Chapter 2

“By the end of December last year, several countries had discovered cases of animals infected with prion disease, which causes transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. This has raised concerns among international experts and scholars…”

“Could this prion, which can turn animals into ‘zombies,’ pose a threat to humans in the future?”

Zhou Yun opened the most popular domestic discussion forum and saw this news headline. He clicked on it instinctively.

He then saw a comment below: “In fact, there have already been cases of human transmission. My cousin abroad told us to be careful and avoid eating meat of unknown origin for the time being…”

The comments below were mostly sarcastic: “You don’t eat it, let us eat it.”

“Haha, who knows how much zombie frozen meat we’ve already eaten…”

“Right, right, it’s already transmitted to humans. When the zombie outbreak happens, it will be global.”

Another person commented: “This is real. These pathogens are highly likely to cause cross-species and cross-racial infections and outbreaks worldwide.”

“And recently, the weather has been changing dramatically. Several active volcanoes have shown new signs of activity, and there have been multiple undersea earthquakes. Everyone should be cautious and make some preparations.”

More casual comments followed: “Oh, oh, is the apocalypse coming?”

“If it comes, it comes. What can we do? Build a bunker like some billionaire? Hahaha, live in the moment.”

“Apocalypse or not, humans might destroy themselves with war first…”

“I’ve stocked up on a lot of survival kits, food, and water for years. Can anyone tell me when the apocalypse will come?”

Zhou Yun thought for a moment and then replied: “If the apocalypse is really coming, everyone should stock up on food, water, and medicines. It’s best not to travel far or stay in densely populated areas recently.”

Zombie viruses spread in densely populated big cities, where once water and power are cut off, survival becomes difficult. Small towns or rural areas like theirs, surrounded by mountains and seas, offer more escape routes and higher chances of survival.

Also… Zhou Yun glanced out the window at the neatly arranged pots of succulent plants. They were beautiful and delicate.

As long as food and water were secured, living in a high-rise building with locked doors could be safe for a long time. Zombies lack intelligence and are less likely to climb tall buildings, except for those who were already residents and turned into zombies. Isolating from them would allow for a longer, more secure stay.

He snapped back to reality and refreshed the page. As expected, the responses below his post were nonchalant, with everyone taking it as a joke: “I’ve returned from the apocalypse to tell you all to stock up on food and water…”

“Should we move to highlands? Has the country built a Noah’s Ark there?”

“If there’s an Ark, it’s probably headed to Mars. What’s the point of going to highlands?”

“If it’s truly the apocalypse, with storms, floods, earthquakes, and droughts, where can we escape to?”

“I think the biggest threat is still human-caused destruction, like a world war. After all, weapons capable of wiping out humanity are in the hands of a few madmen.”

—–

Zhou Yun closed the forum, opened a spreadsheet, and started drafting a shopping list. He then checked his bank balance on his phone. There were insurance payouts and compensations from his parents’ deaths, along with the savings he accumulated from living frugally over the years.

He quickly opened an online shopping platform and began typing rapidly on the keyboard.

Items that seemed ordinary and cheap in the abundant modern industrial system would be extremely precious in a post-apocalyptic world.

He didn’t categorize them deliberately but typed out whatever came to mind, line by line, then marked prices and quantities.

Items for house modification: solar panels, wind turbines, retractable glass greenhouse roofs, rainwater collection systems, water purifiers, generators, and solar outdoor wall lights. Bricks, cement, various soils and fertilizers for planting.

Food and bottled water—although he might awaken water or wood abilities in the future, the powers would be weak initially, necessitating sufficient reserves of food and water.

A large quantity of canned food: fish, shrimp, pork, chicken, beef, luncheon meat, vegetable and fruit cans, preserved eggs, salted eggs, compressed biscuits, rice, flour, and noodles.

And waterproof and insect-proof containers, refrigerators, and freezers for storing food. Try to buy durable items.

If I can successfully grow vegetables and grains and raise some poultry, then my food supply will be mostly secured.

Next, there are various seeds for planting, vegetable pots, long vegetable beds, quicklime, bone meal, rice husk charcoal, potassium fertilizer, deep pots for composting leaves, easy-to-root plant cuttings, and large seedlings with soil.

In the post-apocalyptic world, the weather is harsh with frequent prolonged periods of heavy rain, drought, and dense fog without any pattern. What can grow and what cannot largely depends on luck.

Therefore, he buys as many varieties of seeds as possible.

Poultry that can be raised on the balcony includes chicks, ducklings, goslings, fish fry, piglets, and rabbit kits.

Which animals can survive depends on luck, but there is a risk of mutation in animals. Hence, he cautiously chooses relatively safe and docile small poultry and livestock. In the post-apocalyptic world, with other rooms vacant, these animals can be raised in other unoccupied rooms. Once winter is over, they can be raised on the community ground.

Beast traps, animal cages, electronic high-voltage pulse fences, drones, and house surveillance ensure the safety of the house.

In the post-apocalyptic world, mutated animals and zombie animals are everywhere, even birds. Although they have gained abilities, they lack intelligence, so they will stay away once obstructed.

Then, there are medicines, oxygen concentrators, and other medical equipment. Common medicines, post-apocalyptic anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, treatment for bruises and external injuries, bandages, and various anti-flu and detoxification medicines are all invaluable.

As a doctor, he expertly made a separate list of medicines and equipment, adding some cheap daily vitamins.

When society completely collapses, these products of industrial society will become very precious.

Also, books. After the apocalypse, large data centers, cloud network server equipment, signal towers, power equipment, etc., will quickly become unusable due to the lack of maintenance. Therefore, necessary reference books and technical books must be purchased in advance.

However, because books take up space and are heavy, they must be bought cautiously. Electronic books should be prioritized as long as the generator can function normally. He can use the computer even without the internet as long as the data is stored on the local hard drive.

Additionally, for the long post-apocalyptic period, he needs entertainment. So, he decisively adds several large-capacity portable hard drives to the shopping list for downloading movies, TV shows, anime, e-books, etc.

Food, drink, medicine, and the remaining items include clothing and bedding. The weather in the post-apocalyptic world is harsh, alternating between cold and hot. He listed ten sets of various basic clothing for cold and warm weather, rainproof and windproof jackets, and motorcycle armor, which is very useful when fighting zombies.

Also on the list are down jackets, down quilts, silk quilts, which are light yet warm and don’t take up much space, as well as work boots, electrician boots, etc.

Although he mainly plans to stay indoors, he must consider the possibility of being forced to wander outside, like in the previous life, looking for strong bases for assistance. Therefore, he includes travel backpacks, travel supplies, essential outdoor survival tools, first aid kits, solar hand-crank flashlights, emergency disaster candles, power banks, and e-books on the list.

For apocalyptic wandering, he also needs items for bartering, such as cigarettes, coffee, tea, milk powder, chocolate, and sugar. He adds some cost-effective bulk items to the list.

He focused on making a large list, and the total amount was quite shocking.

He frowned, knowing he needed to filter the list, mark the most necessary items in red, and find ways to raise funds.

He pondered for a while when his phone suddenly rang. It was Song Zhenhua, probably looking for him since he was not on duty.

He casually blocked the call and got up to inspect the house again, gaining a better understanding of the modifications needed. He added bricks, iron doors, cement, window glass, photovoltaic panels for the ceiling, and roof reinforcements to the list.

After listing everything, he carefully calculated and immediately redeemed his investments and fixed deposits, placing orders for the most troublesome items like photovoltaic generators, glass greenhouse roofs, and rainwater collection systems, scheduling installation times.

It was noon, and although he should have slept after his shift, he was preoccupied with preparations. He took his keys and left, planning to visit the market to see what else he could buy.

Before leaving, he glanced at the door opposite, the dark red wooden door provided by the developer still looked new, indicating no one had moved in.

He pursed his lips, took his bicycle into the elevator, and pedaled like the wind to the plant and bird market, buying a potted fragrant lemon tree, a large fig seedling with fruit, a blueberry bush, and a local mild chili plant. He also bought two ceramic fish tanks for garden fish and some large deep flowerpots, arranging delivery.

Next, he went to the market and bought some common vegetable seeds, tubers, and rhizomes, as well as meat and vegetables for the coming days and some chicks and ducklings.

He also bought tools and farm implements that seemed ordinary before the apocalypse but would be invaluable afterward, such as a hay knife, sickle, hoe, and ordered a batch of pickling jars.

He also ordered a batch of sausage casings online and found a stall specializing in black pork and native chickens, ordering a pig and ten chickens to gradually make sausages.

Besides sausages, he planned to dry some meat, vegetables, and mushrooms, which are easy to store, carry, and nutritious, making them very popular in the apocalypse.

Finally, he returned to his community, pulling up unwanted old plants from the rooftop garden, planning to reallocate the areas for growing vegetables, flowers, fruits, and medicinal herbs.

The old vegetable roots and stems he pulled out were chopped into pieces with a chopper and poured into the compost bin. Then he layered some soil that had clearly lost its fertility, sprinkled some catalytic fermentation fertilizer, and waited for the leaf compost to decompose.

His movements were quick and agile, no longer needing to worry about the tedious matters of the hospital.

After turning over the soil, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to renovating the room, tidying up clutter, and inventorying items. In the room’s safe, he found two gold bars his mother had left him. His mother had specifically bought two 200-gram gold bars when the price was low and had said to him with a smile, “These are for you to make the three gold items for your bride.”

His relatives had passed away, and at that time, he couldn’t bring himself to tell his mother, who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, that he liked men. He accepted the gold bars and stored them properly.

Now, seeing these items brought back memories, making him feel a bit emotional. Logically, with the current high international gold prices, he should sell them, as they could be exchanged for many valuable goods.

However, his mother’s loving words still echoed in his ears, and even in the apocalypse, gold remained a stable currency. Although each base had its own contribution points to exchange for goods and used crystal cores for transactions, the demand for crystal cores was so high that they were mostly monopolized by those with abilities. Ordinary people still used gold for transactions, as it was the only thing that could still serve as currency. In his past life, these two gold bars had been cut into pieces and used bit by bit for food, water, and paying taxes to enter bases during his wandering days.

He thought about it and decided to put the gold bars back into the safe. If his plans went smoothly and he could stay at home this time, then these gold bars could remain with him.