Chapter 13 - Chapter 11: The Safe House is Complete

Three days later, through Wu Huairen's connections, Zhang Yi secured two guns and 100 rounds of ammunition. The price was steep, but he didn't care. With those heavy pieces in his hands, he felt far more confident about surviving the apocalypse.He also finalized his deal with Zhou Hairun, obtaining five crates of high-end imported medicine for the doomsday.A week passed. Wu Huairen called—his safe house was finished as requested. Time to come back and inspect it.Zhang Yi left the hotel where he'd stayed for days and drove back to Yuelu Community.Wu Huairen personally guided him through the inspection.Stepping inside, Zhang's eyes lit up. Zhanlong Security truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier firm in China. Their speed and workmanship were impeccable.The entire house was reinforced with 200-mm-thick alloy plates, yet looked no different from the outside.Wu Huairen explained patiently, "The ventilation system is military-grade—it filters out any toxic gases, preventing poison attacks from outside.""Also, the entire heating system was rebuilt using materials from Arctic research institutes.""Besides the fireplace you requested, it reduces heat loss by 99.5%."Here, Wu gave Zhang a mysterious smile."For your safety, we installed 300 cameras throughout the entire building. You can monitor every single floor."Zhang was stunned, at a loss for words. Money, he thought, really could buy services beyond ordinary imagination.He walked to the balcony—now transformed into a massive floor-to-ceiling window.Wu explained, "The glass is bulletproof and blast-resistant—even sturdier than the 200-mm alloy plates.""It provides good lighting and allows you to observe the outside when necessary."Zhang was extremely satisfied with the safe house.Unless a military unit equipped with heavy weapons attacked, no one could force their way in. Even if the entire building collapsed, his room would remain unharmed."I'm very satisfied with the safe house you built," Zhang said, smiling at Wu.Wu beamed in return. He handed over documents for Zhang to sign. "If everything is in order, please pay the balance within three months."Zhang nodded cheerfully, "Absolutely, absolutely!"But he had no intention of paying that balance. Thinking about spending just a ¥1 million deposit to get a safe house worth nearly ¥10 million, he felt exhilarated.Lying on the sofa, admiring his perfect safe house, he suddenly realized he'd overlooked something crucial—water."Damn," he slapped his forehead. "How could I forget something as important as water?"In the frozen apocalypse, while he could obtain water by chiseling ice, the outside temperature would plummet to −60 to −70°C, and going out would be life-threatening.Zhang could not tolerate such a huge flaw in his safe house!After thinking it over, he directly ordered 100 huge water storage tanks via a delivery platform, capable of storing 500 cubic meters of water—enough for him to use for several years.Coupled with the bottled water he could later take from the warehouse, the water problem was perfectly solved.The delivery guy was efficient. Within a few hours, the tanks were delivered to his door.Zhang went to the community gate and asked security guard Uncle You to let the delivery person in.Seeing Zhang buying so many strange items again, the surrounding neighbors began to gossip:"Is Zhang Yi mentally ill?" "Yeah, buying all sorts of weird things every day." "A few days ago, when his house was being renovated, I saw people carrying steel plates at least a dozen centimeters thick." "Haha, maybe he's lost his mind, copying those movie safe houses!" "I've seen foreigners do that on videos—rich people with nothing better to do. It's pure unwarranted worry!" "Now he's buying so many water tanks. Does he think Tianhai will run out of water? Tianhai is by the sea!"Faced with the neighbors' mocking stares, Zhang couldn't be bothered to argue.He sneered inwardly—when the ice doomsday arrived, they would realize just how foolish they were now.Zhang had no interest in explaining. These people would only see him as a fool and wouldn't listen to his well-meaning advice.They might even turn around and accuse him of spreading rumors, disturbing social order, and have him arrested.Security guard Uncle You was chatting with neighbor Grandpa Tang.Uncle You approached warmly and asked, "Xiao Zhang, what are you using so many water tanks for? If you need help, just let me know—I'll give you a hand."Looking at the kind-hearted Uncle You, Zhang couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion.Uncle You was a retired soldier, childless, and had been a dedicated security guard in the community for over a decade. In the past, he had once given his last bit of food to a mother and daughter on the verge of starvation, even risking his own wellbeing. He was one of the rare glimmers of humanity Zhang had seen in the apocalypse.So Zhang said to Uncle You, "Uncle You, the temperature is abnormal this year. I have inside information—it's going to be a terrible winter.""Just to be safe, you'd better stock up on more food and drinks. Otherwise, when supplies become scarce, prices will skyrocket."Uncle You and Zhang had always gotten along well.He knew Zhang was a kind-hearted young man. Moreover, older people tend to be more cautious and risk-aware. So upon hearing Zhang's words, he immediately frowned."Xiao Zhang, is this information reliable?"Zhang nodded, "Look, I've prepared so much. You can stock up on instant noodles and bottled water—you can never have too much of those."Uncle You nodded immediately.He lived alone and had always liked to stock up on instant noodles and sausages for convenience.Since Zhang had reminded him, he would make time to buy more.It was just for peace of mind—after all, those things could be stored for a long time, so there was no harm in buying extra.However, upon hearing this, Grandpa Tang walked over and said to Zhang, "Xiao Zhang, you mustn't say such things everywhere.""Our society is stable and harmonious—how could there be a shortage of supplies? Saying such things, you might be reported for spreading rumors and end up being 'invited for tea' (questioned by the authorities)!"Zhang rolled his eyes and didn't bother to respond.He had done all the reminding he could—whether they believed him or not was their business.