Although online loans were a trap, I didn't have any better options.

I applied to every loan platform I could find. Despite being young with no assets or income, the sheer number of platforms worked in my favor, and I managed to borrow over eight hundred thousand dollars.

I also took some gold jewelry that Audrey had hidden at home, scraping together a total of one million dollars.

With that money, my first step was to rent an abandoned bunker in the countryside. This bunker stayed warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In my previous life, many people had survived the apocalypse by taking shelter in such places.

This particular bunker was perfect for us.

It had a massive iron door weighing several hundred pounds. Although it had a lock, it wasn't much use. Once locked from the inside, no one outside could break in, not even with hundreds of people.

Even better, the bunker had its own underground water supply. The previous owner had installed a hand pump, and when I tried it, it still worked.

The real estate agent looked at me curiously and asked, "Why would you rent a bunker in the middle of nowhere?"

I had already come up with an excuse. "I'm planning to open an immersive escape room experience."

With a bit of pleading and persistence, I managed to pay just one month's rent upfront. The agent originally wanted a security deposit and advance payment, but since the bunker was hard to rent out, he reluctantly agreed to my terms.

After securing the location, I started stocking up on supplies.

The bunker wasn't small. Just by the feel of it, the temperature inside was about twenty degrees cooler than outside. I wasn't sure if it would change after the apocalypse brought extreme heat.

I had considered buying a few air conditioners, but then I realized the outdoor units would be vulnerable. If someone discovered we were hiding there and sabotaged the units, we could end up roasting to death inside.

I chose to give up using air conditioning and instead bought several large freezers and fans.

These would be used to freeze ice and store the ice cream that Cynthia loved.

By placing ice around the house and using the fans, it shouldn't get too hot inside.

If it did get unbearably hot, we could always open the fridge and let the cold air blow directly on us.

But that would require electricity. Although there weren't any power outages in the last life, I still bought a few generators just in case.

Since it was just me and Cynthia, I also bought some surveillance cameras and installed them outside the front door and on both sides so I could ensure the area around us was safe.

Next up was buying food.

Since it wasn't suitable to cook inside the bunker, I first bought plenty of instant noodles and biscuits. To make sure Cynthia could have something better to eat, I bit the bullet and bought a lot of convenience foods.

Looking at all these refrigerators, I thought for a moment and then bought various frozen foods as well. To avoid needing to use a stove, I bought two high-powered microwaves. They could not only be used to heat food but also to cook instant noodles.

Luckily, there were many near-expiry products available online, which were quite a bargain. Having gone through the previous life, I was certain that eating these so-called expired products wouldn't cause any problems.

I also bought some of Cynthia's favorite snacks, candies, and ice cream.

The upcoming sun would be hotter than red-hot iron, so I bought some supplements to ensure balanced nutrition.

Since both Cynthia and I were girls, I made sure to stock up on sanitary products and tissues.

Considering that Cynthia had fallen ill in her previous life, I bought some common medications as a precaution. However, I didn't buy much, since I hardly got sick last time and didn't want to waste money on that.

I wrote the delivery address as the bunker. Even if someone knew there were supplies here, they wouldn't be able to get in, so I wasn't worried.

After buying all these things, there wasn't much money left.

But I still bought two stun batons, a lot of books paid in weight, and various movies and TV shows to pass the time.

Otherwise, long periods of confinement would drive anyone crazy.

Every day, I was either transporting supplies or organizing and cleaning the bunker.

From the moment I woke up in the morning, I'd be busy until midnight when I finally returned home.

Apart from Cynthia, no one really paid attention to me, especially Audrey. After she noticed that I often came home late at night, she stopped cooking for me altogether.

Every time I came home, only Cynthia would still be waiting for me. She'd bring me the leftovers she had saved for me, and as I looked at the sweat on her face, I silently counted down the days in my mind.

Soon, the day before the extreme heat was due to arrive came.

I waited until Gary and the others were asleep, then took Cynthia and left home. I thought I'd need to spend some time explaining things to Cynthia, but to my surprise, she didn't say anything. She just picked up her only doll and followed me.

It took a long time, but we finally reached the bunker. Once inside, I immediately locked the door behind us. Compared to the outside, it was much cooler inside, and it didn't feel hot even without air conditioning.

Cynthia looked around the clean and tidy bunker and then sat on the bed. "Bella, I thought it was strange when you said you didn't want to go to school. I figured you probably weren't going to work either and that you were hiding something from me. Can you tell me now?"

I nodded and told her everything about my rebirth.

Cynthia was calmer than I expected. Eating her ice cream, she tilted her head and asked, "Bella, why didn't you bring our parents with us?"