When the puppet returned, it was already 11:00 AM.
Su Wan stayed inside the building, watching the figure that looked exactly like her walk through the construction site and enter with practiced ease.
“Master,” the puppet said, standing still with a calm gaze.
Su Wan nodded, her eyes carefully scanning the puppet from head to toe.
There were no flaws.
Its clothes were neat, its expression natural, and even its habit of walking with slightly hunched shoulders was identical to hers.
Those 150,000 Points were well-spent.
“Good job.” Su Wan reached out and pressed her hand against the puppet’s shoulder, her mind shifting slightly.
The puppet’s body instantly transformed into a streak of light and was stored within the system space.
【Host Puppet has been stored in the system space. Current energy remaining: 32%. Would you like to recharge?】
【Points required for recharge: 1,500 (Can maintain 72 hours of full-status operation).】
Su Wan did not hesitate. “Recharge.”
【Recharge beginning... Recharge complete. 1,500 Points consumed. Current Points balance: ...】
Only after completing this did Su Wan truly breathe a sigh of relief.
The construction site was still bustling with activity.
Old Zheng was shouting at the top of his lungs, directing workers to unload rebar, while several electricians were setting up temporary electrical boxes, and others were laying the foundation for a temporary perimeter wall.
At this rate, in a few more days, this unfinished building would be shielded by hoarding. Once that happened, whatever she wanted to do would be much more convenient.
But for now, she had other things to do.
Su Wan turned around and took out the unremarkable canvas bag from the corner.
Inside the bag was the gold she had brought back from the Apocalyptic Plane this time—over seven hundred grams, a scattered collection of varying fineness.
This was what the tenants had produced from their own pockets during the Death Tide.
Some were gold rings, some were broken gold chains, and others were old gold ornaments salvaged from the ruins.
To exchange for Star Coins and to survive, they had brought out everything they could.
Over seven hundred grams would only translate to a little over seven hundred thousand yuan.
Compared to her previous transactions that often reached two million, this amount was indeed insignificant.
But this money was enough for her to buy a useful piece of information from Old Ghost.
Su Wan placed the canvas bag into the system space and pulled a set of clothes from under the bed.
A loose, dark grey hoodie, black sweatpants, and a pair of old sneakers.
She changed into this outfit and took out a hat and a mask.
She pulled the peaked cap down to her brow, used the black mask to cover most of her face, and then put on a pair of plain-glass glasses.
She took a look in the mirror—forget acquaintances, she could barely recognize herself.
Perfect.
Su Wan pushed open the door and walked through the active construction site, ignoring the curious gazes of the workers as she strode outside.
Stepping out of the main gate, she stood by the roadside for two minutes, her perception covering a five-hundred-meter radius.
No one was tailing her.
No suspicious vehicles.
Good.
She ducked into a nearby alley, made several turns, and emerged from another exit to hail a taxi.
“To the Eastern Suburbs Wholesale Market.”
The Eastern Suburbs Wholesale Market was the largest wholesale distribution center for daily necessities in Jiangcheng.
The first thing Su Wan needed to do was procurement.
Massive procurement.
Back on the Apocalyptic Plane, the base was already on the right track.
Now that the tenants had Star Coins, they had begun exchanging them for various supplies—food, water, medicine, daily necessities...
The items in the System Mall were comprehensive, but relatively speaking, they weren't as cost-effective as sourcing them herself.
Since there were quite a few children, she planned to purchase some food and supplies suitable for them this time.
The taxi stopped at the entrance of the Eastern Suburbs Wholesale Market.
Su Wan paid the fare, got out, and stepped into the noisy sea of people.
The Eastern Suburbs Wholesale Market spanned dozens of acres and was divided into several zones—food, daily necessities, hardware, clothing...
People were everywhere.
Vendors pushing carts of stock, elderly women clutching cloth bags while haggling, and porters weaving through the crowd with massive bundles on their shoulders.
The shouting, the bargaining, and the honking of tricycles blended into a chaotic symphony.
Su Wan lowered the brim of her hat and walked into the crowd.
She headed to the food zone first.
“Boss, instant noodles, the cheapest kind. Give me thirty cases.”
“Mineral water, twenty-four-bottle packs. I’ll take a hundred cases.”
“Compressed biscuits, do you have full cases? Give me twenty.”
“Ham sausages, the cheapest ones. Yes, those. Thirty cases.”
The owner was a lean, middle-aged man who looked at Su Wan with an expression that shifted from surprise to suspicion.
“Young lady, are you opening a supermarket?”
Su Wan didn't respond. She pulled a stack of cash from her pocket, counted out a portion, and handed it over.
“Deliver it to the entrance. I’ve rented a vehicle and will load it myself.”
When the owner saw the money, his suspicion instantly turned into enthusiasm.
“Right away! I’ll get it loaded for you! Xiao Wang! Come over and help!”
Su Wan turned away, but she wasn't in a hurry to go to the next stall. Instead, she continued browsing the food zone.
She stopped in front of a stall selling children’s snacks.
The stall was filled with colorful packaging—Wang Zai mini biscuits, AD Calcium Milk, jelly, lollipops, and small packets of cookies.
The faces of the children at the base surfaced in Su Wan’s mind.
“Boss,” she said, “do you have these snacks in full cases?”
The owner’s wife, a woman in her forties, nodded with a beaming smile. “Yes, yes! Twenty-four packs to a case. how many do you want?”
“Five cases.”
“What about the AD Calcium Milk? Four bottles per strip, eight strips per case. I’ll take five cases.”
“Jelly, the small cup kind. How many cups in a case?”
“Fifty cups per case, twenty yuan each.”
“Ten cases.”
“Lollipops, the most basic kind. How many in a case?”
“Two hundred per case, thirty-five yuan.”
“Give me five cases.”
The woman laughed as she tallied the items. “Young lady, are you buying for a kindergarten?”
Su Wan didn't answer and continued her shopping.
These snacks were high in calories. For those children in the apocalypse, a single lollipop could probably keep them going for days.
The woman couldn't stop smiling as she quickly noted down the numbers.
“Anything else? Anything else?”
Su Wan thought for a moment and added, “Milk powder, the bagged kind suitable for older children?”
“We have it! Domestic brand, cheap and practical. Twenty yuan a bag, enough for a child for a week.”
“Give me fifty bags.”
“And that oatmeal, the sweet kind that kids like. Twenty bags.”
The woman chattered as she packed the goods. “You’re so thoughtful, young lady. Those kids are in for a treat.”
Su Wan remained silent, simply pulling out her wallet and counting a stack of cash to hand over.
“Deliver it to the silver-grey van at the entrance. I’ll be there to collect it shortly.”
“You got it!”
Su Wan turned and continued her procurement.
In addition to food, Su Wan purchased a large quantity of clothing, hardware tools, and garments...
Su Wan was like an emotionless procurement machine, sweeping up goods with precision according to the actual needs of the apocalyptic base.
Every time she thought of those thin, small figures in the base and how they might smile because of these little sweets, she couldn't stop her pace.
After finishing each batch of purchases, she had them delivered to the parking lot at the market entrance.
There, she had rented a large box truck.
By the time she had loaded all the supplies onto the truck, the cargo hold was packed to the brim.
Su Wan sat in the driver’s seat, started the engine, and slowly drove out of the parking lot.
After driving for about ten minutes, she turned the truck into a secluded dead-end road.
The road ended at a wall, flanked by abandoned factory buildings. There were no people and no surveillance.
Su Wan stopped the truck, confirmed no one was around, and then opened the back of the truck.
With a slight shift of her mind...
The mountains of supplies vanished instantly, stored away into the system space.
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