Shortly after midnight, the timer updated—130 minutes remaining.

That meant the time could accumulate.

Jiang Ning was ecstatic. Never underestimate even a single minute—it could save your life in a critical moment.

She decided that unless absolutely necessary, she would no longer enter the space. She would save the time for extreme cold or an earthquake.

With food in hand and the survival space secured, she felt a newfound confidence facing the disasters to come.

She slept dreamlessly through the night, only to be woken up the next day by a phone call—it was the team to install her stainless steel door.

“Miss, you’re installing a stainless steel door?”

“There have been thefts in the area lately. I want something with solid quality.”

The installer chuckled. “This ‘heaven-and-earth lock’ is very secure, but it requires drilling into both the ceiling and floor. Aren’t you worried about damaging the property?”

“No worries. Safety is the priority.”

The landlord had moved to another city for work and was never heard from again after the house collapsed in an earthquake, so modifications weren’t a problem.

The team installing blast-proof glass arrived right after, and both groups got to work. The sound of power drills echoed frequently.

It was the weekend, and Jiang Ning didn’t want to disturb her neighbors, so she sent a message in the group chat and followed it with red packets.

She opened an app and continued ordering food online, determined to spend all her remaining money.

In under two hours, the doors and glass were installed. Jiang Ning paid the remaining balance she had set aside and looked at her now-fortified apartment with great relief.

Her phone rang. Thinking it was a delivery, she picked up—only to hear Yang Weicong’s voice.

“A-Ning, today’s my birthday party. When are you coming?”

His voice was gentle and cheerful, with laughter and noise in the background.

Jiang Ning sneered. “Great. You just wait.”

He clearly liked Su Mengyao but kept stringing her along, just to get a surprise gift—or more likely, to try and steal her “golden finger” (special power).

Through the call, she could hear Su Mengyao’s sweet and delicate voice.

In her past life, Jiang Ning had approached him willingly, and Yang Weicong barely gave her the time of day. Now, he was the one licking up to her.

A warning bell rang in her mind. How did Su Mengyao know that her pendant contained a space?

Judging by Yang Weicong’s attitude, he likely didn’t know the secret—it was probably Su Mengyao who urged him to call.

Jiang Ning grabbed her keys and headed downstairs.

Yang Weicong lived on the 8th floor, and she could already hear the sounds of partying coming from his apartment.

She walked straight past, without a second of hesitation.

The weather was still stiflingly hot, but the typhoon’s early winds had arrived. Howling gusts echoed down the street.

A text alert flashed on her phone: The typhoon is expected to hit at 9 PM tonight.

Jiang Ning was stunned. It was earlier than expected.

She headed to the school library to gather books on medicine—something to keep studying during a disaster—as well as martial arts and mental discipline.

The massive library had been flooded during the great deluge, and countless priceless books were lost.

Just thinking about it made her heart ache—but there was nothing she could do.

Avoiding the security cameras, she stacked the books she wanted with others and quietly slipped them all into her space.

Yang Weicong called again. Jiang Ning immediately blocked his number.

She left campus and went to a large supermarket. She took the elevator to the top-level parking lot and walked around carefully before coming back down.

Despite all the dazzling goods, she didn’t buy anything. She wandered back and forth on the second floor before driving off to another location.

Then the rental car company called—they were closing early because of the typhoon and asked her to return the car before 3 PM.

Jiang Ning agreed over the phone but didn’t return it until 4 PM. By then, the typhoon was already howling, the winds roaring around her.

The shop owner was kind. After inspecting the car and finding no issues, he refunded her 2000 yuan deposit.

Disasters didn’t strike all at once—they gave warnings. Sadly, humans failed to heed them.

Jiang Ning decided to keep her cash for emergencies and stopped spending.

Back at the apartment, she pulled out her laptop, tablet, and phone, downloading as much as she could—movies, music, survival skills, cooking recipes, offline maps, first-aid guides, and more.

Suddenly, a logistics notification popped up from her shopping app.

Only then did Jiang Ning remember—she’d forgotten all about the polar-grade thermal suit she ordered!

It was supposed to arrive yesterday evening, but the seller shipped it late and the courier was delayed. The package had only just reached the collection center.

She immediately called. The courier said the typhoon had arrived and they couldn’t make deliveries. She’d have to wait until the storm passed—unless she picked it up herself by 6 PM.

Outside, the wind was screaming. Trees in her neighborhood thrashed violently.

Once the typhoon and rain hit, the courier station would flood. Without that extreme-cold thermal suit, she wouldn’t survive temperatures of minus sixty or seventy degrees.

No drivers accepted her ride requests.

Gritting her teeth, Jiang Ning dashed downstairs, grabbed a shared bike, and pedaled furiously toward the courier center.

It was just two kilometers away, but the headwinds were so strong she could barely keep her eyes open. Garbage and cardboard flew through the air.

Drenched in sweat, hair wild and tangled, she finally arrived.

Packages had piled up like mountains—deliveries were all delayed due to the typhoon.

Jiang Ning didn’t stop to catch her breath. She rolled up her sleeves and dug through the piles.

Luckily, the package was big. After more than ten minutes of frantic searching, she found it.

Outside, the typhoon had worsened. The sky was so dark it looked like night.

Clutching the massive box, she turned to leave.

The moment she stepped out, a sudden gust hit her—Jiang Ning was lifted off her feet!

In a flash, a man standing beside a nearby car reached out and caught her.

He had solid footing and pulled her back firmly, saving her from being blown away.

Jiang Ning quickly thanked him, but her voice was swept away by the wind.

The man gave her a glance. “The typhoon’s here. It’s not safe to be out carrying a box like that.”

She hadn’t expected the typhoon to come so soon. With no other choice, Jiang Ning retreated into the store and kept refreshing her ride app—adding tips and rewards.

Still, over 300 people were ahead of her. Not a single driver took the order.

The man had picked up a large number of packages and filled his entire Hummer. Seeing her anxious expression, he hesitated a moment and asked, “Where do you live?”

Under the lights, Jiang Ning finally got a good look at him. Black T-shirt and jeans, early twenties, with short, clean-cut hair. His sharp jawline and chiseled features gave him a cold, commanding presence.

He was tall—at least 185 cm—with impossibly long legs.

Jiang Ning thanked him again. The man replied coolly, “It’s no trouble.”

“I live in Jinrong Residential Area. Would it be okay to get a lift? I can pay the fare.”

He nodded and opened the car door.

The backseat was full. Jiang Ning opened the front passenger door—only to see a little girl already sitting there.

She looked four or five, with a pale, timid face, a pink dress, and round, grape-like eyes staring at her.

The man spoke. “Dou Dou, sit on her lap.”

With the apocalypse coming, who still cared about seatbelt violations?

Jiang Ning lifted Dou Dou into her lap and stuffed the parcel at her feet.

The Hummer rumbled steadily through the howling storm.

In the darkening sky, broken branches flew, and the metal roofs of sheds rattled as they were ripped off.

Down a distant street, a girl in a dress clung to an electric pole, her mouth shouting for help…

And so, the catastrophe officially began.