Chapter 3

The materials for the solar photovoltaic panels arrived first, and the installation team soon followed. As per Zhou Yun’s request, everything was reinforced during installation.

The installers repeatedly confirmed with him, “Actually, is it really necessary to reinforce this much? The installation is supposed to meet the standard to withstand winds of up to level 11.”

Zhou Yun brought over a bucket of water, a bucket of chilled cola, and a pack of cigarettes to the lead engineer, explaining as he handed them over, “This is the roof, the wind is strong, and it could be troublesome if it blows away. It’s better to spend a little more money now and do it right.”

The installer was surprised by his generosity. After wearing a safety harness, they climbed up to the roof from the balcony, feeling the sharp wind at the top. They laughed, “As expected, it’s the roof. The view is great, and the wind is strong. You might as well add a wind power system.”

Zhou Yun smiled, “That’s exactly what I’m planning to do.” In the post-apocalyptic world, there would be intense sun or violent storms, and good weather would be rare.

The summers would alternate between severe droughts and floods, with hail and snow, while the winters would be extraordinarily cold. A household wind turbine was a must.

The installer gave him a thumbs up, “The property management won’t be able to charge you for electricity in the future!”

Zhou Yun smiled slightly, knowing that the installer probably still lived in an old community where property management handled the electricity bills. He wasn’t aware that in these newer neighborhoods, electricity fees were paid directly via mobile phones. Zhou Yun sincerely recommended, “You should install one too, Master. Experts say we’re entering a mini ice age, and the weather’s been unpredictable. Since you work in this field, it would be handy to have it at home.”

The installers laughed heartily, shaking their heads, “Spending tens of thousands to install these! How much electricity would that cover? Everything in the house costs money!”

The solar panels were quickly installed and connected to the cables and generator. The installers, impressed by the quality of the cigarettes, carefully checked the stability of the installation and measured the power output of the solar panels. They carefully explained how to use the system and left Zhou Yun their maintenance contact number.

Zhou Yun listened attentively, asking questions and taking notes. He even recorded videos because he knew that once the apocalypse hit, all customer service and maintenance would cease to exist.

The installer, seeing his seriousness and generosity (since he was offering quality cigarettes), wrote down his email address, “We have a detailed installation and usage guide for internal training. I’ll send it to you when I get back.”

That would be great, Zhou Yun thanked him repeatedly.

The installers looked at the thriving vegetable garden on his balcony, all admiring, “You’re really capable, young man.”

Zhou Yun reminded them again, “The weather’s been strange lately. It’s hard to say when another major flu outbreak might occur, so it’s best to stock up on food and medicine.”

The installers laughed, “We still have the salt from the last flu outbreak.” One of them sighed, “My family also bought a lot of common medicines, but they’re all close to expiration. The compressed biscuits and instant noodles are still untouched.”

“We also have a vegetable garden on our balcony, though it’s not as well-grown as yours. We just have some onions, garlic, cilantro, and aloe.”

“My wife grows chili peppers, and they’re great for cooking noodles.”

Zhou Yun watched the installers chat and pack up their equipment, each of them smiling, radiating the comfort and satisfaction of a peaceful era. A wave of melancholy swept over him.

The shadow of the apocalypse had already descended, but most people were still oblivious. Until one day, without warning, those around them would turn into zombies, and the zombies would start gathering in hordes. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to avoid it. Who would turn into a zombie was unpredictable, and there was no way to prevent it in advance.

Once the solar panels were installed, it was time to install the small household wind turbine, lightning rod, rainwater collector, rainwater purification system, central air conditioning, and fresh air system.

—–

After the apocalypse, the outdoors would sometimes be scorching, over 40 degrees, and sometimes it would get extremely cold. Without cooling air conditioning and heating systems, staying inside would be unbearable.

Now that these devices were installed, at least they could ensure safety and basic electricity and water needs during storms, heavy snow, rain, and extreme heat.

High-rise buildings were vulnerable to strong winds, so it was good to reinforce them in advance. Once his abilities gradually developed, he would have ways to reinforce the entire building.

The only thing that couldn’t be prevented was earthquakes. However, in his previous life, he had paid attention to his hometown, and there had never been an earthquake there until his death. Moreover, the building he lived in had been constructed with quality materials, and the entire building had never collapsed.

The generator could also run on both diesel and gasoline. He spent more money hiring a professional electrician to inspect and rewire the entire electrical system of the house.

The solar power system, wind power, and gasoline/diesel backups were all integrated, and the entire electrical system was tested. The electrician received a generous payment for his thorough work and even drew a detailed usage diagram for Zhou Yun.

After that, he added a glass greenhouse, specifically choosing reinforced tempered glass that can withstand hail and storms. He even bought a box of spare tempered glass for emergencies.

The installers all laughed, saying, “With that thickness, it could almost stop a bullet. When have we ever had hail here? Such a waste of money.”

Zhou Yun explained again what the expert had said about the Little Ice Age, but no one believed him. They all smiled and nodded, pretending to agree, but in reality, they didn’t take it seriously. After all, no one had ever imagined the complete collapse of civilization and the return of jungle rules.

Once the large equipment was installed, Zhou Yun continued to build a waterproof fish pond on the rooftop. He set up a filtration system and oxygenation system, added sand and aquatic plants, and started filtering the water.

Next, he built a rainproof shelter for raising poultry and livestock, custom-made chicken, duck, goose, and rabbit cages, as well as pig and sheep pens.

Inside the livestock house, Zhou Yun generously installed air conditioning outlets and sterilizing lamps. After all, when it gets really hot, the poultry and livestock can easily die.

The installers were astonished, saying, “Only large-scale farms would provide air conditioning for chickens and ducks. Are you planning to raise expensive birds?”

Zhou Yun smiled without answering and handed the installers cigarettes. “You’ve seen a lot, have you ever seen someone raise expensive birds?”

The installers had seen a lot, and noticing Zhou Yun’s calm and reserved demeanor, they understood he didn’t want to discuss personal matters. They didn’t ask what kind of birds he was raising and just nodded, saying, “Yes, I’ve seen racing pigeons, mastiffs, pets, and even people raising orchids. They’re all delicate.”

After sending the installers away, Zhou Yun thought for a while and decided to spend some money on livestock manure processing equipment. The manure from the livestock could be directly poured into it for fermentation, mixed with other ashes and residues to dehydrate and granulate into organic fertilizer, and the process would have no odor.

Once the long fish pond was completed, the “century-old brick soil” he had ordered online was delivered.

This soil, recommended on a gardening forum for fruit tree planting, had high nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content, was cheap, clean, and very fertile. It worked well for planting flowers, vegetables, and trees. It could last a long time without needing additional fertilizer. He also bought some earthworms to put into the soil, so the vegetable beds could be planted anytime.

With the renovation of the rooftop garden and installation of various large equipment mostly completed, Zhou Yun looked at his significantly reduced savings and felt a little heartache, but he knew it was necessary.

From now on, he would need to be very frugal with food and medicine reserves. He would do everything he could himself and buy cheaper options when possible. For things like vegetables and fruits that could be grown later, he would prioritize seeds.

Considering the harsh weather of the apocalypse, he decided not to grow delicate vegetables for now but to focus on drought-resistant and cold-tolerant crops.

With the rooftop garden set up, Zhou Yun bought some sturdy shelves and placed them in the two empty loft rooms on the second floor. These rooms were already cold in winter and hot in summer, with small windows, making them perfect for storing items.

To make it easier to store food, Zhou Yun carefully selected and purchased a vacuum low-temperature dryer, a large commercial vacuum sealing machine, along with freezers and vacuum cabinets. His savings quietly dwindled further.

Fortunately, there was no immediate need for vacuum packing. He could do that later. His immediate concern was processing fresh food and dealing with fish fry, poultry, and livestock.

Zhou Yun carefully disinfected the poultry pens before heading to the market to buy healthy and strong chickens, ducks, and geese.

Many of the chickens and ducks in the market were raised for meat and had no reproductive capacity.

Zhou Yun specifically chose local breeds of chickens, ducks, and geese, both male and female. He even found a farmer selling an old hen sitting on a nest with chicks and bought the whole batch to take home and put in the cage.

He also bought three piglets, three lambs, and two pairs of rabbits.

He ordered books and online guides about livestock breeding, intending to learn how to raise them.

The fluffy and cute little chicks and ducklings happily ran around the freshly tilled land. Zhou Yun set up a free-range pen around the vegetable garden so they could run around and eat insects. He also checked that the fish pond had been disinfected, bought some water plants, pebbles, and decorative rocks to place in it, and began cultivating aquatic plants.

Each day was filled with such tasks, and time passed quickly.

—–

One day, the delivery man brought the electric eel he had ordered online, asking for an on-site inspection. As he stood at the door unpacking the package with a utility knife, the door opposite suddenly opened. A middle-aged couple walked out, and one of them turned to speak to someone inside, saying, “We’ll bring you some takeout later. If you need anything, call the property for help.”

As they walked outside, they glanced at Zhou Yun and the delivery man with intense, scrutinizing looks. Suddenly, the woman turned back inside and called loudly, “Yuan Feng! Yuan Feng!”

A man in a wheelchair appeared from inside. Though he was sitting, his tall frame and sharp features were striking. More attention-grabbing was the strong dog that followed closely behind him, staring fiercely at the people outside.

The man briefly asked, “What’s the matter?”

The middle-aged woman loudly replied, “We’ve been abroad for half a month. You should still clean the villa now and then, don’t let it get dusty. Also, don’t go into your brother and sister-in-law’s new house while cleaning, they might be superstitious. Don’t touch anything.”

The man furrowed his brow, his imposing presence exuding authority. But the couple seemed to completely disregard his mood, putting on their shoes and heading to the elevator.

The woman continued to complain, “We’re leaving soon, so you’ll need to order takeout. You always say my cooking is too greasy, so just order what you want.”

“Oh my! You scared me!” She suddenly screamed, jumping back as she saw a huge, snake-like creature, over a meter long, in the water bag Zhou Yun had just opened. “What is that?”

She shrieked, “Why did you buy a snake? Can snakes be kept in this neighborhood? What if it escapes? We’re going to complain to the property!”

Zhou Yun and the delivery guy were both speechless. The delivery guy kindly explained, “This is an electric eel, a type of eel. Ma’am, it’s kept as a pet. These are expensive, and people usually want to check the goods in person before accepting them. Only live ones are accepted.”

The middle-aged woman looked at Zhou Yun with a puzzled expression, “A pet? Who the hell would keep something like that as a pet?!”

Zhou Yun smiled faintly, as if he had accidentally lost his grip, and the entire water ball containing the electric eel suddenly rolled onto the floor.

The sturdy plastic water ball, filled with oxygen, bounced a few times on the ground before rolling toward the middle-aged woman. Inside, the electric eel immediately began to thrash its long body, horrifyingly bumping against the water bag.

The middle-aged woman screamed again, then took a few quick steps toward the elevator, frantically pressing the button to get inside, all the while muttering angrily, “Are you crazy?! I’m terrified of snakes! There are already snakes on this mountain, and now people are keeping things like this as pets.”

Her husband glanced at Zhou Yun, clearly not planning to apologize, said nothing, and entered the elevator as well. The middle-aged woman could be heard muttering, “Yuan Feng is crazy too. Comes back and keeps dogs, eats meat every meal, better than people, eats the whole family out…” The elevator doors closed, and it descended.

The delivery guy mumbled, “What a piece of work,” then nervously glanced at the man in the wheelchair across from him. The man in the wheelchair had a cold expression and closed the door.

Zhou Yun picked up the water ball from the floor again, glanced at the electric eel thrashing violently inside, and smiled slightly.

Finally, the person had arrived.

Guan Yuanfeng.