Published: January 31, 2025
Time was running out. Ye Zhongming rushed downstairs, hailed a taxi, and went straight to the car rental shop. He maxed out his credit card to get a second-hand pickup truck, then went to the bank to find a distant relative to help him withdraw all his money.
Afterward, he sped to the hospital and bought a large amount of heparin, along with some other essential medications and medical equipment. Just for these, he spent over seventy thousand yuan. Many people looked at Ye Zhongming, who was carrying two big bags of medicine, and thought he must be crazy.
Indeed, buying medicine at a pharmacy would save a lot of money, but Ye Zhongming didnât care. The hospitalâs prices were high, but at least all the medications were genuine. Moreover, in just a few minutes, these beautifully printed, highly imitable pieces of paper would become worthless.
After tossing the medicines into the truck, Ye Zhongming began to think about where to get some weapons. Guns were definitely out of the question due to strict national controls, so he had to settle for knives.
In fact, if he had enough time, Ye Zhongming could have gathered materials to set up traps; that was part of his ten years of bloody life experience. However, there were only twenty minutes left until the apocalypse began.
With no other option, Ye Zhongming went to a very famous outdoor equipment store and spent a large sum to buy a mountain cleaver that the owner had collected, along with a set of outdoor tools. The owner was so delighted he couldnât stop smiling as he watched Ye Zhongming leave with a pile of cash; the amount was enough to buy ten of those knives.
After finishing this, Ye Zhongming glanced at the time. It was 4:32 PM; there were only eight minutes left until the disaster struck. After abruptly hanging up on Bai Shishi's call, without any hesitation, he used the driving skills he had honed over ten years in the apocalypse to speed through several red lights, leaving a trail of curses in his wake. In just five minutes, he arrived at the Prosperous Luxury Residence community next to the school.
In this city, Prosperous Luxury Residence was considered a high-end community. Behind the row of seven-story buildings were ten elegantly designed villas, with an artificial lake, small gardens, an underground parking lot, a fitness center, and a supermarketâeverything one could want.
But Ye Zhongming didnât come here because of the pleasant environment; instead, it was because this place had fewer people compared to the city center, was relatively rich in supplies, and was adjacent to a heavy truck fleet. Most importantly, one of the buildings in this community was a location where a first-level exchange roulette would appear.
The exchange roulette, also known as the "roulette of survival," was a term used by people in the apocalypse to refer to a shiny, circular turntable. It was the only fundamental means for humanity to survive during the apocalypse. People could exchange food, water, clothing, weapons, tools, machinery, skills, abilities, bloodlines, ultra-modern equipment, and almost anything else.
One could say that it was because of the roulette that humanity managed to survive amid the zombies, monsters, and mutants.
In his previous life, Ye Zhongming had also survived after exchanging many items at the roulette and had gained considerable abilities, becoming a six-star evolverâa level considered strong. Unfortunately, he had been ambushed and killed by mutated insects in a rather pathetic manner.
He scoffed and ignored the security guards at the community entrance, speeding past and crashing through the barrier to rush into the community. Using his memory, he quickly found the now very new-looking villa.
âHey! Stop right there! Damn, a pickup truck is so arrogant!â Three security guards chased after him, wielding rubber batons while riding electric scooters, cursing loudly as they pursued Ye Zhongmingâs truck.
Having seen countless luxury cars worth millions in the community, the guards didnât fear the pickup truck at all. If someone drove a Rolls Royce and crashed through the barriers, they wouldnât dare act too toughâat most, theyâd approach with a smile and bow slightly.