Chapter 1 Rebirth in the Ice Cave
Cold.
A chilling cold that pierces to the bone marrow.
Wen Yu knew he was sinking.
Beneath him lay unfathomable, dark blue icy water; above him, the sky was distorted and grayish-white by the ice. Countless tiny bubbles escaped from his mouth and nose, like strings of shattered wishes, drifting upwards and further away from him.
His limbs were already numb from the cold, with only a last trace of burning pain remaining in his chest—the sensation left by Lu Jin's hand pressing against his back when she pushed him. So forceful, so resolute, with a ruthlessness he hadn't felt in ten years.
"Wen Yu, don't blame me."
Before pushing him down, Lu Jin's voice came through the thick winter mask, muffled yet clear like an icicle, chiseling into Wen Yu's heart.
"You're not going to make it anyway. Give me this coat. I can live a few more days."
Then came the hands that had embraced him on countless cold nights, the hands that had gently straightened his collar, which, without hesitation, pushed him toward the edge of the ice cave.
Wen Yu didn't even have time to utter a cry of surprise.
He only looked back one last time before he fell.
Two people stood at the edge of the ice cave. One was Lu Jin, her ex-boyfriend, who was deftly pulling off Wen Yu's worn but still surprisingly warm down jacket in this frozen apocalypse and quickly wrapping it around himself. The other was Lin Xiao, the man who had joined their team just three days ago and claimed to be a "fire-type ability user," who stood with his arms crossed, looking down at Wen Yu in the icy water with undisguised sarcasm.
"Hurry up," Lin Xiao said lazily. "This piece of trash might still have some food on him."
"I searched it up, and there was only half a compressed biscuit. I ate it a long time ago." Lu Jin zipped up his coat, his tone as relaxed as if he were just discussing the weather. "But this coat is alright, the fleece inside isn't completely matted yet."
Wen Yu opened his mouth, and the icy water immediately choked him, causing his lungs to spasm from the cold.
He wanted to ask why.
When he asked Lu Jin about saving his last half of a cookie for her, Lu Jin was clearly moved to tears and said, "Ayu, I will never let you down in this life."
He wanted to know where his mother and younger brother were—in the third year of the apocalypse, he risked being bitten by zombies to go out and find medicine, saving his mother from a high fever and near death, but breaking two ribs in the process. The first thing his mother said after recovering was, "Your younger brother is growing, give him that can of meat."
I want to ask those friends who once called him brothers, why didn't a single one turn back when he was trapped in the ruins while searching for food for everyone?
Ice water filled his chest cavity.
In his last conscious thought, he saw Lu Jin wrapping his coat tighter around himself and Lin Xiao walking away side by side. Their footsteps crunched through the snow, fading into the distance. They didn't look back, not even once.
It's so cold.
Ten years into the apocalypse, this planet seems to have forgotten what warmth feels like.
The initial disaster wasn't zombies—though those things did appear later. No, initially it was the weather that went mad.
Wen Yu remembers it; it was a seemingly ordinary autumn. News reports began frequently featuring terms like "extreme weather" and "abnormal climate." One day here, a once-in-fifty-year torrential rain; the next, a record-breaking heatwave. People initially paid little attention, until—
Until the first snow fell in the southern city in early autumn.
It wasn't romantic snowflakes, but a blizzard carrying ice pellets that buried the entire city in half a meter of snow overnight. The temperature plummeted to minus twenty degrees Celsius, and the power system, after operating under overload for several days, began to collapse one after another.
That was just the beginning.
Following closely behind is a global climate upheaval. Seasons have ceased to exist, replaced only by constantly shifting extreme weather patterns: months of frigid blizzards, temperatures plummeting to minus fifty degrees Celsius, making steel as brittle as biscuits; then, without warning, scorching heat erupts, the sun so intense it can peel skin, temperatures soaring above fifty degrees Celsius, melting glaciers triggering global floods; after the floods recede, the humid, sweltering environment breeds swarms of locusts that blot out the sky, leaving nothing but barren land in their wake; and there are also gale-force winds, sometimes exceeding level ten, capable of ripping off entire buildings…
The zombie virus spread quietly in this hellish environment.
Scientists speculate that the virus may have been dormant for some time, and was activated by extreme weather and radiation changes. Or perhaps it is something unknown that came with a natural disaster.
Fortunately—if you can call it fortunate—during the extreme cold, zombies are frozen solid, their movements extremely slow or even completely paralyzed, greatly reducing their threat. But once the temperature rises above zero, those rotting creatures will start moving again, stumbling and chasing after the scent of the living amidst floods, heat waves, or gales.
Ten years into the apocalypse, human civilization has long since crumbled into dust.
Nation? Government? Order? None of them. Only survivor settlements, large and small, eked out a living amidst ruins and extreme weather. For a moldy biscuit, people would betray anyone; for a bottle of clean water, brothers would fight to the death.
Wenyu wasn't always like this.
When the apocalypse first arrived, he was twenty-five years old, had a good job, had just bought a small apartment, and had a boyfriend, Lu Jin, whom he had been dating for two years and planned to marry. He had a naive kindness in his personality, always believing that people should help each other and that human nature is inherently good.
It was the end of the world that gradually molded him into a different person.
No, perhaps it's not entirely the fault of the apocalypse.
He's the one who's stupid.
Foolish enough to believe that Lu Jin would still hold onto love even in dire straits. Foolish enough to think that one's mother and younger brother would still consider family ties when resources are scarce. Foolish enough to believe that those "brothers" who have gone through life and death together can truly be trusted.
So now he lies here, sinking to the bottom of the ice cave, his lungs filled with icy water, his body gradually stiffening.
That's fine.
Ten years have passed, it's exhausting.
Every day he struggled to find food and water, to avoid natural disasters and zombies, and to be wary of the malice lurking beneath the faces of other humans. Like a string stretched too tight, he finally snapped.
Vision began to blur, and darkness crept in from the edges.
My last thought was: I wonder which is more painful, freezing to death or drowning?
Then--
Darkness completely engulfed him.
hot.
heat.
There's also a... soft touch.
Wen Yu suddenly opened his eyes.
The familiar ceiling came into view—the ceiling of his apartment bedroom, with the simple ceiling light he had personally chosen. Sunlight streamed in through the gap in the slightly ajar curtains, casting a dazzling patch of light on the wooden floor.
He was stunned.
Stiffly, turning my neck little by little.
Beneath him lay the custom-made 1.8-meter mattress he remembered, bought too soft for comfort, and Lu Jin always complained of back pain. Covered him was a thin, light gray silk summer quilt, cool and smooth to the touch. The air was filled with the faint scent of his own lemon verbena shower gel, mixed with the faint sounds of city noise from outside the window—car horns, the muffled sounds of construction in the distance, and the drilling noise from someone's renovation.
Everything was so familiar that it made his heart stop.
No.
impossible.
He should have died in that ice cave. In the tenth year of the apocalypse, during the extreme cold of minus fifty degrees Celsius, he was pushed down by Lu Jin, his lungs filled with icy water, his body froze, and his consciousness faded.
But now...
Wen Yu suddenly sat up.
The movement was too fast, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. He held his forehead; the skin his fingers touched was warm and elastic, unlike the dry, rough skin caused by long-term malnutrition after the apocalypse.
He looked down at his hands.
His fingers were long and slender, his nails were neatly trimmed, and pale blue veins were visible on the back of his hands. There were no chilblains, no scars, and no calluses from years of handling weapons.
This is not his hand.
No, these are his hands—hands from ten years ago, before the apocalypse, hands belonging to an ordinary urban white-collar worker.
Wen Yu stumbled out of bed, her bare feet touching the cool wooden floor. She rushed to the window and flung open the curtains with a whoosh.
The blinding sunlight instantly filled the entire room.
He squinted, adjusted his eyes to the light, and looked out the window.
Skyscrapers stand tall, their glass curtain walls reflecting the dazzling sunlight. The streets bustle with traffic and pedestrians hurry along, traffic lights switching rhythmically. Across the street in the commercial district, a giant LED screen plays a vibrant advertisement for a new mobile phone. Further away, the city skyline stretches out in the summer haze, everything brimming with a vibrant, almost suffocating…sense of normalcy.
What about the end of the world?
What about the ice cave?
Where is Lu Jin's indifferent back view?
Wen Yu turned around, leaned against the cold glass window, and slowly slid down to sit on the floor.
His heart was pounding like a drum, making his eardrums buzz.
He raised his trembling hand and pinched his thigh hard.
pain.
Sharp, real pain.
It's not a dream.
He shakily reached for the bedside table. His phone was on the wireless charging pad, and the screen lit up when he touched it.
The lock screen displays the date and time:
[July 15, 2035, 9:27 AM]
Below is a smaller line of text: [Monday, Sunny, 28℃~35℃]
Wen Yu's breathing stopped.
July 15, 2035.
His memory rewound wildly, like pages of a book being flipped by a strong wind, turning back to ten years ago.
2035.
The year the apocalypse came.
The specific date was... August 13, 2035. That evening, a sudden blizzard struck the southern city without warning, causing the temperature to plummet by twenty degrees Celsius within an hour. The power grid collapsed, transportation was disrupted, and the world slid into the abyss.
Today is July 15th.
There are... 29 days left until the end of the world.
A full 29 days.
"Ha..." Wen Yu squeezed out a short, broken laugh from his throat, which then grew louder and more out of control, eventually turning into a near-hysterical cough and sobbing.
He's back.
From the bottom of the ice cave in the tenth year of the apocalypse, I returned to this ordinary yet extravagant summer morning, 29 days before the apocalypse.
Rebirth?
This kind of plot that only exists in novels and movies actually happened to him?
Wen Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He curled up on the floor, his forehead pressed against his knees, his shoulders trembling violently. Ten years of suffering, betrayal, hunger, cold, fear... washed over his nerves like a tidal wave. And this world before him, so peaceful it seemed unreal, gave him a strong sense of dizziness and disconnect.
After an unknown amount of time, the trembling finally subsided.
Wen Yu raised his head, his tear stains had dried, but his eyes had completely changed.
If ten years ago, Wen Yu's eyes still held an innocent and gentle clarity; ten years into the apocalypse, Wen Yu's eyes were now filled with numbness and weariness; then at this moment, the eyes reflected in the mirror held a cold, hard, and seemingly fire-quenched darkness.
All weakness, fear, and disbelief were suppressed into the deepest part of the pupils.
What remains is absolute sobriety and a kind of almost cruel rationality.
He was reborn.
Carrying the memories of ten years of struggling to survive in the apocalypse, and the hatred of being betrayed and pushed into an ice cave by his closest loved ones, he returned to a month before the disaster began.
This is an opportunity given to him by God.
A chance to rewrite everything.
Wen Yu slowly stood up, supporting himself against the wall, and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the tap and splashed a handful of cold water on his face. The icy water stimulated his skin, completely dispelling his last lapse of consciousness.
I looked up at myself in the mirror.
His face was that of a twenty-five-year-old—young, even handsome. His skin was somewhat pale from years of sitting in an office, his hair was neatly trimmed, and he wore comfortable cotton loungewear. Everything about him remained that of an ordinary white-collar worker.
But the look in his eyes was completely different.
Wen Yu looked in the mirror, slowly twitching the corners of his mouth to reveal a cold, emotionless smile.
"Very good." He said softly, his voice hoarse but clear, "Then, the rules of the game have changed."
Half an hour later, Wen Yu had finished showering and changed into a simple T-shirt and trousers. He sat at his desk, a brand new notebook open in front of him, and a pen in his hand.
In the corner of the desk sat a half-finished cup of black coffee—a taste he hadn't had in ten years, rich and bitter, yet so real it brought tears to his eyes.
But he didn't have time to reflect.
29 days.
He has only 29 days to prepare for the impending hell and... settle his debts from his past life.
The pen tip landed on the blank page, and the ink spread.
Wen Yu wrote the first title:
[The Revenge List]
The pen paused for a moment, then continued, the characters steady and deep, the force penetrating the paper.
1. Lu Jin.
When Wen Yu wrote the name, his fingers did not tremble at all. Only a hint of cold mockery flashed deep in his eyes.
Boyfriend? Lover? Haha.
In his previous life, for ten years, Wen Yu saved the best food he could find for Lu Jin, while he himself ate moldy bread to survive; when surrounded by zombies, he protected Lu Jin behind him, leaving three deep scratch marks on his back that revealed the bone; during the extreme cold, he gave the only thick quilt to Lu Jin, while he himself wrapped himself in old newspapers and shivered, almost freezing off his toes.
He thought this was love, a mutual support and companionship.
And what was the result?
Lu Jin used his food to heal his body, used his protection to survive, and then used the thick blanket that he gave up to wrap himself up and mingled with that superhuman named Lin Xiao.
Finally, for the sake of his tattered down jacket and the possible "last bit of food," he personally pushed him into the ice cave.
"Lu Jin," Wen Yu murmured the name, as if chewing on a piece of ice, "In this life, I will let you live. Live until the end of the world, live until you experience every bit of hunger, cold, and despair I have ever endured. And then, when you finally think you see a glimmer of hope…"
The pen tip struck the paper heavily.
"I will personally crush that glimmer of hope before your very eyes."
2. Mother (Wang Xiujuan) & 3. Younger brother (Wen Lei)
When Wen Yu wrote down these two titles, his feelings were much more complicated.
It wasn't hatred, or rather, it wasn't entirely hatred. It was something more weary, something colder.
His father passed away early, and his mother, Wang Xiujuan, raised him and his younger brother, Wen Lei, on her own, which was no easy task. Wen Yu always remembered how his mother's hands would crack from the cold in winter while she still washed clothes for others, and how she would always put meat in his bowl, saying, "You're tired from studying, eat more." After he started working, he would send money home on time every month, buy supplements for his mother, and clean up the messes of his wayward brother, feeling that this was what he should do.
After the apocalypse, he went through countless hardships to bring his mother and younger brother from the ruins of their hometown to his side. Even when he himself was hungry, he tried his best to ensure they had something in their bowls. His younger brother, though young and strong, was lazy and gluttonous, constantly complaining and hiding food. His mother always said, "Xiao Lei is still young; you're the older brother, so let him have his way."
In the third year of the apocalypse, his mother suffered from a persistent high fever, and medicine had become more precious than gold. Wen Yu risked everything to infiltrate an abandoned hospital overrun by zombies, breaking two ribs in the process, but managed to retrieve several boxes of antibiotics. His mother survived, but he remained bedridden for two months.
The first thing his mother did after recovering from her illness was to dig out the last can of meat he had hidden under the bed and give it to his younger brother: "Xiao Lei is growing, he can't do without oil and fat."
Wen Yu didn't say anything at the time, but silently walked out of that simple shelter and stood in the cold wind for a long time.
Later, food became increasingly scarce. The mother began to openly and subtly ask Wen Yu to share his ration with his younger brother, reasoning that "you're older and can withstand hunger" and "Xiao Lei is the heir of our family." Later still, when Wen Yu was injured and weakened while searching for supplies, his mother and brother even began to secretly hide the food that should have been his.
He wasn't immune to heartbreak.
I just kept thinking that those were my mother and my brother, connected by blood, and that these were the only relatives I had left in this apocalypse.
Finally, on a bitterly cold night, while he was running a high fever, he overheard his mother whispering to his younger brother in the next room, "...Your brother, in that state, probably won't make it past a few days. If he dies, we need to know where he hid his things..."
At that moment, Wen Yu felt that his heart, like the ice outside the window, had become completely cold and dead.
"Mom," Wen Yu said softly, looking at the two names on the paper, "I will not come to pick you up in this life. You will stay in our hometown and make your own way with the money and supplies I gave you in my previous life."
"As for Wen Lei," he smirked, "you always say I'm a bad older brother and haven't arranged a good life for you, right? In this life, I'll 'arrange' a better path for you."
A path leading to an even earlier destruction.
4. Zhang Hao (Haozi)
5. Li Qiang (Brother Qiang)
6. Zhao Feng (the madman)
As the three names were listed side by side, Wen Yu's gaze turned completely cold.
If his feelings towards Lu Jin were hatred, and towards his mother and younger brother were indifference born of heartbreak, then towards these three people was pure, cold-blooded murderous intent.
They were the "brothers" Wen Yu met in the early days of the apocalypse. They fought their way out of hordes of zombies together, shared their meager food supplies, and huddled together for warmth under a leaky shed during a downpour. Wen Yu had genuinely believed that they were sworn brothers who could entrust their lives to each other.
Until that time, they discovered a small supermarket warehouse in the city ruins, which contained a considerable amount of unspoiled canned and vacuum-packed food. The quantity was small, but enough to last the four of them for a month.
After the initial euphoria, the question arises: how should the spoils be distributed?
Wen Yu suggested dividing it equally. Zhang Hao and Li Qiang didn't say anything, but Zhao Feng said with a grin, "Let's listen to Brother Yu."
However, just as they were packing their food, a small group of zombies was attracted by the noise. There were only seven or eight of them, but each one was incredibly fast—they were the mutated species later known as the "Sprinters."
The battle broke out suddenly.
Wen Yu was closest to the warehouse entrance and bore the brunt of the attack. He desperately fought back, shouting for help. Zhang Hao and Li Qiang exchanged a glance, then suddenly grabbed several large bags of food, turned around, and climbed out of the warehouse's back window. Zhao Feng was a little slower; a zombie grabbed his backpack strap. Incredibly, he swung his knife, not at the zombie, but at the strap, and then ran away without looking back.
Wen Yu was attacked by three "Sprinters," a piece of flesh was torn from his left arm, and his thigh was bitten through. He fought desperately to kill two of them, and dragged his serious injuries into the cold storage in the corner of the warehouse, where he locked the door.
The temperature inside the cold storage was extremely low. He was bleeding, cold, and in pain, almost fainting. Outside, zombies were still banging on the door.
He thought he would die there.
He couldn't remember how he survived. He only remembered spending two days and two nights in the cold storage, keeping moist by licking the frost that had formed on the ice walls. The numbness from the cold actually stopped the bleeding. Finally, the banging on the door stopped, and he struggled to crawl out, only to find that the three zombies were tearing each other apart. One was dead, and two were seriously injured, which he finished off with a knife.
Zhang Hao, Li Qiang, and Zhao Feng had already disappeared without a trace, taking most of the food with them.
Later, Wen Yu heard through various channels that the three men had used that batch of food as a pledge of loyalty to join a medium-sized survivor camp and were doing quite well. When they met again, they acted as if they didn't recognize him and passed by him.
"Brothers?" Wen Yu sneered, the tip of his pen almost piercing the paper. "In this life, I will make you experience what it feels like to be betrayed by 'brothers' even earlier than in the previous life."
The list was finished; six names, like six scars etched on my heart.
Wen Yu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, only a resolute determination remained within them.
Revenge is important.
But more important than revenge is survival.
With the memories of the past decade, he knew better than anyone what was about to happen. It wasn't a simple natural disaster, but a whole symphony of doomsday, gradually escalating and unfolding in turn.
He needs to use these 29 days to build an absolutely safe fortress, stockpile enough supplies to last ten or twenty years, arm himself, and then...
Then watch those traitors struggle, plead, and die in despair in the end times.
He himself will sit in his sturdy, warm fortress, sipping hot coffee, and calmly appreciate it all.
This is not cruel.
This is fair.
Wen Yu turned to a new page in his notebook and wrote down the second title:
[Survival Plan: 29 Days to Go]
The pen tip hovered for a moment, then began to write rapidly.
Phase 1 (Days 1-7): Funding and Base
1. Maximize fundraising (target: at least 500 million):
*Property mortgage: His apartment and the house in his mother's hometown county that he bought with his money (anyway, it's all ruins after the apocalypse).
*Loans: Credit loans, online lending platforms—borrow as much as you can. High-interest loans? They'll lend as long as they dare to lend—if the apocalypse comes, you won't have to pay it back.
*Stocks/Futures: Utilizing memory to precisely trade a few stocks and futures contracts that are likely to experience sharp rises and falls in the short term. This is the riskiest but fastest way to make money; one must be careful and avoid attracting too much attention.
*Lottery: Remember the winning numbers from a few draws, buy tickets in smaller, more frequent categories, and avoid accumulating attention by winning the jackpot.
*"Information" sales: Disguised as financial brokers or intelligence dealers with special channels, selling a few "accurate" short-term business or political intelligence (which must be harmless, not immediately causing major changes, but sufficient to prove its "value") to wealthy individuals or institutions in urgent need of key information.
2. Site selection and renovation:
*Location requirements: Far from the city center and densely populated areas; high elevation for flood protection; easy to defend and difficult to attack; potential for independent water source (groundwater); large and secluded space.
*Preliminary selection: There are several abandoned villas or private estates near Cuiping Mountain in the suburbs of the city. They are sparsely populated, backed by mountains and facing water (although the water may be polluted), and have potential for renovation.
*Take immediate action: View the property this afternoon, lock in your target, and buy it at any cost. Simultaneously, contact a reliable and confidential architectural/security design team to begin drawing up renovation plans.
Phase Two (Days 8-21): Frenzied Hoarding and Fortress Construction
1. Fortress renovation must be carried out simultaneously: multiple construction teams must work concurrently, day and night. Core requirement:
*Structure: Reinforced foundation and walls, earthquake and explosion resistant, lead-lined plates for radiation protection (to address potential nuclear contamination or solar storms), and top-quality thermal insulation materials.
*Energy: Solar power generation system (roof and walls fully covered with high-efficiency panels), silent wind turbine, high-power diesel generators (multiple units) + extra-large oil storage tank, large battery bank, and matching voltage stabilizing inverter equipment. Traditional fireplaces and coal-fired boilers serve as backup and auxiliary heating.
*Water: Drill deep wells (at least 200 meters deep), build multiple large stainless steel water storage tanks, and equip them with top-of-the-line water purification, softening, and circulating filtration systems. Rainwater harvesting system.
*Temperature control: The entire house is equipped with high-efficiency underfloor heating, combined with a top-of-the-line central air conditioning system (cooling and heating), ensuring that the indoor temperature can be maintained at a constant 18-25℃ within an extreme temperature difference of -50 degrees to +50 degrees.
*Security: This is of paramount importance. Layered defense:
*Outer perimeter: concealed high-voltage electric fence (disguised as an ordinary wall), vibration sensing zone, full coverage of infrared night vision monitoring, drone automatic patrol route, trap area (deep pit, animal trap, spikes, etc.).
*Building structure: All doors and windows have been replaced with bank vault-grade blast doors and bulletproof glass, plus retractable metal armored gates. Induction cables are pre-embedded in the walls, and blast-resistant drilling is implemented.
*Interior: Independent main control room, 360-degree surveillance screen wall with no blind spots, independent power supply and communication system. Safe house (located at the core of the building, with independent ventilation, water supply, food storage, and can be completely sealed).
*Warehousing: The basement and some floors are converted into a large-scale warehouse area with constant temperature and humidity, equipped with intelligent shelves and a material management system.
*Living Area: Comfort must also be considered, as you may be living here for many years. Features include soundproofing, moisture control, a fresh air system, a private bathroom, a soundproof entertainment room, a gym, and a study.
2. Global procurement of supplies (categorized by type, ordering through multiple channels to avoid suspicion):
*food:
*Staple foods: Rice, flour, noodles, various grains (soybeans, mung beans, red beans, etc.), calculated by ton, vacuum packaged.
*Side dishes: Canned food (meat, fish, fruit, vegetables), compressed biscuits, military rations, freeze-dried food, dehydrated vegetables, cured meat, ham, instant noodles, self-heating hot pot/rice.
*Seasoning: Salt (most important, stock up by the ton), sugar, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, various spices, hot pot base, Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, etc.
*Snacks and beverages: chocolate, candy, nuts, coffee, tea, cola (a post-apocalyptic hard currency), fruit juice powder, milk powder.
*Water: We directly order tens of thousands of cases of bottled water (various sizes). We also maintain large stock of water purification tablets and filter cartridges.
*Energy: Diesel, gasoline (stored in compliant tanks), coal, charcoal, solid alcohol, candles, and batteries of all types (especially lithium and dry cell batteries).
*Pharmaceuticals and Medical Treatment:
*Prescription drugs: Antibiotics (multiple types), anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, antipyretics, and medications for chronic diseases (such as antihypertensive and hypoglycemic agents).
*Over-the-counter medications: cold medicine, gastrointestinal medicine, vitamins, calcium tablets, iodine solution, alcohol, gauze, bandages, plaster casts, surgical instrument sets, disposable syringes, sutures.
*Traditional Chinese medicine: Commonly used medicinal materials and seeds.
*Protection: Gas mask, N95 mask, protective suit, goggles.
*Daily necessities: toilet paper, sanitary napkins, diapers, toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo and shower gel, laundry detergent, soap, garbage bags, cling film/bags, and sealed containers of various sizes.
Tools and Weapons:
*Tools: Generator, welding machine, angle grinder, electric drill, various hand tool sets, hardware (screws, nuts, nails, etc.), repair materials, solar panel accessories, battery repair kit.
*Weapons (within legal limits): High-quality bows and arrows, crossbows (with a large number of arrows), machetes, jungle knives, entrenching tools, baseball bats, riot shields, stun guns, and pepper spray. Also procure steel, springs, and other materials for later modification or manufacturing.
*Planting and breeding:
*Seeds: Various vegetable and grain crop seeds (non-GMO, can be saved for propagation), fruit seedlings.
*Equipment: Soilless cultivation kit, hydroponic equipment, planting lights, nutrient solution, fertilizer, and materials for a small greenhouse.
*Farming: Small poultry such as chickens, ducks, and rabbits, and feed (can be tried in the early stages, depending on the situation in the later stages), fish fry, and aquaculture equipment (if the fortress has a pond).
*Spirit and Information:
*Entertainment: A hard drive filled with movies, TV shows, music, games, novels, documentaries (multiple backups), e-readers, playing cards, board games, musical instruments, and drawing materials.
*Knowledge: Download a complete set of practical technical books and video tutorials in agriculture, medicine, machinery repair, chemical engineering, textiles, construction, and other fields. Also purchase a batch of printed books, especially survival guides, first aid manuals, and military skills books.
*Communications: High-powered walkie-talkies, shortwave radios, satellite phones (may be difficult to obtain, but try your best), signal shielding/boosting equipment.
*Clothing and Bedding:
*Clothing: From polar cold-weather clothing (capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius), down jackets, fleece jackets, to quick-drying clothing, sun-protective clothing, and raincoats, a complete set for all seasons, in various sizes (taking into account possible changes in body shape later).
Footwear and socks: hiking boots, snow boots, wading shoes, sneakers, thick socks.
*Bedding: Down comforters, wool comforters, summer quilts, sleeping bags, moisture-proof mats, air mattresses.
Phase Three (Days 22-29): Finishing Touches, Testing, and Revenge Planning
1. Fortress Finalization and Testing: All construction work is completed, and the system is integrated and tested. A three-day closed test is conducted to simulate scenarios such as power outages, water outages, extreme temperatures, and external attacks to ensure absolute safety.
2. Material Warehousing and Organization: All purchased materials are secretly transported, stored in the warehouse, categorized, and recorded in both electronic and paper ledgers. Expiration dates are checked, and a rotation plan is developed.
3. Personal preparation: Engage in high-intensity physical training, review combat skills, and practice weapon handling. Adjust your mental state and completely abandon the mindset of "peacetime".
4. The Revenge Plot Closes: Building on the financial operations and intelligence gathering of the previous two weeks, the final "arrangements" are initiated against the six individuals on the list. This ensures that at the moment of the apocalypse, each of them is trapped in a tailor-made predicament with no chance of escape.
5. Information Cutoff and Silence: Dispose of all unnecessary electronic devices and newly issued phone cards. The fortress enters a low-power standby state. Wen Yu himself "disappears" from the social sphere.
The pen stopped.
Wen Yu looked at the three pages of the plan and let out a long sigh.
29 days.
Time is as tight as a string around your neck.
But he had to do it.
This time, he will not rely on anyone, will not trust anyone, and will not be soft-hearted towards anyone.
His fortress will be his kingdom. His resources will be his strength. His memory and preparation will be his greatest asset.
And revenge... will be a tiny, insignificant pleasure in this long, post-apocalyptic life.
Wen Yu picked up the coffee on the table and drank it all in one gulp. The cold liquid had long since lost its warmth, but its bitterness was surprisingly refreshing.
He walked to the window and looked once more at the bustling, noisy world outside, a world that was about to collapse completely in 29 days.
The sunlight was still blinding, and the traffic was still bustling.
But Wen Yu knew that it was all an illusion.
The countdown to hell has begun.
And he will be the only one who is prepared to face hell and intends to live well in hell.
"Then," he said, looking out the window in a voice only he could hear, "begin."
The first 29 days.
It was also the last 29 days, belonging to the old world.