Zhang Ye and the two women pushed three large carts full of supplies back to the residential complex.
On the way, many neighbors saw them and couldn't help but start talking.
Zhang Ye no longer cared if people found out he was stockpiling supplies.
After all, those two green tea bitches already knew about his shopping, so there was no way to keep it a secret anymore.
If he only wanted to survive, he could have sold all his assets and gone off to some remote place to build an impenetrable fortress.
But how could he get revenge on the neighbors who had chopped him to pieces in his past life by doing that?
If he didn't wipe those people out, the knot in Zhang Ye's heart would never go away.
That's why one of his apocalypse plans was to stay in this very community—and take cruel revenge on everyone who had wronged him!
Of course, this plan hinged on whether the security company could build him an impenetrable shelter.
If not, he'd have to go with Plan B—building an underground bunker in a deserted place.
Zhang Ye looked at the neighbors around him, all smiling and gossiping about why he had bought so many supplies.
He could already see the scene when the apocalypse came—these same neighbors would try to break into his home and steal his things.
He had lived through all of that before.
But he wasn't afraid anymore—this time, he would be ready.
He would make sure they could see the food, but never get a taste of it—until it drove them mad with frustration.
Zhang Ye and Fang Yuqing lived in a residential building.
Because he worked as a warehouse manager at Walmart, the neighbors often asked him to help them buy discounted goods.
So everyone in the complex knew him.
When they saw Zhang Ye and the women pushing so many goods back, an old lady playing with her grandson walked over.
She looked at the food in the carts, especially the fresh beef and lamb, and couldn't hide her desire.
"Xiao Zhang, why'd you bring back so much stuff? Is it being cleared out of the warehouse?"
"You won't be able to finish it all—why not share some with your neighbors?"
This was Auntie Lin from the Property Owners' Committee. She always acted like she had power and loved to boss the neighbors around, thinking she was some sort of leader.
She used to frequently ask Zhang Ye to get her cheap deals from the warehouse and was known for being stingy.
In his past life, she also managed to pester Zhang Ye into giving her some food.
But when the neighbors stormed his home to rob him, she didn't try to stop them—on the contrary, she was even more aggressive than the younger people.
Fang Yuqing and Lin Caining didn't want to deal with her, so they quickly said, "Zhang Ye bought all of this. We're just helping him carry it back."
Auntie Lin's eyes immediately turned to Zhang Ye, smiling sweetly. "Xiao Zhang, looks like this is all from the warehouse. How about giving Auntie Lin a little bit?"
As she spoke, her grandson Xiaohu had already climbed onto one of the carts and reached for a box of chocolates.
Don't be fooled by his young age—he had a sharp eye. That imported box of chocolate sold for over two hundred yuan at the supermarket.
Without a word, Zhang Ye snatched the box back.
Then he coldly said to Auntie Lin, "Sorry, all of this is for myself."
The apocalypse was almost here—he didn't even feel like being polite anymore.
Auntie Lin's face changed instantly. "You—!"
Zhang Ye's blunt refusal humiliated her, especially since she fancied herself the neighborhood leader.
Her grandson Xiaohu started crying and screaming after being shoved away, pointing at Zhang Ye and shouting, "You bad guy! Give me the chocolate, or I'll beat you up!"
Zhang Ye stared coldly at him and said in a low voice, "Say one more word and I'll slap you."
Frightened, Xiaohu burst into tears, sitting on the ground and throwing a tantrum.
Auntie Lin hurried over to comfort him, then angrily scolded Zhang Ye.
"How can a grown man argue with a child?"
"It's just a box of chocolates! What's the harm in giving it to a kid?"
"How about this—I'll buy it from you. I'll pay you later. Don't think I'm trying to take advantage of you!"
Zhang Ye sneered.
With mobile payment so convenient now, anyone who says they'll "pay later" clearly intends to avoid paying.
"I already said, this is for myself. If you want it, go buy it at the supermarket!"
He gave a cold laugh, then motioned for Fang Yuqing and Lin Caining to leave with him.
As soon as they walked away, they heard Auntie Lin cursing behind them.
Zhang Ye didn't even flinch.
Auntie Lin's son and daughter-in-law worked outside the city—only she stayed home with her grandson.
She usually only bought one day's worth of groceries at a time.
So when the apocalypse hit, her family ran out of food the fastest.
Last time, Zhang Ye had softened and helped them.
But without his help in this life, that shameless old woman and her spoiled grandson would be lucky to survive ten days.
Zhang Ye didn't waste time arguing with the soon-to-be-dead.
It wasn't that he was heartless—it's just that once the end came, everyone would struggle just to stay alive.
Other people's lives simply came after his own.
After pushing all three carts home, Zhang Ye told the two women to leave.
"Zhang Ye, don't forget you owe us a dinner!" Fang Yuqing said with a playful wink.
But instead of feeling charmed, Zhang Ye only felt nauseous.
He brushed her off.
The two women had planned to stick around and see if Zhang Ye was secretly rich.
But when they saw he had no intention of entertaining them, they had to leave.
Once they were gone, Zhang Ye opened his dimensional space and started putting everything inside.
He wanted to observe whether storing the supplies inside would cause any changes.
By the time he was done, it was already late.
Zhang Ye didn't rest yet. Instead, he took out pen and paper and began to carefully plan out his preparations for the next month.
Though he was usually lazy, people could unleash amazing potential when survival was on the line.
"If I want to live comfortably in the apocalypse, I have to solve the food issue first. That's easy enough."
"Besides my regular grocery runs, I can take supplies from the warehouse. But I can't do it too early—I need to investigate first."
"And I should only collect the supplies a few days before doomsday, to avoid drawing attention. If I get arrested, I won't last long in jail."
He wrote "Food" in his notebook and ticked it off.
"Next, heating."
"After the end, there'll be a massive energy shortage—air conditioners won't work anymore."
"So I'll need a simple method. A fireplace is the best option!"
Fireplaces worked like traditional heated brick beds, using fire to warm the home.
In harsh European winters, people relied on fireplaces to survive.
"That means I'll need to renovate my home and add insulation."
Thinking of renovations reminded him of the last time his home was broken into—his heart clenched.
"I also need to turn my house into a fortress."
"Install thick steel plates or alloys that can resist basic explosions."
Once the apocalypse hits, people will do anything to survive—he had to be fully prepared.
He couldn't afford to gamble with his life. Having died once already, Zhang Ye refused to face death again.
As for the safe room, that was easy to solve.
Tianhai City had elite security firms serving the rich.
Some even offered custom-built safety shelters.
Zhang Ye remembered a news report from his past life: a foreign billionaire had a fortress built that could withstand a small nuclear attack.
"Next—medicine. I need to be ready in case I get sick."
"The Walmart warehouse has a lot of basic medicine for colds and fevers, but that's not enough."
"The Cambrian Storm will last decades—I have to prepare long-term."
Luckily, Zhang Ye had decent connections in Tianhai City.
As a warehouse manager, he knew some hospital logistics staff too.
With enough money, he could get any medicine he needed.
After planning out those issues, Zhang Ye tapped his pen against the notebook.
"Now there's just one last problem to solve."
His eyes turned sharp.
"Weapons!"
In the apocalypse, humanity's morality would collapse—fights over resources would break out everywhere.
Life would be worthless. To survive, he needed power.
Zhang Ye wasn't a martial arts master—but even the strongest fighter couldn't beat a knife.
As long as his weapons were strong enough, he didn't have to worry.
"Machetes, crowbars, and axes are easy to get."
"Crossbows, air guns, and compound bows can be sourced too."
"But the most powerful… are American-style guns. Those can only be found on the black market in China."
"Going abroad? Unrealistic. I don't know anyone, and the trip would take too long. I don't have a gun license, and I can't buy weapons legally overseas."
Zhang Ye stroked his chin—this issue wasn't solved yet.
But he still had a month. If he spent enough money, he was confident he could find a way.
He spent three hours creating a perfect plan, then took a hot shower and finally collapsed into bed.
——
The next morning, Zhang Ye got up.
He hadn't slept well, waking up several times from nightmares.
When he saw he was still lying in his warm, comfortable bed, he let out a long sigh of relief.
The apocalypse had deeply scarred his heart.
To avoid repeating the same tragedy, Zhang Ye became even more determined to prepare flawlessly.
After getting up, he made himself breakfast.
Then he opened his dimensional space to check the state of the supplies.
To his delight, the meat, fruits, and vegetables he stored last night were completely unchanged.
It was hard to tell with meat, but fruit and vegetables usually lost freshness overnight.
But in the dimensional space, they looked exactly as fresh as when he bought them.
"My dimensional space must exist outside this world—maybe time flows slower, or doesn't pass at all."
"That's incredible news!"
"This means I can store anything inside without worrying."
Excited, Zhang Ye's mind started racing.
If meat, fruit, and vegetables stayed fresh—what about cooked meals?
Although he could cook, his skills were far from a professional chef's.
If he had to rely on his own cooking forever, he'd get sick of it eventually.
So, he immediately called Tianhai's most prestigious five-star hotel, Hongfu Tianxia.
The hotel offered delivery, and their food was top-notch—Zhang Ye loved it.
"Hello, this is Hongfu Tianxia Hotel. How can we help you today?"
Zhang Ye said, "I'm throwing a three-day banquet at home and need to order food for 500 tables!"
The staff on the other end were stunned.
Cooking for 500 tables would take ages.
And as a five-star hotel, even their cheapest banquet cost over 3,000 yuan per table.
500 tables would cost more than a million yuan!
The server didn't dare make the decision and quickly said, "Please hold while I get the manager."
A moment later, another voice came on the line.
"Hello sir, I'm Chen Dingfang, manager of Hongfu Hotel. May I have your name?"