Qingran pulled the SUV door open, sliding into the driver’s seat without a second thought. The black vehicle was sturdy, spacious, and built to last—one of the first things she secured after her rebirth. She wasn’t making the sa mistakes twice.
Lingquan landed smoothly in the passenger seat, its sleek black fur blending into the dark interior. Its blue eyes flicked toward her as she started the engine.
[Where to first?]
"Anya’s," Qingran said, fastening her seatbelt. "She has access to the dical stock. I need to know how much she can get her hands on before I finalize my own plans."
The cat stretched, its tail flicking lazily. [Finally taking this seriously?]
Qingran’s fingers tapped against the steering wheel. "I was never not serious."
[Sure, sure.] Lingquan yawned, settling into the seat as she pulled onto the road. [But let’s be real—twenty days isn’t a lot of ti. If you’re planning to hoard supplies, you better move fast.]
Qingran’s eyes stayed on the road, but a faint smirk tugged at her lips. "That’s why I started early."
The city passed by in a blur—streets still calm, people going about their lives as if the world wasn’t on the verge of collapse.
They had no idea.
And she wasn’t about to waste her breath warning them.
The drive to Anya’s place was smooth, the early morning traffic still light. Qingran kept her hands steady on the wheel, her mind already running through the next steps. dical supplies were essential, but they were only one part of the equation. Weapons, rations, secure locations—all of it had to be handled before the countdown hit zero.
Lingquan shifted in the passenger seat, watching her closely. [You’re thinking too much.]
"I have a lot to think about."
[You’ll burn yourself out if you don’t pace it. Even with all this preparation, you can’t control everything.]
Qingran’s fingers flexed against the steering wheel. She knew that. She had learned it the hard way. But knowing didn’t an accepting.
"It’s not about control," she murmured. "It’s about survival."
Lingquan didn’t argue. It didn’t need to.
Twenty minutes later, she pulled up outside Anya’s apartnt complex. It was a decent place, secure enough for now but not sowhere that would hold when things went to hell. Qingran stepped out of the SUV, pocketing her keys as she approached the entrance.
Lingquan followed, silent and shadow-like. To anyone else, it was just a cat trailing after her, but Qingran could feel its sharp gaze assessing their surroundings.
[No threats. Yet.]
"Not expecting any," Qingran muttered as she pressed the buzzer for Anya’s unit.
There was a brief pause before the speaker crackled to life. "Who—oh, Qingran! You’re early."
"You’re awake."
"Barely. Co on up."
The door unlocked with a faint click, and Qingran pushed it open, making her way inside. Lingquan slipped in after her, tail flicking as they headed toward the elevator.
[You trust her, but does she trust you?]
Qingran’s lips curved slightly. "She will."
Lingquan huffed but didn’t push further. The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal a short hallway. Qingran strode forward, stopping in front of Anya’s unit before knocking twice.
The door swung open almost imdiately. Anya stood there, hair slightly tousled, dressed in an oversized hoodie that nearly swallowed her fra. Despite the early hour, her brown eyes were sharp as they flicked over Qingran.
"Qingqing," she drawled, stepping aside to let her in. Her eyes followed Lingquan as he strutted in as well.
She didn’t know Qingran liked cats?
"Who’s this little fella, didn’t know you were into cats?"
"Oh...this is Lingquan, a little stray I picked up.."
"..."
[FUCK YOU!]
"No curse words you’re a cat right now"
Lingquan hissed as he found a quiet spot, to sit down [This is total BS! ? A stray!?]
Anya chuckled her eyes leaving Lingquan, she had a feeling they both got along just fine.
"So?" Anya plopped onto the couch, pulling one leg up. "What’s got you storming over here this early? I know we gotta ga later but this is early"
Qingran didn’t waste ti. "dical supplies. How much access do you have?"
Anya blinked, caught off guard by the directness. "You’re really not going to ease into this, huh?"
"I don’t have ti to."
Anya studied her for a mont before sighing. "Alright, fine. What exactly are you looking for?"
"Antibiotics, antivirals, painkillers, disinfectants. Anything that can treat injuries, infections, or illnesses. The more, the better."
Anya frowned slightly. "That’s... a lot."
Qingran t her gaze evenly. "Can you get them?"
Anya exhaled through her nose, rubbing the bridge of it as she considered. "I can try. The hospital doesn’t just let staff walk out with high-value ds, but then again they’re about to order a new shipnt, I’ll sneak yours in, just tell the amount. You know. There are protocols and these days they’ve been on high alert."
"I figured," Qingran said. "That’s why I need to know what’s possible and what’s not. If I have to find another way, I will. I couldn’t order from the research group because all we do is research, if we make these pills, we are not involved in the distributions."
Anya clicked her tongue. "You always make things sound so dramatic, you know that."
Qingran didn’t respond, making Anya chuckle.
After a pause, Anya sighed again, shaking her head. "Alright, give a day. I’ll see what I can do."
Qingran nodded. "Thank you."
Anya gave her a long look before leaning back against the couch. "Qingqing, I don’t know what you’re planning, but... you’re not about to do sothing illegal, are you?"
"...."
"Of course not. I can’t tell you what I want to you it for right now. Last week of the month, I’ll give you the whole tea.."
Anya eyed her a bit before nodding, it was Qingran, she trusted her enough to know she wouldn’t do anything bad.
"Now about that ga, when are we playing?"
"I figure by 3, 4pm maybe. Most of the kids will be out of school by then, so the court would be packed. We can definitely play a round or two.."
Anya nodded, that court was popular spot for teenagers back in the day.
"But we haven’t gone there in over 8 years...ha, takes back.."
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