Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: The Super Warehouse

The gun connection was finally secured, and Zhang Yi felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. In the post-apocalyptic world, having a weapon like that would give him immense confidence, no matter whether he encountered humans or non-human creatures. The next day, Zhang Yi packed all the important items from his house into his space. Since the house was going to be turned into a safe house, he planned to temporarily stay at a hotel. Early that morning, three black vans drove into the Yue Lu community. A large group of workers from Zhanlong Company, all dressed in uniforms, got out and began measuring Zhang Yi's house. Many neighbors who saw this scene were filled with curiosity. "What's gotten into Zhang Yi lately? Why is he always up to something strange?" Some coworkers joked, "Yeah, I saw him at the supermarket the other day with three carts full of food!" "Haha! You'd think the world was ending with all the stuff he's stocking up on. It's all going to expire and be wasted!" "Maybe he's mentally unwell." Everyone found Zhang Yi's strange behavior amusing, but no one really cared. They simply treated him as a joke. Even Fang Yuqing and Li Cainin believed that something was wrong with Zhang Yi. Li Cainin suddenly had a realization, "Now I get it! No wonder he went to that Michelin three-star restaurant that day. His mind must be broken!" Fang Yuqing frowned, feeling particularly unhappy. She remembered how she had approached Zhang Yi to chat with him that day and even helped him push all that stuff home, leaving her so tired that her legs felt weak. The thought of it made her furious. "What is Zhang Yi up to, really?" Li Cainin, on the other hand, expressed some concern, "He did say he was going to treat us to a feast. I hope he hasn't forgotten about it." She had been eagerly anticipating a meal at that Michelin three-star restaurant. But Fang Yuqing sneered, "Forget it! Look at how crazy he's been acting lately. Even if he invites me, I wouldn't go." "Imagine how embarrassing it would be if people saw us eating with him!" Fang Yuqing had her sights set on landing a wealthy husband, and she couldn't afford to damage her reputation. Although Li Cainin was reluctant, she had no choice but to give up on the idea. As for Zhang Yi, he couldn't care less what his neighbors thought. In a month, they would all realize who the real joke was. Zhang Yi left his house and drove to the Walmart warehouse. It was Monday, so he had to go to work. At the same time, he wanted to scope out the warehouse to plan his next steps. The Walmart warehouse was located in the economic development zone, at the outskirts of Tianhai City. Since the land here was relatively cheap, many large corporations had their warehouses in this area. Even some pharmaceutical companies had their warehouses here. This worked out perfectly for Zhang Yi, as it meant he could later grab some special medicines. Once he arrived at the Walmart warehouse, Zhang Yi clocked in and started his shift as usual. As the warehouse supervisor, Zhang Yi was incredibly familiar with the place. He knew every single warehouse and even the layout of every shelf like the back of his hand. Normally, coming to work here felt boring. But today, seeing these massive warehouses and the goods worth tens or hundreds of billions inside them, Zhang Yi felt nothing but excitement. Because soon, he would take all of it. These goods would become his essential supplies for surviving the apocalypse. As Walmart's South China central warehouse, the sheer volume of goods stored here was beyond imagination. Just the stock of Coca-Cola alone amounted to tens of thousands of cases! The warehouse spanned millions of square feet, packed with every type of essential item. It wasn't just food, clothing, and hardware tools. There were even cars, drones, diesel generators, and barrels of gasoline. In short, if a supermarket sold it, you could find it here. Having worked here for many years, Zhang Yi knew exactly what was on every shelf. He was also fully aware of the work schedule and the positioning of the surveillance cameras. While the security system here seemed tight, Zhang Yi knew its loopholes. He could disable the entire surveillance system in just ten minutes. Then, using the ability of his system space, he could take everything inside the warehouse! But Zhang Yi wasn't in a rush to make his move just yet. He still had plenty of time and didn't want to raise any suspicions. After a quick round of inspections around the warehouse, Zhang Yi left. He casually walked over to the neighboring warehouse of Ruining Pharmaceutical Company. Since they worked in the same area, Zhang Yi was familiar with some of the staff there. He approached one of the warehouse managers, Zhou Hairun. Everyone here knew each other well. In large company warehouses like these, it wasn't uncommon for people to take advantage of their positions to steal and sell goods. Zhou Hairun, for example, had a brother-in-law who was the vice president of Ruining Group. So, Zhou often took medicine from the warehouse to sell on the side. Zhang Yi struck up a conversation with Zhou Hairun, hinting at his interest in obtaining several boxes of special medicines for acute illnesses. Zhou was initially cautious. But when Zhang Yi offered to pay double the market price, Zhou quickly dropped his guard. In the end, they struck a deal for five boxes of medicine at a price of 3 million. With the medicines secured, Zhang Yi was now almost fully prepared with all the supplies he would need for the apocalypse. There was less than a month left until the apocalypse, and Zhang Yi had no intention of continuing his regular job. He went to the office of the warehouse manager and made up an excuse, claiming that a distant relative had passed away, and he needed to return to his hometown for the funeral. He requested twenty days off. Zhang Yi had always maintained a good relationship with the manager, so it wasn't difficult for him to get the time off. His plan now was to relax in a five-star hotel for the next few weeks, waiting for his supplies to arrive and for the safe house construction to be completed. As Zhang Yi walked out of the manager's office, he happened to see Fang Yuqing bending over at the coffee machine, making herself a cup of coffee. There was no denying that this woman had some "green tea" appeal. She had a natural seductive air about her. Even while making coffee, she couldn't help but sway her hips, attracting several young men to come over and flirt with her. One guy, grinning, invited Fang Yuqing to a Jay Chou concert, waving his ticket around as if showing off. Zhang Yi recognized this guy as Zhou Peng. They lived in the same neighborhood. Zhou Peng was Fang Yuqing's loyal lapdog, and in Zhang Yi's previous life, he had been one of the people responsible for Zhang Yi's downfall.