She grabbed her car keys and left her apartnt, stepping into the cool morning air. The underground parking lot was quiet, her footsteps echoing slightly as she made her way to her car.
Sliding into the driver's seat, she started the engine, the low hum filling the space.
Twenty-five days.
She rged onto the road, navigating through the early morning traffic with ease.
Her mind was already planning.
Lu Zhao worked in procurent—he handled all the lab's supply orders. If she played her cards right, she could get what she needed without drawing suspicion.
[Ding! Passive surveillance update: No imdiate threats detected. However, Host should remain cautious.]
Qingran's lips curved slightly.
She was always cautious.
As she neared the pharmaceutical lab, she ntally rehearsed her approach.
Lu Zhao had a weakness—money.
If she frad it as a personal request, offered him the right incentive, he wouldn't ask questions.
And in twenty-five days, when the world collapsed, no one would be around to care about a missing shipnt of dical supplies.
Yes. If she could find the warehouse and get access to it, then she could actually rule the world when the apocalypse started.
dical supplies would be more valuable than gold. People could fight over food, water, and shelter, but in the end, injuries and illness would be unavoidable. Those who controlled dicine would control life itself.
And she intended to be the one holding that power.
As she pulled into the lab's parking lot, Qingran adjusted her expression to sothing neutral and professional. No one could know what she was thinking.
[Ding! Passive surveillance update: No unusual movents detected. However, Host's presence has been flagged in an external system.]
Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
Flagged?
"Explain."
[Ding! Host's activity log was accessed by an unknown party. No direct interference detected, but caution is advised.]
Qingran's eyes darkened.
This person was watching her more closely than she had thought.
She exhaled slowly. Overreacting wouldn't help. She had been careful, followed the system's instructions to stay low. There was no reason for anyone to suspect her yet.
Yet.
Her fingers eased off the wheel, and she shut off the engine. Now wasn't the ti to worry about unknown threats—at least, not ones she couldn't do anything about yet. First, she needed to get inside, get her work done, and most importantly, secure those dical supplies.
She stepped out of the car, straightened her lab coat, and walked toward the main building.
The pharmaceutical company she worked for, Yunhai Pharmaceutical Research group, which was one of the leading research facilities in the country. While they weren't at the top, they had governnt contracts, military research divisions, and—most importantly—high-security storage for dical resources.
If she could find a way to access that warehouse before the world collapsed, she wouldn't just be surviving the apocalypse—she'd be controlling it.
A voice called out to her before she even reached the elevator.
"Dr. Gu! You're in early again."
She turned to see Lu Zhao, one of the senior researchers, jogging up to her with his usual easy-going smile. He was the type of person everyone liked—friendly, helpful, and just capable enough that no one questioned why he was here.
Too bad she knew the truth.
Lu Zhao was a hoarder. In the apocalypse, people like him never lasted long. They thought stockpiling supplies would keep them safe, but it only made them a target. She had seen his kind before—people who tried to survive alone, who refused to share, who thought their little stash would protect them.
It never did.
She forced a polite smile. "Good morning, Dr. Lu. Could say the sa to you."
He laughed. "Ah, well, you know how it is. New projects, new deadlines." His eyes flickered toward her hands, and she knew what he was about to say before he even spoke. "No coffee today?"
"Didn't have ti."
That was a lie. She had stopped drinking caffeine weeks ago. When the apocalypse ca, luxury items like coffee would disappear fast. There was no point in letting herself get dependent on sothing she wouldn't have later.
"You should take care of yourself," Lu Zhao said, stepping into the elevator with her.
"I do," she replied easily. "That's why I'm here early. More ti to get things done."
The elevator doors slid shut, and for a few monts, they stood in silence. Then, as if rembering sothing, Lu Zhao turned toward her.
"Oh, right! Did you hear about the security breach?"
Qingran's fingers curled slightly. "Security breach?"
"Yeah. IT found so strange access logs in our database last night. Nothing was stolen, but they put extra monitoring in place. You didn't notice anything weird, did you?"
She shook her head, keeping her expression calm. "No. Everything seed normal when I logged in."
"Figures." He sighed, leaning against the wall. "Probably just so hacker trying to poke around where they shouldn't."
Or another system user tracking her.
Qingran kept the thought to herself. If she was already being watched, then she had to be even more careful.
The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out first, heading toward her lab. But as she walked, she couldn't shake the feeling that sothing was closing in.
She needed to move faster.
—
Inside her private lab, Qingran opened her terminal and accessed the internal inventory system.
dical supplies. High-grade antibiotics, antiviral dications, painkillers—these were all stored in the warehouse under strict security. There were only a handful of ways to gain access.
One: Get high-level clearance. Impossible. Even senior researchers like her didn't have that.
Two: Steal an access card. Risky. The warehouse was monitored 24/7, and any unauthorized entry would trigger an alarm.
Three: Create a legitimate reason to withdraw supplies.
That one was her best option.
She leaned back in her chair, staring at the list of stored items. If she could convince the higher-ups that a new drug trial required certain dications, she could get small amounts over ti without raising suspicion.
It was slow. But safer.
[Ding! System recomndation: Host should consider alternative entry thods. Host is not the only one preparing for the apocalypse.]
Her jaw tightened. "You think there are others?"
[Ding! Probability of other system users: 87%. Probability of direct competition: 64%.]
64%. That was too high.
She needed to move even faster.
"How many days until the apocalypse starts?"
[Ding! 25 days remaining.]
Twenty-five days. Less than a month before the world turned into chaos.
Her heart pounded. She had been given a second chance, a way to prepare. But she wasn't the only one. Others were getting ready too.
So of them would be allies.
So of them would be enemies.
And she had no way of knowing which was which yet.
She exhaled, shutting off her screen.
No matter what, she wasn't going to lose this ti.
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