehouse.
Just like that, without anyone noticing, Su Chen had stocked up on another massive batch of supplies!
With everything done, Su Chen drove the Nomadison to a suburban parking lot once more.
Thanks to the modifications, the driver's seat was now extremely comfortable—he could sit in it for an entire day and night without feeling overly fatigued.
🎵 "And yet you came closer, forcing our eyes to meet..." 🎵
Leaning back in his seat with one leg crossed over the other, Su Chen listened to the car's sound system.
He used to think this kind of club-style DJ music was tacky, but now that he was behind the wheel himself, he found it oddly catchy.
As the night deepened and the clock ticked past midnight, the world around him suddenly lit up.
Su Chen looked up.
Through the sunroof, he could clearly see countless meteors trailing fiery tails as they streaked across the once-dark sky!
Though it was the middle of the night, such a spectacular sight still drew many people out to watch.
The internet was soon buzzing with chatter.
"Whoa! Where did this meteor shower come from all of a sudden?!"
"Any handsome guys want to come watch the meteor shower with me?"
"Girl above, you think a guy wants to hang out with you looking like that? Throw you in a pressure cooker for two hours and maybe you'll calm down!"
"Fellow citizens, no need to panic. According to Professor Jiao's research..."
"Shut up!"
Watching the chaos unfold online, Su Chen let out a quiet sigh.
He knew all too well—this meteor shower wasn't romantic at all. It was going to be bloody.
This sudden, dazzling meteor shower was the opening act of the apocalypse.
Until tonight, Su Chen had felt deeply conflicted.
On one hand, he didn't want the apocalypse to come—humanity would suffer massive losses, society would collapse, and the world would become a nightmare.
But on the other hand, he needed it to happen. He had wagered everything he owned on its arrival.
If the apocalypse didn't come, even someone like Gao Qiqiang, the ruthless loan shark, wouldn't let him off the hook.
As the meteors lit up the sky, Su Chen shook his head and his gaze hardened with resolve.
Since the end was truly here, then his mission was clear—survive in this new world.
He started up the Nomadison once again and drove off into the west like a thunderclap.
His next destination: Phoenix Mountain Scenic Area, west of the Modu.