With that in mind, Hayley walked into a sports equipment store.

After picking up a few of the best, sturdiest baseball bats, she grabbed a bunch of adventure gear—flashlights, helmets, armor, pads, tents, protective suits, tactical jackets…all of it. Everything she needed for the outdoors. This alone cost her over 4,000.

The store also carried emergency kit accessories—tweezers, pliers, bandages, thermometers, and stuff like that. It reminded Hayley that she still needed to stop by the pharmacy.

She left the outdoor store and went to stock up on common medicines—cold medicine, bandages, fever reducers, vitamins, alcohol, iodine, and other essentials.

She wasn't interested in prescription drugs; she didn't need them, anyway. Anyone who had survived ten years of the apocalypse without dying probably didn't rely on daily meds. A few emergency supplies would do. In an apocalypse, poor health was just a weak spot you couldn't afford.

By the time she left the pharmacy, it was almost evening. The city lights sparkled, neon glowing all around.

Hayley had pretty much gathered everything she could—food, drink, shelter, tools—all the basics covered. Now, she could focus on upgrading daily necessities and a few extra comforts.

She still had about 260 thousand left.

She figured it was time to go on a shopping spree. Before the apocalypse hit, she was going to enjoy the world one last time.

First stop: a Michelin-star hotel she had never treated herself to before.

She ordered a full-on feast—mushroom soup, barbecued ribs, pan-seared cod, roasted chicken, and garlic butter prawns—everything she had never been able to afford before. She even had the kitchen prepare ten extra orders of her favorite garlic butter prawns and filet mignon to take home for Summer.

After that, she booked a suite and headed down to the mall.

The mall was packed with goods, from general stores to tempting food stands. Hayley, used to hard times, hit the food section first—sausages, mini corn dogs, sponge cakes, meat pies, fried skewers, fried chicken, pork cutlets, stew, ice cream, milkshakes, assorted pastries…everything.

She wanted it all, but there wasn't enough time or money to buy everything. Most of it was just luxury for a peaceful world—things that wouldn't matter after the apocalypse.

But right now, she could buy and eat without worry.

Hayley went store by store, quietly and extravagantly telling each clerk, "I want all your snacks."

She paid and had everything delivered to her hotel room upstairs.

At the first bakery, everything went into bags—fresh bread, cheesecake, cream puffs, petit fours, marshmallows, Swiss rolls, custard slices, custard tarts, waffles, palmiers—all packed and sent up.

At a fried chicken shop, she bought every flavor—sweet chili, barbecue, garlic, honey mustard—and every type of chicken: boneless, drumsticks, wings, whole chickens.

She then hit up the smoothie bars and ordered every flavor she could—berry blends, tropical fruit mixes, creamy yogurt smoothies, protein shakes, even frozen slushies—everything on the list!

She basically just paid and gave them a delivery address before leaving, not wanting to attract too much attention.

Just buying these snacks cost over 40 thousand. Each shop's stock usually totaled about 3,000 dollars. Hayley only spent around a few hundred dollars on smaller stalls, like the sausage stall and corn dog stand, ordering one of each flavor.

Still, she basically cleared the snack stores in one sweep.

Next, she went to the basement supermarket.

Now, supermarkets were essential. She pushed two huge carts through the warehouse-style store.

At checkout, her carts were filled with single units of all kinds—one bag of each flavored chips, one pack of every cookie or candy, one bottle of each drink, and every cooked food item she could get—roast turkey slices, rotisserie chicken, baked salmon, deli wraps, stuffed pita pockets, and microwavable pasta meals.

Even partially prepared foods—marinated chicken, pork chops, fish fillets, and steak—were included. Household necessities like toiletries, face cream, sanitary pads, disposable towels, wipes—everything she could need.

And now that she had money, she even bought appliances—a washing machine, a robot vacuum, and a fridge. She wouldn't have considered this before, but now she could.

After checking out her two carts, she spoke to the store manager. She wanted the store's entire stock of everything in her carts, except for appliances.

However, she had underestimated the cost and inventory. By the time she had selected just a third of what she wanted, her account was empty—220 thousand, gone in a flash!

She found herself in an awkward position.

Basic staples had been cheap, but processed goods were several times more expensive. Looking at her account balance hitting zero, Hayley decided this was enough. She could always make these foods herself using the ingredients she had.

She left her delivery address with the manager and confirmed that everything could be delivered that day.

A bit sad to leave the well-stocked store behind, she continued walking. So far, she had only hit the food sections and the large supermarket.

She didn't have money left to shop on the clothing floors.

But even with just 14 dollars on her, she could still window shop.

She bought a 3-dollar iced cocoa at a convenience store and browsed each clothing shop. By the time she finished the third floor, her drink was gone. She spotted a few items she liked.

"How much for this baseball jacket?" she asked.

"It's on sale for half price—400 dollars," the clerk said.

Hayley didn't reply. Even at half price, that was way too expensive.

Still, it was the best mall in town, and everything inside was from big-name brands. She couldn't afford anything in it right now.

After she walked out empty-handed, the manager nudged the sales assistant who had just given Hayley the price. "Why bother with her? She clearly can't afford anything. Look at her empty hands after walking several floors. Learn to read people next time…"

The clerk just pursed her lips and stayed quiet.

Despite hearing the insults, Hayley ignored them, walking on.

She wasn't some naive kid who would throw money around just because someone said something. After years of surviving the apocalypse, she knew better.

In a crisis, she didn't need to teach anyone a lesson—she could just kill them.

As Hayley kept walking through the mall, she suddenly caught sight of two familiar figures.

A young man was walking with a heavily pregnant woman just ahead of her. Philip and his wife—the same couple Hayley had just "pranked" a little while back.

"Babe, calm down. Whatever you want today, just buy it. Forgive me, okay? Don't get mad… You don't want to stress the baby!"

"No! You've been lying to me this whole time, haven't you? Your family doesn't even own that apartment! You tricked me on purpose!"

"It's really ours."

"Then what was all that earlier? Debt collectors at your door claiming the apartment was theirs, sending your grandma to the hospital!"

"I don't know what happened. I swear, my mom paid 400 thousand to buy it from Hayley. We just have to find her and transfer the deed!"

"Wait, didn't your mom say the apartment was a gift from Hayley, so I couldn't be on the deed? How is it suddenly bought by your family and transferable?"

"Uh… A-Anyway! Just know that the apartment's ours now. I'm my family's only son, so I'm bound to get everything. And whatever's mine is yours! Just trust me!"

Sue wouldn't buy it. "How am I supposed to trust you? First, you said it was move-in ready with renovations done, now it's a shell. You said it was your property, and now debt collectors show up. I've finally seen the truth—you guys are messing with me! I won't keep this baby! I'm gonna get rid of it now!"

"Babe! Babe!"

Hayley leaned against a corner, listening to their argument, a small smirk tugging at her lips.

Wow. Just ten days, and things were already a mess at the Reids'. Eleanor even ended up in the hospital.

Still, it could get even more entertaining.

Hayley watched Philip, hands on the escalator railing, chasing after Sue. Mischievously, she whistled at him.

Philip, already flustered, turned and spotted her leaning on the glass railing, casually watching them.

"Hayley?"

He froze, wanting to chase her, but Sue had already gotten to the floor below.

"Babe! Babe!"

One was his wife, about to get an abortion, and the other was Hayley. He wished he could split himself in two.

After weighing his options, he decided to chase Hayley. He figured he would just grab her and make her explain everything to Sue—simple.

He ran up the escalator that was heading down, trying to reach her.

Meanwhile, Hayley walked at a calm, steady pace. By the time Philip caught up, she had already circled to the opposite escalator, making him chase her through the entire mall.

They ended up in the underground parking lot.

"Damn it! You little wench! Where do you think you're going?" Philip, panting, cornered Hayley. "How dare you mess with me behind my back! I swear I'll—"

"Perfect," Hayley said cheerfully, shutting the car trunk with a click. "I was thinking the same thing."

She swung a baseball bat in her hands.

Philip's eyes went wide, alarm bells ringing.

"What the… You're gonna hit me?"

Before he could react, Hayley swung.

She immediately overpowered him, dislocating his jaw so he couldn't talk, and dragged him to the corner of the parking lot, beating him mercilessly.

Ten years surviving the apocalypse meant she had learned every kind of fighting technique. She could take down a grown man in seconds.

But she was merciful with Philip.

For half an hour, she smashed him in the arms and legs, striking only the most painful spots that wouldn't kill him.

After 30 minutes, Philip lay on the ground, barely conscious.

Hayley leaned against the car and kicked him lightly before bending down to grab his phone. She dialed 911 while pressing his head against the floor with her foot.

"See? I'm nice. I even called 911 for you. You're welcome."

Philip nearly passed out from anger. If her foot weren't on his face, he would've admitted she was "nice".

"Damn you…"

"Not grateful? Fine. Hope you enjoy your hospital stay like your grandma." Hayley kicked him in the head, knocking him out for seven days.

She took care of the scene and wiped his ID from the phone, not wanting the hospital to identify him that quickly.

Then she transferred all the money in his digital bank to hers, using his fingerprint to authorize the payments.

Afterward, she moved him to a bar street outside the parking lot, the same place she had called 911 from.

Soon, EMTs arrived. Hayley watched them take Philip away, blending in like any bystander.

Calmly, she sent messages to Bernard and Lucy with his phone, telling them he had been hurt and to check the hospital.

After all that, she sold his phone to a small roadside store. Even if Lucy reported it, they wouldn't trace it back to Hayley in three days. By then, any investigation into Philip would be useless because it would be the apocalypse.

Knocking Philip out added 6,000 dollars to her account. She used the money to stock up again, emptying several convenience store shelves into her car.

As she prepared to leave, her car door slammed—someone had collapsed on it.

Hayley's eyes darkened. Several stylishly dressed men and women helped lift the man.

One tattooed guy waved. "Sorry, miss. My friend's drunk!"

They laughed and carried him away.

"Damn, he went down after two drinks! I remember him saying he could drink anyone under the table."

"Yeah, he used to hold his liquor a lot better."

"Maybe getting married weakened him!"

"Hahaha!"

Hayley leaned on her car, watching them leave. Her gaze fell on the young man in the middle—head down, stiff, pale hands hanging awkwardly.

Soon, he came to.

"What happened to me?"

"You drank too much, that's what!"

"You're useless! You didn't even drink that much!"

"Work stress, I guess. I'm heading back."

"Heading back? No way! Keep drinking! Let's get wasted tonight!"

The group laughed as they walked off.

Hayley's eyes darkened as she watched the scene.

She checked her phone and noted that today was the 9th. In her last life, the zombie outbreak started on the 11th.

The apocalypse would happen on August 11.

Hayley returned to the hotel she was staying at.

Her room was already packed with stuff. She had told the front desk that there would be deliveries, and she asked them to open the door so they could put the stuff inside. Now the tables, the floor, and even the bed were covered.

A lot of the fried chicken was still steaming hot.

Hayley waved her hand and neatly stowed everything into her inventory.

Tonight, she would stay here and leave the next day. No point wasting what she had already paid for.

Before going to bed, she did three hours of intense physical training, pushing herself to exhaustion and breaking her body's limits. Only after that did she shower and check the surveillance feeds from both her shelter and her warehouse.

Everything looked fine. She even spoke to Summer through her video bot, telling it to watch the supplies. Tomorrow morning, she'd be back.

Summer responded politely, then obediently stayed in the warehouse dog bed, keeping an eye on things.

Hayley slept until six the next day. She was woken by the blaring sirens of police cars and ambulances.

Her hotel, in downtown, had excellent soundproofing, but she was sensitive—any noise could wake her.

The first moment she heard the sirens, she rushed to the windowsill. Pulling back the curtains, she saw the street below swarming with police cars and ambulances.

The hotel was near crowded bars and entertainment venues, and that was where all the emergency vehicles were rushing in and out.

She saw an ambulance parked in front of the bar she had noticed yesterday, and several bloody people were carried out.

An ominous thought formed in her mind. At that moment, footsteps and urgent knocking came outside her room.

Hayley grabbed a shovel and went to the door. Looking through the peephole, she saw hotel staff. She tensed but saw they were fine—they had normal expressions, with no injuries or blood.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Miss, the front desk got several calls from guests feeling faint. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Hayley replied through the door.

"Please stay in your room for a while. The hotel will extend your stay, free of charge. Sorry for the inconvenience!"

The staff moved on to the next room, but Hayley felt a jolt.

The apocalypse…might have started early.

She had to leave.

Hayley grabbed her car keys and left the hotel, making sure to take all the complimentary water, drinks, and toiletries with her.

She noticed the staff member heading toward a corner room, repeatedly knocking until she finally used a keycard to open the door.

Soon, a panicked voice called out.

"Sir! Sir, are you okay? Someone's fainted in Room 809! Hurry!"

The staff used their headsets to alert others. Hayley strode to an elevator, entering one going down as another opened next to it.

A group of staff came out and ran toward the innermost rooms.

As the elevator doors closed in front of her, a piercing scream cut through the air.

"Ahhh!"

That familiar sound.

The zombie virus had broken out early!

Hayley hit the button for the fifth floor without hesitation. She wasn't heading to the lobby.

The hotel was attached to a mall. The mall's lowest basement, B2, up to the fifth floor, was all part of the complex—the one she had shopped in yesterday.

It was six in the morning, so the mall was closed, and the first staff wouldn't arrive until eight. Right now, the mall area was the perfect empty zone.

In a zombie apocalypse, crowds are the most dangerous. You escape the people first.

Hayley got off on the fifth floor. Just as she predicted, it was dark—no lights.

But from the fifth-floor hall, she could clearly hear screaming outside. Looking out, she saw chaos on the streets.

A blood-covered man charged out of a bar, attacking a woman jogging by. He went straight for her stomach, tearing at her with savage bites. Her screams pierced the quiet morning as he feasted like a wild animal.

"Argh!"

"Ahhh!!"

It was only six. The city was mostly empty, with only police and ambulances working. One police car stopped to intervene, dragging the man away.

The woman lay in a pool of blood, unnoticed. Her hands and feet twitched rapidly, then she suddenly stopped moving.

"Miss, are you—arghh!"

The woman's eyes snapped open—gray, lifeless—and she lunged at the rescuer, biting down hard.

The scene exploded into chaos.

Hayley watched from the fifth floor. This was the apocalypse. The one she knew best. And it had come a whole day early.

Welcome to the age of the apocalypse.

Hayley turned and ran through the fifth floor.

She planned to use the escalator to descend to the B2 parking lot, avoiding all elevators.

As she ran through the empty mall, the displays caught her attention.

Supplies!

Running into a treasure trove like this, could she really leave empty-handed? She had to take everything.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in her mind:

Ding! [Super Lord System activated! Within two hours, for every 2,000 dollars' worth of item you carry, gain 35 cubic feet of inventory!]

Hayley, holding her baseball bat, was pleasantly surprised.

Perfect timing!

Hayley swung her bat and shattered the glass in front of her. Then she rushed in, arms outstretched. Anything she touched disappeared into her inventory.

She didn't care about surveillance cameras—there was no need now. The apocalypse was here; who was going to check the footage?

Ding! [Two hundred and seventy-nine pieces of women's fashion detected, worth 130 thousand dollars. Reward: 2,275 cubic feet!]

Ding! [A hundred and forty-four pieces of men's fashion detected, worth 116 thousand dollars. Reward: 2,030 cubic feet!]

Ding! [Four hundred and eighty-nine branded wedding dresses detected, worth 378 thousand. Reward: 6,615 cubic feet!]

Men's, women's, kids' clothes, underwear, shoes, bags, gowns—Hayley took everything.

Looting the mall this time felt even better than clearing her house.

Even if she stored everything in her house, there was only so much stuff. It was nothing compared to this—each store held items worth tens or hundreds of thousands!

She cleaned out every shop she passed and stored everything in her inventory.