Chapter One: Stockpiling Supplies

“Steak? I only eat it cooked to 0.1—when the first ray of dawn touches the cow’s hide, it’s ready to eat.” —Lin Dong

Early morning.

In the courtyard of the farm, a group of slaughterhouse workers were busy hauling raw meat. Oddly, along with the meat, they carried jars brimming with bright red blood. Beneath the radiant sunlight, the glass containers shone with a crimson hue, reminiscent of fine wine.

“Brother Liu, what’s going on with Boss Lin? The farm was doing perfectly well, so why did he slaughter tens of thousands of livestock?”

A curious worker asked.

Another chimed in, “Exactly! And why does he need so much blood?”

Foreman Liu was just as perplexed, though he tried not to show it. “Mind your own business and get to work.”

“Uh… okay.”

The workers resumed their tasks, masked, gloved, even their hair tucked away, meticulous in their hygiene.

Foreman Liu continued his reminders, “Keep everything spotless. If even a hair falls into the meat, Boss Lin won’t pay your wages.”

“Understood, Brother Liu. Don’t worry.”

They responded in chorus, though privately, their murmurs persisted.

“Hey, have you heard? Boss Lin is a bit strange.”

“What do you mean? He seems fine to me. What’s odd about him?”

“He’s obsessed with cleanliness, hates anything dirty.”

“Oh, that explains it! I always wondered why he…”

“Shh! Enough.”

“……”

A coughing interruption halted their gossip, for not far away, a young man approached. Tall and poised, dressed in a pristine white shirt, unsullied by the dust and grime. His features were finely sculpted, handsome to the point of perfection, as if a craftsman had carved them from marble. Bathed in the morning sun, he should have radiated warmth—but his narrow eyes betrayed a hint of indifference.

Foreman Liu hurried forward.

“Boss Lin, your fifteen hundred cattle, three thousand pigs, and over ten thousand chickens have all been slaughtered.”

“Mm.”

Lin Dong nodded, his gaze sweeping over the vacuum-packed fresh meat and jars of blood, clearly satisfied.

“Go collect your wages.”

“Thank you. Looking forward to working with you again.”

Foreman Liu smiled, instinctively extending his hand for a handshake. Lin Dong remained immobile, staring at the offered hand. Only then did Foreman Liu recall the unwritten rule: Lin Dong’s aversion to physical contact.

“Boss Lin, we’ll head out now. Hope to work together again.”

Foreman Liu withdrew his hand awkwardly, his smile forced. He led his workers out, boarding a small van that sped away.

Lin Dong watched their departure.

He approached the piles of meat and jars of blood, and with a wave of his hand, they vanished in an instant.

Of course, they hadn’t disappeared. Lin Dong had simply stored them in his spatial vault.

A space one thousand meters in all dimensions, where time stood still. Items placed within stayed exactly as they were, unchanged by the passage of time.

He did this because Lin Dong was a reborn soul.

Reborn half a month before the apocalypse.

And gifted with this storage space.

The horrors of that doomsday remained vivid in his memory: zombies everywhere, mutated monsters rampant, humanity starved for resources, fighting desperately for a loaf of bread or a bottle of clean water.

People would even betray their closest friends and family, stripping away every mask of kindness.

If an ordinary person were reborn before the apocalypse, their first instinct would surely be to amass supplies—food, water, essentials. But Lin Dong focused on raw meat and blood.

Because… he was a zombie.

Blood and flesh were far more than sustenance; they were the source of power. By consuming them, zombies absorbed energy and grew stronger, evolving into kings among the undead.

A zombie well-fed with blood and flesh could grow at an unimaginable pace.

In short—

Blood and flesh were the essence of zombie evolution.

How strong Lin Dong became depended entirely on how much he could consume.

Just then, another call came in, from Su Xiaorou, his supermarket employee.

“Boss, your order of one hundred thousand packs of frozen steak, ten thousand chicken wing joints, and ten tons of premium ribs have all arrived.”

“Good. Tell all suppliers to keep sending orders.”

Lin Dong instructed.

“What? More orders?” Su Xiaorou was astonished. “But Boss, we’re out of working capital. We can’t even pay the deposits.”

“I’ll handle the money. Just keep ordering.”

“…All right then.”

She agreed, though confusion lingered in her heart. Why keep ordering when there was no money? Why hoard so much? Was the world really ending?

……

Lin Dong owned a farm, a supermarket, and two apartments—all purchased with his parents’ inheritance.

His parents died when he was too young to remember them, and he didn’t even get a funeral meal… Afterwards, he was sent to an orphanage, grew up there, and inherited the estate when he came of age.

He gradually built up his business, expanding and thriving.

Though his assets were substantial, his liquid funds were limited.

Now, his most valuable resources were already stored away in his spatial vault.

“The apocalypse begins in ten days. Time to get some money and hoard more supplies.”

Lin Dong mused, when suddenly he saw, on the road outside the farm, a Mercedes G-Class approaching, followed by a Wuling van.

Inside the van sat a handful of thugs, their hair dyed in flashy colors.

Most would shudder at the sight, but Lin Dong’s lips curled into a smile.

“The pillow arrives when you need sleep—here come the angels of fortune…”

The Mercedes rolled to a stop. Out stepped a middle-aged man, dressed in casual wear, sporting a heavy gold chain, a bag tucked under his arm, swaggering as he walked.

He was Zhao Peng, a renowned developer in Jiangbei City, who had long coveted Lin Dong’s farm—if developed into a housing project, it would surely make a fortune.

Yet Lin Dong remained stubborn; no matter the offer, he wouldn’t sell. Negotiations had always stalled.

Since persuasion had failed, Zhao Peng decided to apply pressure, bringing his gang of toughs to intimidate Lin Dong.

“Boss Lin, hope you’ve been well!”

Zhao Peng entered the courtyard, his men trailing behind, their chests and arms inked with tattoos—shrimp, ribbonfish, and other motifs—giving off a menacing aura.

Lin Dong’s expression remained unchanged.

“Hello, Mr. Zhao.”

“Brother Lin, you know why I’m here. What do you think about selling this land?”

Zhao Peng got straight to the point, his tone still polite—planning to use courtesy before force.

But Lin Dong suddenly nodded.

“I’ve thought it over. I can sell it to you at the price you offered earlier.”

“What?”

Zhao Peng was stunned; he hadn’t expected Lin Dong to agree. Even the thugs exchanged bewildered glances.

Was this the wrong script?

“You… you really agree?”

Zhao Peng couldn’t believe it, wanting confirmation.

Lin Dong nodded.

“Yes. Wouldn’t want to hold up your big business for the sake of my little plot.”

“Hahaha, excellent!”

Zhao Peng was overjoyed, thinking this kid finally saw reason.

“Brother Lin, let’s sign the contract right away.”

He pulled a contract from his bag—prepared days ago, always carried with him, finally finding its use.

Lin Dong agreed, sat down in the courtyard, and began signing page after page with a steel pen.

The farm was sizable; at market rate, it sold for a whopping twelve million.

Zhao Peng still felt the situation was abrupt and asked, “Brother Lin, what happened to the farm? Why the sudden decision to sell?”

“Because I need money.”

Lin Dong replied without looking up.

“Money troubles?”

Zhao Peng’s eyes gleamed. Besides real estate, he had another side business—money lending.

After all, those thugs weren’t kept for nothing.

A spark of inspiration flashed—another money-making opportunity.

“Brother Lin, do you need more cash? Maybe… I can help you.”

“Oh?”

Lin Dong paused mid-signature, slowly raising his head to look at Zhao Peng. Suddenly, Zhao Peng’s rough face seemed especially charming.

With the apocalypse imminent, not only was Zhao Peng buying his farm, he was offering loans as well.

Truly an angel on earth.

Moved to tears…