Chapter 4

The next morning, Mr. Zane called Irene, saying that it was done. With two million dollars, she had a well-equipped pharmacy under her belt. She used renovation as an excuse to close the pharmacy, and she kept all the drugs in the space along with the shelves. Then, she made a list for the purchasing manager, which mainly included various kinds of drugs, ointments, traditional medicine, masks, gas masks, oxygen ventilators, and other emergency equipment. For the next week or so, Irene kept going back and forth between the warehouse and restaurants to bulk-buy food and store them in the space. Whilst doing so, she made sure to check on her home that was being remodeled to look like a metal drum. The frenzy did not stop until she was leaving for Merica. She would move into Celestial Gardens when she returned, so she sold her villa for almost 40 million through an intermediary. After arriving in Merica, Irene got to her accommodation and contacted the soldier. The soldier’s name was James, and he was a tall, blonde man with blue eyes. He had an easygoing personality, and he told Irene about his trip to the Middle East this year. Irene showed great interest in what he said. “You made me want to go now, but the Middle East is too dangerous. I need to buy some weapons to keep with me.” Then, she asked James, “Do you know any place that sells weapons? I want to buy some.” James would never expect Irene to set him up like that. He slapped his thigh. “You’ve come to the right person. I just so happen to know an arms dealer, so tell me what you want and I’ll hook you up.” Irene looked up at him. “Can you take me to him? I want to have my pick.” “No problem!” James immediately agreed. The next day, he took Irene to a hidden underground market in New Mexco. “That guy is called Sam, and he’s quite aloof.” “Is he Hydrian?” Irene was curious. James nodded. “Yes.” While they were talking, they arrived. She could tell that James was familiar with this place as he led Irene into the dark underground market through a passage with many twists and turns. In the end, they stood at the door of a pretentious-looking shop. He entered the passcode of the electronic gate and made a call to confirm before dragging Irene in when the door opened. Irene assumed that it would be a gloomy and shady little workshop, but it turned out to be more like a supermarket. There were all kinds of guns and ammunition on the shelves with varying price tags. The sight completely shocked Irene. James was a retired soldier. He walked over to pick up a machine gun and looked at Irene’s petite figure. “This is one hell of a gun. Too bad you can’t use it. Fulmer, what kind of gun do you want?” At that moment, there was only one thing that flashed through her mind—she wanted them all! Just then, a tall, broad-shouldered, long-legged man in a camouflage uniform walked over. James smiled and punched his chest. “Sam, I told you Fulmer was gorgeous.” Sam Yeager looked up at Irene and saw her looking at the weapons with sparkling eyes. She was almost drooling from the corners of her mouth out of greed. Irene sensed that someone was looking at her, so she quickly withdrew her gaze. Her eyes met Sam’s cold gaze, and she coughed in embarrassment. Sam gave her a once-over, and she could not help but do the same. As expected of an arms dealer, he was a muscular, six-foot-two man who did not look like someone who should be trifled with. Masculinity exuded from his appearance, and him standing there alone was a sight to behold. He walked over and asked Irene, “What kind of gun are you looking for?” “Is there a purchase limit?” Irene asked. Sam snorted as he strode toward the counter and said in a casual tone, “As long as you hand over the money.” Well, that would make things much easier. Irene had only spent half a billion after all that splurging the past few days. She was even worried about where she could spend all that money. Her eyes flickered elsewhere, and she noticed that there were even helicopters, submarines, and explosives. Irene was an adventurous person. She got her helicopter pilot license when she was 18, and as for the submarine, she assumed that the procedures should be about the same. As soon as her eyes lit up, she said, “Money won’t be a problem. I want pistols, machine guns, crossbows, Swiss army knives, bullet-proof vests, wetsuits, blowout preventers, military flashlights, tasers, binoculars, drones, helicopters, submarines, kayaks, and sledges…” James knew that Irene was rich, but he did not think that she was that rich. He gulped as she listed items for 20 whole minutes as if she was reading off of a menu. Everything the young lady listed would cost at least half a billion. Besides, weapons were not cheap. Not a hint of surprise appeared on Sam’s face. “I have all of that. Where do I send them?” Irene had originally intended to buy just a few guns for self-defense, but she did not expect Sam to have so many gems. She gave it some thought. “I’ll rent a warehouse tomorrow, so you can send it there.” “Sure, but you have to pay the deposit first.” Sam got his POS machine. Irene meticulously checked the list to see if she had missed anything. At least others would not dare to mess with her now that she has all these weapons and a helicopter. After exiting the underground market, Irene was trembling with excitement. James could tell that Irene came here specifically for those weapons, but he was smart enough not to ask any questions. He even accompanied her to rent a warehouse. After renting the warehouse, he took the liberty to treat her to a meal. He happened to be free these couple of days, so he could accompany Irene. However, he had to go back to work tomorrow, so he could no longer stay with her. Before leaving, Irene hesitated for a while before grabbing onto him. “I have a friend who works in the weather bureau, and he told me that the temperature will be extremely high soon. There’ll be food shortages, so you should stock up on some daily necessities while you can.” James froze when he saw Irene’s sincere look, then he nodded and made an ‘OK’ gesture. She watched him wave and leave in a taxi, not knowing if he took her words seriously. Irene sighed. At least she cleared her conscience by warning James in advance. Back at the hotel, Irene was so excited about getting the weapons that she could not sleep the entire night. At noon the next day, Irene received a text from Sam, saying that the weapons had been delivered. Irene happily made her way to the warehouse. After checking if everything was correct, she made the final payment to Sam before closing the door and storing everything into the space. Merica was the world’s largest agricultural and industrial producer, and everything was as cheap as dirt. Of course, Irene had to make the most out of it. Irene could not stop herself from buying flour, corn, soy products, milk, and various meat products. Cars were also very cheap here, so Irene bought dozens of them too. Not only that, but she bought a thousand sets of newly-developed thermal protective clothing as well. In addition to those, she bought salt, sugar, canned food, milk powder, hardtack, cigarettes, alcohol, a bulletproof RV, dynamos, solar panels, solar lamps, solar water heaters, and everything else that could be used in the apocalypse. Her space could inhabit living things, so Irene bought cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, baby fish… In the largest agricultural and industrial manufacturing country, Irene also bought excavators, robots, harvesters, lawnmowers, nutrient soil, fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, various feeds, organic manure, and other agricultural supplies. She might even construct a garden and a farm during the apocalypse. She could not resist the urge to stockpile millions of pounds of wood either. She did not return to Hydria right away, but she took a detour to the Middle East to buy ‘cheaper than water’ gasoline and enough jet fuel to last for several lifetimes. Ensuring that her supplies were enough to last her the whole apocalypse was a weight off her mind. Irene was finally at ease after returning to Hydria with all the supplies. Next, all she had to do was sit back and wait for the disasters to come.