Chapter 2 Madness and Fundraising
Time is Wenyu's most precious and most urgent resource at this moment.
The countdown of 29 days is ticking away.
He sat at his desk, three laptops, two cell phones, and a notebook filled with revenge lists and survival plans spread out in front of him. Morning light streamed through the blinds, casting stripes of light and shadow on the wooden floor, and the lingering aroma of last night's coffee still filled the air.
There was no time to hesitate, no time to feel sentimental.
Wen Yu took a deep breath, his fingers landing on the keyboard, his eyes as calm as a frozen lake.
The first thing to do: clarify existing assets.
He opened his personal online banking and quickly browsed his accounts. His salary card had a balance of over 37,000 yuan, his salary from last month, which he hadn't yet spent. His other savings card had 80,000 yuan, emergency funds he'd saved over three years of work. He also had two credit cards with limits of 50,000 and 80,000 yuan respectively.
There is still 120,000 yuan in the housing provident fund account.
Assets under his name: This 89-square-meter apartment in a relatively new urban area was purchased with a loan two years ago and is currently worth about three million yuan, with one million eight hundred thousand yuan still outstanding on the loan. The house in his hometown county was bought for his mother and is registered in her name, but he is making the down payment and monthly mortgage payments. It is worth about eight hundred thousand yuan and has three hundred thousand yuan still outstanding on the loan.
This is all the wealth he has as an ordinary white-collar worker.
In peacetime, these numbers might bring a sense of security. But in Wen Yu's eyes, they are just a fraction of the start-up capital.
He needs money.
Large amounts of cash that can be quickly converted into cash within 29 days.
"Then, let's begin," Wen Yu murmured to himself, his voice completely calm.
Step 1: Leverage and borrow legally.
He first dialed the mortgage bank.
"Hello, I'd like to inquire about mortgage loans... Yes, the house I currently live in. Appraisal value? I'd like it appraised at three million... Documents? I'll bring them over later. What's the maximum loan amount? 70%? Okay, I understand."
After hanging up the phone, Wen Yu quickly calculated: with an appraised value of three million, 70% would be two million one hundred thousand. Subtracting the outstanding loan of one million eight hundred thousand, he could get three hundred thousand in cash. It wasn't much, but it was the safest and fastest way to get the money.
He then opened all the bank apps on his phone and applied for personal loans one by one. The product names from different banks were varied—"Flash Loan," "Flexible Loan," "Instant Financing," etc.—with loan amounts ranging from 30,000 to 200,000 yuan. Wen Yu used his good credit record and stable salary slips as collateral to maximize all the available loan amounts.
Reasons for applying? He had already thought of them.
"Family member is sick and urgently needs surgery", "Startup funds for a business project", "Urgent home renovation" - these reasons are commonplace in the bank's risk control system. As long as the information is complete and the credit is good, the loan approval is very fast.
Fingers flew across the screen and keyboard, submitting electronic application forms one after another. Wen Yu was like a precise machine, inputting personal information, employer information, screenshots of income certificates, ID photos... all the movements were smooth and without a single pause.
Two hours later, he applied for credit loans from a total of eight banks, with a total application amount of 1.2 million yuan. Based on experience, the final approved amount would be between 800,000 and 1 million yuan, with the first portion arriving within 24 hours and the remainder arriving in installments over three days.
Next up are online lending platforms.
Wen Yu opened several well-known online lending apps with high loan amounts. These platforms offered higher interest rates, more lenient approval processes, and faster disbursement. He applied for all the available loan amounts, even though some platforms had annualized interest rates exceeding 20%.
When the end times come, who cares about interest?
He didn't even intend to repay the principal.
"Jiebei," "Jintiao," "Weilidai," "360 Jietiao"... Familiar icons flashed across the screen. Wen Yu entered information expressionlessly, undergoing facial recognition and electronic signature. These platforms mostly rely on big data risk control, and his good credit history and spending records became his best passport.
Total loan application amount: 600,000. Expected disbursement is around 500,000, with some funds available instantly.
After doing all this, Wen Yu paused briefly.
He opened his phone's contacts and found a number labeled "Old Chen - Financial Intermediary." This was a contact introduced by a colleague from his previous life, someone who supposedly could arrange loans through "special channels." Wen Yu had never contacted him before, but at this moment, he needed this connection.
The phone was answered after ringing three times.
"Who is it?" came a slightly hoarse male voice.
"Brother Chen? I'm Wen, introduced by Wang Ming." Wen Yu used the name of his colleague from his previous life as a starting point. "I heard you can solve funding problems here?"
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, as if he was recalling something: "Wang Ming? Oh... I remember now. What's up?"
"I need a sum of money urgently. It's a large amount, and I have collateral, but the bank's processing is too slow." Wen Yu's voice was calm, carrying just the right amount of anxiety and sincerity. "I heard you have a way to expedite it?"
"How many?"
"One million. How quickly can the money arrive?"
"One million…" Old Chen hesitated, "What is the collateral? A house? A car?"
"Property. A property in this city, with an appraised value of over three million."
"That's feasible. But the interest rate isn't low, it's 3% per month, and we'll deduct three months' interest upfront. Is that acceptable?"
The monthly interest rate is 3%, the annualized rate is 36%, and interest is deducted upfront. These are typical terms for usury.
Wen Yu didn't even blink: "Sure. How long will it take to disburse the loan?"
"All the documents are complete. We'll view the apartment this afternoon. If everything is fine, the money will be transferred to your account tomorrow morning." Old Chen's tone became warmer. "Xiao Wen, right? Send me the address, and I'll bring someone over to view the apartment at 2 PM this afternoon."
"good."
After hanging up the phone, Wen Yu looked out the window.
The sun was shining brightly; in the garden downstairs, an elderly person was walking their dog, and children were laughing and playing. Everything was so peaceful it was almost blinding.
He recalled the third year of the apocalypse, when he and Lu Jin were nearly killed by the leader of a loan shark gang over half a box of expired canned food. Back then, money was worthless; only food and weapons were hard currency.
And now, he is actively jumping into this circle, borrowing a high-interest loan that he is destined never to repay.
Is it ironic?
Wen Yu twitched the corner of his mouth.
The apocalypse will redefine all rules. Morality, law, contracts... will all crumble in the face of survival. He's simply adapted in advance.
Step Two: Cashing Out on Information Gains – The Stock Market, the First Battlefield.
This is the riskiest but potentially most profitable part of the Wenyu Project.
He opened his stock trading software and logged into his stock account. There were only a few thousand yuan in it, money he'd casually bought with colleagues before, mostly losing money and making little profit.
But things are different now.
Wen Yu closed his eyes, and the scroll of memories in his mind slowly unfolded.
In the final month before the apocalypse, global financial markets fluctuated wildly amid eerie weather warnings and geopolitical turmoil. Most people only saw chaos and panic, but Wen Yu knew of several very specific "events" that would occur in the short term.
He recalled those times he'd heard a former finance professional boast drunkenly in the shelter about his "miraculous moves." That man said that if he could do it all over again, just by seizing those few key moments, he could make enough money to last a lifetime.
Wen Yu dismissed it as drunken ramblings.
Now, these words have become his gold mine.
The first milestone: July 18th, which is three days from now.
A listed company called "Haichuan Biotechnology" will release an announcement before the market opens, claiming that one of its antiviral drugs has made "breakthrough progress" in clinical trials targeting a "novel respiratory syndrome." As soon as the news is released, the stock price will immediately hit the daily limit within half an hour of the market opening, and then continue to rise for three consecutive days.
However, in reality, a week later, authoritative institutions would issue a clarification, pointing out serious flaws in the clinical trial data and that the so-called "breakthrough" was exaggerated. The stock price would then collapse, experiencing consecutive limit-down days, leaving countless retail investors who bought at the peak with nothing.
What Wen Yu needed to do was to buy all his shares before the market closed on July 17th, and then sell them all on the day of the third consecutive limit-up (July 21st) or early the next morning.
He calculated his available funds.
Mortgage loan of 300,000 (deposit will take a few days), personal loan of 800,000 (deposit in batches), online loan of 500,000 (partially deposited instantly), and high-interest loan of 1 million (deposit tomorrow). Total approximately 2.6 million.
But he couldn't wait for all the money to arrive. Time is profit.
Wen Yu immediately took action.
He first transferred all 80,000 yuan from his savings account and 37,000 yuan from his salary account to his securities account. Then, through the cash advance function of his credit cards, he cashed out the entire 130,000 yuan limit on both credit cards (ignoring handling fees and interest), and transferred that cash to his securities account as well.
Then came the online lending platforms. Several platforms with the fastest approval processes had already deposited a loan of 50,000 yuan into his account. He withdrew the money immediately.
Half an hour later, he had nearly 300,000 yuan in available funds in his securities account.
"Not enough," Wen Yu whispered.
He thought for a moment, picked up his phone, and sent WeChat messages to two colleagues with whom he had a decent relationship, who came from well-off families in their previous lives, and who had died in the early stages of the apocalypse.
[Brother, I'm a bit short on cash and need some money urgently. I'll pay it back in ten days, interest is 1000 yuan per day. Any help you can give is appreciated!]
A daily interest rate of 0.1% translates to 1% interest over ten days, which is very attractive for short-term lending. Moreover, he specifically chose the two people who died young in their previous lives—so they wouldn't have to face debt problems after the apocalypse.
Soon, one colleague transferred 50,000 yuan, and another transferred 80,000 yuan. After thanking them, Wen Yu promised to return the principal and interest in ten days, and then transferred the 130,000 yuan into his securities account as well.
At this moment, the securities account balance is 430,000.
Wen Yu looked at the current stock price of "Haichuan Bio": 12.45 yuan. The market capitalization is not large, with a total market value of over 3 billion yuan, making it suitable for short-term speculation.
He didn't buy in immediately. Entering the market too early would attract unnecessary attention and could also affect his cost basis.
He set up a price alert: to notify him when the stock price falls below 12.30 yuan.
Then close the trading software and begin the next step.
Step 3: Cashing out information asymmetry – Lottery, a reliable source of pocket money.
Winning the lottery, especially the jackpot, is too eye-catching and can easily attract unnecessary attention and investigations. Wen Yu didn't intend to take that risk.
But he remembered the winning numbers for several second and third prizes.
The prize money isn't much, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands per bet, but it's safe, diversified, and can be repeated.
He opened the lottery sales website and studied the current games. For the most popular "Super Lotto" and "Double Color Ball", he remembered two second-prize winning numbers for each of the draws in the next ten days (the old lottery player who lived next door to the shelter in his previous life talked about them every day, so he couldn't forget them).
He remembers the winning numbers, but he won't touch them.
Wen Yu wrote down those sets of numbers and calculated the investment and expected return.
Spending a few hundred yuan each time to buy multiple-entry tickets or multiplier bets, the probability of winning the second prize is low, but with known numbers, it's practically 100%. A single bet can yield a prize of anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan, with a considerable amount remaining after taxes.
He plans to start buying in batches at different betting stations starting tomorrow, keeping his investment to a few thousand yuan each time to ensure the prize money isn't too high to attract attention.
Little by little, this money will be enough to cover his daily expenses and small purchases for the next month, avoiding the suspicion of using a large sum of money too early.
Step 4: Cashing in on information asymmetry – intelligence, a deal with the devil.
This is the most dangerous step, but it may also bring the greatest additional benefits.
Wen Yu needs a "clean" and substantial amount of start-up capital to pay for the down payment on the villa and the initial renovation costs. Money from the stock market takes time, loans are limited and have high interest rates, and lottery winnings are too little.
He thought of a name: Zhou Lin.
In her previous life, during the third year of the apocalypse, Wen Yu had seen this man once from afar in the black market of a medium-sized shelter. At that time, Zhou Lin was surrounded by a group of people. It was said that before the apocalypse, he was one of the behind-the-scenes controllers of a multinational conglomerate. After the apocalypse, he quickly gained control of multiple resource points and armed forces through advance planning and ruthless methods.
Rumors circulated at the time that a month before the apocalypse, Zhou Lin had purchased several pieces of "terrifyingly accurate" intelligence at an exorbitant price, covering climate, the pandemic, and the international situation. This allowed him to transfer assets and stockpile critical supplies in advance, gaining a significant advantage amidst the chaos.
Wen Yu didn't know the specifics of the intelligence, nor did he know who sold it.
But he knew that Zhou Lin believed in the value of "intelligence" and was willing to pay an unimaginable price for it.
More importantly, Zhou Lin's influence is mainly overseas and in a few first-tier cities in China, and his base in this city is not deep. The transaction risk is relatively controllable.
What Wen Yu had to do was to disguise himself as a "mysterious intelligence dealer with special channels" and sell Zhou Lin a few pieces of intelligence that were irrelevant to the overall situation but were enough to prove their "accuracy".
He opened a brand new, encrypted email account and registered.
Then, I started writing my first email.
Recipient: An email address that, in his past life memories, belonged to a public business contact of Zhou Lin (the authenticity of which needs to be verified, but it is worth a try).
Title: Supplementary Analysis on the Path Change of Typhoon Bailu along the Southeast Coast on July 20
Wen Yu clearly remembers that on July 20, Typhoon Bailu, which was originally forecast to pass over the southern waters of Taiwan, suddenly turned north at the last minute and made landfall directly in a coastal city in Fujian as a strong typhoon, causing significant economic losses and casualties. This turning point was not detected by the meteorological agency until July 18, but by then the warning time was less than 48 hours.
And now, he has "predicted" this turning point a full five days in advance.
In the email, he used a calm and professional tone, interspersed with some meteorological terminology and data analysis, to point out the limitations of the current mainstream forecasting models, and based on "internal satellite cloud images and ocean monitoring data," he asserted that the path of Typhoon Bailu would deviate significantly northward, and suggested taking precautions in advance.
He did not ask for payment, but simply left a message at the end of the email:
For reference only. If verified, more valuable information can be provided later. Contact: This email address.
send.
This is just the first step. A tentative step.
Wen Yu didn't expect Zhou Lin to believe him immediately. But he knew that someone like Zhou Lin would keep an eye on any potential, valuable source of information.
If Typhoon Bailu really turns as he "predicted," Zhou Lin will definitely come knocking on his door.
At that time, Wen Yu had even more "intelligence" to sell: for example, the cluster of "pneumonia of unknown cause" that broke out at a border of a certain country a week later and was quickly sealed off; for example, the supply chain scandal that suddenly broke out at the end of the month at a well-known global technology company, causing its stock price to plummet; and for example, the two-week paralysis of an important international port in early August due to an "accident"...
These events, which were just news flashes before the apocalypse, were key to some people's planning or risk avoidance.
Wen Yu wouldn't sell core secrets that could truly shake the foundations of the nation or cause widespread panic—that would be too dangerous and would go against his initial intention of only protecting himself. But this "peripheral but precise" intelligence was enough to exchange for the first pot of gold he desperately needed from a smart person like Zhou Lin.
After sending the email, Wen Yu leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.
It was nearly noon.
My phone started vibrating incessantly. Bank approval notifications were arriving one after another.
[XX Bank] Dear customer, your application for a "Flash Loan" of RMB 150,000 has been approved. The funds will be transferred to your account ending in XXXX within 24 hours.
[XX Bank] Your application for a credit loan of 200,000 yuan has passed the initial review. Please go to any branch today to complete the face-to-face interview.
[XX Consumer Finance] Your loan application has been disbursed for 50,000 yuan. Please check your account.
...
Wen Yu browsed the pages expressionlessly, quickly adding up the results in his mind.
The first batch of credit loans received was about 200,000 yuan, and the online loan received 150,000 yuan. Including the cash he had previously cashed out, he now has nearly 600,000 yuan in cash that he can use immediately.
The 430,000 in the stock account is still waiting for the right opportunity.
The one million from the loan shark will arrive tomorrow.
A mortgage loan of 300,000 yuan will take three to five business days.
His hometown house... He thought for a moment, then picked up his phone and called his mother, Wang Xiujuan.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.
"Hello? Xiaoyu?" Her mother's voice carried her usual slightly tired but concerned tone. "Why are you calling at this hour? Aren't you busy at work?"
"Mom, something urgent has come up." Wen Yu's voice was calm, revealing no emotion. "The property certificate for that house in our hometown, is it with you?"
"Yes, what's up?"
"I need money and I want to use the house as collateral for a mortgage loan," Wen Yu said directly. "I'll handle the formalities, I'll manage the money, and I'll still pay the monthly mortgage. It won't affect your living situation."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
"A mortgage loan? Xiaoyu, what happened to you? Why do you need so much money?" Her mother's voice became anxious. "Is it related to work... or Lu Jin?"
"No, it's nothing, just a personal matter." Wen Yu didn't want to elaborate. "I need it urgently. Find the property certificate, and I'll go back to get it tomorrow or the day after. Also, I need your and Wen Lei's original ID cards to go to the bank together and sign something."
"Well... Xiao Lei has his ID card with him. He went out of town for fun." The mother stammered. "Xiao Yu, tell me the truth, what happened? Did you owe someone money? You can't go astray..."
Wen Yu sneered inwardly.
In his past life, when he risked his life to go out and find food, his mother was never this "concerned" about him. Now, he's only mortgaging the house, without even touching their current home, and she's already this anxious.
"Mom, I told you it's urgent, it's important." Wen Yu's tone was slightly cold. "Have Wen Lei send his ID card back immediately, or find out where he is and I'll come get it. This is urgent, we can't afford to delay."
"How can you talk like that, child..." The mother was somewhat displeased, but sensing the unwavering authority in her son's tone, she softened. "Then...then I'll ask Xiaolei. But Xiaoyu, although you paid for the house, it's registered in my name, so what about the mortgage..."
"I'll pay the mortgage, I'll pay back the money. I'm just borrowing the property certificate." Wen Yu interrupted her. "If you don't agree, then I'll have to think of another way. But don't come to me for anything in the future."
These words were a bit harsh, but Wen Yu knew that for his mother, who valued her younger brother above all else, this was the most effective method.
Sure enough, the mother got anxious: "What are you saying! I didn't say I wouldn't help you... Fine, fine, I'll talk to Xiaolei. But Xiaoyu, what exactly do you want this money for? You need to tell me the truth..."
"It's a business matter, you wouldn't understand even if I told you," Wen Yu said dismissively. "Hurry up, I'll wait for your news. By the way, don't tell anyone about this, not even relatives."
Wen Yu hung up the phone, his eyes cold.
He didn't care whether his mother and brother agreed. If they delayed or obstructed him, he had plenty of ways to bypass them—for example, by forging a power of attorney. With the end of the world approaching, who cared about such legal risks?
But that would be more troublesome, and he didn't want to waste his time.
Now, all funding channels have been fully activated.
Wen Yu stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the bustling world below.
People are still worrying about trivial things like housing prices, salaries, relationships, and weight loss. They don't realize that in twenty-nine days, all of this will become meaningless.
Survival will become the only theme.
And he is frantically drawing nourishment from the last rules of this old world, building his own Noah's Ark.
At 1:50 p.m., the doorbell rang.
Wen Yu peeked through the peephole. Two people stood outside: a slightly overweight man in his forties wearing a polo shirt, presumably "Old Chen"; and a young man wearing glasses and carrying a briefcase, who looked like the assessor.
Wen Yu opened the door.
"Little Wen, right? I'm Old Chen." The slightly chubby man smiled and extended his hand, his eyes quickly scanning Wen Yu and the furnishings in the room.
"Brother Chen, please come in." Wen Yu shook hands with him and stepped aside to let the two of them in.
The assessor didn't say much, gave a brief greeting, and started working. He used a laser rangefinder and camera to measure the area of each room, check the structure of the house, and photograph the details.
Old Chen and Wen Yu sat on the living room sofa, chatting casually.
What does Xiao Wen do for a living?
"In an internet company, I work in operations."
"Oh, what a great industry. Why does it suddenly need so much money? Is it for investment?"
"Hmm, I've got my eye on a project; it's a rare opportunity," Wen Yu said vaguely.
Old Chen smiled and didn't press the matter further. In their line of work, not asking about the purpose of the loan is a basic rule; as long as the collateral is of sufficient value and the borrower can't abscond, that's all that matters.
The appraiser quickly finished reviewing the property and came over to whisper a few words to Old Chen. Old Chen nodded and turned to Wen Yu: "The house is fine, the market price of 3.2 to 3.3 million is no problem. According to regulations, the maximum loan-to-value ratio is 60%, but since you need it urgently, I can offer a flat 1 million, with a monthly interest rate of 3%. We'll deduct 90,000 for three months' interest upfront, leaving you with 910,000. The loan term is six months, with principal repayment at maturity. If you agree, let's sign the contract now, and the loan will be disbursed before 10 a.m. tomorrow."
Interest is deducted upfront, so you actually receive 910,000, but you have to repay 1 million after six months. The annualized interest rate is far higher than 36%.
Wen Yu nodded: "Okay. What about the contract?"
Old Chen took out a pre-prepared contract from his briefcase. Wen Yu quickly glanced through it, focusing on the amount, interest rate, term, and default clauses. There were no hidden traps; it was a standard usury contract.
He signed and pressed his fingerprint.
Old Chen carefully put away the contract, his smile becoming more sincere: "Xiao Wen is straightforward. The money will arrive promptly at 10 a.m. tomorrow. It's been a pleasure doing business with you."
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
After seeing the two off, Wen Yu closed the door and leaned against the cold door panel.
The loan sharks are taken care of.
Now, he's like a gambler standing at a gambling table, holding millions of chips that are about to be won, and he knows what the next card will be.
The difference is, this isn't gambling.
This is the harvest.
He went back to his study and reopened the stock trading software.
The stock price of "Haichuan Bio" fell to 12.28 yuan, triggering the price alert he had set.
Wen Yu's eyes narrowed.
Without hesitation, he mobilized all available funds in his account—430,000 yuan, plus the 200,000 yuan credit loan and 50,000 yuan online loan that had just arrived, totaling 680,000 yuan.
All buy orders were placed for "Haichuan Bio".
Purchase price: 12.30 yuan.
Number of shares ordered: 55,300.
Click to confirm.
The funds were instantly frozen, and the entrusted funds were entered into the system.
Wen Yu stared at the record of the commission, his heart beating steadily.
He knew that in three days, these numbers would inflate by at least 30%.
And this is just the beginning.
The sunlight outside the window began to slant westward, bathing the room in a warm golden hue.
Wen Yu sat in the gradually dimming light, the cold light from the screen in front of him illuminating his calm and expressionless face.
My phone vibrated again; it was a WeChat message from my mother:
[Xiao Lei said he'll be back the day after tomorrow. Give him your ID card. Xiao Yu, what are you planning to do? I'm worried.]
Wen Yu glanced at it but did not reply.
He opened his calendar and crossed out the "startup capital" item on the July 15th page.
Then write next to it:
[To be done tomorrow]
A loan of 1 million yuan at exorbitant interest rates was received (actual amount: 910,000 yuan).
Continue to follow up on credit loan/online loan disbursements
Site selection for villas (Cuiping Mountain)
First batch of lottery purchases
Waiting for Zhou Lin's reply (possibly).
Countdown: 28 days.
Funds are converging from all directions, like snowflakes before an avalanche.
Wen Yu had already prepared a shovel.
What he wants to stockpile is not just supplies and weapons.
There is also anger, scheming, and a grand, silent revenge.
As night falls, the city lights begin to illuminate the night.
Wen Yu did not turn on the lights, letting the darkness engulf him.
Only the light from the computer screen shone dimly, reflecting the cold, burning flame in his eyes.