My Apocalypse, My Rules

4.The Ultimate Takeout Order

Zhang Yi, along with the two women, pushed the three heavily laden carts back toward their apartment building. The spectacle drew curious stares and hushed whispers from neighbors they passed along the way.

Zhang Yi didn't bother trying to hide his haul. Some neighbors had already seen him at the supermarket, and he knew Fang Yuqing and Li Caining would inevitably spread the word anyway. Secrecy was pointless.

He fully anticipated the hordes of desperate people who would try to break into his home once the apocalypse hit. He had lived through it all before.

But this time, he wasn't afraid. This time, he would be prepared. Let them see his supplies, let them covet them. It would only make their eventual, fruitless desperation all the more satisfying.

They all lived in the same apartment block. As a manager at the Walmart warehouse, Zhang Yi was often asked by neighbors to help them buy discounted goods, so he was a familiar face to everyone.

The sight of the three of them returning with mountains of supplies caught the attention of an elderly woman, Auntie Lin, who was outside with her grandson. Her eyes gleamed as they scanned the carts filled with food, especially the fresh cuts of beef and lamb.

"Xiao Zhang! Back with so many things! Are these surplus from the warehouse?" she asked, sidling up to them. "You can't possibly use all this yourself. How about sharing some with your neighbors?"

Auntie Lin, who worked on the residential committee, often threw her (perceived) weight around, acting like a community leader. She was always pestering Zhang Yi to get her cheap goods, a notorious freeloader.

In his previous life, she had badgered him into giving her some of his food. And when the mob had descended on his apartment to loot it, she hadn't lifted a finger to stop them; in fact, she'd been more energetic than some of the younger people.

Fang Yuqing and Li Caining, wanting to avoid trouble, quickly interjected, "Auntie, these all belong to Zhang Yi. We're just helping him bring them back."

Auntie Lin's eyes immediately fixed back on Zhang Yi. "Xiao Zhang, if they're from the warehouse, surely you can spare some for your Auntie Lin, right?"

As she spoke, her grandson, Little Tiger, already clambered onto one of the carts and grabbed a box of imported chocolates that cost over two hundred yuan. The little brat had expensive tastes.

Without a word, Zhang Yi swiftly snatched the box right out of the boy's hands.

"Sorry," he said coldly. "I'm keeping all of this for myself."

With the apocalypse days away, he couldn't be bothered with false courtesy anymore.

Auntie Lin's face darkened. "You—!" She was furious at this public disrespect. Little Tiger, denied his prize, began to wail.

"He's just a child! Can't you just let him have one box? I'll buy it from you. I'll pay you back later," Auntie Lin insisted, her tone stern.

Zhang Yi just smirked. In the age of instant digital payments, her "pay you back later" was a transparent attempt to get something for nothing.

"I said, it's for me. If you want some, go buy it yourself at the supermarket."

He let out a derisive laugh, then motioned for Fang Yuqing and Li Caining to keep moving. As they walked away, Auntie Lin's angry shouts followed them. Zhang Yi tuned her out.

Auntie Lin's son and daughter-in-law worked in another city, leaving her alone to care for her grandson. She typically only bought one day's worth of food at a time. In the last timeline, her supplies had run out first. Zhang Yi's soft heart had led him to help her then.

But without his help this time, the unethical old woman and her spoiled grandson would be lucky to last ten days. Zhang Yi wasn't about to waste energy arguing with the soon-to-be-dead.

It wasn't that he was heartless. It was just that when that day came, mere survival would be struggle enough for everyone. The well-being of others would have to take a backseat to his own.

After getting all the supplies into his apartment, Zhang Yi promptly dismissed the two women.

"Don't forget you owe us a meal!" Fang Yuqing said, batting her eyelids playfully.

The sight turned Zhang Yi's stomach. He gave a noncommittal grunt.

The two women would have loved to stay and scour for clues confirming Zhang Yi's secret wealth, but seeing he had no intention of entertaining them, they reluctantly left.

Once they were gone, Zhang Yi opened his dimensional space and stored all the new supplies inside. He wanted to observe if the space would cause any changes to the items over time.

By the time he finished, it was already late. Instead of resting, Zhang Yi took out a notepad and began meticulously planning his preparations for the coming month. Though usually laid-back, the will to survive can unlock remarkable focus.

"To live comfortably through the apocalypse, food is the first priority. That's easily solved."

"Aside from my personal purchases, I can take everything else from the warehouse. But I can't be hasty. I need to plan this carefully."

"And I should do the bulk transfer just a few days before the catastrophe, to avoid raising suspicion. Getting arrested and thrown in a cell would be a death sentence once things fall apart."

He wrote "FOOD" on the notepad and checked it off.

"Next, heating."

"Once the power grid fails, central heating and AC will be useless."

"We'll have to rely on simpler methods. A wood-burning stove is the best option!"

The principle was similar to a traditional Chinese *kang* heated bed—rudimentary but effective. Europeans used them to survive harsh winters.

"That means I'll need to renovate the apartment. And it should be fully insulated."

Thinking of renovations made him recall his door being smashed in during his previous life. A cold dread gripped his heart.

"I need to turn my home into an impenetrable fortress."

"First, reinforce all walls and the door with thick steel plates, capable of withstanding at least basic explosives."

When society collapsed, people would stop at nothing. He had to be prepared for anything. He couldn't gamble with his safety. Having already tasted death once, he had no desire to experience it again.

The safe room problem was solvable. There were security companies in Tianhai City that catered to the wealthy, specializing in building safe rooms. He recalled a news story from his past life about a tycoon who built a super-bunker supposedly capable of surviving a small-scale nuclear blast.

"Then, medicine. I must avoid dying from a preventable illness."

"The Walmart warehouse has common drugs for colds and fevers, but that's far from enough."

"The cryo-storm will last for decades. I need to be ready for anything."

Fortunately, Zhang Yi had decent connections in the city through his work. He knew people in hospital supply. With enough money, he could acquire almost any drug.

After addressing these issues, Zhang Yi tapped his pen on the notepad.

"Now, there's one final problem to solve."

His gaze sharpened.

"Weapons."

When the end came and humanity shed its veneer, fights over resources would be constant. Life would be cheap. To stay alive, you needed force.

Zhang Yi was no martial arts expert, but as the saying goes, 'No matter how skilled the kung fu, a knife can settle it.' With sufficiently powerful weapons, that wouldn't be a problem.

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

"Crossbows, air rifles, and compound bows… I have channels for those."

"But the most effective tool is still the good old American negotiation tool. That… will require finding a black market source."

Zhang Yi rubbed his chin. This was the trickiest problem, but he had a month to solve it. Where there was a will (and enough cash), there was usually a way.

He spent three hours crafting a detailed plan. Finally satisfied, he took a long, hot shower and collapsed into his comfortable bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

...

The next morning, Zhang Yi woke up. His sleep had been fitful, punctuated by nightmares that jolted him awake several times. Each time, the relief of finding himself in his warm, safe bed was profound.

The trauma of his previous end ran deep. To avoid repeating that fate, his resolve to prepare thoroughly was now absolute.

After getting up, he made himself a hearty breakfast. Then, he opened his dimensional space to check on the supplies he'd stored.

To his delight, the meat, fruit, and vegetables showed no signs of spoilage. While meat wouldn't show change overnight, the produce should have started to wilt. Yet, everything looked as fresh as the day he bought it.

"My dimensional space exists outside this world. Maybe the rules of time are different there. The flow could be slower, or maybe it's even static. This is incredible news!"

"This means I can store anything I want without worry."

However, when he checked on the live fish he'd placed inside, he found they were dead. They hadn't decomposed and looked perfectly preserved, but they were unquestionably dead.

Zhang Yi stroked his chin, processing this new information. "So, living things can't survive in there for long. Guess I can't move in myself." That wasn't a major issue. The stark, white emptiness of the space was no match for the comfort of his own home. Its storage capability was what mattered.

This discovery sparked another idea. If it preserved raw ingredients so well, what about cooked food? While he could cook, he was no match for a professional chef. Relying solely on his own cooking would get tiresome eventually.

He immediately picked up the phone and dialed the number for Tianhai City's most luxurious five-star hotel.

"Hello, you've reached Grand Fortune Hotel. How may I assist you?"

"I'm hosting a banquet at my home," Zhang Yi declared. "A three-day, non-stop feast. I need to place an order for 500 tables of food."

The person on the other end was stunned. 500 tables was a massive order, even for them. And as a five-star hotel, their cheapest banquet menu started at three to four thousand per table. This order was worth over a million yuan!

The flustered employee couldn't handle this. "P-please hold the line, sir. Let me get the manager for you."

A moment later, another voice came on the line. "Good morning, sir. This is Chen Dingfang, the manager of Grand Fortune Hotel. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"