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

Zhang Yi and the other two people pushed three large carts full of supplies back to the community. Along the way, many neighbors witnessed this scene and couldn't help but start gossiping about it. Zhang Yi wasn't worried about being seen either. After all, some neighbors had already caught sight of him when he was shopping in the supermarket. Moreover, Fang Yuqing and Lin Caining were sure to spread the word about this matter later on. There was simply no point in hiding. He had even anticipated that when the end of the world arrived, quite a few people would attempt to break into his house and loot his belongings. He had experienced all of this firsthand. However, he wasn't afraid. Because in this life, he would make preparations in advance. He intended to make those people see what he had but not be able to get their hands on it, leaving them seething with anger in the end. Zhang Yi, Fang Yuqing and the others lived in an apartment building. Since Zhang Yi worked as a manager in Walmart's warehouse, the neighbors often asked him to help buy discounted items. So everyone was familiar with Zhang Yi. Seeing that the three of them had brought back so many things, an aunt who was out playing with her grandson came over. She eyed the food in the carts, along with the fresh beef and mutton, and was immediately tempted. "Xiao Zhang, why did you bring back so many things? Were these items being cleared out from the warehouse?" "You won't be able to use up all these things. How about sharing some with the neighbors?" This was Aunt Lin, who worked in the neighborhood committee. On ordinary days, relying on the bit of power she had in the community, she often bossed the neighbors around and regarded herself as a leader. In the past, she often asked Zhang Yi to buy her cheap discounted goods. She had an extremely stingy and penny-pinching personality. In his previous life, she had also pestered Zhang Yi to get some food from him. But when all the neighbors rushed into Zhang Yi's house to rob him, not only did she not try to stop them, but she was even more enthusiastic than the young people. Fang Yuqing and Lin Caining didn't want to provoke this woman either and quickly said, "All these things were bought by Zhang Yi. We're just helping him bring them back." Aunt Lin's eyes immediately turned towards Zhang Yi, and she said with a smile, "Xiao Zhang, it looks like these are things from your warehouse. How about giving Aunt Lin a bit?" As she was speaking, her grandson Xiaohu had already climbed onto one of the handcarts and reached out to take a box of chocolates. Although he was young, he had a sharp eye. That box of imported chocolates cost more than 200 yuan in the supermarket. Without a word, Zhang Yi snatched the item back in a flash. Then he said coldly to Aunt Lin, "Sorry, I'm keeping these things for myself." Anyway, the end of the world was approaching soon, and he didn't even bother to be polite anymore. Aunt Lin's face suddenly changed. "You..." Zhang Yi's lack of respect for her, as the so-called leader of the community, made her very angry. Especially her grandson Xiaohu. After being pushed aside by Zhang Yi, he started crying and demanding the chocolates. "The kid doesn't know any better. How about you just give him a box of chocolates? Consider it as if I'm buying it, and I'll pay you back later." Aunt Lin said in a solemn tone. Zhang Yi just curled his lips in disdain. Nowadays, mobile payment was extremely convenient. Her saying she would pay later was clearly an attempt to renege on the debt. "I told you, these are for my own consumption. If you want some, go buy them in the supermarket yourself!" Zhang Yi sneered and then signaled Fang Yuqing and Lin Caining to leave with him. As soon as they left, Aunt Lin's angry curses came from behind. Zhang Yi ignored them. Aunt Lin's son and daughter-in-law worked outside, and she was the only one at home taking care of her grandson. On ordinary days, the old woman only bought enough groceries for one day. So after the end of the world came, their family's supplies were the first to run out. Previously, Zhang Yi had been soft-hearted and helped them. But in this life, without Zhang Yi's help, it would be a miracle if this unethical old woman and her naughty grandson Xiaohu could survive for ten days. Zhang Yi didn't want to get into trouble with people who were as good as dead. It wasn't that he was heartless. But after that day arrived, it would be extremely difficult for everyone just to take care of themselves. Naturally, the lives and deaths of others took a backseat to his own. After pushing the three carts of supplies back home, Zhang Yi let the two women leave. "Zhang Yi, don't forget to treat us to a meal!" Fang Yuqing winked playfully at Zhang Yi. But when Zhang Yi saw it, he felt a wave of nausea in his stomach. He gave a perfunctory response. The two women originally planned to stay and look for clues that Zhang Yi was a hidden rich second generation. But seeing that Zhang Yi didn't seem to be in the mood to entertain them, they had no choice but to leave first. After they left, Zhang Yi opened his alternate space and then put all the supplies into it. He planned to observe whether there would be any changes to these supplies in the space. By the time he finished all this, it was already very late. Zhang Yi didn't rush to rest. Instead, he took out a pen and paper and carefully planned his preparations for the next month. Although he was usually lazy, when it came to survival, people could always unleash their full potential. "If I want to live comfortably in the apocalypse, I need to solve the food problem first. That's easy to handle." "Besides the things I usually buy, I can get the rest from the warehouse. But I can't be hasty. I need to do some research first." "And I should collect the supplies a few days before the apocalypse to avoid drawing attention. If I get caught, I definitely won't be able to survive a few days in jail." Zhang Yi wrote the word "Food" in his notebook and put a tick next to it. "Next is the heating issue." "After the apocalypse arrives, the energy supply will be extremely scarce, and the air conditioner won't be usable soon." "Then, we have to use the simplest method. A fireplace is the top choice!" A fireplace and a heated kang have similar principles. They both use primitive methods to keep warm. In winter in Europe, the temperature is extremely low, and people use this method to get through the long, cold winter. "In that case, I need to redecorate the house. It's best to add an insulating layer." When thinking about the decoration, Zhang Yi remembered his house being broken into in his previous life, and his heart tightened involuntarily. "I also need to turn my house into an impregnable steel fortress." "First of all, install thick steel plates all over. It should at least be able to withstand ordinary explosions." After the apocalypse arrives, people will do anything to survive, so I must make thorough preparations. I can't take risks with my life safety. Zhang Yi had already tasted the bitterness of death once and definitely didn't want to experience it a second time. The problem of the safe house is also easy to solve. There are security companies in Tianhai City that specialize in providing security services for the wealthy. Among them, there is the service of building safe houses. Zhang Yi remembered that in his previous life, a top billionaire had built a super fortress that could even withstand the attack of a small nuclear weapon. "Next up is medicine. I must prevent myself from getting sick and having no way to treat it." "There are many commonly used medicines in Walmart's warehouse that can treat minor illnesses like colds and fevers. But that's far from enough." "The Cambrian Storm will last for at least several decades. I need to be fully prepared." Fortunately, Zhang Yi had a good network of contacts in Tianhai City. After all, he worked in warehouse management, so he was familiar with some hospital storage personnel. As long as the money was right, he could get his hands on any kind of medication. With these issues taken care of, Zhang Yi tapped his pen against his notebook. "Now, there's only one last problem to solve." His gaze turned sharp. "That's weapons!" When the apocalypse arrives and humanity loses its sense of morality, fights over resources will break out everywhere. Life will become as cheap as grass, and to survive, one will need enough firepower. Zhang Yi wasn't a martial arts expert, but even the best fighter would fear a kitchen knife in the hands of someone desperate. As long as he had strong enough weapons, he wouldn't need to worry about this issue. "Mountain-cutting knives, crowbars, and pickaxes are easy to get." "Crossbows, air guns, and compound bows are available through channels." "But the most powerful weapon is definitely the American katana. This one can only be acquired through the black market." Zhang Yi stroked his chin. This problem wasn't something he could solve just yet. But with a month to prepare, as long as he was willing to spend money, he should be able to get it. He spent three hours crafting a perfect plan before taking a refreshing hot shower and lying down in his comfortable bed to sleep. --- The next morning, Zhang Yi woke up early. His sleep wasn't the best—he had been woken up several times by nightmares. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was still lying on his warm, comfortable bed at home. He let out a long sigh of relief. The time during the apocalypse had caused immense damage to his psyche. To avoid repeating the same mistakes, Zhang Yi became even more determined to prepare thoroughly. After getting up, Zhang Yi made himself breakfast. Then, he opened his spatial storage to check on the changes in the items he had stored. To his delight, after a whole night, the meat, fruits, and vegetables had shown no signs of deterioration. While meat wouldn't show immediate changes, fruits and vegetables would usually spoil after being left overnight. But after being placed in the spatial storage, they were as fresh as when he had bought them yesterday. "My spatial storage is independent of this world. Perhaps the rules of time are different," Zhang Yi thought to himself. "It could be that time flows more slowly, or maybe even stops altogether. This is fantastic news!" "This means I can store all kinds of items without worry." However, when Zhang Yi checked on the fish he had placed in the storage, he found that they had all died. Despite being dead, the fish still looked lifelike and showed no signs of decay. Zhang Yi stroked his chin, gaining a deeper understanding of the rules of his spatial storage. "It looks like living creatures can't survive for long in there. It seems like my idea of living in the space isn't very practical." But this wasn't a major issue. The spatial storage was vast, but it was just a plain, white space, nowhere near as comfortable as Zhang Yi's home. As long as he could store things, that was enough. With this in mind, Zhang Yi's mind raced with possibilities. Since he could store fresh meat, vegetables, and fruits, what about cooked meals? Although Zhang Yi knew how to cook, he was still far from a professional chef. Relying on himself for meals might become tiresome in the long run. So, Zhang Yi immediately made a phone call to Tianhai City's largest five-star hotel. "Hello, this is the Hongfu Tianxia Hotel. How can I assist you?" Zhang Yi replied immediately, "I need to invite guests to my house and host a three-day, three-night banquet. I need to reserve 500 banquet tables!" The person on the other end was taken aback. 500 tables? That would take a long time to prepare. And since it was a five-star hotel, the cheapest banquet meal would cost at least three to four thousand per table. For 500 tables, that would cost over a million! The hotel staff didn't dare make any decisions and quickly said, "Please hold on, I'll check with our manager." After a moment, another person picked up the phone. "Hello, sir. I'm Chen Dingfang, the manager of Hongfu Tianxia Hotel. May I ask for your name?"