38: Chapter 38 Countdown to the Apocalypse

Cloud Top Palace, Basement Level 2.

The faint smell of engine oil permeated the air.

Lin Yuan walked through the spacious underground space with his hands in his pockets.

This week, overall progress had been relatively smooth.

On either side, hundreds of black industrial battery packs from Thor Heavy Industries were neatly arranged.

Indicator lights flickered with a faint blue glow.

Lu Yan followed at Lin Yuan's side, his speaking pace half a beat faster than usual.

"Boss, the geothermal wells have all been cleared."

"The geothermal turbine units, surface-hidden solar panels, and diesel generators have all been integrated into the battery matrix."

Lu Yan patted the thick metal casing beside him.

"This energy system is enough to support the entire Tiangong No. 1 at full load for ten years!"

Ten years.

To anyone, that was a number full of security.

But Lin Yuan's eyes didn't flicker in the slightest.

He stopped walking, his gaze sweeping across the massive energy matrix.

"Not enough."

Lu Yan was stunned.

This was enough to build a small underground city, and it still wasn't enough?

Lin Yuan didn't explain.

After the apocalypse breaks out, whenever the Red Moon hangs in the sky, the aggression of global creatures increases by three hundred percent, and Mutants will lead Zombie Hordes to launch large-scale attacks.

Lightning-type Espers need to use energy to activate energy shields to prevent long-range attacks from Mutants.

In his previous life, Lin Yuan was scratched by an A-rank Mutant just as his side's shield was depleted.

This bit of conventional energy wouldn't even last half an hour.

He took out his phone and directly dialed Old Ghost's number.

"Boss Lin, the heat is on these days. If you want goods, you'll have to pay extra," Old Ghost's raspy voice came through.

"Can you get nuclear power equipment?" Lin Yuan got straight to the point. "Modular micro-reactors."

The other end of the phone fell silent.

A full five seconds passed.

"Pfft... Hahahahaha!"

Old Ghost burst into unrestrained wild laughter, laughing so hard he coughed.

"Boss Lin, have you been watching too many sci-fi movies? Are you trying to build a spaceship underground?"

"But that's nuclear! You think it's like selling cabbage?" Old Ghost laughed and cursed.

"The military underground base in the Jiangcheng South Suburbs has two micro-reactors. If you've got the guts, go buy them from the garrison!"

"South Suburb Military District," Lin Yuan repeated those four words.

Beep.

Lin Yuan hung up the phone directly.

He opened the map on his phone, his finger sliding across the screen.

His fingertip tapped lightly.

He drew a mark on the red area representing the military restricted zone.

Once the apocalypse arrives, order will collapse.

That would be his first 'zero-dollar shopping' supply point.

Shadow, standing behind him, felt his scalp tingle upon seeing this.

That look in his eyes wasn't looking at a military restricted zone at all.

It was like looking at radishes grown in his own backyard.

"Let's go, back upstairs." Lin Yuan put away his phone and walked toward the elevator.

...

Cloud Top Palace, Villa No. 12.

Inside the spacious first-floor living room, the atmosphere was extremely bizarre.

Qin Yumo was wearing a black sports tank top and shorts, her entire body soaked in sweat.

She had just finished training, and the knuckles of her right hand were still wrapped in blood-stained bandages.

At this moment, she was looking at the girl blocking her path with a deep frown.

The girl was wearing an elaborate pink Lolita dress with a lace headband. She looked sweet, but her delicate face was currently twisted with emotion.

Tang Qiqi.

Qin Yumo's "girlfriend."

This week, Qin Yumo had been training like a fanatic and had no time to reply to phone messages.

Tang Qiqi had found Cloud Top Palace by following the location-sharing app they had previously linked.

However, the security guards at the gate had stopped her.

They informed her that this was a private residence and no entry was allowed without an invitation.

Fortunately, Qin Yumo's phone call went through, and she brought her inside.

This led to the scene before them.

"Sister Yumo! You've ignored me for days just to hide in a place like this?!"

Tang Qiqi stomped her feet, issuing her interrogation in a sweet, high-pitched voice.

"Didn't you say you hated those stinky men the most? Didn't you swear you only liked girls?!"

She pointed at Qin Yumo's bleeding knuckles, a hint of morbidity flashing in her eyes.

"He hit you, didn't he! Is that why you're ignoring me? Come with me! I'll take care of you from now on!"

Qin Yumo pulled her wrist out of Tang Qiqi's grasp.

Having experienced several days of hellish special training.

And having witnessed that kind of terrifying power.

Looking at this greenhouse flower who only knew how to make unreasonable scenes, she felt it was incredibly childish.

"This is not a place you should be," Qin Yumo's voice was raspy.

Just then.

Click.

The villa's heavy double copper doors were pushed open.

Lin Yuan walked in from outside, carrying the scent of engine oil.

He was wearing a black windbreaker, his figure tall and straight.

Tang Qiqi was stunned.

She had thought the person keeping Qin Yumo was some balding old man, but she hadn't expected it to be a top-tier handsome guy with an incredibly oppressive aura.

He was better looking than any of the guys she usually met at anime conventions!

This huge disparity caused jealousy to grow wildly in Tang Qiqi's heart.

"So it's you, you scumbag!"

Tang Qiqi suddenly spun around, blocking Lin Yuan's path and pointing at his nose as she cursed.

"Do you think you can buy true love just because you have some stinky money? What do you take Sister Yumo for? A plaything!"

She tilted her face, which was done up in delicate 'pure desire' makeup, trying to use this stubborn 'defying power' posture to attract his attention.

However.

Lin Yuan didn't even lift an eyelid.

He directly ignored Tang Qiqi standing in front of him, as if she were just a puff of air.

Lin Yuan walked straight to the sofa and sat down.

Wang Ya immediately stepped forward, holding a glass of soda with ice in both hands.

"Mr. Lin, this is Little Qin's..."

Lin Yuan waved her off, took the ice water, and took a sip.

Then he spoke to Qin Yumo:

"Your pet, handle it yourself."

Tang Qiqi's eyes widened in disbelief.

The charm she was so proud of didn't even earn her the right to a direct look from this man!

"Who are you calling a pet! Who do you think you are..." Tang Qiqi screamed in exasperation.

Slap!

An incredibly loud slap landed hard on Tang Qiqi's delicate face.

Tang Qiqi was spun halfway around by the slap and fell heavily onto the carpet.

She clutched her face and looked up blankly.

The one who hit her was Qin Yumo.

"Sister Yumo... you hit me?"

Tang Qiqi was full of disbelief.

Qin Yumo looked at her.

"If you dare to point fingers at him again, you will die."

She walked up to Tang Qiqi, grabbed the back collar of her Lolita dress with one hand, and dragged her straight out the door like a little chick.

Bang.

The door slammed shut.

[Ding! Target Tang Qiqi (Beauty Score 86), Favorability -3%! Current Favorability: -3%!]

...

Late at night.

Cloud Top Palace Villa No. 12, second-floor study.

Lin Yuan sat at a large mahogany desk, and on the monitors in front of him, the futures trends of global commodities were scrolling.

The flames of war in the Middle East had completely spiraled out of control, and crude oil prices had skyrocketed.

Su Xiaonuan had closed her positions according to his instructions, cashing out an incredibly terrifying cash flow, which was being continuously converted into a massive amount of supplies.

To avoid suspicion, Su Xiaonuan had also registered a large supermarket company.

Toilet paper, feminine products, toothpaste, soap, etc.

These were important supplies for maintaining dignity and mental health in the later stages.

Generator spark plugs, filters, seals, pipe joints, and so on.

These were vulnerable consumable supplies.

All were systematically entering the newly rented warehouse.

Suddenly, the phone on the desk vibrated violently.

Caller ID: Su Muxue.

Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he pressed the answer button.

On the other end of the phone, the normally rational and cold Emergency Department Director's breathing was now extremely hurried.

"Lin Yuan..."

Su Muxue lowered her voice, and in the background, sharp alarms and chaotic footsteps could be heard faintly.

"What you told me before... about the apocalypse, is it really true?"

Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair and asked, "What happened?"

"Our emergency department received a strange patient this afternoon."

Su Muxue's voice was trembling.

"His body temperature was as high as 41 degrees, and all fever-reducing methods were useless."

"When drawing blood for testing, his blood was as thick as black paste, and his pupils appeared a bizarre grayish-white."

"Ten minutes ago, he suddenly went into a frenzy."

"His strength was astonishing; he snapped the restraints and directly bit off a nurse's ear!"

Su Muxue took a deep breath, her tone becoming increasingly grave.

"Now, people from the authorities have directly taken the patient away. That nurse was also taken..."

Lin Yuan's fingers holding the phone suddenly tightened.

The trajectory of his previous life had moved forward.