Chapter 7: Full of Energy

Jiang Yan only needed a month or two to stockpile supplies, so she planned to spend the rest of her time doing something a bit more exciting.

“Sis Yan, about those high-rise apartments you wanted to see—one landlord can only bring the keys over tonight. For the other one, I already have the keys, so I can take you to see it tomorrow?” Du Zitong said, his face etched with exhaustion.

He prided himself on his stamina—after all, he’d been a real estate agent for years and could handle long days on his feet. But after hustling around all afternoon under the blazing sun, even he couldn’t help feeling worn out.

In contrast, Jiang Yan looked completely energized, not at all like someone who’d just flown back on a long-haul international flight for a funeral and then spent the whole afternoon walking around.

Not only wasn’t Jiang Yan tired, she actually felt light and brimming with energy.

It was as if she’d been injected with adrenaline.

Thinking back, she realized this change had started after she left the “space.” She’d been too busy acting alongside that fake reporter to pay much attention at the time, but now she could clearly tell she was no longer in the weak state she’d been in that morning.

Could it be because of the space?

She decided to test it out when she got home that evening.

“Alright, thanks for your hard work today. Let’s call it a day,” Jiang Yan said, glancing at her watch—it was already 7:30.

“Sis Yan, I’ll head off then. You should get some rest when you get home. And be careful on the road,” Du Zitong said his goodbyes and was about to get into his SUV when Jiang Yan called out to him:

“Old Du, about finding warehouses, buying and selling property—keep it all confidential for me.”

“Of course, Sis Yan, don’t worry. I get it,” Du Zitong replied sincerely, flashing a simple, honest smile. Seeing Jiang Yan wave him off, he finally turned and left.

Back home, Jiang Yan immediately entered the space.

Sure enough, the space had a cleansing and rejuvenating effect. The longer she stayed inside, the more pronounced it became.

She could even feel the impurities in her body turning into a light gray mist, slowly drifting away from her.

After an afternoon of “nourishment,” the withered rose she’d planted in the black soil was now lush and vibrant, as if reborn. The new shoots had grown much bigger.

Even the roses she’d left in pots, though not planted in the soil, had leaves that were noticeably turning green again.

So, it wasn’t just the fertile black earth that was magical—even the air in the space seemed to nurture all living things.

Additionally, the [Planting Area] in the black zone clearly had a much faster flow of time than the real world, while the [Storage Area] in the gray zone was completely time-stopped. As for the [Living Area] in the white zone, she guessed its time flow matched the outside world.

After drawing these conclusions, Jiang Yan stayed in the space a little longer before returning to her room.

She glanced at the bank notification on her phone. In just one day, she’d spent nearly thirty million on bottled and barreled mineral water, warehouse rentals, water storage tanks, second-hand shelves, and other miscellaneous items.

It wasn’t that much, considering she’d secured enough water to last several lifetimes.

That night marked the seventh day since her mother’s passing. After setting out the food she’d prepared for her mother and grabbing a quick bite herself, Jiang Yan took her laptop into the bedroom.

She planned to make a checklist of key preparations for the three months before the apocalypse and draft a rough inventory of supplies to stockpile.

Even though money was the last thing she needed to worry about, she couldn’t just buy things blindly.

Besides, she’d avoid supermarkets for now. Not only were there security cameras, but the quantities available there were far too small for her needs. If she bought in bulk, she might end up on someone’s radar or even go viral online, attracting unwanted attention.

Later on, when she needed to pick up odds and ends, she could always visit the supermarket.

Right now, with all eyes on her, the less trouble the better.

She also planned to look up online estimates for how much food, meat, oil, and other essentials a person might consume in a lifetime. She wasn’t familiar with those numbers, but the internet would have references.

She might not have eaten pork, but she’d at least seen a pig run.

Despite her current reputation as a wealthy heiress, Jiang Yan had grown up pinching every penny. Back then, online shopping wasn’t nearly as convenient as it was now.

Her parents had started out as couriers, but in the beginning, they also did odd jobs—her father hauled bricks at construction sites and carried sacks at logistics depots, while her mother worked as a waitress in restaurants.

People used to say that poor kids grew up fast.

Jiang Yan had been standing on a stool helping to cook since she was six.

Sure, her first few attempts resulted in half-raw dishes, overly salty food, and burnt rice, but her parents never scolded her. Instead, they encouraged her, which made her fall in love with cooking.

Whenever she had time after school, she’d help prepare the meals.

Later, as the family’s fortunes improved and they made a lot of money, they hired a housekeeper, and Jiang Yan stopped cooking.

After graduating from college, she didn’t go to grad school. Instead, she followed her passion and became a food and travel blogger.

But she wasn’t just the type to taste local delicacies and post reviews. Whenever she had time, she’d try to recreate her favorite dishes at home, even attempting recipes from ancient texts.

She’d even secretly apprenticed herself to a Michelin three-star chef and the executive chef of a five-star hotel.

If it hadn’t been for her family…

But all that was from her past life.

Jiang Yan let out a silent sigh, pulled herself back to the present, and continued working on her inventory list.

*

The next morning.

Bright and early, the used car dealer Jiang Yan had contacted arrived.

Cars depreciated quickly, and since she’d set reasonable prices, her top-of-the-line RV and sports car were soon hauled away by the dealer’s tow truck.

While waiting at the used car market for the transfer paperwork, she bought a boxy little used van that had just come in and hadn’t even been repainted yet.

It wasn’t that Jiang Yan couldn’t afford a new car. It was just that this van wouldn’t only be useful now.

She planned to take it out of the space and use it temporarily when the apocalypse hit.

A second-hand domestic van would be much less conspicuous amid the ruins of the post-apocalyptic world.

Besides, who would ever suspect that a billionaire heiress known for her love of luxury cars would be driving a beat-up old van around town every day?

It was the perfect cover for her frequent supply runs.

A few years ago, she’d even gotten an A1 license so she could drive RVs for her travel vlogs, so driving this little van was a piece of cake."