'Right, I still need cat litter and sand.' After the torrential rain, not only would the power go out, but the water would be cut off too. Sewage would back up from the drains, flooding the house.
Cat litter or sand could solve the toilet situation. After some thought, Evelyn decided to place an order with a cat litter factory in Corinth and have it delivered directly to her warehouse, since she was buying a huge quantity.
She could buy sand from the outskirts later, along with cement and red bricks. All the drains had to be sealed, especially the toilet. 'I absolutely can't let my home get flooded with sewage again.'
As for weapons, Evelyn sighed.
It was impossible to buy sharpened, regulated blades online. She wanted to get some sharp weapons for self-defense, and it would be even better if she could get her hands on firearms. In her past life, some people with firearms had committed numerous unconscionable acts. Evelyn's eyes darkened. 'Human nature is built upon civilization and order. Once civilization is shattered and order collapses, the dark side of humanity becomes far more terrifying than any wild beast.'
On the third day, Evelyn was at the warehouse by five in the morning. January in Corinth was still a bit chilly, but she was full of energy, dressed in a down jacket, mask, and hat. Today was the day for the slaughterhouses to deliver. Evelyn had placed orders with three of them, buying pork, lamb, and beef by the ton. She also bought plenty of chicken, duck, and goose.
She placed all the delivered fresh meat into wholesale foam boxes before storing it in her space. Evelyn had arranged all the supplies within her space neatly, so a single scan with her consciousness made everything clear at a glance.
At noon, Evelyn went to the pharmacies. She visited ten different ones, which completed her procurement of Western medicine. Then she went to a traditional medicine shop and bought a large quantity of various herbs she might need.
In the afternoon, Evelyn accepted a delivery of fruits and vegetables, which she also packed neatly into foam boxes before moving them into her space.
Before she went home, several tons of cat litter from the factory were successfully delivered to the warehouse.
On her way home, Evelyn received a call from her roommate, Jill Lynch.
She hadn't told her roommates she was taking a leave of absence; only her academic advisor knew.
"Evelyn, when are you coming back to school?"
Evelyn wasn't particularly close to her other three roommates; Jill was the only one who had added her as a contact.
Thinking of her belongings in the dorm room, Evelyn decided she would go back tomorrow to pack them up.
"I've taken a leave of absence."
Jill sounded surprised. "A leave of absence?"
"Yeah."
Jill quietly asked what was wrong.
"It's nothing, just a private family matter. I'll be at the dorm tomorrow to pack my things."
Jill was taken aback. "You're moving out of the dorm? Are you taking leave for a long time?"
After parking in her building's lot, Evelyn headed upstairs. She ran into a neighbor in the hallway; they exchanged nods before passing each other.
"Yes. Hey, Jill, is your family from Corinth?"
"Nope, my family's in Aeridor."
'Aeridor?' Evelyn recalled that in her past life, there had been a medium-sized survivor base in Aeridor.
"Why? Are you planning a trip?" Jill began to chatter away, describing Aeridor's local delicacies and famous sights.
"I'm not."
After hanging up, Evelyn frowned slightly. 'Should I warn Jill?'
Once she was home with the door shut behind her, Evelyn kicked off her shoes, her whole body instantly relaxing.
The door installers were coming tomorrow. With the modifications to the balcony and windows, it was another significant expense.
All the glass in her apartment had to be replaced. She would install security bars over the new tempered glass, then add a layer of insulating film and insulation panels.
She had chosen the most expensive brand for the security door; it was thick and heavy. 'I'll turn my home into an impenetrable fortress. No one will be able to get in.'
Seeing the neatly arranged supplies in her space, Evelyn's mood eased considerably.
The next day, Evelyn went to Corinth University, choosing a time when all her roommates would be in class. Looking at her familiar bed and belongings, she sat down at her desk, a complex feeling welling up inside her.
At sixteen, she had been admitted to the Corinth University School of Medicine with a score of 720. Back then, Evelyn had been a legendary figure at this school.
After packing all her belongings and storing them in her space, Evelyn glanced back at the dorm room one last time before leaving. There were no regrets, no lingering attachments—only a sense of release.
Lately, Evelyn had only been sleeping three or four hours a night. She was either out buying supplies or at the warehouse accepting deliveries.
The items she ordered online began to arrive in succession. Evelyn used a hand truck to receive them, batch by batch.
After the door installers arrived, the balcony and windows were modified as well. Looking at the two indestructible security doors, even the lead installer couldn't help but tease her, asking if she was hiding gold in her apartment.
Although Evelyn tried to be as low-key as possible, the workers coming in and out of her apartment still drew the neighbors' attention.
Most were curious but didn't pry. For the persistent few who kept asking, Evelyn managed to put them off with a vague story.
A few days later, the renovations on her apartment were finished. Evelyn went to inspect the work. Looking at the newly installed glass, the security doors, and the sealed-off balcony, she felt an unprecedented sense of security.
Reviewing her checklist in a notebook, Evelyn realized there were still many things she needed to buy.
Before that, she had made a trip to a hardware Trade City and bought a generator, electrical wires, power strips, a transformer, a water pump, pipes, axes, saws, an entrenching tool, a coal stove, a thermometer capable of measuring glacial temperatures, a pesticide sprayer, an outdoor shower kit, and a mini-tiller, checking them all off her list.
Evelyn also bought twenty tons of coal and twenty tons of firewood from a small town on the outskirts of Corinth. The coal cost 1,100 per ton, while the dry firewood was 500 per ton. She couldn't buy too much diesel and gasoline in one go, so Evelyn planned a trip to Peach Blossom Alley.
Over the next few days, Evelyn continued ordering more supplies online and receiving deliveries. She spent her remaining time in the kitchen, cooking and packing meals into plastic trays. She could prepare about a hundred of these meals a day to store in her space.
Evelyn's cooking skills were quite decent. After the disaster began, cooking would become a luxury. Sometimes, even the faintest aroma of food could get you killed.
People killing each other for a mouthful of food would become a common sight.
Her space couldn't hold living things; all creatures had to be killed before she could store them inside.
Although she didn't care for snacks and candy, Evelyn bought a large amount anyway.
Looking at the remaining balance on her card, Evelyn decided it was time for a trip to Peach Blossom Alley.
In mid-February, just after the Lunar New Year, the temperature in Corinth soared to twenty-eight degrees Celsius. Evelyn felt something was wrong and jotted it down.
Peach Blossom Alley was located in one of Corinth's old alleyways. No one there asked for your identity, but masks, sunglasses, and gloves were required. The currency of trade in Peach Blossom Alley was gold, so Evelyn had made a special trip to the bank to purchase some gold bars. Besides diesel and gasoline, she also wanted to buy some weapons for self-defense.
The deal went smoothly. There, nobody cared who you were. As long as you could pay, you could buy anything.
She got the diesel and gasoline without a hitch. Evelyn also acquired several boxes of sharpened blades, thirty military-grade Crossbows, and three thousand Crossbow Arrows.
By the end of February, the temperature in Corinth surpassed thirty degrees Celsius, breaking the city's hundred-year-old historical record.