novelTele Chapter 2: Giving it our all to build city defenses
Chapter 2: Giving it our all to build city defenses
Lin Chen didn't pause for a moment after hanging up Zhao Lei's call.
The sky outside the window was already bright, and the morning sunlight shone through the glass onto the list on the desk. The handwriting was clear and glaring, and every stroke was like a warning bell etched in my heart.
Three months, ninety days, not a single minute or second can be wasted.
He first rummaged through all the bank cards and passbooks in the house, and then found the jewelry and antique ornaments left by his parents. These things were worthless in the apocalypse, but now they were hard currency that could be exchanged for supplies and military equipment.
In his past life, he was too attached to material possessions, always thinking about keeping the house and the memories. When the catastrophe broke out, everything was reduced to nothing, and even his parents' belongings were buried under the ruins and could never be found again.
In this life, he completely severed all his obsessions.
Houses, money, jewelry—everything that can be converted into cash must be exchanged for the capital needed to survive.
Lin Chen took the property certificate and ID card, went straight out the door, and headed straight for the largest chain real estate agency in the city.
It was rush hour, the streets were bustling with traffic and pedestrians hurrying by. The aroma of breakfast shops filled the air, creating a peaceful and lively atmosphere.
But in Lin Chen's eyes, it all seemed incredibly fake.
He watched the passersby laughing and playing on the roadside, the office workers rushing to work with their breakfasts in their hands, and the carefree children running around, but his heart remained undisturbed, only a cold, clear-headed feeling remained.
In less than three months, these warm and vivid scenes will be completely torn apart by blood, ruins, and screams.
Extreme cold and snow will bury the streets, violent hurricanes will overturn buildings, zombies and mutated beasts will tear apart all beauty, and the evil of human nature will be exposed in the face of adversity.
This bustling city will become a living hell.
And he will be the sole defender of the city.
"Sir, are you sure you want to list this downtown school district property for 1.4 million yuan for urgent sale with full payment?" In the real estate agency, the salesperson looked at Lin Chen with disbelief. "This property is worth at least 1.5 million yuan on the market. Your price is 100,000 yuan lower than the market price, and you're demanding full payment within a month. Isn't that a huge loss?"
"Not a loss." Lin Chen said calmly, without the slightest hesitation. "I just want to make the sale as quickly as possible. Other conditions are negotiable, but it must be full payment. No waiting after that."
He didn't have time to haggle. With the apocalypse approaching, house prices would instantly drop to zero. Not to mention 1.4 million, even 140,000 wouldn't be enough to buy a bag of life-saving compressed biscuits.
Seeing his resolute attitude, the salesperson immediately nodded in agreement, completed the entrustment procedures on the spot, and promised to take the client to see the property that day, doing everything possible to facilitate the fastest possible transaction.
After leaving the real estate agency, Lin Chen rushed to the pawnshop and pawned all the gold and silver jewelry and jade ornaments left by his parents, getting a total of 80,000 yuan in cash.
Clutching the heavy bank card in his pocket, Lin Chen didn't linger and headed straight for the building materials wholesale market on the outskirts of the city.
To seal off the entire city of Cangnan, strengthen its defenses, and build barriers, the most needed materials are steel, cement, high-strength wire mesh, concrete, explosion-proof steel plates, and sound and heat insulation materials.
In his previous life, he had witnessed firsthand how countless survivors, lacking sturdy fortifications, perished helplessly under the onslaught of natural disasters and mutated beasts.
Strong city walls are the first line of defense for survival in the apocalypse.
"Boss, I need to order a large quantity of rebar, high-strength cement, explosion-proof steel plates, dense wire mesh, and thermal insulation rock wool boards. All of them must be of the highest specifications, and the more the better. I require all of them to be delivered to my door within three days, at the entrances and exits of various main and secondary roads in Cangnan City."
The owner of the building materials market was busy inventorying his goods. Hearing Lin Chen's words, he looked him up and sized him up. Seeing that he was dressed plainly but spoke with great arrogance, he couldn't help but be surprised: "Young man, you want so many building materials? This is no small amount. Are you sure?"
"Confirmed." Lin Chen slapped his bank card on the counter. "I'll pay half as a deposit first, and the rest will be paid upon delivery. I can sign a contract, and I'll pay double the amount in compensation for breach of contract."
The number he reported was enough to block all highway entrances, national highway entrances, and main urban roads in Cangnan City, creating a defensive fortification encircling the entire city.
Seeing his generosity and firm attitude, the boss immediately became interested. The two quickly finalized the contract, and Lin Chen paid the deposit on the spot by swiping his card, leaving the delivery address and contact information, and agreeing on the delivery time.
After securing building materials, Lin Chen then traveled to grain and oil wholesale markets, large supermarket suppliers, pharmaceutical wholesalers, and medical device stores.
In his previous life, he had endured five years of hunger, cold, and illness, and he knew the importance of supplies.
He plans to stockpile basic foods such as compressed biscuits, instant noodles, vacuum-packed meat, canned goods, rice, flour, cooking oil, salt, purified water, and water purification tablets until his storage space is overflowing.
He collected all the medicines he could get his hands on, including cold medicine, anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, antibiotics, bandages for external injuries, disinfectant alcohol, surgical instruments, first aid kits, and even vaccines and serum.
Down jackets, thermal underwear, windproof jackets, waterproof boots, gloves, tents, sleeping bags, and other clothing and bedding for extreme cold and heat should be stockpiled in large quantities.
Lighters, matches, candles, solar power banks, generators, gasoline, diesel, coal, and lighter fluid are among the most important energy-related supplies.
Relying on his memories from his previous life, he specifically sought out suppliers' warehouses to purchase directly, bypassing the retail环节, and buying the most supplies at the lowest prices.
Every payment emptied his savings, but Lin Chen showed no remorse, only a resolute determination to succeed.
Money can be earned back, but when the apocalypse comes, no amount of money can buy the chance to survive.
Just as he was frantically buying supplies, his phone suddenly rang, and the caller ID showed it was Zhao Lei.
As soon as the call connected, Zhao Lei's gruff and urgent voice came through: "Lin Chen, I'm downstairs at your place, I've been knocking for ages and no one's answering, where are you?"
"I'm at the building materials market in the suburbs. Come find me directly, and be quick," Lin Chen said succinctly.
"Okay, I'll be right there!"
Zhao Lei didn't ask any further questions and hung up the phone decisively.
Less than half an hour later, a dilapidated electric vehicle stopped at the entrance of the building materials market, and Zhao Lei strode in.
He was dressed in a simple black tracksuit, with a neat buzz cut, a tall and straight figure, and exuded the unique tough aura of a soldier. His face showed a hint of impatience, and when he saw Lin Chen, he immediately strode forward.
"Lin Chen, what exactly are you up to? You were being so mysterious on the phone yesterday, what do you mean by 'it concerns my life'?" Zhao Lei grabbed Lin Chen, his brow furrowed. "Are you in some kind of trouble? Is someone giving you a hard time? If anyone's bullying you, tell me, I'll take care of it for you!"
Zhao Lei and Lin Chen are childhood friends who grew up together. Later, Zhao Lei joined the army and Lin Chen went to university. Although they didn't keep in touch frequently, their friendship remained.
Lin Chen's cold and serious tone during his phone call early yesterday morning made him uneasy, so he rushed over as soon as it was light.
Looking at Zhao Lei, who had a worried expression, Lin Chen felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
This is the brother from his past life, who was willing to give his life to protect him.
In that apocalyptic world where human life was as cheap as grass, this affection was more precious than any material possession.
Lin Chen didn't beat around the bush; he directly pulled Zhao Lei to a quiet corner of the market, his expression suddenly becoming extremely serious.
"Zhao Lei, what I'm about to say might seem unbelievable to you, or even that I'm crazy, but I assure you, every single word is true."
His gaze was sharp as a knife, and his tone was calm and powerful, instantly calming Zhao Lei down and making him look at him seriously.
"Three months from now, on October 12, 2025, a devastating global catastrophe will descend upon the Earth."
"First comes a massive earthquake, exceeding magnitude 8, which will cause most of the buildings in Cangnan City to collapse, and power, communication, and water supply to be completely cut off; then comes a super storm and tsunami, which will completely engulf coastal cities; next comes extreme cold weather, with temperatures dropping below minus forty degrees Celsius, and blizzards sealing off the city; then comes an extreme heat wave, a zombie virus outbreak, and global organisms mutating into bloodthirsty monsters."
"When order collapses and laws fail, humanity will become prey, the apocalypse will arrive, and human civilization will regress by a century."
"In our previous life, we struggled to survive in the apocalypse. You were torn apart by a horde of mutated beasts while protecting me. I endured for five years before finally dying at the hands of the mutated creatures."
"I was reborn, back to three months before the catastrophe broke out."
"Everything I'm doing now—stockpiling supplies, purchasing building materials, and locking down the city—is to survive in the apocalypse, to protect this city, and to protect the people we care about."
Lin Chen's words were calm, yet they carried a power that penetrated the heart. He slowly recounted the scenes of calamity and tragic experiences of his past life, word by word.
From raging natural disasters to rampant zombies, from the wickedness of human nature to the pain of life and death, every scene is so real it's breathtaking.
Zhao Lei stood there, completely stunned.
He stared wide-eyed at Lin Chen, his face filled with shock and disbelief, even thinking that Lin Chen was talking nonsense and had mental problems.
Earthquakes, storms, extreme cold, zombies, mutated creatures...
How could these plots, which only exist in movies, possibly happen in real life?
"Lin Chen, you...you've been under too much pressure lately, are you hallucinating?" Zhao Lei reached out to touch Lin Chen's forehead, his voice full of worry. "What rebirth, what apocalypse, this is too outrageous..."
"I know you don't believe me." Lin Chen had anticipated this reaction. He didn't flinch, his eyes firm. "I'm not crazy. I'm telling the truth. Do you remember the chemical plant leak that happened in the west of the city three days from now? Do you remember the stock market surge followed by a crash a week from now? These are things that were about to happen, but nobody knew about them."
He recounted several recent, little-known events, all from his past life memories—minor disasters and financial incidents that occurred before the catastrophe.
The more Zhao Lei listened, the more serious his expression became.
The details Lin Chen made were precise and the timing was clear; they didn't seem like lies he made up on the spot.
Especially when he looked into Lin Chen's eyes, which were filled with the vicissitudes of life and death and full of determination, his doubts were gradually replaced by shock.
The Lin Chen before him was completely different from the gentle childhood friend he remembered. He exuded a calm and ruthless aura that came from having experienced life-and-death ordeals, and he certainly didn't seem to be joking.
"I know this is hard to accept, but we don't have time." Lin Chen looked at him solemnly, "Zhao Lei, I need your help. I need to build Cangnan City into an impregnable fortress within three months, stockpile enough supplies to withstand the catastrophe, and survive."
"You are the only person I trust, and I don't want to lose you again."
Lin Chen's voice was slightly hoarse as he spoke his last words, carrying a deep-seated obsession and pain.
Zhao Lei looked into his eyes and remained silent for a full three minutes.
He was a veteran, meticulous and with excellent judgment. From Lin Chen's expression, tone, and those precise details, he sensed that all of this might be true.
The next second, Zhao Lei clenched his fist tightly, his eyes instantly hardening, and his military spirit erupted completely.
"I believe you!"
There were no more doubts, no more hesitations.
Based on their friendship of over a decade, and on the undeniable seriousness in Lin Chen's eyes, he chose to believe.
"Lin Chen, you tell me what to do, and I, Zhao Lei, will have no objections!"
"I'd go through fire and water for you!"
Looking at him, Lin Chen completely let go of his last bit of concern.
With Zhao Lei, a powerful and efficient assistant, his plan to defend the city was half successful.
"Fine!" A sharp glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. "From this moment on, you will immediately do three things!"
"First, quit your current job immediately, withdraw all the money you have, and use it all to purchase supplies, especially weapons, knives, tactical equipment, and communication devices—the more the better."
"Secondly, we should contact reliable and trustworthy people we know, especially those with skills, abilities, and kind natures, and inform them in advance that they should stay with us to survive when the catastrophe comes."
"Third, starting today, we'll divide the work. You'll be responsible for recruiting people, building the initial team, overseeing the delivery of building materials, and erecting temporary fortifications. I'll be responsible for procuring supplies, liquidating assets, and planning the city-wide blockade route!"
"We must complete the complete lockdown of Cangnan City within three months, before the catastrophe strikes!"
Zhao Lei stood straight, gave a crisp military salute, and said in a firm and resounding voice, "Mission accomplished!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Lei immediately turned around and headed straight for the door to carry out the task assigned by Lin Chen.
Watching his departing figure, Lin Chen clenched his fists.
The first step has been taken.
Stockpile supplies, gather manpower, and set up city defenses.
Next, he will use his prophetic power to proceed step by step and transform Cangnan City into the safest haven in the apocalypse.
Just then, I received a text message from a real estate agent – a client has already taken a liking to the house and is willing to pay in full, with the transfer of ownership to be completed within three days.
Lin Chen's lips curled into a cold smile.
With funding secured, supplies will be supplied continuously, and defensive fortifications will soon commence.
Those lurking crises, those enemies from past lives, those impending natural disasters and strange beasts.
In this life, I, Lin Chen, will guard this city, protect those around me, and hold the reins of survival in this apocalyptic world!
He turned around and went back into the supply store, continuing his frantic buying spree, storing truckloads of supplies into his folding storage space.
The shadow of a global catastrophe is quietly looming, and Lin Chen's journey to defend the city has officially begun.