Nina Jacobs was a foodie.
But supermarkets weren't her battlefield.
She went to several farmhouse restaurants in Lyrdon and bought hundreds of kiln-roasted chickens and roast ducks.
At various chain stores specializing in braised meats, she bought out their entire stock of soy-sauced beef, duck necks, and other ready-to-eat meat products.
At popular hot pot chains, she pre-ordered dozens of multi-person beef hot pot meal sets.
Finally, there was the whole roasted lamb from barbecue joints, grilled fish platters from grilled fish restaurants, and more.
After more than half a day, she had spent seven or eight hundred thousand on food alone.
'But this money was well worth it,' she thought. 'In the apocalypse, these things will be priceless.'
But Nina Jacobs's purpose in coming to Lyrdon wasn't just to hoard food.
Lyrdon had a large electronics market, and that was her true destination for the day.
Earlier that morning, she had found the contact numbers online and ordered over a dozen generators by phone.
There were two types: solar generators and diesel generators, as well as some high-capacity outdoor power stations.
"Everything is right here, and don't you worry, we guarantee it's the best price in the entire market."
The shop owner said, patting his chest in assurance.
"Can you go a little lower? Our company's budget is limited."
Nina Jacobs didn't really care about the price, but she haggled a bit anyway, pretending to be a corporate buyer.
Her counteroffer wasn't unreasonable, so the shop owner and his wife, who was holding a small child, quickly agreed.
"Get it delivered to this address for me today, and all the goods need to be packed in cardboard boxes."
Nina Jacobs gave them the address of her old house. These generators and power stations were small; aside from being heavy, they weren't actually very large.
"Absolutely. We'll make sure everything is packed up nicely. You can rest assured."
The shop owner hadn't had such a large order in a long time.
"Bye-bye!"
The little girl, who was just over two, waved at Nina Jacobs from her mother's arms. Her big, sparkling eyes were adorable.
"So sweet."
It had been a long time since she had seen such clear and innocent eyes.
Nina Jacobs couldn't resist patting her head and took a box of chocolates from her backpack.
She didn't have any baby food, but the chocolate box was very pretty, and the little girl immediately started playing with it, unable to put it down.
The couple thanked her profusely again.
The moment Nina Jacobs turned to leave, the system notification popped up again:
[Detected that Host's action will save one 3-year-old human in 15 days. "Selfless Savior" title acquired. Reward: one bottle of "Healing Potion."]
'Save a three-year-old human in fifteen days?'
'That should be during the period when the zombie virus spreads. Was it the little girl from just now?'
Nina Jacobs had no way of confirming it, but this was the first time she realized the system could be used this way.
The "Healing Potion" was an all-purpose elixir in the system store that had to be exchanged for experience points. In a critical moment, it could even save a life.
Because it cost a huge amount of experience, Nina Jacobs had never been willing to exchange for one in her previous life.
But now she had just gotten a bottle for a single box of chocolates...
"So saving people has benefits like this?"
Nina Jacobs wasn't some do-gooder. When it came to saving people, she had rarely taken the initiative.
But if saving people could get her the system's "Healing Potion," then she was about to get very excited.
To test her theory, Nina Jacobs opened her phone and quickly placed an order for a case of instant noodles and some snacks, having it delivered to Dorm 701.
Before long, she received a call from her roommate, Joanna Lynn.
"I put the stuff on your desk for you, but we're about to graduate. Why are you still buying so much stuff?"
Joanna Lynn and the others got along quite well with Nina Jacobs. When it came to saving people, they were the first ones who came to Nina's mind.
But the delivery had arrived, and the system didn't seem to have any notification.
"I'm heartbroken. I don't feel like going out for the next few days. Can you guys stay in the dorm and keep me company tomorrow night?"
The acid rain would arrive tomorrow night. The probability of being infected by the zombie virus after being exposed to it was over 95%.
'If the food didn't work, could it be because they were infected at the very beginning of the acid rain?'
As Nina Jacobs analyzed the situation in her mind, a shriek came from Joanna Lynn on the other end of the line:
"What did you say?!! That jerk Liam Grant actually had the nerve to break up with you?"
As if realizing her reaction was too strong, Joanna Lynn quickly added:
"Uh... don't be too sad. Tomorrow night, Chloe Pearson and I won't go anywhere. We'll stay in the dorm with you. But Mandy has already rented a place off-campus with her boyfriend..."
[Detected that Host's action will save 2 humans in 4 days. "Selfless Savior" title triggered. Reward: 2 bottles of "Healing Potion."]
'It worked!!'
'The food couldn't save Joanna Lynn and Chloe Pearson because they both got infected at the start of the acid rain!'
'Now that she had stopped them from going out, she had truly saved them.'
Looking at the three bottles of "Healing Potion" in her system's storage space, Nina Jacobs was in an excellent mood.
On the other end of the phone, Joanna Lynn and Chloe Pearson were still trying to console Nina Jacobs.
"I still have some things to do today. I'll see you tomorrow."
Nina Jacobs hung up the phone.
By blaming all the strange occurrences in this life on her "heartbreak," even if Liam Grant and Renee Strong became suspicious, there would be a plausible cause and effect.
After looking around the electronics market, Nina Jacobs bought a good number of large-capacity, solar-rechargeable lights.
The acid rain would corrode everything, and power outages would gradually occur in different parts of the city. These lights had multiple ways of being powered and would definitely be useful in the future.
Nina Jacobs also bought a batch of acid- and alkali-resistant chemical protection suits. These suits were worn like raincoats and offered excellent waterproof and corrosion-resistant effects.
On her way back, Nina Jacobs made another stop at a wholesale hardware market.
Knives were regulated in Drakonia, but hammers, axes, and chainsaws were not.
She bought hundreds of tools like axes from several hardware stores, including some imported chainsaws.
Along the way, Nina Jacobs drove and stopped, making huge purchases at every location.
Her original three million was now down to just over five hundred thousand.
"Money really does go fast."
Nina Jacobs sighed. She planned to spend the remaining five hundred thousand after returning to City D.
Before returning to City D, Nina Jacobs planned to fill up her car's gas tank. But before that, she needed to siphon the gas already in it.
Gasoline was also a consumable in the apocalypse, but it couldn't be bought and sold freely. This was the only way she could stock up on extra fuel.
Nina Jacobs had prepared a pump and a hose, but she soon discovered it wasn't necessary for her to go through all that trouble.
She just needed to use the system's collection function to move the gasoline into a container she had prepared in her storage space.
Then, something surprising happened.
The system prompted her again:
[Detected Host has collected an energy-related item. "Energy Collector" title acquired. Reward: 1 dedicated energy storage slot!]
The energy storage slot also had several categories. There were two separate storage tanks for 92 and 95 octane gasoline, as well as dedicated tanks for diesel, crude oil, and more.
"Energy collection?"
Nina Jacobs remembered that starting from the second day of the acid rain, explosions had occurred at many gas stations.
This was because the acid rain had corroded the storage tanks, causing leaks.
If she could collect all the fuel from the storage tanks into her system, she would no longer have to worry about a gasoline shortage.
Not long after filling up her car again, Nina Jacobs returned to her old house. The items she had ordered in Lyrdon had all arrived.
This included the food and living supplies she had previously bought online.
After Nina Jacobs finished organizing everything, she realized it was already dark outside.
And just then, a knock came from the door.