Chapter 4: Booking 500 Banquet Tables at a Five-Star Hotel

Zhang Yi and two others pushed three large carts of supplies back to their residential complex.

Along the way, many neighbors witnessed the scene and could not help but whisper among themselves. Zhang Yi no longer cared about being discovered hoarding goods. After all, the two "green tea" women knew about his shopping spree, so keeping the news a secret was impossible.

If he only wanted to survive, he could have sold all his assets and fled to a desolate place to build an unbreakable fortress. But if he did that, how could he take revenge on the neighbors who had hacked him to pieces in his previous life? His inner torment would never vanish unless he wiped those people out. Therefore, one of his plans for the apocalypse was to remain in this complex and exact a cruel revenge on everyone who had wronged him.

Of course, the prerequisite for this plan was that a security company could build him an impenetrable shelter. Otherwise, he would have to prepare a backup plan: building an underground bunker in a remote, uninhabited location.

Zhang Yi looked at the neighbors around him, who were laughing and speculating about why he had bought so many supplies. He could already envision the scene during the apocalypse when these same neighbors would attempt to storm his home to loot his belongings. He had experienced it all before. However, he was not afraid, for in this lifetime, he would be prepared in advance. He wanted those people to be able to see the bounty but never taste it, eventually leaving them frustrated to the point of death.

Zhang Yi lived in the same apartment building as Fang Yuqing and Lin Caining. Because Zhang Yi worked as a manager at a Walmart warehouse, neighbors often asked him to help purchase discounted goods, so everyone knew him.

Seeing the three of them return with so much merchandise, a middle-aged woman who was out with her grandson walked over. She looked at the food in the carts—including fresh beef and lamb—and felt a surge of desire.

"Little Zhang, why did you bring so much stuff back? Was it discounted at the warehouse?"

"You can't possibly finish all this. Why not share some with your neighbors?"

This was Auntie Lin, who worked on the homeowners' committee. She often relied on her minor authority in the complex to order neighbors around, acting as if she were a leader. In the past, she had frequently asked Zhang Yi to buy her cheap, marked-down goods, and she was notorious for her stinginess and love for petty gain.

In his previous life, she had used nagging and harassment to wheedle food out of him. Yet, when all the neighbors rushed to loot his home, she hadn't stopped them; instead, she had acted with more vigor than the younger people.

Fang Yuqing and Lin Caining, not wanting to provoke the woman, quickly said, "These things were all bought by Zhang Yi. We’re just helping him move them back."

Auntie Lin immediately fixed her eyes on Zhang Yi and said with a smile, "Little Zhang, it looks like these are items from your warehouse. How about sharing some with Auntie Lin?"

While she spoke, her grandson, Xiaohu, had already climbed onto a cart and reached out to grab a box of chocolates. Though he was small, his eyes were sharp; that box of imported chocolates sold for over two hundred in the supermarket.

Without a word, Zhang Yi swatted his hand away and took the item back. He said coldly to Auntie Lin, "Sorry, I’m keeping these for myself."

The apocalypse was coming soon, so he couldn't be bothered to practice common courtesy anymore.

Auntie Lin's expression shifted instantly. "You..."

Zhang Yi’s lack of respect for her status as a neighborhood leader infuriated her. Her grandson, Xiaohu, having been pushed away by Zhang Yi, began to wail and demand the chocolate. He even pointed at Zhang Yi and cursed with hatred, "You bad person! Give the chocolate back to me! Or I'll beat you to death!"

Zhang Yi stared at him coldly and said in a deep voice, "One more word and I'll slap your mouth."

Lin Xiaohu was terrified by Zhang Yi and let out a loud, "Wah!" as he sat on the ground, throwing a tantrum. Auntie Lin hurried to comfort her grandson and began to scold Zhang Yi indignantly.

"You're a grown man, why are you arguing with a child?"

"Isn't it just a box of chocolate? What’s the harm in giving it to the kid?"

"Otherwise, just give him a box! I'll buy it from you; I'll pay you back later. It’s not like anyone wants to take advantage of you!"

Zhang Yi curled his lip. Mobile payments were omnipresent now; paying was incredibly easy. Her talk of paying "later" was clearly a ruse to avoid paying at all.

"I said, these are for me to eat. If you want some, go buy them at the supermarket yourself!"

Zhang Yi sneered and gestured for Fang Yuqing and Lin Caining to leave. They had barely taken a few steps before Auntie Lin’s shouting echoed behind them.

Zhang Yi turned a deaf ear. Auntie Lin’s son and daughter-in-law worked away from home, leaving her alone to raise her grandson. The old woman usually only bought enough groceries for one day. Therefore, when the apocalypse arrived, their household would be the first to run out of supplies. In his previous life, Zhang Yi had been soft-hearted and helped them. But in this life, without his help, it would be a miracle if this immoral old woman and her bratty grandson survived ten days.

Zhang Yi had no interest in wasting energy on corpses. It wasn't that he was cruel, but once that day arrived, people would find it difficult enough just to take care of themselves. The survival of others would naturally fall behind his own.

Once the three carts of supplies were pushed into his home, Zhang Yi sent the two women away.

"Zhang Yi, don't forget you promised to treat us!" Fang Yuqing gave him a playful wink.

Zhang Yi felt a wave of nausea upon seeing it. He gave a perfunctory reply. The two women had originally intended to stay and look for clues as to whether Zhang Yi was a hidden "second-generation rich kid," but seeing that he had no intention of entertaining them, they had no choice but to leave.

After they left, Zhang Yi opened his spatial dimension and stored everything inside. He wanted to observe whether the supplies would undergo any changes while inside the space.

Once that was done, it was already late. Zhang Yi didn't rush to rest; instead, he took out paper and pen to meticulously plan his preparations for the coming month. Although he was usually lazy, one could always summon enough potential when it came to surviving.

"To live comfortably in the apocalypse, the first thing is to solve the food problem. That’s easy enough."

"Aside from what I've bought, I can take the rest from the warehouse. But I can't be hasty; I need to investigate first."

"And I must wait until a few days before the end to collect them, so as not to attract attention. If I get caught and thrown in a cell, I certainly won't survive a few days in there."

Zhang Yi wrote the word "Food" in his notebook and checked it off.

"Next is heating."

"Once the apocalypse hits, energy supplies will be severely scarce, and air conditioning will soon be unusable."

"So, I must use the simplest method. A fireplace is the first choice!"

The principle of a fireplace is similar to a heated brick bed—using primitive methods to stay warm. European winters are extremely cold, and they use this method to survive the long, frozen months.

"In that case, I'll have to renovate the house, preferably adding insulation."

Mentioning renovation made Zhang Yi think of his home being broken into in his previous life, and his heart tightened.

"I also need to turn my home into an unbreakable steel fortress."

"First, I need to install thick steel plates or alloy materials everywhere, at least enough to withstand conventional explosions."

After the apocalypse, people would do anything to survive; he had to be fully prepared. He wouldn't gamble with his life; having tasted death once, he absolutely refused to experience it a second time.

The issue of a safe house was also easy to solve. Tianhai City had security companies that specialized in providing services for the wealthy, including the construction of "safe rooms." Zhang Yi remembered reading news in his previous life about a top billionaire abroad who had built a super-fortress capable of withstanding small-scale nuclear weapon attacks.

"Next, medicine. I must prevent myself from falling ill without a cure."

"The Walmart warehouse has many common medicines to treat minor illnesses like colds and fevers. But that is far from enough."

"The Cambrian Storm will last for at least several decades; I must be fully prepared."

Fortunately, Zhang Yi had decent connections in Tianhai City. As a warehouse manager, he knew some staff members from hospital storage departments. As long as he could provide enough money, he could get his hands on any medicine.

With these problems resolved, Zhang Yi tapped his pen against the notebook.

"Next, there is one final problem to solve." His gaze turned sharp.

"That is weapons!"

When the apocalypse arrives, humanity will be lost, and battles for supplies will be everywhere. Life will be as cheap as grass; to survive, one must possess sufficient force. Zhang Yi was no martial arts master, but even the best fighter fears a kitchen knife. If he prepared strong enough weapons, he wouldn't have to worry about such issues.

"Machetes, crowbars, and axes are easy to get."

"Crossbows, air guns, and compound bows also have channels."

"But the most powerful would, of course, be American-style firearms. In this country, that stuff can only be obtained through the black market."

"Go abroad to get them? That's not realistic. I'm unfamiliar with the territory, and a trip would take many days. I don't have a foreign gun license, and I can't just walk into a gun shop."

Zhang Yi rubbed his chin; this problem couldn't be solved immediately. But he still had a month; as long as he was willing to spend money, there should be a way.

He spent three hours finalizing his perfect plan, then enjoyed a hot shower and lay down on his comfortable bed to sleep.

...

The next morning, Zhang Yi climbed out of bed. He hadn't slept well, having been jolted awake by nightmares several times. After waking up, he realized he was still in the warm, comfortable bed of his own home, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

The time during the apocalypse had caused him immense psychological trauma. To avoid repeating that tragedy, Zhang Yi became even more determined to make his preparations foolproof!

After getting up, Zhang Yi made himself breakfast. Then, he opened his spatial dimension to check the items he had tossed inside. To his delight, the meat, fruits, and vegetables he had left in there overnight hadn't changed at all.

It was hard to tell with the meat after such a short time, but fruits and vegetables usually lose their freshness after a night. Yet, inside the spatial dimension, they were as fresh as the moment he bought them.

"My spatial dimension exists outside of this world; perhaps the rules of time behave differently."

"It's possible that time moves slower, or is even frozen. This is fantastic news!"

"This way, I can store all kinds of things without any worries."

However, when Zhang Yi checked the few fish he had put in, he found they were dead. They looked just as they did when alive, with no signs of decay. Zhang Yi rubbed his chin, understanding more of the rules of the space.

"Living things cannot be put inside, or at least they can't survive for long. It seems my idea of living inside it isn't practical."

This wasn't a major issue; the space was a vast, blank void, nowhere near as comfortable as his own home. As long as he could store things, that was enough.

With that thought, many ideas flooded his mind. If he could preserve fresh meat, vegetables, and fruits, what about prepared meals? Although Zhang Yi could cook, there was a significant gap between his skills and those of a professional chef. Relying on his own cooking every day would eventually get tiring.

Therefore, Zhang Yi immediately called Hongfu Tianxia, the largest five-star hotel in Tianhai City. The hotel offered takeout, and their food was of top-tier quality, which Zhang Yi loved.

"Hello, this is Hongfu Tianxia Hotel. How may I help you?"

Zhang Yi spoke immediately: "I am hosting guests at my home and plan to hold a banquet for three days and three nights. I need to order 500 tables' worth of food!"

The person on the other end was stunned. 500 tables of food would take them a long time to prepare. Furthermore, as a five-star hotel, their cheapest banquet table cost three or four thousand. 500 tables would amount to over one million!

The staff member didn't dare make the decision and quickly said, "Please hold, let me consult our manager."

A moment later, someone else took the call.

"Hello, sir. I am Chen Dingfang, the manager of Hongfu Hotel. May I ask how I should address you?"