The door to unit 3204 was tightly shut.
A pair of shoes lay at the entrance—black men's leather shoes and beige women's casual sneakers.
It seemed like a couple or married pair lived here, having just returned from work not long ago.
During her overseas stockpiling trip, Jiang Yan had temporarily hired a renovation company to make adjustments, so she had given them a temporary access code.
Though the code had since expired, she reset all the passwords before finally unlocking the door.
After double-locking both doors and setting the air conditioning to 28°C, Jiang Yan collapsed onto the living room sofa.
The dimension had a marrow-cleansing and meridian-opening effect on her body, so every night during her time abroad, she would spend an hour or two inside it after returning to her hotel.
Her overall physical condition had improved significantly.
However, her nerves had been wound tight all this time, and now that she was finally home and relaxed, she felt a wave of exhaustion.
This fatigue wasn't physical—it was more mental.
Jiang Yan lay with her eyes closed for a while, regaining some energy before sitting up.
She scanned every corner of the room, checking to see if there was anything she had overlooked in her sanctuary.
The non-load-bearing walls of the two small bedrooms and study had been demolished, leaving only the master bedroom intact.
The entire space now felt much more open.
The bathroom drains had been sealed with cement by the renovation team, with an additional layer of waterproof coating applied on top.
Two real fire fireplaces had been installed in the living room, each with its own concealed exhaust vent.
She had come up with the idea for the fireplaces while stockpiling supplies in Maple Country.
Originally, she thought a generator and air conditioning would suffice, but it was there that she learned that in extreme cold, real fire fireplaces would far outperform air conditioners in heating efficiency.
Moreover, air conditioning units were mounted on exterior walls—there was always the risk of wiring or components failing unexpectedly.
Traditional heating and cooling methods tended to hold up better in extreme conditions.
To prevent any creatures from entering through the vents, she had the renovation company install filters and manual shut-off valves.
Remembering the giant Blood Mosquito that had slammed into her car window earlier, Jiang Yan quickly got up and closed both valves.
Additionally, since the renovation team had been in the living room, she took out an anti-surveillance detector from her dimension and swept the entire area.
Aside from the devices she had placed herself, no new surveillance equipment was found.
"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst"—that had always been Jiang Yan's motto.
After finishing these checks and taking a warm shower, her stomach growled loudly.
Lately, she had been eating hotel meals and Western food, and she found herself craving simple home-cooked dishes.
But today, she wasn't in the mood to cook, nor did she feel like eating any of the lavish pre-prepared meals from restaurants.
Instead, she took an egg and some scallions from her dimension and quickly whipped up a fragrant plate of fried rice.
She also boiled a pot of clear cabbage soup—no oil or salt added—and prepared a dipping sauce along with a small dish of spicy, savory pickles.
Simple yet delicious. Jiang Yan devoured every last drop, soup included.
After finishing her meal and tossing the dishes into the dishwasher, Jiang Yan grabbed a chilled soda and leisurely turned on the TV.
In her free time, she usually listened to financial news while starting a round of Honor of Kings, and today was no exception.
"Island Nation Initiates 100th Release of Nuclear-Contaminated Water. International Community Strongly Condemns Island Nation for Admitting Initial Secret Discharge of Low-Concentration Nuclear-Contaminated Water Without Consulting Local Fishermen."
"World to Experience Hottest Year on Record. Global Temperatures Spike Simultaneously. Experts Attribute Cause to Warming Ocean Surface in Most Tropical Pacific Regions, El Niño Phenomenon, and Increased Solar Activity."
"Citizens are Advised to Stock at Least Ten Days' Worth of Food and Drinking Water at Home. Stay Indoors Until the Heatwave Passes. Avoid Outdoor Work or Travel to Prevent Heatstroke. Call Emergency Services Promptly if Needed."
After an hour of intermittent news updates, Jiang Yan also concluded her gaming session with the tragic outcome of three consecutive ranked losses.
The news mentioned the global temperature surge but didn't touch on the mutated Blood Mosquitoes attacking humans.
Jiang Yan guessed those Blood Mosquitoes might be unique to An Ming.
Glancing at the thermometer, the outdoor temperature was still 41°C. Though it had only risen by one degree since 5 p.m., it was nearly 10 p.m., making the heat abnormally extreme.
Jiang Yan muted the TV and pulled out her tablet to check the surveillance feed.
At the entrance of Building A, several men, fully geared with electric bike helmets and gloves, were hurriedly stepping out carrying large non-woven shopping bags.
It seemed they had learned about the Blood Mosquito attacks and the official advice to stockpile supplies.
There were also a couple of fearless "lone warriors" in shorts, flip-flops, and loose pants, preparing to walk their dogs in the garden.
The surveillance feed also showed several delivery riders carrying large boxes of ice cream, popsicles, and chilled beer, all packed in specialized insulated containers.
One rider was even hauling an unboxed standing fan—likely someone who opted for a delivery service to avoid going out.
All the riders wore helmets and masks, their yellow uniforms mostly soaked with sweat.
Meanwhile, several people waited by the elevator doors on other floors, probably unable to bear the heat and heading out to buy fans—or perhaps they had seen the news and decided to stock up early.
After all, most people had developed a strong stockpiling instinct since the pandemic.
After watching the surveillance feed for a while without spotting anything new, Jiang Yan set the tablet aside.
Tomorrow would be an exceptionally busy day for her.
With the sudden temperature spike and the emergence of mutated Blood Mosquitoes, she had rescheduled all tasks originally planned for the next two weeks to tomorrow.
Checking her phone, she saw messages from several suppliers confirming deliveries for the next day.
The two sets of Automated Soilless Cultivation Machines she had ordered before going abroad had arrived.
Additionally, she had purchased four high-capacity ice makers, several custom-designed Private Mobile Apple Pods, and ten sets of the newly mass-produced Jetpack Flight Suits from the UK, priced at 3 million yuan per set—all due for delivery tomorrow.
The lease on the warehouse she rented was also set to expire in the next couple of days.
Jiang Yan had also arranged with the bank to prepare a large sum of cash for her.
After paying the remaining balance for this batch of supplies tomorrow, she planned to use most of the money to buy gold bars and keep them on hand. The rest of the cash, she intended to withdraw entirely and toss into her dimension.
The principle remained unchanged through the ages—buy antiques in prosperous times, buy gold in chaotic ones.
Moreover, in the early stages of the Apocalypse, cash was king.
(End of Chapter)