Chapter 20 – Cash Is King

The door of Unit 3204 was tightly shut.

At the entrance sat two pairs of shoes: a pair of men’s black leather shoes and a pair of women’s beige sneakers.

Clearly, a couple—or husband and wife—had just come home from work not long ago.

When Jiang Yan had been stockpiling supplies abroad, she’d once asked the renovation company to make some adjustments here, so she had given them a temporary access code.

Although that code had long since expired, she still reset all the passwords again before finally opening the door.

After bolting both doors securely, she set the air conditioner to 28°C, then collapsed straight onto the living room sofa.

The mysterious space she carried had a cleansing and restorative effect on her body. During her time overseas, she would enter it for a couple of hours every night after returning to the hotel.

Her physical condition had steadily improved.

But the constant vigilance of the past days had kept her nerves taut. Now that she was finally home and able to relax, she felt a wave of fatigue wash over her.

It wasn’t a bodily exhaustion so much as a mental weariness.

After resting with her eyes closed for a while, she felt her energy return and sat up again.

She scanned every corner of the apartment, checking for anything she might have overlooked in her preparations.

The two small bedrooms and the study’s non-load-bearing walls had been torn down, leaving only one spacious master bedroom.

The bathroom drain had been cemented shut and sealed with a waterproof coating.

Two real fireplaces had been installed in the living room, each with independent concealed exhaust vents.

She had thought of these while stockpiling in Canada.

Back then she believed a generator and air conditioner were enough, but she learned that in true extreme cold, a real fireplace provided much better heating than an AC.

Besides, AC units were mounted outside—if the wiring or parts broke down someday, they would be useless.

Traditional heating or cooling methods, ironically, could last longer in extreme weather.

To prevent anything from crawling in through the exhaust vent, she had not only added filters but also installed manual shut-off valves.

Remembering the giant blood mosquito that had slammed into her windshield earlier, Jiang Yan quickly got up and closed both valves.

She then used her anti-surveillance detector to scan the apartment, ensuring no new devices had been planted besides the ones she herself had set.

“Never harbor malice, but never lower your guard”—that was Jiang Yan’s lifelong principle.

Once satisfied, she showered in warm water. Her stomach soon growled.

After days of hotel meals and Western food, she found herself craving something simple and homely.

But she wasn’t in the mood to cook anything elaborate, nor did she want to order another heavy feast.

So she pulled out an egg and a handful of green onions from her space, and within minutes had fried up a fragrant plate of egg fried rice.

She also boiled a pot of plain cabbage soup with no oil or salt, mixed a dipping sauce, and set out a small plate of spicy pickles.

Simple yet satisfying. Jiang Yan even drank the last drop of soup.

After loading the dishes into the dishwasher, she grabbed a bottle of chilled soda water, leaned back, and casually turned on the TV.

Normally, she would listen to financial news while playing a round of Honor of Kings. Today was no exception.

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The newscaster’s voice rang out:

• “Island nation launches 100th discharge of nuclear-contaminated water. International community condemns them for secretly releasing low-concentration radioactive water without consulting local fishermen.”
• “The world braces for its hottest year on record. Global temperatures are surging. Experts cite El Niño, warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean surface, and heightened solar activity as causes.”
• “Authorities remind citizens to stock at least ten days’ worth of food and water, stay indoors as much as possible, avoid outdoor work or prolonged exposure in the heat, and call for emergency aid if suffering heatstroke.”

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After an hour of half-watching news and half-gaming, Jiang Yan exited the match in defeat, having lost three rounds in a row.

The reports mentioned the global temperature spike, but said nothing about the mutant blood mosquitoes attacking humans.

She guessed those creatures might only have appeared in Anming so far.

Glancing at the thermometer: the outside temperature still read 41°C.

It had only risen one degree since five o’clock, but now, nearing 10 p.m., such heat was clearly abnormal.

She muted the TV and opened the surveillance feed on her tablet.

At the entrance of Building A, several men in motorcycle helmets and gloves hurried out with large non-woven shopping bags.

They must have caught wind of both the mosquito attacks and the official advice to stockpile water and food.

Meanwhile, a few reckless “lone warriors” strolled around in shorts, sandals, and T-shirts, taking their dogs for a walk.

Delivery riders appeared carrying boxes of ice cream, popsicles, and cold beer in insulated carriers.

One courier even lugged an unopened floor fan—likely purchased through a runner service by someone unwilling to go outside.

Sweating through their yellow uniforms, the riders all wore helmets and masks.

Elsewhere, people queued at elevators with bags in hand—probably rushing to buy fans or supplies before stores ran out.

After all, ever since the pandemic, most people had developed at least some sense of stockpiling.

Seeing nothing unusual, Jiang Yan set the tablet aside.

Tomorrow would be an extremely busy day.

With the sudden heat wave and the appearance of mutant blood mosquitoes, she had rescheduled everything planned for the next two weeks into one frantic day.

A few suppliers had already messaged her to confirm deliveries.

The two automated hydroponic grow systems she had ordered before her trip had finally arrived.

So had four industrial ice machines, several custom-built luxury mobile pods, and even ten newly released British-made jet flight suits priced at 3 million yuan each.

Her warehouse lease was also due to expire within days.

She had even scheduled the bank to prepare a large sum of cash for her.

Her plan was simple: pay the remaining balances on her shipments tomorrow, convert much of her money into gold bars, and withdraw the rest to stash in her space.

“In times of peace, buy antiques.
In times of chaos, buy gold.”

That truth had never changed.

And in the early days of the apocalypse—

Cash is king.