Chapter 2: Stockpiling
Grumble—grumble—
Jiang Zao lay on the floor for a long time, her stomach growling incessantly. Her will had given up, but her body’s instincts were still calling to her.
With a sigh of resignation, she picked herself up from the floor, washed her hands, and went to the kitchen to start cooking.
The apartment Jiang Zao was currently living in was a rental that came fully furnished; all the furniture belonged to the landlord. The kitchen was small, and the range hood was weak, making it unsuitable for stir-frying. Besides, cooking for one, she couldn’t be bothered with complex dishes.
Therefore, her specialty was noodles of all kinds: instant noodles, noodles in clear broth, and noodles with tomato and egg sauce.
Jiang Zao took out the vegetables her grandmother had sent. The greens were mostly wilted. She threw out the inedible parts and rinsed the rest under the tap.
She had told her grandmother time and again not to send perishable vegetables and fruits, but ever since she had taught her how to ship packages during her university years, her grandmother had never listened.
Perhaps this is the stubbornness of old age, but that stubbornness was also the only source of warmth left in her life now.
But would she ever have the chance to eat the vegetables Jiang Wuni sent again?
After all, the end of the world was coming.
In her previous life, by the seventh day they were holed up at home, the entire city of Linhai had lost water, power, and internet. That was when she lost contact with Jiang Wuni. She had no idea if her grandmother had survived.
An old woman living alone… it would have been difficult.
Perhaps, in the end, she had been devoured by zombies, just like her.
The tap water ran. A tear glinted in Jiang Zao’s eye. She couldn’t bear the thought. The reason she had held on for so long in her past life was the hope of going back to find Jiang Wuni. Although she and her grandmother often argued due to their different views, since heaven had given her a second chance, perhaps she could truly make up for the regret of not seeing her one last time.
As Jiang Zao cooked the noodles, she carefully replayed these events in her mind.
According to the delivery person, she hadn’t answered her phone for two days. By her calculation, that was right when her fever had started. She had been sleeping groggily ever since taking the medicine.
In her daze, she had heard knocking at the door. Her whole body ached. When she finally forced her eyes open, the curtains were drawn, and the room was pitch black.
The world was terrifyingly silent.
Only the sound of knocking on the door was deafening.
It was just like that early morning when the apocalypse began.
Jiang Zao’s first thought was to fight those monsters. In a stupor, she had stumbled out of bed, rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a kitchen knife, and gone to the door.
If her memory served her right, the first case of the zombie virus in China would break out in Linhai City on July 29th.
That meant she had 90 days to prepare.
Where was Patient Zero discovered at that time?
In her past life, Jiang Zao rarely paid attention to social news. The last major pandemic in human history had been half a century ago, before Jiang Zao was even born. She had only heard Jiang Wuni mention bits and pieces of it; even their village had been locked down for over a year back then, which showed how severe the situation was.
Trying to recall it now, she couldn’t remember where Patient Zero had been found.
It seemed she would have to do some research.
Jiang Zao served the cooked vegetable noodles, drizzling a spoonful of chili oil on top. The chili flakes were also a gift from Jiang Wuni. She would mix them with some seasonings and pour hot oil over them, creating a fragrance better than anything store-bought.
Just as she sat down, her phone began to vibrate again.
The Evening News had just started on the TV.
Jiang Zao glanced at the time. Yep, Chen Jianing’s call is as punctual as ever.
“Hello…”
“Zao’er, are you feeling better today?”
“Much better.”
“Want to come out for dinner? It’s your birthday today.”
Jiang Zao thought for a moment, then declined.
“No, I’m still not feeling well.”
“Alright then. I bought you a cake. It should be delivered in about half an hour, so remember to get it.”
Jiang Zao was silent for a moment. “Okay.”
On the other end of the line, Chen Jianing sighed. “Zao’er, there’s something I don’t know if I should tell you…”
“Go ahead.”
Chen Jianing felt that Jiang Zao was unusually quiet today, her tone tinged with a certain coldness, but she didn’t think much of it, assuming it was because she was still sick.
“Xiao Yu and I are thinking of buying a house in Linhai. It’s not a long-term solution to keep renting. If we have a child in the future, we need to think about household registration, schooling, and all that. Both our families pitched in, but we’re still short about nine hundred thousand for the down payment. I was wondering, if you have the money to spare…”
How had Jiang Zao answered her in the last life? Without a second thought, she had readily agreed. Even though that nine hundred thousand was her entire life savings, she went to the bank the very next day and transferred it to her.
When their district was about to be locked down and they had no food at home, it was Jiang Zao who took them in and generously shared her rations with them.
All because Chen Jianing was a good friend she had known since high school, and one of the few people who remembered her birthday.
But how had they treated her?
It was Xiao Yu who had closed the door, but was Chen Jianing blameless?
She was the one who had silently acquiesced to his words.
She was the one who had turned and left without a backward glance.
Jiang Zao paused for a moment, then refused flatly. “I can’t. My grandmother just called. She said the family is planning to build a house and needs nine hundred thousand. I’ve already promised to transfer it to her tomorrow.”
Chen Jianing was stunned, seemingly not expecting such a direct refusal. Jiang Zao had always been very easygoing; this seemed to be the first time she had ever turned her down.
She had a nagging feeling that something was off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. At the same time, she was a little angry; she had already humbled herself to ask.
Before she could speak, Jiang Zao added, “Thanks for the cake. I’m going to eat now, so I’ll talk to you later. Goodbye.”
With that, she hung up.
Chen Jianing was dumbfounded.
Beside her, Xiao Yu spoke in a snide tone.
“See, I told you so. Didn’t you say your friend was a social media influencer, loaded and easy to talk to? What’s with the act?! She won’t even lend you nine hundred thousand. And you bought her a cake? Quick, call the delivery guy and have him bring it back. We’ll eat it ourselves!”
***
As Jiang Zao ate, she pondered how to face the coming apocalypse.
The news was still playing on the TV.
The female anchor’s voice was firm and powerful.
“Recently, international crude oil prices have continued to rise, soaring from $249 per barrel at the beginning of the year to around $576. The further deterioration of the situation in the Middle East may trigger a new oil crisis.”
“According to South Korea’s KBS, a large number of protestors gathered in front of the Blue House on the morning of the 28th to oppose the ‘Robot Labor Act’ recently passed by the National Assembly, questioning whether the move could lead to mass unemployment among domestic manufacturing workers.”
“On the 28th local time, the daytime temperature in Verkhoyansk, Siberia, Russia, reached a rare 58 degrees Celsius, 23°C higher than the average for the same period. This has become the highest temperature ever recorded in Siberia and within the Arctic Circle.”
“Some scientists claim that continued global warming will lead to the melting of large glaciers, rising sea levels, and an increase in extreme weather events. By around 2080, the polar bear species may become completely extinct from the Earth.”
“According to the Associated Press, the anti-aging drug ‘Ziusudra’ developed by Aggregate BioPharmaceuticals has received FDA approval for market release. It can delay aging by repairing mitochondrial function, potentially extending human lifespan to 200 years. However, some research groups have expressed doubts about its long-term safety.”
“Recently, our country’s space exploration program has made significant progress. The Gonggong manned spacecraft has successfully landed on Mars, and humanity is poised to take the first step toward colonizing Mars!”
“According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, an unknown epidemic has suddenly broken out in the country in recent days. At least 763 people have been confirmed infected, with 657 deaths. Relevant authorities are urging the public to refrain from traveling to East African countries…”
Hearing this, Jiang Zao’s head shot up.
Carefully recalling the major events of recent years, she finally sensed that something was wrong.
Large-scale pandemics, regional wars, rising food and oil prices, energy crises, extreme weather, melting glaciers, viral outbreaks…
It turned out the signs had been there all along.
Humanity’s evil deeds would ultimately come back to haunt it. The Earth had quietly begun its great cleansing.
In her previous life, Jiang Zao had held out at home for three months, but no rescue came. Out of sheer desperation, she went out with Chen Jianing and the others to find food, only to meet her end. It seemed this time, she would have to rely on herself.
Jiang Zao slurped down her noodles in a few bites, cleaned the kitchen, grabbed her keys, and took the two days’ worth of trash downstairs with her.
No matter the disaster, food in the pantry means peace of mind.
The most urgent task was to go and stockpile some food.
The Xìngfú Jiāyuán complex where Jiang Zao lived was old and run-down. It was seven stories tall, and buildings without elevators were rare these days. But the rent was cheap, and it was about a thirty-minute walk from the maglev station.
Just as she stepped out of the complex, a shadow fell over her. A huge roar, accompanied by the sound of an engine, whistled past overhead. The airflow rustled her hair. Jiang Zao looked up to see a flying car speeding by. It was a vehicle exclusive to the wealthy. Besides the exorbitant cost of the car itself, one had to pay a hefty additional tax for low-altitude flight.
Jiang Zao looked down. Her own little Mini was much more practical for getting around.
The largest supermarket in the area was also near the maglev station. It was a quick drive, but the traffic was terrible. Although low-altitude routes were open, most ordinary people couldn’t afford flying cars that cost millions, nor could they afford the flight tax. With fuel prices being so high recently, the ground was still dominated by affordable electric vehicles and bicycles.
She painstakingly navigated through the congested traffic and parked in the lot behind the supermarket. The moment she closed her car door, someone shoved a stack of flyers into her hand.
“Miss, interested in a gym, swimming pool, archery, yoga, or Pilates…?”
Who even did these things anymore? In this information age, VR, brain-computer interfaces, and holographic games were all the rage.
Jiang Zao, wearing a mask, waved her hands dismissively.
She hadn’t wanted to wear one, as no one did anymore, but then she thought that while the zombie virus was transmitted through bodily fluids and bites, there was no guarantee it couldn’t be airborne.
She decided to weld the mask to her face.
Jiang Zao took a few steps, but then the word “archery” on the flyer caught her eye. She suddenly stopped and walked back.
“This archery of yours, is it professional?”
Seeing her interest, the young man handing out flyers launched into a spiel.
“Of course it’s professional! We have a professional archery range, and the lanes meet national standards. We have 10-meter lanes for beginners and 30-meter lanes for professionals. Even our instructors are outstanding retired athletes from the provincial team. Sign up now and get a half-price discount. We wouldn’t have such a great deal if we weren’t on the verge of closing down. But not many girls sign up for this. Miss, maybe you should consider yoga or Pilates instead…”
Jiang Zao shoved the flyer back into his arms.
“No need. I’ll take this one.”
Having had a close encounter with zombies, Jiang Zao knew they had keen hearing and immense strength. Fighting them face-to-face was unrealistic. A bow and arrow, however, was quiet, had a long range, and was deadly. With current laws prohibiting ordinary citizens from owning firearms, a bow was the ideal weapon.
And then she suddenly remembered something. On the third day of being trapped at home in her previous life, she had hidden behind the curtains and witnessed the entire process of a mother and son who lived alone in the building opposite being robbed and murdered in their home.
Jiang Zao remembered her. The night before, someone in the residents’ group chat had begged for food, saying his family had two elderly people and an infant who hadn’t eaten in three days. The baby, in particular, desperately needed some filling formula.
It was this murdered woman who had generously offered help, saying she had stocked up on some formula during her own pregnancy. Although it was close to expiring, it should still be edible, and she told the person to come and get it.
The next morning, she was dead. Even her corpse was thrown from the building, swarmed by the zombies waiting below, and devoured.
The sound of a child’s heart-wrenching cries filled the entire complex.
A chill ran down Jiang Zao’s spine, but all she could do was silently draw the curtains.
This time, whether facing zombies or those who could no longer be called “human,” she had to have the ability to protect herself.
After a trial lesson, Jiang Zao felt it was a good fit. She readily paid for the remaining courses and then asked the coach.
“What kind of bow is the most lethal? Uh… I mean, for hunting prey that weighs a few hundred pounds… like a wild boar or something…”
The coach gave her a look that said, “That’s… criminally specific.”
Jiang Zao quickly laughed it off. “I’m just new to archery and curious. I want to learn more of the technical details.”
The coach’s expression returned to normal.
“The bow we’re practicing with now is a competitive recurve bow. A hunting compound bow is much more powerful. A fifty-pound compound bow paired with a hunting broadhead is enough to pierce the hard skull of any wild boar.”
“Provided you’re accurate, of course. Also, your muscle strength needs to be up to par, or you’ll strain your back muscles.”
Jiang Zao considered herself to have decent endurance and explosive power from her frequent hiking, but it seemed that wasn’t enough. She still needed to lift weights.
Without a second thought, she said.
“I see you have a gym here too. Sign me up for that as well.”
The coach looked like he’d just hit the jackpot.
What kind of day is this?
I’ve run into a goddess of wealth.
