Chapter 6 Be a Hamster

Two hours later.

After checking out several warehouses, Jiang Yan and Du Zitong regrouped in front of the largest—though most remote—warehouse.

“Miss Yan, this one should best meet your requirements. Back when your family’s courier company was still operating, this used to be one of the transfer depots, so transportation around here is very convenient. It’s also well sealed. The only downside is that there are surveillance cameras inside. If you want them removed, you may need to compensate the owner a little.”

After speaking, Du Zitong unlocked the warehouse door and added, “Also, there are a bunch of shelves left inside—looks like from a large supermarket that closed down. They’re just being stored here temporarily while looking for a buyer. But if you want, they can clear it all out for you within a day.”

Jiang Yan peeked inside, her heart leaping with joy.

This was exactly what she needed—it was like finding a pillow when you’re drowsy!

The warehouse was indeed huge, and all the unloading platforms and facilities were intact.

It would be perfect for the large orders she was about to place in the coming days.

As for the shelves inside, Jiang Yan gave them a glance—they were the best quality type, made with extra-thick steel plates, and looked practically brand new.

They would be perfect for her storage space.

And since they were second-hand, the price should be decent too.

“You said they’re selling these shelves?”

“Yes, Miss Yan,” Du Zitong nodded, though looking slightly puzzled.

Jiang Yan grinned, waving her hand decisively. “I’ll take them all!”

“Miss Yan, are you sure?” Du Zitong froze for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask, “Buying so many… are you planning to open a supermarket?”

Jiang Yan nodded.

Du Zitong: “…”

He couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. A wealthy heiress worth tens of billions—who could just relax and live off her fortune, dabbling in being a social media influencer—suddenly wanting to get into the grueling, low-margin supermarket business?

But probing further would only make him seem tactless.

Scratching his head, Du Zitong led Jiang Yan to another warehouse nearby—this one in a much better environment, with plenty of external water taps.

On the way over, Jiang Yan reviewed her plan.

When the apocalypse came, food and water would be the most crucial resources.

Beyond natural disasters causing shortages, there was also the issue of Japan’s nuclear wastewater discharge.

Though it hadn’t yet spread globally, the 60+ radioactive isotopes in the wastewater couldn’t be fully treated by existing technology. Some would inevitably evaporate with seawater into the atmosphere, eventually spreading via rainfall across the planet.

Not to mention, once natural disasters struck—torrential rains, floods, and seawater intrusion—the contamination would multiply rapidly.

Regarding water storage, she had researched online: in a lifetime, a person consumes about 50–100 tons of drinking water. For household use—washing clothes, cooking, bathing, watering plants, flushing toilets—it requires around 7,000–10,000 tons.

Of course, she wouldn’t stockpile water on a strict 1:1 basis.

Given that she had already encountered miraculous things like man-eating plants and reincarnation, she figured she should think big—who knew, maybe she could “borrow another 500 years from heaven.”

And in the post-apocalyptic era, cash and gold would lose their value anyway.

In such times, anything could happen. Having extra supplies might serve other unexpected purposes.

So, as for how much to buy? The more, the better. After all, she had both money and storage space.

She estimated that 1,000 tons of bottled water would require over a hundred trucks—clearly impossible to transport openly to her villa.

Her plan was to negotiate bulk orders directly with mineral water manufacturers, deliver them straight to the warehouse, and then quietly transfer everything into her storage space.

If one manufacturer couldn’t supply enough in the short term, she’d simply order from several major brands.

As for household-use water, bottled mineral water was out of the question—even she wasn’t that extravagant. A water purification system would do.

On Taobao, she found food-grade PE water tanks that could each hold 30 tons. She planned to order 1,000 of them.

Those tanks were durable, acid- and alkali-resistant, UV-resistant, and came with valves for easy access—but they weren’t cheap. Each cost at least 20,000 yuan.

With just one click on her phone, 20 million yuan was gone.

Once delivered, she’d fill them with tap water and then store them in her space.

She calculated that even if a water tap ran non-stop, it could only fill about 30 tons a day. Those novel scenes where protagonists frantically filled buckets at home weren’t all that realistic.

She alone wasn’t enough—so she planned to have Du Zitong hire temporary workers.

When the tanks arrived, the workers would handle filling them up, and she’d just collect them into her space.

Jiang Yan also considered hiring a professional procurement team. After all, she was only one person.

She recalled that in her parents’ company, whenever large-scale purchases were needed, they’d hire specialized bidding companies.

These companies would handle price inquiries, comparisons, and supplier selection, ensuring low prices, supervised processes, and guaranteed quality.

As her mother used to say: let professionals handle professional work.

But given the type and scale of the goods she needed, she’d probably have to register a trading company first—something related to supermarkets—before contacting such firms.

Registering a company was simple, and some licenses could be put off.

But with the media spotlight already on her, any public move she made might spark unpredictable gossip and speculation.

She could use a proxy, staying behind the scenes.

The trouble was, though she was surrounded by people, there wasn’t anyone she trusted 100%.

After weighing it, Jiang Yan decided to handle it herself.

By directly contacting large manufacturers, and with the incentive of long-term cooperation, they were unlikely to expose her within three months.

And even if her bulk purchases drew government attention, she wasn’t worried.

Private dealings with officials were far preferable to trending again online and being scrutinized by millions.

After all, internet keyboard warriors excelled at exaggerating rumors and blowing things out of proportion.

Besides, she still had some time. Exhausting as it might be, quietly stockpiling like a hamster wasn’t a bad way forward.

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By the time they finished checking out the warehouses she liked, it was almost evening.

With Du Zitong’s efficiency—and Jiang Yan’s willingness to pay—the leases could be signed the very next day. The warehouses would be cleared out and keys handed over immediately.

She didn’t plan to rent them long.

Depending on her plans, the longest lease she signed was only for two months.