Chapter 9: Takeout
1264 Words
Yu Duoduo moved everything she’d bought from the construction market—including the shelving units—into the connected rooms next door, except for the empty fuel barrels she kept in the garden space.
She figured she’d organize everything properly later, when the floods hit and going outside became impossible.
Lunch, as usual, was takeout—sushi and ramen from a popular Japanese restaurant nearby.
She’d been too busy at work in her previous life to ever learn how to cook. And once the apocalypse began, food was scarce and cooking skill became even less relevant. Her meals always tasted subpar.
So in these last few normal days, she refused to torture her stomach. She’d treat herself properly.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a spark of inspiration lit up in her brain—
What if… she hoarded takeout?!
She grabbed her phone and began placing orders.
She’d store them in her space, and when the time came, they’d still be steaming hot the moment she took them out!
She ordered:
From her favorite fried chicken chain:
1,000 pure wing buckets,
1,000 spicy chicken burgers,
1,000 Orleans grilled chicken burgers,
1,000 chicken wraps — split across two branches for faster delivery.
Pizzas:
100 each of beef & cheese, curry chicken, durian-pineapple, chicken nugget cheese, grilled sausage, fruit cheese, Orleans BBQ, seafood cheese, crayfish cheese, and Peking duck pizza — 10 flavors, 1,000 pizzas total.
From the most famous dessert shop on the pedestrian street:
200 each of cheesecake, cocoa tiramisu, milk chews, and mochi cheese balls.
From the hottest barbecue stall near her complex:
1,000 skewers each of lamb, pork belly, and cheap ham sausage,
500 garlic oysters,
200 each of spicy clams and crab leg noodles,
and 100 servings of braised shrimp.
200 each of egg-potato wraps and sticky rice youtiao rolls.
From her go-to coffee brand:
200 each of coconut latte, velvet latte, iced Americano, and iced cappuccino.
And from her favorite milk tea shop:
1,000 cups each of pearl milk tea, taro milk tea, and fruit tea.
Ding ding ding ding ding—Total spent: ¥600,000.
Definitely the most expensive takeout order she’d ever placed. But she knew—this was probably the last time she'd ever get the chance.
All deliveries were scheduled for around 7 PM. Since her building was a mixed-use commercial-residential space, large takeout orders weren’t unusual—especially during peak overtime seasons—so it wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
After lunch, it was around 2 PM when the installers for the doors and windows arrived—right on time.
“Miss, didn’t we just install this door for you a while back? Still looks brand new—why the change?”
the lead installer, a man in his fifties, asked as he pried off the old door.
“I heard there’ve been some break-ins in the building lately,” Yu Duoduo replied casually. “Figured a better door and lock might help me sleep easier at night.”
The man sighed as he worked,
“My daughter’s about your age—also working alone in a city far from home. You girls really have to be extra careful out there.”
That struck a nerve.
If her parents were still alive, she wouldn’t have to do everything alone.
She wouldn’t have to live in constant fear.
The workers were experienced—fast and meticulous. In just over an hour and a half, all the new doors and windows were installed. They even cleaned up the debris and took it downstairs for her.
After they left, Yu Duoduo stared at her new reinforced main door, then looked over at the giant holes she’d cut in the walls two days ago.
Nope. Not secure enough.
The rest of the doors needed reinforcing too.
She fetched some metal plates and a gas welding torch from her stash and welded every interior door frame shut.
No matter what tools someone used, they weren’t getting in.
Next, she changed into fresh clothes, slipped on a hat and a pair of lensless glasses, and dressed in all white—eye-catching, but unmemorable. Nothing that would leave a lasting impression.
She headed downstairs.
Soon, takeout started arriving—batch by batch.
Yu Duoduo had each delivery driver load everything into her car’s trunk.
Once they left, she quickly transferred it all into her space.
By the time she received the last order, an entire room in her space was completely filled with food.
Back upstairs, she happened to catch the courier ringing her doorbell—a mountain of packages stacked by her door.
Ah, right!
She’d paid extra for direct-to-door delivery.
“Coming, coming!” she called, grabbing her keys.
The delivery guy was fanning himself hard, cheeks flushed from the heat.
“Miss, it’s not even Singles’ Day yet, and you’re already hoarding like crazy! And all of it’s big stuff too—killing me here!
This is just half. The rest’s still in my van—I’ll be back!”
“Thanks so much! Want a drink? Cool off a bit.”
She rushed inside, grabbed a bottle of cold water from the fridge, and handed it over.
“Thanks! Your neighbor’s place is the same—tons of packages. They weren’t home though, so I’ll have to come back tonight.”
As he stepped into the elevator, Yu Duoduo just smiled politely and said nothing.
That unit next door? Rented.
Tenants came and went.
In her previous life, she never saw who lived there—even when the apocalypse broke out.
Later, there were break-ins… and then silence.
She stopped thinking about it.
Once the elevator doors closed, she hurriedly swept all the packages into her space, then went inside, pulled them back out, and dumped them onto the living room floor.
She left the door slightly ajar, then pulled out her package-opening utility knife from a basket near the entryway.
Plopping down on the floor, she began slicing open boxes.
Maoku curled up beside her, grooming his paws while watching her with curiosity.
One wooden box stood out—clearly the Tang-style short saber she’d ordered.
The sword was packed in layers: lacquered cases, soft ropes for securing the blade, and custom-sized velvet sheaths for each weapon.
She unsheathed one blade—a cold gleam flashed across the room.
Sharp. Deadly. A true collector’s piece—and the perfect self-defense weapon for the apocalypse.
She examined all nine blades—each razor-sharp.
Satisfied, she tucked them safely into her space.
Knock knock knock…
“Miss! I left all your deliveries by the door!”
“Thanks so much!”
Just as she closed the door, she heard the delivery guy outside greeting someone.
“Hey, you’re back! I’ll bring your stuff up now!”
Must be the neighbor he’d mentioned earlier.
Yu Duoduo ignored the noise and went back to unpacking.
Damascus steel blades, inflatable rafts, assault boats, life vests, anti-stab armor—these were the very things that might save her life when the world fell apart.
She didn’t store the unpacked items in her space just yet.
Only the weapons.
The rest went into the rooms she’d connected next door.
By the time she finished organizing, it was 9 PM.
Still full from lunch, she wasn’t hungry at all.
She grabbed a small snack to nibble on, then scooped up Maoku and went to bed.
That night, she was haunted by relentless nightmares.
Cold sweat soaked her sheets.
Even rebirth couldn’t wash away those vivid images—
In fact, they were only burned deeper into her mind.
- Writer
