Chapter 2

After paying the deposit, she gave the address to the warehouse and left. A warm breeze brushed against Irene’s face as she walked out of the factory, and reality started to hit her. Working hours had just ended, but the streets were already bustling. It was especially busy and lively today. When Irene glanced sideways, she saw a hardware store as well as a door and window store. She parked the car on the side of the road and walked in with the list in hand. “Sir, I would like to order two of your strongest security doors, 20 pieces of blast-resistant glass, an electric gate, burglar-proof windows, and window screens. Also, would it be possible to set up thick austenitic stainless steel around an entire apartment unit?” Irene rummaged through a thick stack of lists, pulled out the floor plan of a house, and handed it to the shop owner. One time, when she was arguing with Edric, someone just happened to sell her a piece of property, saying that it was earthquake-resistant, typhoon-resistant, and tsunami-resistant. She listened to the salesperson go on about how great the quality was, so she bought it as she had just collected rent at that time. Neither Edric nor Lina knew where the apartment was. The shop owner had never received such a weird request, so he was left open-mouthed for a while as he did not know what to say. Irene tightly wrapped her UV protection clothing around her and said, “I suffer from paranoia.” There were all sorts of weird people in this world, so the shop owner did not question any further. He was afraid that she would back out of the deal, so he gritted his teeth and said, “It can be done, but you’d need to pay a deposit first and I’ll send someone to install everything for you tomorrow.” Irene showed off her purchasing power once again and exchanged numbers with the shop owner to set a time. Next, Irene went to the hardware store to buy hardware of all shapes and sizes, and she even ordered various customized shelves. Irene cleared out all of the stock in the store, and the owner instantly grinned from ear to ear. Irene pretended not to notice the excitement on the owner’s face, and as she was about to head out, she saw a delivery guy zoom past her with food. The aroma of food made its way to Irene’s nose, and it made her hungry the moment she smelled it. She was too lazy to drive, and she would rather go to a humble hole-in-the-wall nearby. The lady came over with the menu and a smile on her face. “What would you like to eat, Miss?” Irene took the menu and quickly ordered over ten dishes without batting an eye. The lady was dumbfounded. She looked at Irene’s thin body and suggested frankly, “Our restaurant serves big portions, so three dishes would be more than enough for you.” “I can finish it!” Irene's eye’s bored into hers as she said in a serious manner. Only a fool would refuse to earn money, so the lady took the menu and left without saying a word. Not long after, the dishes Irene ordered were served one after another. The table full of dishes made Irene tremble with the utensils in hand. How long had it been since she last had a nice meal like this? Five years into the apocalypse, cannibalism was everywhere. Irene, on the other hand, stuck to her principles. She would rather eat turf and mud to survive, but in the end, she was eaten by her family whom she had protected for five years. When she came back to her senses, she picked up a plate of food and inhaled everything like a wolf that had been starved for ten years. She cleared one plate, then the second. After the third plate, Irene was so full that she could no longer sit still. She looked to see if there was anyone around her before adjusting her belt two holes looser and continuing to stuff her face. When she got to the fifth plate, she finally gave up on the rest of the dishes as every breath she took made her want to puke. She knew that it was a stress response from starving in her previous life. Irene patted her bulging belly and reminded herself not to do this again next time. If she killed herself before the disasters even started, it would be the most tragic reincarnation in history. She asked the lady for eight takeout boxes when she paid for the meal. She then took away the remaining food along with half a bucket of rice. After she got in the car and rolled up the window, she placed the food on the seat and quietly said, “Store!” Whoosh! All that food immediately disappeared under her nose. Irene felt relieved after she saw in her mind that all the food was stored in the wooden house. Now that she had eaten to her heart’s content, it was time for some big purchases again. She did not intend to buy daily necessities at the supermarket because not only did she have no idea how to carry them into the car, but pushing around that many supplies in the supermarket would catch the attention of others. Irene just wanted to stockpile secretly and not attract too much attention. As soon as she got home, Irene saw two uninvited guests at her door. When she caught sight of both of them, her face turned sour. They showed up at her door before she even had the chance to get back at them. In her previous life, Edric and Lina cut and ate her alive. They even started off by cutting the meat from her legs in order for her to last longer. After being tortured by pain and despair for an entire month, Irene finally took her last breath. She closed her eyes and tried to calm the storm in her mind. Edric saw Irene and walked over with a straight face. “You fool! Who said you could sell those three buildings? Since you’ve already sold them, there’s nothing we can do about it anymore. Lina has her eyes on a Lamborghini, so you’ll buy it for her. I’ve also been short of money recently, so you’ll transfer another billion to me.” If Lina had not accidentally found out from a friend that Irene had sold those buildings, Edric would not have known about it. His selfish attitude made Irene sick. She did not understand why she had pitifully begged for her father’s love in her previous life when he so obviously favored Lina. She withdrew her gaze and said indifferently, “Get out of my way.” In this life, Edric and Lina could forget about using her money! Irene looked disdainful, and Edric did not expect her to display such an attitude. He was used to Irene obeying him, so when he heard her words, he raised his hand to slap her across the face. “You bastard, is this how you talk to your father?” However, before he could lay a finger on her, he fell to the ground after she kicked him. Her grandma had never trusted Edric, so she enrolled her in martial arts classes when she was a child. Irene never stopped going even after all these years. Thanks to that, she could survive the hardships of the apocalypse. Now, after having gone through the apocalypse, Irene’s moves were killer. That kick made Edric fall to the ground with a loud thud and broke two of his teeth. He groaned and passed out. Lina hurried over and shouted, “Dad!” She tugged at Edric’s arm and glared at Irene. “B*tch, how could you beat up Dad? You just earned two billion dollars, so what’s wrong with giving Dad a billion dollars to repay him? You’re so unfilial! You deserve to have your mother die early.” “Seeing how rotten your mouth is, perhaps your mother deserves stage four lung cancer,” Irene sneered as she threw Lina against the wall and repeatedly slapped her face left and right. When Lina got so dizzy she could no longer stand still, Irene tossed her aside. “Both of you had better stay away from me because next time, I might not be able to hold myself back from killing you!” If the world had collapsed already, Irene would have actually killed them both out of spite. She did not want to be in prison before the apocalypse came, so she had no choice but to suppress the urge. Irene returned home and slammed the door shut, leaving them high and dry. She plopped down on the sofa and started online shopping on her phone. She downloaded an application for wholesalers and began to buy daily necessities. Mineral water, soft drinks, tea, potato chips, ice cream, jerky, nuts, chocolate, coffee; spaghetti, macaroni, vermicelli, instant noodles, bread, milk, chicken, soup base, sauces, instant rice, oats, biscuits, candy, cake, pots… Heaters, electric fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, hair dryers, various light bulbs, televisions, USBs, game consoles, treadmills, boxing gloves, punching bags, a sword, rice cookers, pressure cookers, induction cookers, frying pans, ovens, water purifiers, solar panels, and diesel generators… Tissue paper, wet wipes, toilet paper, sanitary pads, tampons, shampoo and shower gel, skin care products, sheet masks, face cream, soap, toilet soap, disinfectant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, heating pads, electric blankets, and alcohol stoves… She bought everything that was available online and filled in the address of the warehouse she rented today. Her large order cost her 80 million. Irene was tossing and turning until three in the morning as she scrolled on her phone, her eyes already bloodshot. Buy, buy, buy! She placed the orders so frantically that she even dreamt about buying supplies in her sleep.