Chapter 3: Beginning to Stockpile Supplies

Chu Xiao’s mood gradually improved, and once he relaxed, his stomach started to growl.

Opening up the food delivery app, after a few taps, the little riders quickly delivered barbecue, snail noodles, and a grilled meat set meal.

Banban cast a disdainful glance at the snail noodles, made a frantic “digging poop” gesture, and left the living room.

It was a rare moment of leisure, one Chu Xiao wanted to savor.

Looking at the barbecue on the table, then at the empty living room, he noticed only Nuomi was still keeping him company.

He was an orphan—more precisely, an abandoned child.

Thankfully, his grandmother found him, and he managed to survive.

Unfortunately, she had passed away before he even entered college.

She never lived to enjoy even a single day of a good life.

At some point, his eyes filled with tears.

Nuomi let out a meow, turned over, and continued lying in Chu Xiao’s arms.

The sizzling sound of barbecue and the weather forecast about high temperatures from the TV broke Chu Xiao’s sorrow.

“50 degrees?”

Chu Xiao stared at the news broadcast on the screen. This wasn’t quite the same as in his previous life.

After eating and drinking his fill, he drove to a factory.

The villa district, which would become the first base, had to be built sturdy.

“Bulletproof glass for the whole house? Young man, are you joking?” The factory boss looked at the spirited Chu Xiao and chuckled.

“If you don’t take this order, I’ll just go find someone else.” Chu Xiao couldn’t be bothered with nonsense; the rising temperatures already felt ominous.

“Take it? Of course I’ll take it! But outfitting the whole house with bulletproof glass isn’t cheap.”

“Here’s a 200,000 deposit. Sign the contract with me, then head straight to the Hengshui Bay villa district and start installation.”

The factory boss thought Chu Xiao was bluffing, but when he opened the briefcase, the piles of cash inside dazzled him.

“Eh! All right, all right, all right! Don’t worry, young man. I’ll use the best bulletproof glass and guarantee it’ll last.”

After sending Chu Xiao off, the boss, face glowing red with excitement, immediately shut down the factory, stopped taking other orders, and that very night took over 100 workers in trucks straight to Hengshui Bay.

They scared the security guards so much they nearly called the police.

Leaving the factory, Chu Xiao stopped by a furniture store and ordered bulletproof doors.

By the time he finished, it was already evening.

When he got home, Banban actually greeted him at the door.

“You’re acting weird!” Chu Xiao picked Banban up, carried him into the living room, and grabbed a can of soda from the fridge.

After resting for a moment, he cooked a pack of pasta for dinner.

In the apocalypse, water resources would become polluted, so hoarding water was most important.

With extreme weather, humanity suffered heavy losses, and power facilities collapsed, so stockpiling coal briquettes and wood was also necessary.

But in the country, hoarding such things in bulk could easily attract attention.

As for firearms and ammunition, Chu Xiao planned to wait until Jiang Ning arrived before making a trip abroad.

On the desk, the draft paper was covered densely with a list of supplies to prepare.

The night was quiet. Having never slept peacefully once in the apocalypse, Chu Xiao now hugged Nuomi and drifted off in exhaustion.

Early the next morning, Chu Xiao was still asleep when the sharp ring of his phone woke him.

It was Jiang Ning.

“Sit down. What do you want to eat?” Chu Xiao looked at Jiang Ning, dressed in casual clothes, exuding the air of a youthful beauty.

“What do you have at home? I’ll cook.” Jiang Ning was very conscientious. Since she had been hired for a high salary, she had to earn it properly.

“What can you cook?” Chu Xiao leaned on his arm, glancing at her as she stood up.

Hmm. Nice legs.

“Anything homestyle. What do you want?”

Jiang Ning opened the fridge, only to find it completely empty.

Uh…

“There are frozen dumplings downstairs,” Chu Xiao chuckled at her stunned expression.

His fridge never held vegetables.

It was filled entirely with soda.

“Then go rest in the living room. I’ll call you when it’s ready.” Jiang Ning glanced at the kitchen and decided to make sour soup dumplings.

Chu Xiao nodded but didn’t leave.

He sat down at the bar counter nearby.

“The house at Hengshui Bay is still under renovation. For now, just help me take care of the two cats here. I’ll be very busy in the coming days, so you should first get familiar with them.”

Chu Xiao had no intention of letting anyone know about his infinite storage space.

That was his biggest trump card.

“Got it, boss.” Jiang Ning was quick, dropping dumplings into boiling water.

“Don’t call me boss. Just call me Chu Xiao.”

“That won’t do. You’re the boss. How could I call you by your name?” Jiang Ning prepared two bowls of seasoning and lifted the pot lid.

“How old are you?” When Chu Xiao stayed quiet, she asked again.

“How old? What do you mean?”

Chu Xiao, holding Nuomi, was happily stroking him.

“Your age. If you’re older than me, I’ll call you Brother Xiao. If you’re younger, I’ll call you Boss Xiao.”

As the sour soup dumplings were served, the smell made Chu Xiao’s mouth water instantly.

“I’m 22. You can’t be younger than me, right? But I remember you graduated a year earlier than me.” Chu Xiao quickly took a bowl and dug in.

“I just turned 18,” Jiang Ning said softly.

“What the—? How much?” Even though Chu Xiao had mentally prepared himself, the “18” still left him dumbfounded.

Jiang Ning rolled her eyes at him and sat at the table.

“You heard right. I’m 18. My birthday’s next month.”

Chu Xiao swallowed hard. Was this the difference between geniuses?

He had thought graduating at 22 was impressive, but looking at her…

Not even 18 and already graduated—a straight-A top student and campus beauty.

Once he recovered from the shock, Chu Xiao left Jiang Ning at home and headed to the wholesale market alone.

Originally, he’d planned on going to a supermarket, but realized it wasn’t practical. Supermarkets didn’t sell in large quantities, and bulk buying there would easily cause suspicion and panic.

Driving out to the suburbs, he arrived at a massive wholesale trading market.

The main trade here was food, and further down was the fruit market.

After parking, Chu Xiao first went to the mineral water wholesale section. Stacks upon stacks filled the warehouse: Yibei, Mountain Spring, Ice Husband, all sorts.

“Boss, how much stock do you have here?” Chu Xiao eyed the towering piles of bottled water, itching to snatch them all up.

“This batch? About tens of thousands of cases. There’s more in the back warehouse. Young man, are you stocking up?” The factory boss didn’t seem surprised.

In this heat, who knew how long it would last? If one day the water got cut off, a single bottle of what you stored today could be worth a fortune.

“My boss needs about 2 million yuan worth. Can you prepare that? No rush—we need it in a week.” Chu Xiao glanced around. Plenty of other drinks were also available.

“Two million…” The boss hesitated.

“Any brand requirements?”

“No, but better to include mineral water, and some with added minerals.” Chu Xiao’s eyes shifted to the nearby rice trading warehouse.

“Alright. Pay a 500,000 deposit first, then settle the balance when the order’s ready.” The boss eyed him suspiciously.

“Are you also planning to stock up on rice?”

“Just taking a look. You go prepare it. Give me your account info.” Chu Xiao withdrew his gaze.

Stockpiling rice in huge amounts would definitely get you caught.