Apocalypse Mode: My Cheat Code Virtual Boyfriend - Chapter 13

Not needing to reserve space for food on the rubber boat meant they could use that area to store other items, allowing them to increase their supply of daily necessities that would be useful in the future.

Wool blankets, which provided better warmth than sleeping bags, they bought eight.

Two boxes each of replacement batteries for flashlights and chainsaws.

A case of mouthwash that could be swallowed, just in case there was no place to brush their teeth in the future, they could use it temporarily.

A case of brightly colored fluorescent wristbands, to prevent the possibility of getting separated in the wilderness.

Two boxes of nylon zip ties with buckles, which could be used to secure items and bundle objects.

Two boxes of heavy-duty industrial glue, useful for repairing tools and patching holes in the future.

Ten sewing kits for mending clothes, since they weren’t carrying many clothes, they could patch them up if they got torn.

With these purchases, their shopping spree at the large supermarket came to an end. They had made over a dozen trips back and forth, each time pushing four fully loaded carts, full on the way out, empty on the way back, like a swarm of locusts sweeping through.

For the first few trips, the cashiers remained unfazed. But after the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth trips, the staff picked up their walkie-talkies to notify the warehouse to urgently restock the shelves they had cleared out.

Whenever the siblings picked something up, the sales staff would notify the warehouse to replenish it. As they cleared the shelves, the staff restocked them, for the first time since the store opened, they were being led by the nose by customers. The food section was restocked so many times the staff were exhausted.

Despite the siblings’ blatant and conspicuous shopping spree, none of the staff showed any signs of surprise or curiosity. The first rule of their training was: VIP customers’ business is none of our concern. If a customer does something, they must have their reasons.

After finishing their shopping at the supermarket, Bai Xun headed to an outdoor camping store to stock up on items they hadn’t yet purchased.

They bought ten each of insulated water bottles, survival whistles, ropes, lighters, and compasses. Spotting a field guide for identifying wild plants, they casually picked up two copies as well.

They purchased five rolls of waterproof canvas and two boxes of candles.

At a clothing store on the same floor, they added a pair of snow boots for each of them and some lightweight, breathable clothing. Previously, they had only focused on buying cold-weather gear and hadn’t considered the possibility of hot temperatures.

By the time they had bought everything, it was already 6 p.m. This was their final shopping trip. In just one afternoon, the water level outside had risen again. The Wuling mini-truck sputtered to a stop after returning to the underground parking lot of East City Yipin.

Exhausted from buying so many things, the siblings were completely worn out. That night, Bai Xun even rolled into Cheng Wei’s arms while sleeping, unconsciously and domineeringly pressing Cheng Wei’s tail against his chest.

When he woke up, he found Cheng Wei staring at him innocently, still holding the “evidence” in his hand. He quickly let go, blushing and stammering out an apology.

Recently, Bai Xun had developed a habit of checking the news as soon as he woke up.

On the fourth day of the apocalypse, the morning news finally issued an emergency broadcast about flooding in various regions, urging citizens to stock up on supplies and shelter in place, while residents in disaster areas were advised to wait actively for rescue.

“The mall near our home has started limiting purchases. Good thing we went out shopping yesterday,” Bai Yu said, scrolling through a video of a crowded supermarket with signs indicating purchase limits per person.

But none of that mattered to them anymore.

“Watch a few more videos. After today, we’ll be cutting off the internet. Have you downloaded all the materials?” Bai Xun turned off the TV and stood up. According to the original plan, they were going to make canned fruit and pickled vegetables today, time to get moving.

“Of course, you can count on me!” Bai Yu pulled out her tablet and projected the screen, and the whole family gathered around to watch how to make fruit preserves.

After finishing the video, they started assigning tasks. Bai Xun and Cheng Wei were grouped together, responsible for peeling the fruit.

Bai Xun held the knife and the pineapple leaves, feeling a bit stumped. Peeling apples, peaches, or pears was fine, but how do you peel a pineapple?

Beside him, Cheng Wei silently took the pineapple from his hand. In the time it took Bai Xun to blink, the pineapple leaves were chopped off with a single stroke, and the prickly outer skin was swiftly peeled away.

In the blink of an eye, a peeled pineapple was handed to him: “Just cut off the black parts.”

Bai Xun took the pineapple and smiled at Cheng Wei. “Thank you.”

You really are such a good person!

Cheng Wei’s tail wagged proudly behind him twice, and he pursed his lips into a quick smile. “You’re welcome.”

Bai Xun happily took the small knife and started cutting off the black parts, while Cheng Wei finished peeling another pineapple in just a few strokes. Soon, the large metal basin was filled with yellow pineapple flesh.

After finishing his own work, Cheng Wei moved on to help Bai Xun with his. In the end, almost all the pineapple in the basin had been peeled by him.

Feeling a bit embarrassed about his inefficiency, Bai Xun laughed awkwardly. “Haha, am I a bit slow?”

What’s wrong with me? I can’t even keep up with someone who’s injured!

Cheng Wei shook his head. “When I used to camp, I’d often whittle branches. I’m just used to peeling things.”

Bai Guifang took the full basin of peeled fruit away. “Wow, Xiao Cheng, you did a great job! Unlike some people who are slow and clumsy.”

Bai Xun felt like a random dog passing by that suddenly got kicked. “Mom! Don’t praise one person by putting another down!”

Every flat surface in the 300-square-meter apartment was covered with dried glass jars. After soaking the pineapple in saltwater and washing it, they added rock sugar to a large pot along with the cleaned pineapple. After about 10 minutes, it was ready to be scooped out and bottled.

While the pineapple was cooking, Bai Yu brought them a large basin full of hawthorn berries. Bai Xun sat cross-legged on the floor, using a bubble tea straw to remove the seeds one by one.

As he worked, he stole glances at Cheng Wei. An inexplicable competitive drive made him want to compare himself to Cheng Wei, who seemed to notice, his ears twitching slightly, though he didn’t look up.

Bai Xun didn’t dare to sneak any more glances, afraid of being caught, and quickly lowered his head to focus on pitting the hawthorn berries.

The method for making hawthorn preserves was slightly different from pineapple preserves. After pitting and washing the hawthorn berries, they were placed in glass jars, filled with cooled boiled water, and topped with white and rock sugar. The lids were placed on loosely, and the jars were steamed for half an hour before being tightly sealed.

In addition to pineapple and hawthorn preserves, they gradually made preserves from persimmons, pears, oranges, peaches, starfruit, and kiwis.

They also set aside two boxes of apples, lemons, blueberries, oranges, and peaches to make several jars of jam. The fruit was diced, cooked with sugar, and the entire kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of fruit and sugar blending together.

Not all of the fruits Bai Xun stored in the kitchen simulator were turned into canned goods or jam. Depending on their storage time, fresh fruits could be consumed continuously for two to six months.

Once the jam and canned goods had cooled, they were stored in the kitchen simulator. The canned fruits had a shelf life of about one year and two months, while the jam lasted around one year and three months. For a long time to come, their household would maintain a steady supply of fruits.

Today had been a busy day, spent solely on making canned goods and jam. The pickling jars had been prepared and left to dry, but there was no time to make pickles, and the vegetables hadn’t been frozen yet. Those tasks would have to wait until tomorrow.

After finishing dicing the fruits, Bai Xun had nothing else to do. He got up from the floor, walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, and pulled back the thick curtains. Looking down from the 33rd floor, he saw that the accumulated water had breached the flood control sandbags surrounding the area and flooded the green spaces below. The underground parking lot was likely completely submerged by now.

The rain today was even heavier than yesterday. Large splashes of water hitting the glass blurred the entire world outside.

Bai Xun strained his eyes through the gaps between the water droplets to get a clear view of the flooding below. Based on the rising water level, it wouldn’t be more than two days before the floodwaters reached the second floor.

East City Yipin was already one of the higher-elevation residential complexes in the area, requiring an uphill drive to enter. If the water level was this high here, one could only imagine how dire the situation was in lower-lying areas.

They had about 20 days left to prepare everything. Once the floodwaters rose to the 33rd floor, it would be time for them to leave.

At 19:23 in the evening, the phone frequently showed no signal. The network connection was about to be cut off.

At 20:17, the weak signal completely vanished. A large red exclamation mark popped up, severing their connection to the outside world entirely. The scope of information exchange was now limited to what they could see with their own eyes.

However, this had little impact on the well-prepared Bai family.

Bai Xun was sipping on lemon honey water, a new recipe they had come up with after spending the day making canned fruits and jam. Lemon zest was grated and mixed with diced fruit, boiled, cooled, and then soaked in honey. When drinking, a spoonful was scooped out and mixed with water.

Outside, the wind and rain raged, but being able to enjoy a warm cup of honey lemon water brought a sense of comfort and joy.

However, Cheng Wei didn’t seem to like it much. After taking the cup and sniffing it, he held it in his hands for a long time without taking a sip.

Bai Xun noticed immediately. “Don’t you like it?”

In the game, it was only mentioned that Cheng Wei disliked cucumbers. Had he forgotten something? Or was this some hidden setting the game developers hadn’t yet revealed?

Cheng Wei hesitated for a moment before whispering, “The smell of lemon is strange.”

Strange? How so?

Bai Xun was about to ask when he suddenly remembered that cats detest the strong scents of lemons and citrus. He tentatively asked, “What about the orange jam we made today? How does that smell?”

Cheng Wei’s tail swished around, accidentally brushing against Bai Xun’s exposed ankle. “It doesn’t smell good either.”

Hahaha! So even big cats are still cats. It turns out snow leopards also dislike the smell of lemons and citrus.

Suppressing a laugh, Bai Xun secretly gave Cheng Wei’s tail fur a gentle pinch. He stood up and took the cup of honey lemon water from Cheng Wei’s hands. “Let me make you a cup of blueberry jam instead. The smell of blueberries isn’t strange, right?”

Cheng Wei curled his tail behind him, his face slightly flushed. “Blueberries are fine. They have a sweet and sour scent.”

Bai Xun took out the blueberry jam from the storage space, scooped two large spoonfuls, and mixed it with warm water. He didn’t waste the extra cup of honey lemon water either, happily drinking both cups himself.

Cheng Wei sat on the sofa, holding the only cup of blueberry drink, sipping it carefully and with great appreciation. This was an extra bit of care meant just for him.

Thunder rumbled across the sky, and lightning, like sharp, glowing-white arrows, tore through the gloomy curtain, widening the holes in the heavens. Water poured down from the ruptures, threatening to drown the city in rain.

Yet even in such severe stormy weather, there were still people who chose to venture out in the downpour.