Apocalypse Mode: My Cheat Code Virtual Boyfriend - Chapter 12

Action speaks louder than words.

Bai Xun unwrapped the packaging of two electric saws, wiped the blades clean, and installed the batteries. He placed a frozen pig’s trotter on the cutting board, pressed the switch, gripped the handle, and aimed the spinning blade at the trotter, its surface still coated with a layer of frost.

One cut, two halves. Another cut, two more halves. Yet another cut, and two halves again!

“Have all our kitchen knives… been laid off? Or is dismembering with an electric saw the new trend? Ew, brother, you’re so creepy!” Bai Yu, who had just changed her clothes and walked out, stumbled upon this scene. She didn’t understand and was utterly shocked.

“I have absolutely no connection to being creepy. I just wanted to test whether an electric saw that’s been used to cut meat can be classified as kitchenware.” Bai Xun turned off the electric saw, wiped the blade clean, and tried placing it into the kitchen simulator.

It actually worked! An electric saw had appeared in the kitchenware section!

“Hey, brother, following that logic, could we use a hammer to pound meat patties?” Bai Yu extrapolated.

“I think it’s possible.” Bai Xun followed the same method and stored the other electric saw in the kitchen simulator as well.

Earlier, when storing kitchenware, he had already placed four outdoor camping items into the simulator: an alcohol windproof stove, solid alcohol fuel, water purification tablets, and a long-nozzle ignition gun. Since solid alcohol fuel and water purification tablets were auxiliary supplies, the kitchen simulator recognized them as kitchenware.

If a diesel flame thrower counted as kitchenware, what about diesel fuel?

Bai Xun returned to the room where supplies were stored and approached the four barrels of diesel. With a flash of white light, it worked!

It seemed the kitchen simulator’s criteria for judging kitchenware were whether the item could directly or indirectly aid in cooking. That left a lot of room for experimentation.

No time to waste, they needed to head out immediately. There were still plenty of things they could buy.

Grabbing the car keys and bringing Bai Yu along, they were about to leave when Cheng Wei, who had emerged from his room at some point, stopped them: “Where are you going? Aren’t you taking me?”

A chill ran down Bai Xun’s spine, and he felt an inexplicable, eerie sense of guilt, as if he’d been caught sneaking out for a snack by his spouse. “We’re just going to the supermarket we visited last time to buy a few things. You’re injured, so rest well at home. We’ll be back soon.”

Bai Yu was dedicated to maintaining harmony between her brother and his partner. “Yeah, yeah, Brother Cheng Wei, just rest up. My brother and I will be back soon. Don’t worry, we won’t run into any danger.”

Cheng Wei lowered his eyes, his ears drooping and his tail hanging down, looking somewhat dejected. “Alright, be careful and come back soon.”

Bai Xun didn’t dare look back. One more glance, and he might not be able to resist bringing Cheng Wei along. “Okay, we’ll be back as soon as possible.”

With that, he immediately pulled Bai Yu and hurriedly disappeared out the door.

Bai Yu nearly flew off her feet from her brother’s sudden tug! You’re prioritizing your partner over your sister, brother!

It wasn’t until they were seated in the familiar Wuling mini-truck that the sense of guilt slowly subsided in Bai Xun’s heart.

Having witnessed the entire scene, Bai Yu, who considered herself a super-sized, extra-bright third wheel, quietly noted it down in her little notebook. Woohoo, another day of cheering for her brother and his partner’s love!

The rainwater from the heavy downpour had already risen to thigh level. On a few stretches of road, water pumps and flood-control sandbags barely managed to keep the water at ankle height. Along the way to the large supermarket, Bai Xun worried several times that the engine might flood and stall.

Fortunately, they arrived at the large shopping mall without any major issues.

The underground parking lot on the first basement level had long been barricaded with a ring of sandbags half a person high. Cars could only park along the roadside, and stepping out of the vehicle meant wading through knee-deep floodwater.

The siblings waded across the steps into the mall, and their first order of business was to find a clothing store at random to buy new clothes and shoes, replacing their soaked pants and footwear.

The large supermarket on the basement level of the mall was operating as usual. Due to its relatively high prices and membership-based purchasing system, even though signs of disaster were already emerging, this large supermarket, ideal for bulk stockpiling, had few shoppers.

This made it convenient for them to carry out their massive shopping spree.

Pushing two shopping carts, the two of them swept through the aisles like a swarm of locusts, grabbing anything and everything in sight.

As for the price? Ha! In a few days, it would all be worthless paper. Converting it into tangible goods was the most urgent priority!

For this shopping trip, Bai Xun set his sights on the frozen meats he hadn’t previously purchased: 30 boxes each of petite steaks, fatty beef rolls, tomahawk lamb chops, hotpot-style fatty beef slices, salmon, beef shank, chicken breast, chicken thighs, pork sausages, black pork belly, and pork ribs.

For seafood, he bought 30 boxes each of baby cuttlefish, squid, small abalone, mantis shrimp, whiteleg shrimp, crayfish tails, black tiger shrimp, scallop meat, Spanish mackerel, flatfish fillets, halibut steaks, and yellow croaker.

In the dried meats section, he purchased 4 hams and 20 packs each of air-dried cured meat, Cantonese-style sausages, dried scallops, cured duck, dried cured fish, and dried shrimp.

Although vegetables have a short shelf life, he still bought 25 bags each of carrots, spinach, celery, tomatoes, corn, onions, lettuce, cowpeas, bok choy, broccoli, white radish, fresh shiitake mushrooms, green beans, taro, lotus root, ginger, garlic, and pumpkin.

For fruits, he purchased 5 boxes each of apples, persimmons, hawthorns, pineapples, pears, lemons, blueberries, oranges, peaches, starfruit, and kiwis.

Since even with a threefold extension of shelf life, the preservation time for fresh vegetables, fruits, and frozen meats is limited, Bai Xun didn’t stockpile excessively. He only stored enough fruits and vegetables for one year and enough meat for two years.

He also looked up methods online to extend the freshness of vegetables and fruits. Turning fruits into canned goods or jam, and boiling vegetables before freezing or pickling them, could significantly prolong their shelf life.

To make pickles, canned goods, and frozen vegetables, he splurged on 15 pickle jars, 300 glass jars, 40 boxes of food-grade sealed storage bags, 30 rolls of baking paper, and 40 rolls of aluminum foil.

After purchasing these, he turned his attention to the seasoning aisle, buying 15 units each of soy sauce, olive oil, white vinegar, rock sugar, oyster sauce, chicken bouillon, pepper powder, black peppercorns, cumin powder, ketchup, salad dressing, Cajun seasoning, hotpot base, spicy crayfish seasoning, and garlic crayfish seasoning.

In larger quantities, he bought 100 bags of white sugar, 50 bags of rock sugar, 70 bags of salt, and 30 jars of honey.

Among these, sugar and salt, the most heavily purchased items, could be considered strategic reserves. Sugar, like salt, not only acts as a preservative for food but can also be used to make explosives and promote wound healing.

Salt, on the other hand, is essential for the body. A lack of sodium can lead to loss of appetite and weakness in mild cases, and in severe cases, symptoms such as rapid heart rate, weak pulse, muscle spasms, and blurred vision. Losing the ability to move in a post-apocalyptic world would only make one’s situation more dangerous.

Honey is long-lasting and can also be used to preserve food, as well as mixed with water for an energy boost.

For alcoholic beverages, 10 bottles of high-proof liquor, 20 bottles of vodka, 20 bottles of brandy, 20 bottles of whiskey, 20 bottles of wine, and 3 cases of beer were purchased.

High-proof spirits can not only aid in ignition but also serve as disinfectants. They can be used to clean wounds when medical alcohol runs out, and a small amount can be consumed to warm up in cold weather.

For drinks, 2 cases each of lemon juice, fruit juice, orange juice, pomegranate juice, concentrated coffee liquid, coffee powder, milk powder, black tea, green tea, chrysanthemum tea, milk, coconut juice, sugarcane and pear herbal tea, and sour plum soup packets were purchased.

Half of these drinks are tasty beverages, while the other half are functional drinks, offering benefits such as boosting alertness, aiding sleep, and relieving heat.

For staple foods, an additional 10 bags of 50kg rice, 3 bags of 5kg millet, 5 bags of 10kg flour, 2 cases of dried noodles, 2 cases of pasta, and 20kg of mung beans were added.

The mung beans can be sprouted when fresh vegetables are unavailable, providing dietary fiber and vitamins found in fresh greens. They can sprout within a few days with just water.

Considering situations where cooking might be inconvenient, 100 servings of self-heating rice and 25 large packs of instant noodles in various flavors were purchased.

For household use, 20 cases of barbecue charcoal were bought, which can be stored in the kitchen simulator for future use in lighting fires and keeping warm.

The most crucial part, drinking water, included 100 large 12-liter bottles of mineral water and 70 cases of 550ml small bottles of mineral water.

During floods, water sources are easily contaminated by viruses and decaying bodies, leading to malaria and infectious diseases. Filtering and disinfecting such water for drinking is too troublesome, so having the option to drink mineral water directly is much more convenient.

In addition to food, Bai Xun also purchased other kitchen supplies: 20 bottles of 2kg washable, food-grade detergent for fruits and vegetables, 70 rolls of kitchen paper, 3 cases of dishwashing sponges, 3 cases of steel wool, 50 soft and skin-friendly dishcloths, and 65 cans of lard.

While paper towels cannot be stored in the kitchen simulator, kitchen paper can. The soft dishcloths can also double as towels. As for the 65 cans of lard, it can not only be used for cooking but also turned into soap by adding alkali, suitable for bathing and laundry.

Bai Yu, his younger sister, focused on the baking section, semi-finished products, and snacks. Bai Xun had to remind her to check expiration dates before bulk buying, as buying too much and not being able to consume it in time would be wasteful.

After careful selection, 2 cases each of cornstarch, powdered sugar, light cream, cake flour, butter, matcha powder, cocoa powder, shredded cheese, cheese, chopped pecans, corn oil, almond flour, canned chestnut paste, and canned taro paste were purchased for baking.

For semi-finished products, 5 bags each of seaweed shrimp cakes, fried dough sticks, glutinous rice cakes, dried plum vegetable flatbreads, boneless fried chicken, beef pies, chicken wing rice wraps, popcorn chicken, celery and beef dumplings, peanut tangyuan, pork and scallion buns, frozen fries, steamed chicken feet, and black pepper beef ribs were bought.

From the snacks section, 1 case each of shrimp chips, mixed nuts, macadamia nuts, potato chips, boneless chicken feet, spicy beef jerky, canned yellow peaches, mixed-flavor jelly, butter cookies, milk candies, fruit hard candies, sweet pea crisps, pork jerky, spicy strips, freeze-dried durian, and soda crackers were purchased.

While passing by the book section, Bai Yu casually picked up over a dozen cookbooks, covering everything from Western and Chinese cuisine to baking and pastries. After all, these counted as kitchen supplies and could be stored away.

After stocking up on these food items and kitchen utensils, Bai Xun also purchased a few other necessities.