"The rooftop team started at dawn. Main panel supports are already fixed. The upgraded storage batteries should arrive before noon."

"And water?"

"The rooftop rain collection frame starts this afternoon. Internal filtration lines tomorrow morning."

Bai Li nodded slowly.

This speed really justified the absurd amount she paid.

Looking around at the rapidly changing home, she finally felt something inside settle further. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The fortress was beginning to take shape.

After returning to the hotel that evening, Bai Li finally allowed herself a day where she did almost nothing useful by apocalypse standards. For the past few days, her mind had been running almost without pause, calculating supplies, security, transport, medicine, timing, and money, so now that most urgent things had already been arranged and the duplex renovation was progressing under Shen Kyao’s supervision, she gave herself permission to simply stay idle for a while. After taking a warm shower and changing into loose clothes, she ordered lunch to the room, pulled the curtains halfway so the evening light still entered, then sat on the sofa with her phone in one hand and the television on in front of her. She scrolled through apps without much focus at first, moving from Weibo to Douyin, then to streaming platforms, then back again, until she gradually noticed how many Thai GL series kept appearing in recommendations across almost every platform she opened.

At first she only clicked because she was curious, but after opening one title, then another, she slowly realized there were far more than she expected. Not just a handful of niche productions, but entire lists, multiple seasons, different actresses, different stories, some fully released and some still airing. It genuinely surprised her. In her previous world, LGBT media had always existed in a strangely restricted way. Sometimes it appeared, but rarely with sincerity, and lesbian stories were even more often pushed aside, softened, hidden behind vague suggestions, or treated like something that could not fully stand in the open. But here, at least in what she was seeing online, there was actual volume. Entire productions openly centered around women loving women, and many of them were popular enough to reach mainstream discussion. She leaned back slightly and watched half an episode of one series, then clicked another just to compare, and after a while she could not help feeling a little amused. Even if she spent the remaining days before the apocalypse doing nothing but watching, she still would not finish all the titles that looked interesting. There was something unexpectedly comforting in that thought. It was not as if television mattered deeply now, but seeing representation exist so casually still gave her a strange quiet satisfaction. Even from the limited time she had spent online in this world, she had already noticed that although attitudes in some places were still cautious, the general atmosphere felt less suffocating than the world she remembered, where older generations often treated anything different as if difference itself was some offense against tradition. She had never understood why so many people clung so tightly to old ideas that harmed no one but still demanded obedience.

Still, she did not let herself drift too far into those thoughts because reality returned quickly. There were only a few days left before the apocalypse, and once the network collapsed, all online entertainment would disappear too. That immediately made her think of something practical. Without wasting time, she opened her laptop, connected an external hard drive, and began downloading entire Thai GL series one after another. Full seasons, complete episode lists, anything that looked worth saving. It felt absurd in one sense, preparing for zombies while carefully building an offline library of dramas, but to her it made perfect sense. Food would keep the body alive, electricity would keep systems running, and entertainment might become one of the few things preventing long nights from turning mentally unbearable when the world outside became dangerous. While downloads ran, she continued switching between Weibo and Douyin. Several niche international posts still appeared now and then, small rumors about strange violent incidents overseas, blurry clips, odd discussions quickly buried under jokes and disbelief. She no longer felt surprised seeing them. The signs had already begun. Most people still laughed because danger was far enough away that it looked unreal.

By afternoon she grew restless from sitting too long and decided to check the hotel gym downstairs. Since there was little else to do today, she changed into sports clothes and went down. The gym was not crowded, only a few guests using treadmills and machines while one trainer stood nearby speaking to someone. Bai Li started normally enough, warming up, stretching, adjusting her breathing, but once she moved toward the weights, things changed. She picked up one loaded bar simply to test her current strength more carefully, and the moment she lifted it with no visible effort, the trainer nearby stopped mid sentence and looked directly at her. Bai Li herself had not intended to attract attention, but after days of realizing this body was far stronger than normal, she still had not fully adjusted her sense of what looked ordinary to others. She lifted the weight once, then again, then set it down lightly as if checking whether it matched what she expected. A man nearby actually glanced at the plates, clearly doubting whether they were real. The trainer eventually approached with a strange expression and asked, "Miss... are you comfortable with that weight?" Bai Li looked at him and simply answered, "Yes." That answer left him visibly uncertain because nothing about her build suggested such effortless force. Two young women near another machine had also stopped talking and were openly staring now. Bai Li understood she had already drawn enough attention, so she moved away from the weights and took a quieter corner of the gym instead.

There, she began practicing controlled movement rather than strength. Small foot adjustments first, then turning patterns, weight shifts, body control, hand placement, balance, then increasingly sharper combat sequences that belonged entirely to another life. Her military habits returned naturally once she started. The more she moved, the more clearly she felt how different this body truly was. Every turn landed cleaner than before, every strike line felt lighter, every shift of force smoother. Techniques that once required exact discipline now came almost effortlessly, and some movements she previously could only execute near perfectly now felt as if the body wanted to exceed her own memory of them. It was not just stronger. It was faster, cleaner, more responsive in every way. She stopped only when she noticed several people nearby had again gone quiet while watching. One trainer even looked like he wanted to ask if she was some kind of athlete but then seemed to decide against it. Bai Li simply wiped her hands, left the gym, and returned upstairs as if nothing unusual had happened, leaving behind a group of people who genuinely looked unsure whether what they had just watched was normal.

The rest of the evening passed quietly. She ate dinner in the room, checked download progress again, watched another episode of a series while half distracted, and occasionally thought about the woman from the hospital before forcing herself not to linger too much on that thought. By the time night deepened outside the hotel window, fatigue slowly caught up again. She lay down earlier than usual, knowing another day had passed. When she woke up the next morning, the third day had arrived. Four more days remained before everything changed.

..

..

On the morning of the third day, Bai Li left the hotel not long after breakfast with another clear target already fixed in her mind. The previous two days had been spent almost entirely on larger preparations that could not wait, reinforcing the duplex, arranging electricity, securing food, water, medicine, and transport, but now that those major things were already moving in the right direction, she had finally reached the point where smaller but equally important details began to surface one after another. In an apocalypse, there were many moments when direct force solved problems faster than negotiation, but loud weapons always carried risk. Guns were difficult to obtain, harder to maintain, and once ammunition became limited, they quickly lost practical value unless used carefully but most of all, getting a single gun would require going through so much trouble such as getting proper license from many govt. bodies, going through inspections and much more that Bai Li felt that it was too much of a hassle to get a gun. A silent weapon, however, was different. Something reusable, accurate, and deadly enough to handle danger without drawing a crowd of zombies from half a street away. That was why she had decided early this morning that before the day ended, she needed a proper compound crossbow and enough bolts to make it worthwhile.

The first stop was the largest outdoor equipment store she had found online the previous night. It sat near a commercial section of the city and occupied a wide two floor corner building with bright signs outside and rows of camping displays visible through the glass. The place was busy enough that nobody looked twice when she entered. A young couple was checking sleeping bags near the entrance, two men in hiking shoes were comparing backpacks near another shelf, and one employee was explaining portable gas burners to someone near the counter. Bai Li moved through the aisles at her own pace, not looking hurried, because there was no point attracting attention by appearing too focused. The store had almost everything. Axes of different sizes hung on one wall, foldable entrenching tools lined another section, survival ropes, waterproof covers, compact tents, emergency blankets, flint starters, machetes, folding knives, portable filters, thermal jackets, and camping cookware were displayed so neatly that even someone with no outdoor knowledge would feel tempted to buy things they did not need. Bai Li checked each section carefully, choosing practical items rather than decorative ones. She selected a medium weight axe with a solid handle, then took a foldable entrenching tool, two flints, waterproof matches, a machete with proper thickness, strong gloves, several compact utility ropes, and a few emergency outdoor accessories she knew would eventually become useful even if they looked minor now. She did not buy randomly. Every item in her basket had already passed through a mental calculation of usefulness, durability, and whether it deserved space in her future storage.

When she finally brought everything to the counter, the owner himself was there, scanning items while occasionally glancing at the steadily growing pile. He looked to be in his late thirties, the kind of person who had clearly dealt with outdoor hobbyists for years and could tell what kind of customer stood in front of him just by the way they chose equipment.

"You picked serious things," he said while scanning the axe. "Most people buying camping gear usually spend more time choosing colors than tools."

Bai Li gave a faint smile. "Tools matter more than colors."

"That depends. Some people think matching tents are survival too."

He laughed lightly at his own joke, then packed the flints into a bag. Bai Li waited until he had nearly finished before lowering her voice slightly.

"I wanted to ask something else too. Do you know where I can buy a good compound crossbow around here?"

The owner paused for just half a second, then looked up with a knowing expression that carried no surprise at all. Clearly this was not the first time someone had asked him exactly that question.

"We don’t sell those openly here," he said, speaking casually as if discussing weather. "But there are people who do. Depends what kind you want."

"Reliable quality. Long range. Stable enough for regular use."

The owner nodded, then took out his phone.

"I have a local outdoor group. Some people there handle equipment privately. Join first, then ask around."

Bai Li took out her own phone and added him immediately. Within moments she was invited into a local survival group chat. The name was ordinary enough, something about outdoor enthusiasts in Jiangbei, but once she entered, the member list already told her everything she needed. Several people had names that clearly tried to look more visible than others.

The owner finished packing her purchases and asked, "Do you want the bigger things delivered later?"

"Yes. Send them around six in the evening."

He agreed, and Bai Li thanked him before leaving.

Once outside, she got into another taxi and sat near the window while quietly opening the group list. She did not need long to notice one particular contact near the top. The name almost made her want to laugh.

A Outdoor Supply.

Straightforward enough to be suspicious.

She clicked and sent a request.

The acceptance came almost instantly, as if the other side had been waiting.

Bai Li typed first.

"Do you have compound crossbows available now?"

A reply came within seconds.

"What kind do you need?"

"Strong pull weight. Good accuracy. I need several pieces."

"That’s available. Come choose yourself. Better if you see directly."

Another message followed with an address.

The location was not far, so Bai Li told the taxi driver to change direction and head there immediately.

The place turned out to be stranger than expected because from outside it looked completely ordinary, just a store selling reinforced window frames and security fittings. If nobody told her, she would never guess what was inside. A few aluminum frames leaned outside, some sample window locks hung near the entrance, and nothing looked unusual. When she entered and mentioned the contact name, the owner glanced at her once, then lifted a side partition curtain and motioned for her to follow without unnecessary talk.

Inside, the hidden room behind the main store was much larger than the front suggested. It was roughly two connected rooms opened into one, with solid walls lined by mounted compound crossbows, binoculars, scopes, heavy outdoor knives, and various pieces of gear that clearly did not belong in an ordinary security shop. Two long tables stood in the middle covered with blades, kukris, machetes, compact hatchets, and survival equipment arranged by size.

Bai Li stepped closer to the wall and examined the crossbows one by one.

There were cheaper models immediately visible, but her attention settled on one darker model placed higher than the others. It had reinforced limbs, proper balance, adjustable sight, and a cleaner finish than the rest.

She took it down and tested the grip.

The owner watched her hand position and asked, "Used one before?"

"A little," Bai Li answered.

The truth was that compared to firearms and military training, this felt almost simple.

She checked another two before returning to the first choice.

Then her eyes moved toward the blades and she selected a kukri with a strong curve and thick back edge.

"Can I test the crossbow?"

The owner pointed toward a heavy wooden board mounted against the far wall.

"That’s what it’s there for."

Several old bolt holes covered the board already.

Bai Li loaded a bolt without needing instruction. The owner had clearly planned to explain but stopped once he saw how naturally she moved. She stepped back farther than most customers probably did, adjusted lightly, then fired.

The bolt cut through the room and buried itself cleanly near center.

The owner looked genuinely impressed now.

"You don’t look like someone who only tried a little."

Bai Li lowered the crossbow calmly. "Enough to know what I’m buying."

He walked over, looked at the bolt placement, then came back shaking his head with approval.

"This one suits you."

Bai Li nodded once and asked, "How many bolts do you have?"

"How many do you need?"

"How many can you sell right now?"

This time even the owner stared.

"Well, I have almost over 600 in stock but you certainly won’t need that many, hahaha..."

Just then Bai Li said with a straight face,

"I will take them. All of them."

The smile on the owner’s face immediately vanished replaced by a hesitant expression as he was trying to distinguish whether she was serious about her request, and if she was, whether such a sale felt excessive.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Bai Li added calmly, "You can record my ID if needed. I’m not causing trouble."

That seemed to relax him enough.

"Fine. But good bolts are not cheap."

He began listing models and quality differences, showing how the better bolts had stronger shafts and sharper heads, how the sight on the selected crossbow could be adjusted for distance, and how even though it was not imported, the build quality was among the best available locally.

Bai Li listened, then said, "I’ll take five crossbows. All six hundred hundred bolts. Five kukris too. Sharpen all of them."

Now the owner’s face changed completely because this was no longer an ordinary sale.

"Five?"

"Yes."

He no longer questioned much after that. Instead he became visibly enthusiastic and began recommending other useful things. Military lunch kits, water bottles, charcoal boxes, binoculars, compact field tools.

Bai Li listened and added several items herself.

"Five sets of mess kits. Five water bottles. Five strong binoculars. Two large boxes of charcoal. Add five foldable camping stoves too, the compact kind that can run on small fuel canisters. I also want ten spare fuel canisters, five thermal sleeping bags rated for cold weather, five waterproof ground mats, and five portable tents that can be set up quickly by one person. Give me ten emergency rain ponchos, five headlamps with extra batteries, five hand crank flashlights, and a full box of waterproof matches. Add three portable water filters, five rolls of heavy duty rope, two grappling hooks, five multi tools, five folding chairs, and a few stainless steel cooking pots that can handle direct fire. Also pack a few emergency whistles, compass sets, signal mirrors, and those compact first aid field kits you have there. If you have portable mosquito nets, add five of those too. And give me several pairs of thick outdoor gloves, knee guards, and elbow guards. I’ll also take a few extra tarps, preferably the heavy waterproof kind that can be tied down easily."

The owner was visibly shaken by long list of items and took a long while to come to his senses.

He then calculated everything carefully, then finally looked up.

"The total cost comes to about 92,457 yuan, rounding up to 90,000 yuan for you miss."

Bai Li transferred the amount without argument.

He looked at the number and frowned slightly. Because, instead of sending 90,000, she sent him 100,000 yuan which was far more than the original amount without the discount he offered.

Bai Li calmly said,

"That’s extra. Consider it an expression of gratitude plus the delivery change,"

His mood improved instantly.

"Where should I send everything?"

She gave him the apartment address and added that someone would receive it there.

By the time she stepped back outside and entered another taxi, the morning had already turned into noon. Sitting by the window again, Bai Li looked outside while mentally reviewing what still remained unfinished.

Food, water, medicine, defense, transport, power, weapons.

The list was finally complete.

.

.

.

To be continued.

Hello, dear readers, We are about to finally enter the apocalypse stage after two or three more Chapters. Stay tuned and please donate some spirit stones and write a review and anything within your means. I will be very grateful.