Chapter 7: A Loyal Companion

That’s the Knight XV!

A bulletproof armored vehicle worth 16 million. A black steel behemoth, armored from body to glass, even the tires are bulletproof.

The whole car can withstand a 15-kilogram TNT explosion—truly an apocalypse war machine!

An Nan couldn’t help but look back, watching her dream car roar past.

She wanted it so badly!

It was said there were only two of these in the whole country. In the villa district, An Nan had seen Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, all kinds of supercars, but she’d never noticed anyone driving such a cool armored vehicle before…

Lost in thought, she arrived at her destination without realizing it.

Mrs. Chen had already informed the security guards, so An Nan encountered no obstacles and entered the Chen residence smoothly.

It was just as grand and opulent as the mansions she used to live in.

Mrs. Chen sat on a luxurious sofa and handed her a triangular bayonet she’d prepared in advance.

An Nan took it with both hands and thanked her politely.

Mrs. Chen looked at the girl before her—so courteous despite her family’s misfortune—and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

It must be hard for her, fallen from grace, yet still managing to keep herself clean, presentable, and dignified.

So Mrs. Chen found another exquisite jewelry box.

“This jade pendant was a gift from your mother. I heard you didn’t take much with you when you left home. Take this back—it can be a keepsake.”

An Nan was taken aback. “But since my mother gave it to you, how can I take it back…”

“I’m telling you to take it, so take it.” Mrs. Chen cut her off, stuffing the jewelry box into An Nan’s hands and turning upstairs without another glance.

“Xiao Liu, see the guest out.”

The Chen family’s housekeeper immediately came over and gestured for An Nan to leave.

An Nan glanced thoughtfully at Mrs. Chen’s retreating figure, then left with the pendant and the bayonet.

She remembered meeting Mrs. Chen in her previous life when she’d come looking for her scumbag father, but back then Mrs. Chen hadn’t helped her at all, just watched coldly as she was thrown out. Yet now, Mrs. Chen had kindly given her the pendant.

Human nature really is complicated.

When people are wealthy, they can afford to “help the world when successful,” but in the resource-scarce apocalypse, it’s only natural to “look out for oneself.”

…

Back in the city, An Nan found a well-reviewed hot pot restaurant.

—Hot pot and rainy days are a perfect match.

As she dipped lamb into the broth, she checked her stockpile checklist.

Everything was ticked off except for one item: “spiritual sustenance.”

So after her meal, she headed straight to the electronics mall and, as planned, bought several tablets, phones, memory cards, hard drives, headphones, and more.

She’d finish downloading the movies and files she hadn’t finished yesterday once she got home.

After stowing everything in her storage space, An Nan hesitated for a moment, then walked into a pet shop.

Humans are social animals. Long-term isolation and solitude can lead to depression. Especially in the high-stress apocalypse, An Nan thought, she’d need a companion to keep from going crazy.

Her companions in her previous life had been Bai Wenbin and Qian Ying’er.

But as it turned out, humans were hard to trust. Only dogs remained loyal forever.

With enough supplies in her space, An Nan decided to buy a companion dog, someone to stick with her through the darkness of the apocalypse.

As soon as she stepped into the pet shop, the puppies all excitedly rushed over, barking up a storm.

An Nan frowned. Were all dogs this loud? That wouldn’t do—if others heard, the dog could be targeted as food.

Suddenly, a little cream-colored dumpling caught her eye.

Behind the pack of excited puppies, one was lazily sprawled on a cushion, its head buried in its paws.

An Nan picked it up and finally got a good look.

Uh… why was this dog so ugly?

It looked like a little pig.

As if it heard her thoughts, the puppy snorted in protest.

An Nan turned to the shop assistant. “Does this dog not bark?”

The clerk smiled. “She’s a French Bulldog—barely barks at all. She’s just six months old, a bit lazy, not very active.”

Lazy was good. In the apocalypse, it’d be inconvenient to walk a dog outside—her place was big enough for this little one to run around.

Plus, it didn’t bark, and was small enough to carry in a bag.

The more An Nan looked at its ugly-cute face, the more she liked it.

This was the one.

She bought a ton of dog food and treats, a dog bed, pee pads, dog clothes, little toys, and more.

Before leaving, she glanced at the other puppies, thought for a moment, then told the clerk, “A friend at the weather station told me there’ll be a heavy rainstorm tomorrow, with a risk of flooding. You’d better prepare in advance.”

With that, she turned and left.

After the apocalypse, even humans would struggle to survive—these little guys’ fate was easy to imagine. She wasn’t a savior; she could barely protect herself. All she could do was offer a warning.

Leaving the pet shop, An Nan went to a wholesaler and hauled away two more truckloads of pet supplies.

At checkout, her eyes landed on a pile of cat litter, and she had a sudden idea.

After the apocalypse, with no running water, toilets wouldn’t work. She had trash bags in her space, but cat litter would be much cleaner and more convenient.

So she bought a whole truckload of cat litter.

After buying the cat litter, the 3 million she’d borrowed was nearly gone—only 3,000 yuan left.

An Nan let out a long sigh of relief. At least this time, she hadn’t let her cash turn into worthless paper.

In a great mood, she patted her dog’s head in the passenger seat. “Come on, let’s go for a drive.”

The dog snorted in agreement.

As drizzle fell, An Nan drove while opening a paper map, studying it carefully.

In a few days, phone navigation would stop working. After that, she’d have to rely on maps to get around.

She marked several important landmarks and malls on the map, then compared them to reality, carefully memorizing what the upper parts of these buildings looked like (the lower parts would be submerged by floodwaters).

After making a round of the city, she returned the light truck to the rental company before closing time and switched to an RV.

She already had a Wuling van in her space, but for comfort, she needed an RV.

The RV’s interior and amenities were far better than the “divine” Wuling.

She rented it for two days, using the truck’s deposit as collateral, and paid another 3,000 yuan in rent.

She wouldn’t need to return it—the flood would hit before the rental period was up.

She wasn’t about to let a good thing go to waste if she could help it.

An Nan maxed out her card without a hint of guilt.

With the RV stowed in her space, the last bit of room was filled.

Four million didn’t sound like much, but converted to supplies, it was a staggering amount.

Holding an umbrella and her dog, An Nan walked home, feeling completely satisfied.

Just as she reached her building, she saw Bai Wenbin standing at the entrance.

An Nan cursed her luck.

“Nannan!” Bai Wenbin looked at the puppy in her arms. “You bought a dog?”

An Nan’s face was expressionless. “Got a problem with that?”

“No, no, I just wanted to ask why you suddenly blocked me.”

“Yesterday Ying’er said you called us ugly freaks.”

“I know you’re not that kind of person. There must be some misunderstanding between us.”

“I went to the 14th floor to look for you today, but you weren’t home, so I waited here. Nannan, I—”

“There’s no misunderstanding,” An Nan cut him off. “I just honestly think you’re both ugly.”

Bai Wenbin choked, his face almost falling apart.

But he forced himself to continue, “Nannan, I really like you. I hope you’ll give me a chance, even if it’s just to be friends…”

Why was this man so clingy?

After a long day, An Nan just wanted to go home.

So she said, “I’m tired. If you have more to say, let’s talk over lunch tomorrow at noon, at the Locust Tree Restaurant in Kuancheng District.”

Bai Wenbin was overjoyed.

The Locust Tree Restaurant was famous for couples. Was An Nan inviting him there for a date…?

An Nan ignored his daydreaming and took the elevator upstairs.

Let him dream.

Kuancheng District was the lowest-lying area. Let’s see if he’s still so happy after getting trapped in the flood tomorrow."