Chapter 6: Comrades-in-Arms

Chapter 6: Comrades

Next, they went to the dried goods section, which was indispensable. Various dried mushrooms, wood ear fungus, kelp, seaweed vermicelli, and so on, along with dried shrimp, dried scallop cubes, and other dried seafood. These not only stave off hunger but also provide essential nutrients.

After finishing there, they headed to the fresh produce section to buy all kinds of meat—pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, and fish—starting from scratch, with a minimum of three hundred pounds each. Since they were organizing a rural wedding banquet, the vendors were happy to help, gathering the items for them.

They also bought sliced lamb and beef, as well as various meatballs, all essential for future hotpot meals.

Eggs were absolutely indispensable. They purchased two thousand eggs each of chicken, duck, and goose eggs, plus ten boxes of quail eggs. Unsure whether their space could incubate fertilized eggs, they also bought a hundred fertilized eggs just in case. If they couldn’t hatch them, they would simply eat them—no waste.

Next came fruits and vegetables, which they sourced directly from the wholesale market.

At the market entrance, they grabbed some fried chicken fast food and placed orders for three hours later to pick up, then entered the wholesale market.

For fruits and vegetables, they didn’t bother choosing varieties—bought a bit of everything. They didn’t fuss over quantities, just an even preference for all, buying more of the cheaper ones and less of the expensive ones. A very humane and practical approach.

By the time they finished, it was already 3:50 p.m. They hurried to pick up the fried chicken and rushed back to the bungalow to unload.

Shortly after arriving, the delivery trucks came. Few people still lived in the old houses here; many had left for the city, buying apartments since water, electricity, and heating were more convenient there. So no one paid much attention to them.

They moved everything into the yard and paid. The workers left after receiving red envelopes from Gu Pan and the others, along with a few reminders.

Then Gu Pan stored everything in their spatial dimension. Since the space could be arranged mentally, staples like rice, flour, and oil were neatly stacked without taking up room.

Just as she finished, the water delivery arrived. The same routine followed, but the mineral water was stored in the space, while the water tank was filled directly at the old house’s two open taps. Before the apocalypse, they could at least fill the tank. To prevent overflow, Lu Ruisheng installed a safety valve that would automatically shut off when full. Having worked in the renovation industry for years, he knew all these practical details. By the time everything was set, night had fallen.

They went to the food street for dinner, then visited a nearby mall, heading straight to the outdoor gear store. They bought several of the warmest down jackets and the highest-quality shell jackets.

They also purchased premium sun-protection shirts since these were life-saving items and had to be of good quality, unlike ordinary clothes where just decent quality would suffice.

Having finished shopping, they returned home past ten o’clock.

They were out early and home late every day; even if Zhuang Jie came, he probably wouldn’t find them.

That evening, Lu Ruisheng received a call from a friend. The survival supplies were all ready. His client had just received a new batch of equipment, so the friend had reserved everything for him to pick up from the Extreme Survival Club the next morning.

The two agreed time would be tight the next day, so they planned to set off earlier, first buying out several breakfast shops, then collecting the gear from the friend, and afterward purchasing gasoline. They intended to stock up on gas over the next few days since, in the apocalypse, gasoline might be impossible to buy no matter how much money they had. In the afternoon, they planned to visit a used car dealership to sell their current sedan and buy a used Hummer and a modified off-road vehicle.

But then suddenly it dawned on them—why buy? Just rent. In the apocalypse, no need to return vehicles. Money wasn’t something to waste foolishly.

After making those arrangements, they lay down. That night was colder, so they turned on the heater and electric blankets.

The next morning, they set out directly and encountered Zhuang Jie at the door. They told him they were divorcing and didn’t waste time. Zhuang Jie, having no choice, hurried off to stockpile supplies himself. He had also sold his property, rented a warehouse, and purchased essentials for the apocalypse.

Of course, he had no idea that all his stockpiled goods were destined to be a dowry for Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng.

Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng first arrived at their usual breakfast spot. The place was quiet due to the colder weather.

They bought all the breakfast items in the shop, asking to pick them up an hour later since preparation was needed.

Then they went a bit farther to buy out another breakfast shop and ended up covering three breakfast shops entirely.

In between, they stopped at a pharmacy and bought many common medicines. With only four days left before the apocalypse, they avoided buying too much at once to prevent raising suspicions, as pharmacies were in contact with the authorities. They told the shop that they planned a nationwide road trip soon and wanted extra medicines for safety, a believable excuse.

They also bought some isolation suits—not many, so as not to attract attention.

They placed the breakfast boxes at the back of their truck, but in reality, Gu Pan had already stored most of it in their space.

Next, they went to Lu Ruisheng’s friend’s Extreme Survival Club. This friend, Guo Gang, was a former comrade of Lu Ruisheng’s. Though they didn’t meet often, their relationship was good—just a quick call when needed. Guo Gang had helped them during the apocalypse, a kindness Gu Pan would never forget. She had told her husband about it and they agreed to send him some instant noodles and self-heating meals via express delivery the day before the apocalypse.

Guo Gang greeted them at the door.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they went inside.

Guo Gang was considerate, not prying into Lu Ruisheng’s business, so he didn’t ask why they were buying so much. He simply showed them the stockpile: tents, earthquake and fire emergency kits, rescue lamps, climbing ropes, binoculars, oxygen masks, small generators, entrenching tools, fireproof protective clothing…

Five of each item, more than enough.

To their surprise, Guo Gang also had biohazard suits and bulletproof vests—items not easily obtained. Lu Ruisheng didn’t ask questions.

After paying, Gu Pan warned Guo Gang, “Brother Guo, I have a friend at the Meteorological Bureau. There’s a rumor that the weather will worsen and persist for a long time. You should prepare extra essentials these next few days to avoid difficulties in transport and panic buying at supermarkets.”

Guo Gang nodded, “The weather does feel off. You guys be careful on the road.”

Lu Ruisheng responded, “Brother Guo, we’ll call if anything comes up.”

With the weather growing more ominous, the wind picking up and the cold intensifying, and with much left to do, they didn’t linger and said their goodbyes.

After a short distance, Gu Pan stored everything in their space again, and the two headed to the generator seller, preferring to buy early for peace of mind.

On the way, they discussed how gold could extend the time items stayed in the space, planning to raid jewelry stores once the apocalypse began.

At the generator shop, they selected ten suitable units, claiming they were for fieldwork, and bought the corresponding diesel fuel. The delivery address remained the old house.

(End of chapter)