However, Tang Mo didn't put her packed luggage out. Instead, she stored it directly in her Space. She was going to be living alone at school for half a year, so of course she had to keep everything she owned on her.
The doors and windows on the villa's first floor were incredibly sturdy. It had a small private courtyard, which was protected by an iron fence. The residents in the community were all rich or influential, and the security was exceptionally tight.
Tang Mo nodded. Her mother and Uncle Wen would likely be living here for the first six months of the apocalypse, so she was more at ease knowing it was secure.
Tang Mo was a biological sciences major in college. Over the last few days, she had casually mentioned to Wen Jianshu that her professor had commented on how bizarre the climate had been recently, and that it would be wise to stock up on food, just in case.
When Wen Jianshu heard this, he didn't dismiss it as a child's idle talk. Instead, he gave it some serious thought.
The very next day, Tang Mo discovered that large shipments of food and supplies were being delivered to the house, filling several rooms to the brim.
Lin Yi, on the other hand, kept saying the two of them were just fooling around. But being gentle by nature, she didn't stop the two people she loved from their shenanigans.
Besides, food would never go to waste.
Tang Mo refused to believe that Uncle Wen would take such drastic action just on her word alone.
In fact, his attitude that day had been strange, as if he had already been preparing for something like this.
'That's right,' she thought. 'A great family like the Wen Family, which would come to dominate in the apocalypse, must have already caught wind of something by this point.'
'This is even better. It saves me the trouble of trying to explain things without being able to speak too clearly and failing to get the results I want. After all, besides my mother, I can't trust anyone in this world.'
Wen Jianshu always moved quickly. Within two days, the family's supermarket was fortified. Not only were the windows replaced with sturdier metal, but the door was also swapped out for one with a fingerprint and keypad lock that was nearly impossible to open with brute force. The authorized fingerprints were set to Lin Yi and Tang Mo.
With the supermarket secured, Lin Yi had an extra layer of protection for the apocalypse, which put Tang Mo's mind at ease.
Wen Jianshu also quickly took care of the knife, presenting it to Tang Mo soon after. The blade he brought her wasn't long; it was light and thin with a dark bronze color and looked incredibly sharp. Layers of red cloth strips were wrapped around the hilt, and faint, ancient patterns could be seen underneath.
Wen Jianshu had also thoughtfully paired the blade with a protective sheath, which had a long strap so it could be carried on one's back. He had originally planned to just find Tang Mo a flashy but impractical, unsharpened blade. It was just supposed to be symbolic; if Momo got hurt, he would have a hard time explaining it to his wife.
But later, for some reason, he got the feeling that turbulent times were ahead, so he ended up getting her the real deal. He knew Tang Mo was a careful and level-headed kid, so he felt relatively at ease giving it to her.
Tang Mo, however, was in for a huge surprise when she saw the knife. She recognized it!
After the apocalypse began, everyone was linked to an ID Watch, which made big data collection increasingly simple, convenient, and fast. Tang Mo even felt that the true realization of the "global village" concept began with the advent of the ID Watch.
The Alliance even created numerous leaderboards to publicize information about the most powerful individuals of the apocalypse. If she remembered correctly, this very blade belonged to a woman ranked in the top ten. That woman had used this knife to kill countless mutant beasts, earning her a spot on the leaderboards and becoming a legendary figure in the eyes of millions.
Tang Mo couldn't stop stroking the blade. The more she touched it, the more she liked it, and the more excited she grew.
'It goes without saying that this knife has an extraordinary origin,' she thought. 'An ordinary person could never buy this, no matter how rich. With this, I have one more ace up my sleeve to keep me alive.'
With only a few days left before the apocalypse, Tang Mo spent all her time making purchases. This time, her focus was on cooked food.
During the first six months, although there would be hunger, societal order wouldn't completely collapse, so the power grid would still be functioning normally.
Even so, major restaurants would shut down one after another, unable to stay in business. It would become impossible to eat one's favorite foods.
Tang Mo had already tested it: items stored in her Space were kept in stasis, so storing cooked food was no problem at all.
So, she went on a spree, visiting many of her favorite restaurants and having them pack up dishes plate by plate, which she then placed on the shelves in her Space.
In addition to full meals, there were all sorts of snacks: roast chicken, roast duck, braised pork, rice noodles, malatang, buns, dumplings, fried dough twists, and various fast foods like KFC. These were all for satisfying her cravings later. 'Good food is one of humanity's greatest treasures! I really can't bear to leave it all behind. Of course, the more I can pack, the better.'
To be extra safe, she also bought several portable gas stoves. That way, if she was ever outside without a place to cook, she could just take one out and use it.
Only when the three-square-meter area was packed to the brim and piled sky-high did Tang Mo feel satisfied. All that remained in her Space was enough room for two backpacks, kept free for emergencies. As for the knife, she had stored it away in her Space long ago.
With her money almost completely spent, Tang Mo's heart finally settled. She no longer felt the intense anxiety she had at the beginning.
The Jade Pendant, the knife, and the experience from her previous life—these were her most precious assets in this one. Each was an ace up her sleeve that could save her life. When a person is more capable, they naturally become more confident. Even their entire aura changes, making them impossible to ignore.
With just one day to go before the apocalypse, Tang Mo told Lin Yi she wanted to return to school early to participate in a research project organized by her professor. She had used the same excuse to go back to school in her previous life.
Lin Yi, still oblivious, didn't think much of it and agreed. She gave Tang Mo a few words of caution and then transferred 5,000 yuan to her.
This time, Tang Mo didn't refuse the money. Instead, she brought up another topic with Lin Yi.
"Mom, you should buy some more food and medicine. My professor said things have been a bit unsettled lately."
"Oh? Hasn't your Uncle Wen already bought quite a lot?" Lin Yi said, unconcerned.
"It's not enough. We should buy more. We'll definitely use it all later. Besides, Mom, why don't you stock up on some baby formula, too?" Tang Mo said, winking at her mother.
'This was the main point she wanted to make today. Although Lin Yi was already forty-two, as her daughter, Tang Mo naturally didn't want her mother to have another child.'
'But it's always better to be safe than sorry. After all, this was Uncle Wen's first marriage, and he didn't have any children of his own…'
'She knew the Wen Family was powerful, but in the apocalypse, baby formula would be one of those things that money couldn't buy. Rather than scrambling to find it later, it was better to stock up now. Even if they didn't have a baby, it would be a priceless and unobtainable resource.'
'She couldn't bring this up with Uncle Wen, so she could only hint at it to her mother.'
"What are you talking about, you silly girl?" Lin Yi's face flushed slightly.
At her age, she could naturally read between the lines of her daughter's teasing.