ANGELS IN THE ARMAGEDDON

Chapter 2: Preparations Before the Beginning

"Lottery?"

Before Quinn could question it, a display interface with a large spinning wheel appeared before her. Colorful lights encircled the wheel, which was divided into six sections by black lines, each labeled with a different category of prizes : Familiars（Servants）, Miscellaneous Items, Weapons, Armors, Skills, and Bloodlines.

[Keep the chance / Start the draw (1)]

"Start."

Quinn quickly understood the straightforward lottery mechanism. As she gave the command, the wheel began to spin slowly, gradually picking up speed. With a hint of anticipation, Quinn watched as the pointer finally came to rest.

"Phew—"

Quinn let out a barely audible sigh of relief as she exited the Angel-Hunter space. For some reason, that strange space gave her an inexplicable sense of pressure. However, the item she won from the lottery made her feel less uneasy about the system.

The Angel-Hunter system was indeed a kind of golden finger. It provided a two-cubic-meter storage space and allowed her to exchange items and enhance her abilities at any time. This explained why the 'angels' in the apocalypse had formidable strength and possessed various bizarre high-tech gadgets.

But why do they hunt?

Quinn returned to this troubling question.

Hunting monsters to obtain crystals and exchange them for energy points made sense, but why target humans? What was the purpose of killing ordinary people, not just officials but even common beggars like her who held no threat?

As she closed the system's backpack, Quinn was snapped out of her thoughts by the ringing of her phone.

Who could be calling at this time?

Picking up the phone, the displayed number triggered a flood of memories.

"What a hassle..."

Quinn recognized the caller. Her eyes flickered as she recalled the number, and she finally answered, bringing the phone to her ear.

"Hello." A mature woman's voice came through the receiver. The calm and familiar tone momentarily confused Quinn. Steadying her suddenly racing heart, she carefully responded, "Miss Hana,"

Hana was Quinn's supervisor, managing the team of delivery personnel that Quinn was part of. Known for her kindness and frequent efforts to advocate for her team's interests, she was well-liked and commonly referred to as 'Dear H.'

"Hey! Quinn? Who's speaking?"

Not hearing the familiar voice of her subordinate, the strange tone startled Hana.

"It's me."

Almost forgetting her physical transformation and her voice changed, Quinn pinched her throat to disguise her altered voice. "It's... the weather has been getting hotter, and I caught a cold last night..."

"Really? Remember to keep warm at night in the summer. The temperature difference can easily cause colds. Drink more hot water... The leader just asked me why you didn't come to work. Should I ask for leave on your behalf?" The genuine concern in her voice made Quinn feel a rare warmth, especially after witnessing so much human indifference in her previous life.

"Thanks, Hana." After a brief hesitation, Quinn suddenly spoke, "Well..."

"Quinn, what's wrong?" Hana was startled by Quinn's intense tone.

"Sorry... Hana, please be safe tomorrow.... take a day off and stay home if you can."

"Why?"

"Just... trust me." Quinn, at a loss for words, hastily ended the call after leaving this cryptic warning.

I've done my best... If I outright said the apocalypse was coming, Hana would probably call a mental hospital.

Steadying her mind, Quinn knew she needed to prepare for the apocalypse herself.

It was already 8:30 AM, and the community's main road was bustling with people. Some were familiar faces, others were strangers. Almost everyone who saw Quinn's face paused momentarily in surprise. With her current appearance, no one could recognize her former self.

But this no longer mattered. Since she had been reborn, she had to make ample preparations before the apocalypse started. She couldn't afford to be as desperate as she was in her previous life. Additionally, she intended to enjoy this brief period of peace.

Quinn lived in an industrial park on the outskirts of the city. Most of the residents were workers, predominantly middle-aged men who had a higher resistance to the virus. As a result, the industrial park wasn't as severely impacted initially.

Quinn's hypothesis about the first outbreak sites of zombies was clear to hospitals and nursing rooms. These locations housed high-risk individuals with declining bodily functions and immune systems. Patients and the elderly were the first to transform into zombies.

A mental map of the WY County town formed in Quinn's mind.

WY County has three major hospitals, with the largest being the People's Hospital in the city center. The others were far from the industrial park, and the only nursing home was even farther away.

Quinn frowned. Although the industrial park seemed safe, it also meant limited supplies.

Located on the outskirts, the daily necessities for the workers and nearby villagers came from a single source of the supermarket in front of the rental complex. Apart from that, there were only a few convenience stores, and medical assistance was provided by a small clinic.

This was why Quinn needed to go out.

The supplies would be depleted quickly after a few rounds of looting by survivors. She needed to stock up on food and medicine in advance. Before she could safely travel to the provincial capital to find Qara, she had to stay in WY County for a while.

"It's still a bit awkward..." Quinn muttered as she faced the occasional glances from passersby. Because of her new body, she could no longer wear her old clothes. Instead, she had to wear her sister Qara's clothes.

Surprisingly, the childlike outfits fit Quinn well, complementing her sister's similar appearance. The red and white blouse with a silk bow tie at the chest, paired with a knee-length skirt and black tights, gave her a refined look — except for the slight tightness at the chest.

Leaving the rental complex, Quinn turned onto a paved road. On one side was the complex she lived in, and on the other was a vast vegetable field belonging to the nearby villagers. Walking up the road for two hundred meters, she reached her first destination — the supermarket.

Right now, there were only a few customers inside. The cashiers chatted idly at their stations, while a couple of shoppers browsed the aisles. Without hesitation, Quinn quickly selected her desired items.

She bought three bags of ten kilograms of bread, a case of mineral water, and considering the city's impending water and power outage, she added some ready-to-eat food. As for vegetables... the vegetable field across the road could sustain her for a lifetime.

After some thought, she also grabbed a few snacks for herself, knowing that such luxuries would be hard to come by after tomorrow.

After quickly finishing her shopping, Quinn headed to the checkout. She took out her wallet from her pocket and paid for the items.

With heavy bags in hand, Quinn left the supermarket and turned into a secluded alley. Waving her hand, she opened the storage space and stowed the items inside. After completing this task, she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, a playful glint in her eyes as she watched the entrance of the alley.

Two years of life-and-death struggles had made Quinn highly perceptive of her surroundings. She clearly sensed two malicious gazes targeting her from the moment she took out her wallet to pay.

Being on the outskirts, the area lacked security forces beyond the industrial park's guards, resulting in poor law enforcement. Given her frail appearance, it was no surprise that she had attracted unwanted attention.

Having a young girl's body and a delicate face is troublesome and vulnerable to be violated...

Soon, Quinn's instincts were proven correct. Two casually dressed young men entered the alley, but their casual demeanor stiffened slightly upon meeting Quinn's gaze. Her composed and confident stance surprised them, but it didn't deter their intentions.

The two men exchanged a knowing look. The bespectacled one stood at the alley entrance to keep watch, while the other in a gray shirt approached Quinn step by step. His wandering eyes and creepy smile made Quinn frown.

"Hey, come to uncle J, you’ll..." The man chuckled as he reached out, seemingly to pinch Quinn's delicate face. His expressions and actions perfectly embodied the textbook definition of a 'pervert.'

With an exasperated eye roll, Quinn suddenly grabbed the man's outstretched fingers. Her small hand exerted an incredible force, twisting his fingers in the opposite direction.

'c***k—'

The lecherous smile froze on his face, his expression turning to shock as he stared at his twisted, dislocated finger. Pain surged through him, and he let out a piercing scream that echoed through the alley.

Hearing his partner's anguished cries, the bespectacled man turned around, realizing something was wrong. Seeing his companion writhing in pain on the ground, he rushed towards them.

"..."

Quinn lazily glanced at the approaching man. Without a second thought, she kneed the gray-shirted man on the chin, knocking him out.

"If you want to save his finger, take him to the clinic immediately..."

Quinn coldly left this remark as she passed the fear-frozen bespectacled man, disappearing around the corner.