Chapter 9: The Super Warehouse
Having secured a means to acquire firearms, Zhang Yi felt a significant weight lift from his shoulders.
Possessing such weaponry would provide a profound sense of security in a post-apocalyptic world, whether faced with humans or other threats.
Zhang Yi packed his important belongings into his interdimensional space the following day.
Since his apartment was undergoing transformation into a safe house, he would temporarily move into a hotel.
Early in the morning, three black vans drove into the Yue Lu Community.
A large group of workers from Zhanlong Security Company, clad in uniforms, disembarked and began measuring Zhang Yi’s house.
Several curious neighbors watched the scene unfold.
“Has Zhang Yi lost his mind lately? Why is he always up to such strange things?”
“Hahaha! Anyone who doesn’t know better might think the apocalypse is coming. All that food will just get to rot!”
“Maybe he’s having some kind of mental breakdown!”
People couldn’t comprehend Zhang Yi’s unusual behavior, treating him as a joke.
Even Fang Yuqing and Lin Cainin thought he had gone mad.
Lin Cainin remarked, “I get it now. No wonder he went to that Michelin three-star restaurant. His brain must be fried!”
Fang Yuqing frowned, feeling particularly displeased.
She was filled with frustration when she remembered how she had gone out of her way to approach Zhang Yi, helping him push all those items home until her feet were sore.
“What on earth is Zhang Yi up to?”
Lin Cainin expressed concern, “He did promise us a fancy meal. He won’t forget, right?”
She had been eagerly anticipating a meal at the Michelin three-star restaurant.
Fang Yuqing scoffed, “Forget it! Seeing how unstable he is lately, I wouldn’t go even if he invited me.”
“It would be so embarrassing to be seen dining with him!”
She aimed to marry a wealthy man and couldn’t afford to tarnish her reputation.
Though disappointed, Lin Cainin had no choice but to give up.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yi didn’t care about his neighbors' opinions.
In a month, they would see who the real joke was.
Zhang Yi left home and drove to the Walmart warehouse.
It was Monday, time to go to work and scout the warehouse for future actions.
The Walmart warehouse was located in the Economic Development Zone, on the outskirts of Tianhai City.
Due to the lower land costs, many large corporations had their warehouses there, including pharmaceutical companies.
This would make it easier for Zhang Yi to acquire essential medicines later.
Upon arriving at the Walmart warehouse, Zhang Yi clocked in as usual.
As the warehouse supervisor, Zhang Yi was intimately familiar with the place.
He knew every warehouse and shelf like the back of his hand.
What once felt mundane now filled him with excitement.
Soon, all these goods would be his, vital for survival in the apocalypse.
As Walmart’s South China main warehouse, it held an unimaginable amount of supplies.
There were tens of thousands of cases of coke alone!
The entire warehouse spanned over a million square meters, packed with various necessities.
It stored food, clothing, and hardware as well as cars, drones, diesel generators, and barrels of gasoline.
Almost anything a supermarket sold could be found here.
Having worked there for years, Zhang Yi knew exactly what was on each shelf.
He was also well-acquainted with the work schedules and camera placements.
Despite the tight security, he knew how to exploit its vulnerabilities to disable the surveillance system within ten minutes.
Then, using his interdimensional space, he could take everything.
But he wasn’t in a rush to act.
With plenty of time, he didn’t want to arouse suspicion.
After a round through the warehouse, Zhang Yi left.
He walked to the neighboring Ruining Pharmaceutical Company warehouse, carrying a pack of Huanghelou cigarettes. (Translator Notes: Huanghelou is a Chinese premium cigarette brand)
Since they worked nearby, he was familiar with the staff there.
He sought out Zhou Hairun, a manager at the pharmaceutical warehouse.
They knew each other well, given their shared workplace environment.
In large corporation warehouses, some people always exploited their positions for personal gain.
Zhou Hairun’s brother-in-law was the vice president of Ruining Group.
So, he frequently siphoned off pharmaceuticals from the warehouse to sell.
After chatting for a bit, Zhang Yi subtly mentioned his need for several boxes of emergency medicines.
Zhou Hairun was initially wary.
But when Zhang Yi offered to pay double the market price, Zhou Hairun couldn’t resist.
They eventually agreed on 300,000 yuan for five large boxes of medicines.
A normal person wouldn’t use half of that amount in a lifetime of illnesses.
With the medicines secured, Zhang Yi was nearly ready for the apocalypse.
With less than a month until doomsday, he had no desire to continue working.
He went to the warehouse manager’s office and requested twenty days off, citing a family funeral.
Given Zhang Yi’s good standing and excellent rapport with the manager, the request, though lengthy, was granted without issue.
For the next while, Zhang Yi planned to relax in a five-star hotel.
He would wait for his purchased supplies to arrive and for the safe house to be completed.
As he left the manager’s office, he saw Fang Yuqing bent over, making coffee at the machine.
Despite her scheming nature, she did have an alluring charm, exuding an inherent sensuality.
Her swaying hips attracted several eager young men.
A colleague named Zhou Peng, whom Zhang Yi remembered well, invited Fang Yuqing to a Jay Chou concert, flaunting his tickets.
Zhou Peng lived in the same community as Zhang Yi and was one of Fang Yuqing’s loyal admirers.
In the previous life, he was among those responsible for Zhang Yi’s demise.