...Blizzard: Rolling in Wealth When the World Ends...

Author: ScratchyKitty

Genre: Sci-fi

A blizzard had raged for ten days, with temperatures plummeting to below minus fifty degrees Celsius.

Yet, that wasn’t the most terrifying part. The impending disasters of rat plague, extreme heat, drought, acid rain, tornadoes, and other severe weather conditions would follow one after another, each one a veritable hell on earth.

Gu Pan was reborn seven days before all these calamities began.

At this time, her Space was still with her, her husband was still alive, and she needed to hoard resources like crazy.

Food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medicine, weapons, electricity, and all other essentials of life—she had to stockpile enough for the next lifetime.

What? The ‘friend’ who had betrayed them in the previous life was also reborn? And they had hoarded a warehouse full of supplies, even more than them? No more nonsense, just take it all into her Space.

After the apocalypse began, she and her husband kicked off a spree of zero-cost acquisition. In this life, they would take revenge on their enemies and settle all scores.

Those who had hurt them would be repaid double.

...----------------...

Apocalypse

You leapt from crumbling bridges watching cityscapes turn to dust

Filming helicopters crashing in the ocean from way above

Got the music in you, baby, tell me why

Got the music in you, baby, tell me why

You've been locked in here forever, and you just can't say goodbye

Kisses on the foreheads of the lovers wrapped in your arms

You've been hiding them in hollowed-out pianos left in the dark

Got the music in you, baby, tell me why

Got the music in you, baby, tell me why

You've been locked in here forever, and you just can't say goodbye

Your lips, my lips

Apocalypse

Your lips, my lips

Apocalypse

Go and sneak us through the rivers

Flood is rising up on your knees

Oh, please

Come out and haunt me

I know you want me

Come out and haunt me

Sharing all your secrets with each other since yoU were kids

Sleeping soundly with the locket that she gave you clutched in your fist

Got the music in you, baby, tell me why

Got the music in you, baby, tell me why

You've been locked in here forever, and you just can't say goodbye

You've been locked in here forever, and you just can't say goodbye

Ooh-oh

When you're all alone

I will reach for you

When you're feeling low

I will be there too

...----------------...

A a a a s s s s s d f f f f g g g g g g g h h h h h j j n j j o k o u u u u u u u u u u u u u h h h h h u h h h h h h h h h

Gu Pan's hands clutched the blanket tightly, her forehead was covered with dense beads of sweat, and she suddenly opened her eyes and sat up.

Her vision shifted from blurry to clear, and her heart went from calm to shock. Wasn't this the bedroom of her bridal chamber before the apocalypse?

She hurriedly looked towards the bedside. The digital clock displayed: September 16, 2028, 8:46 AM.

The strong wind outside was howling, and from time to time, there was the sound of something hitting against something.

She jumped out of bed, pulled open the curtains, and looked outside. Although there was a fierce wind, the streets were still bustling with traffic.

Gu Pan was stunned. Hadn't she died in the cannibalistic apocalypse? How had she returned? Back to seven days before the apocalypse.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringtone of her cellphone, which she hadn't used in over three years. It suddenly felt unfamiliar.

She hurried over to the bedside, picked up the mobile phone on the nightstand, and saw that it was a call from her husband.

Seeing the word "husband," tears streamed down Gu Pan's face. In the third year of the apocalypse, this man had died before her eyes while trying to block a knife for her.

She plunged a dagger into her own heart and followed her husband Lu Ruisheng in death.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the chance her husband had fought for her to survive, but at that time, they had already been surrounded by enemies. Rather than dying under someone else's knife, she preferred to end it swiftly.

Moreover, her husband was her only hope born from the apocalypse. With his death, she also lost her will to live.

Her hands trembling, she pressed the answer button, and a familiar voice filled with concern came from the other end, "Panpan, the meteorological station reported a strong cold front and high winds for the next few days. Don't go out today, just order some takeout for lunch. I'm finishing a contract with a client today and probably won't be home until evening. I've ordered some meat and vegetables; you'll get it later, and I'll cook you something delicious when I get back."

Hearing the voice that felt so real, Gu Pan choked up and called out, "Husband, I've missed you."

Lu Ruisheng replied with a doting laugh, "I've missed you too. I'll try to get home early, be good and wait for me at home."

Gu Pan's mind was still in a mess at this moment. She needed to calmly think things over. It was impossible to tell her husband right now about the impending apocalypse and her own rebirth because any normal person hearing this would think she was either joking or would worry that she had a mental problem. If her husband worried and rushed back in this treacherous weather, it would be even more dangerous.

Armed with knowledge from her previous life, she knew her husband's contract today was in a nearby county, not too far away. He would come back safely in the evening despite the bad weather; the journey would be startling but without danger, so she did not want to complicate matters further.

She quickly said, "Ruisheng, the weather is bad, please be careful."

"I know, rest assured. And you take good care of yourself too, dear kiss," he said.

Gu Pan also smiled and returned the sentiment with "hubby kiss," a habit they had during their five years of dating.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Pan sat in front of the dressing table, quietly thinking about everything. Suddenly, she noticed the pendant on her neck, which her grandmother had given her on her deathbed.

Her parents had passed away early, and it was her grandmother who had raised her. She had worn this pendant since she was a child.

It was only the second month of the apocalypse when the pendant was stolen by Zhuang Jie, a friend who had come to their house seeking refuge. Soon after, his entire family disappeared.

In her last moments of consciousness before death, Gu Pan actually saw Zhuang Jie and his wife discussing the secret of the pendant's space. Only then did she realize the pendant held a secret space, and that their home invasion had been arranged by Zhuang Jie.

In her previous life, Zhuang Jie had used this space to thrive during the apocalypse with his wife and child. However, he had been afraid to let the original owner of the pendant survive, so he killed them. Now that everything had started over, she would never let those who had harmed her get away with it.

She took off the pendant, trying to find the mechanism, but couldn't find a clue no matter how much she fumbled with it. In her anxiety, her hand got scraped and blood dripped into the pendant, suddenly transporting her into a strange space.

There was nothing in this space; it was empty and vast, larger than a football field, with murky fog-like chaos surrounding it.

In the center of the space floated an electronic panel with space instructions written on it:

If the pendant is damaged it cannot be passed on and will disappear completely with the current owner.

The initial usage time for the space is three hours; injecting gold can extend the usage time.

The space has a freshness-preserving feature; the owner can control the items inside the space with their thoughts.

Seeing this, she seemed to understand Zhuang Jie's concerns from his past life. He wanted to pass the pendant down to his descendants, so it couldn't be destroyed, but he was also worried that Gu Pan would discover it, so he devised a plan to kill them to eliminate the threat.

Standing in the space, Gu Pan fully accepted the reality of her rebirth and her possession of the space.

Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door. The apocalypse had honed Gu Pan's instincts to be extremely sharp and cautious. She left the space and peeped through the door's viewer.

Seeing the person outside, Gu Pan subconsciously went to the kitchen and grabbed a cleaver, but when she reached the door, she suddenly realized something was wrong. It wasn't the apocalypse yet, there were still laws, and she couldn't just kill someone.

Moreover, killing him was not the ultimate revenge. Watching him suffer with his wife and child during the apocalypse, letting him experience the pain she and her husband had endured in their previous life, was the greatest punishment for him.

Soon, Zhuang Jie's voice came from outside, "Sister-in-law, are you home? Open the door, I have something to discuss with you."

Lu Ruisheng was an orphan who had accumulated his own business and assets bit by bit, only marrying at 30, while Zhuang Jie was younger and had started a renovation company in partnership with Lu Ruisheng using his parents' start-up capital. That's why he called Lu Ruisheng Brother Lu and Gu Pan, sister-in-law.

Gu Pan tried to keep her emotions as stable as possible, "I just woke up, it's inconvenient to let you in. What do you want?"

With such weather, Zhuang Jie's sudden visit could definitely not be for a simple matter.

Outside, Zhuang Jie said, "Sister-in-law, here's the thing, my wife always says your pendant looks good. It's her birthday next month, and I want to borrow your pendant to get a similar one custom-made as a surprise for her."

The pendant? Gu Pan suddenly became aware of something—could he have been reborn as well? Otherwise, why would he be in such a rush, so specifically coming to borrow this object all of a sudden?

She flatly refused, "It's a keepsake from my grandmother, it's not convenient to lend it out."

Zhuang Jie didn't expect the usually agreeable Gu Pan to refuse so bluntly. He followed up, "Sister-in-law, I just want to have a look. Otherwise, how about this, you open the door, and I'll just take a couple of photos, that's all."

Gu Pan couldn't possibly open the door at this time, as doing so could easily lead to a conflict, and if she ended up in the police station, she would be unable to use the seven days before the apocalypse to stock up on supplies.

But she also saw that Zhuang Jie was determined to have it, and if she refused today, if he came back with her husband, Lu Ruisheng, later that evening, it would only bring more trouble.

She thought of a countermeasure and responded through the door to Zhuang Jie, "Let's not beat around the bush, did Brother Lu send you? Does he really not trust me that much? Is he convinced that I have another man in the house? Sending you to trick me, it seems we can't live this life anymore. You can stop pretending; I am not going to open the door."

Zhuang Jie outside the door was flabbergasted, "What? They had this issue?" But his objective wasn't to meddle in their trivial affairs. The pendant, he just needed to get the pendant. Having been reborn, his first task was to acquire the pendant as soon as possible so that he could fare better in the apocalypse.

He knocked on the door in a hurry, "Sister-in-law, my visit has nothing to do with Brother Lu; I really just want to borrow the pendant."

"You're making up such a bogus story. Don't jewelry stores have all sorts of designs nowadays? What's so special about my cheap pendant? You're just here to see if there's another man inside," Gu Pan retorted and deliberately knocked over a stool with a loud clatter, feigning the presence of someone else inside.

At that moment, all Zhuang Jie could think of was that Gu Pan was cheating—there was another man inside. It seemed he definitely couldn't get in today. He hadn't expected Gu Pan, who appeared so gentle and quiet, to behave so provocatively.

He said, "Sister-in-law, I won't tell Brother Lu about your business, but I honestly hope you can lend me the pendant."

To him, whatever else Gu Pan was involved in didn't matter. The apocalypse was coming; who cared about those trivialities? What was important was the Space. Getting access to the Space one day earlier would give him an even greater advantage during the apocalypse.

"Enough with the pendant. Stop making things up. Do whatever you want. Tell Lu Ruisheng I'd rather die than open the door for you. Let him suspect whatever he wants. After all, me getting a divorce won't do your company any favors either," Gu Pan tried to deflect the topic elsewhere.

Zhuang Jie was in a rush too, as there were only seven days until the apocalypse, and he needed to stock up on supplies in advance. Even with the Space, more supplies meant more security. They had had a tough time during the first two months of the last apocalypse.

So, he didn't dare waste too much time and planned to go back and stock up on supplies first. Once he got the pendant, he would just stash it directly into the Space. After all, it was destined to be his sooner or later.

Therefore, Zhuang Jie spoke to the person inside, "Sister-in-law, I promise I won't tell Brother Lu about this. Then, I'll head back now and invite you for a meal another day."

Hearing Zhuang Jie leaving, Gu Pan leaned against the door and pondered what to do next. She needed to buy supplies, but because of Zhuang Jie, she couldn't rush out recklessly. Although she had a decent Combat Power after three years of the apocalypse, she was still afraid of being ambushed.

The allure of the Space was too great. If Zhuang Jie was planning a robbery, being alone would still be dangerous for her. After all, he knew exactly how to use the Space and was aware that initially, it only granted three hours of access. Hence, without the assurance of safety, there was no need for her to take risks.

So, she decided to lock the door from the inside and plan the next seven days at home. Having a plan could save time.

It would be safer to go out with Lu Ruisheng when he returned. Her husband was a retired special forces soldier, the kind who could take on ten at once. Otherwise, they wouldn't have survived three years into the apocalypse.

She started by writing a shopping list on paper. At this point, it was crucial not to shop blindly; every penny had to count.

After all, having lived more than three years in the apocalypse before, she knew best what would be needed in the future.

The approaching storm was a blizzard, which would bring a sudden drop in temperature—not by ten or twenty degrees, but from above freezing by several degrees to minus fifty degrees all at once. With two disasters striking simultaneously, the entire city would be completely sealed in ice. Although the blizzard would cease after ten days, by then the temperature would have plummeted to minus sixty degrees—a critical threshold for human survival. Soon after, electricity would become unavailable, and many would freeze to death without access to heat.

A few months later, the weather would abruptly warm. With heaps of garbage thrown out of buildings during the extreme cold, once the ice thawed, there would be swarms of rats, leading to a plague. After the plague, there would be a sudden shift to scorching hot weather, followed by droughts, acid rain, tornadoes, and other natural disasters, including periods of perpetual day or night.

Clothing, food, shelter, and transport—these were the essentials of survival, and she began her list with clothing.

Ordinary sportswear for all seasons, both lightweight and heavy, was a must-buy; practicality was key in times of the apocalypse.

Because extreme cold was approaching, she needed to purchase the kind of down jackets used by the Antarctic Expedition Team, the warmest available.

Of course, different environments will require raincoats, windbreakers, thermal underwear, sun-protective clothing, as well as scarves, socks, hats, and gloves, which must not be overlooked.

There are also biochemical suits and isolation suits; she would like to buy bulletproof vests, but it's not certain they can be found. That would need to wait for Lu Ruisheng's return to ask him—he was a soldier, and he knows more about these things.

Clothing must be paired with shoes, casual footwear, snow boots, rain boots, and shoes suitable for various weather conditions.

Then there's food, not just rice, flour, and oil, but also all kinds of seasonings, as well as gas canisters, pots, and pans.

Rice shouldn't be of just one variety, and the same goes for flour and oil, so she plans to go with her husband to the agricultural wholesale market to buy those, as they can see and pick out a wider range directly on the spot.

Beyond that, there are fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs; finally, don't forget instant noodles, self-heating pots, and compressed biscuits—these are hard currency in the apocalypse.

Of course, the most important thing is water. Although there is snow in extreme cold weather, which can be melted into water, it's not clean and constantly drinking it is bad for health.

Then, when extreme heat arrives and all the snow has melted, there will be a water shortage, and many will die of thirst during that time; thus, having a sufficient supply of water is essential.

For shelter, bedding, tents, sleeping bags, and other essentials are necessary, but for a more permanent dwelling, household items are indispensable.

First and foremost, sanitary pads and toilet paper are incredibly important for a woman, followed by toiletries—shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, laundry powder, and liquid detergent are also necessities.

While maintaining life, it's still important to ensure the quality of living. Thinking back to the previous three years, it was terrifying—a month without washing hair was the norm, and clothes, who knows how long before they could be washed? She shudders now at the memory of those days.

Obviously, the dwelling also needs heating and cooling, so besides electricity, coal, firewood, and stoves should be prepared for unexpected needs.

As for travel, first and foremost, a car and gasoline are required; next would be boats. Large ones are impractical, but a few kayaks might work, and what about hot air balloons? If the ground is entirely too dangerous, why not take to the skies?

The modern age is different from the ancient, so electronic devices are necessities. Even without the internet later on, mobile phones, computers, and tablets can still provide entertainment.

Television, air conditioning, washing machines, and other household appliances also need to be purchased.

Using electronic devices means needing electricity, so generators are indispensable.

Those extreme survival items, such as outdoor rescue kits, tents, climbing ropes, emergency lights, and such will need to be discussed when Lu Ruisheng returns, as he is more professional; weapons too, she must let her husband figure out a more reliable solution.

The last item is medicine; without it, a common cold could be fatal in the apocalypse.

So, she writes down her plan to stock up on medicine at the pharmacy in the last day or two before the apocalypse because after that, there will no longer be anyone to check on these things.

These are just the items she's thought of for now; during the next few days of stocking up on supplies, she might see or remember something important and can just buy it then.

Gu Pan hasn't placed orders online because the weather is getting stranger and transportation will soon be erratic. Planes and ships have almost all stopped, highways will close, and even if there are some local warehouses, they might not have everything; it's better to go directly to the store, as having the items in hand is much more reassuring.