2

As night fell, my pickup truck finally drove into the yard of my ancestral home in the suburbs.

This three-story Victorian villa is over a hundred years old, its red brick walls appearing ancient and weathered under the moonlight. In my past life, it was here that I took in Brody and his friends, and it was in the basement that they devoured me.

But in this life, this place will become my steel fortress.

After parking the car, I first walked around the villa, using my military knowledge from my previous life to re-examine the terrain. The villa faced south, backed by a pine forest, with an open lawn in front, and a path on each side leading to the outside world.

The geographical location is good, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

I took out my phone and dialed the first number.

"Hello, is this Texas Heavy Industries Construction Company? I need an urgent engineering order."

"Sir, may I ask what kind of project it is?"

"The villa needs reinforcement and renovation, with a budget of ten million US dollars, and it needs to be completed within one month."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by an excited voice: "Sir, please wait a moment, I will arrange for our chief engineer to connect with you immediately!"

After hanging up, I dialed the second number.

"A military supply supplier in Houston? I need to purchase a batch of defense equipment..."

An hour later, I had contacted more than a dozen companies: construction teams, security companies, military supply dealers, food wholesalers, and even local gun licensing agencies in Texas.

Five million? That's far from enough.

I pulled out my laptop, logged into my bank account, and started frantically withdrawing cash. I mortgaged my property, liquidated my stocks, maxed out my credit cards, and even contacted several old acquaintances involved in shady businesses to apply for high-interest loans.

My past life's apocalyptic experience taught me that in the face of absolute survival, debts and such are nothing.

Once the power grid collapses and social order disintegrates, who will come knocking on our door to collect debts?

At 2 a.m., my total funds reached an astonishing 15 million US dollars.

That's enough. This money is enough for me to build an immovable steel fortress.

Meanwhile, my phone kept receiving messages from Brody and the others.

Brody posted a video: "Bro, look at our housewarming party! The champagne tower is up!"

In the video, the penthouse is brightly lit and decorated, with dozens of well-dressed guests raising their glasses in celebration. Brody stands in the center of the crowd, his arm around Jessica, a smug smile on his face.

Jessica also posted a message: "My dear Brody just bought me a five-million-dollar diamond necklace~ I'm so happy~"

Leo was even more arrogant: "My new dad said he'd throw me a coming-of-age party and invite all the rich kids in Houston!"

As I looked at these messages, a cold smile crept onto my lips.

A five-million-dollar diamond necklace? When the temperature drops to minus seventy degrees Celsius, the diamond will become harder than ice, and wearing it around your neck will feel like a noose.

A rich kid party? A month later, these rich kids will be fighting tooth and nail over a piece of moldy bread.

The construction team arrived on time early the next morning.

They weren't ordinary construction workers, but a professional team from Texas Heavy Industries. The lead engineer, Tom, was a veteran who specialized in building government security facilities.

“Sir, we have studied your requirements.” Tom unfolded the blueprints. “As per your instructions, we will carry out military-grade reinforcement and renovation of this villa.”

I nodded: "Tell me the specific plan."

"First is the outer defense line. We will build a three-meter-high blast-resistant concrete wall around the villa, with an electric fence and infrared detectors installed on top."

"Secondly, the main structure of the building was reinforced. All doors and windows on the first floor were replaced with bulletproof steel plates, 25 millimeters thick. Shooting ports were installed on the second floor, which can provide 360-degree coverage of the perimeter."

"The basement has been expanded into a multi-functional refuge, with the installation of an independent geothermal power generation system, air purification equipment, and a large-capacity storage room."

"Finally, there's the communication system. We will install military-grade satellite communication equipment to ensure we can stay connected with the outside world under any circumstances."

After Tom finished speaking, he looked at me expectantly: "The entire project has a budget of nine million US dollars and a construction period of thirty days. What do you think?"

“Great.” I transferred the money without hesitation. “Add another two million, and shorten the construction period to twenty-five days. I want to see more than twelve hours of uninterrupted construction every day.”

Tom's eyes lit up: "No problem!"

That afternoon, dozens of construction vehicles drove into the villa's yard. Excavators, concrete mixers, cranes... the entire construction site instantly transformed into a military base construction site.

Meanwhile, the other suppliers I contacted also began to act in batches.

The first batch of supplies arrived in the first week.

There are 20,000 cans of military-grade food, enough to feed one person for two years.

MRE individual rations are 5,000 portions, each containing 3,000 calories.

Top-grade tomahawk steak, 1000 pieces, vacuum-packed, shelf life five years.

One hundred jars of deep-sea caviar; this stuff is more precious than gold in the apocalypse.

Two hundred bottles of bourbon whiskey, which can be used for both disinfection and warmth.

Watching the workers move these supplies into the underground storage room that was being expanded, I felt a sense of security I had never felt before.

Just then, the phone rang again.

Brody texted: "Bro, I heard you're building a house in the countryside? Haha, you're not going to build a pigsty, are you?"

The post also included a photo of them enjoying a truffle feast at an Italian restaurant, a meal estimated to cost tens of thousands of US dollars.

I replied with a message: "They are indeed working on construction. You guys continue to enjoy yourselves."

“A poor man is a poor man,” Leo also sent a message. “I just picked up that McLaren yesterday, it cost three million! Your beat-up pickup truck probably can’t even compare to the wheels of mine.”

I did not reply because the second, more important shipment had arrived.

Texas's gun laws make things simple. As a law-abiding citizen, I have the right to purchase and possess various small arms for "home defense."

Twenty AR-15 automatic rifles, each with eight magazines.

Ten Remington M870 shotguns, with astonishing close-range lethality.

Two M249 light machine guns were needed; although special permission was required, money made it all worthwhile.

One hundred thousand rounds of ammunition of various calibers were piled up like a small mountain in a specially set-up armory in the basement.

Fifty grenades, flashbangs, and smoke grenades each—these were purchased through gray channels; they were expensive but absolutely effective.

Over the next twenty days, the villa's renovation changed every single day.

On the fifteenth day, the three-meter-high wall was completed first, the electric grid on top of the wall was connected, and the infrared detectors began to be tested.

On the twentieth day, all the doors and windows on the first floor were replaced with 25mm thick bulletproof steel plates, leaving only narrow firing ports. The bulletproof glass and steel armor on the second floor were also installed, making it almost impossible to find any weaknesses from the outside.

On the twenty-fifth day, the basement expansion project was completed. The underground space, which originally contained only a small storage room, has now been transformed into a multi-functional shelter covering 300 square meters.

The storage room was piled high with canned goods and dry food, like a supermarket warehouse.

Inside the armory, all kinds of weapons were polished to a shine, and ammunition boxes were neatly arranged.

The living area is equipped with luxurious beds, shower facilities, and entertainment equipment, making it even more comfortable than the presidential suite in a five-star hotel.

The most crucial component is the power system—a military-grade geothermal generator set, which ensures a normal power supply even during a city-wide blackout.

The final five days were for finishing touches and debugging. The camouflage netting outside the perimeter wall, the air circulation system in the basement, the satellite communication equipment... everything was completely completed on the night of the twenty-ninth day.

The once quaint Victorian building has now been transformed into a modern fortress. A three-meter-high wall completely encloses the courtyard, and the electric fence on top of the wall hums softly in the moonlight.

For nearly a month, news of Brody and his group never stopped.

“Hey bro, how’s your pigsty coming along?” Brody sent a picture of them at the casino. “I won half a million tonight, planning to buy a yacht tomorrow!”

Jessica boasted, "I just ordered a 20 million yuan jewelry set, and I'll be receiving it next month!"

Leo was even more arrogant: "I had my new dad buy me a private jet so I can travel all over the world anytime!"

I looked at these messages without feeling anything.

Yachts? Jewelry? Private jets?

In a few days, these things will become the most expensive garbage in the world.

Late at night on the twenty-ninth day, the entire project was completed.

I stood on the second floor of the renovated villa, looking down at the entire courtyard through the bulletproof glass window. The three-meter-high wall, illuminated by the night lights, resembled the ramparts of a castle. The low hum of the geothermal generator came from underground, and the entire building maintained a constant temperature of 26 degrees Celsius.

I poured myself a glass of the finest bourbon, sat on the leather sofa, and slowly polished the AR-15 assault rifle in my hands. The barrel reflected a cold metallic sheen under the light, as beautiful as the Grim Reaper's scythe.

The monitor on the wall displayed live footage of the downtown penthouse. Brody, Jessica, and Leo were still partying in the living room, champagne bubbles flying, diamond jewelry sparkling under the lights. They were completely unaware that death was already counting down.

Just then, the cheerful voice of the female news anchor came over the television: "According to the latest forecast from the weather station, a cold front from the Arctic will arrive in the Texas area tomorrow, and temperatures are expected to drop. Please remember to dress warmly..."

I stopped cleaning the gun, a cruel smile creeping onto my lips.

Add more clothes to keep warm?

If freezing storms of absolute zero, at minus seventy degrees Celsius, could be solved simply by adding layers of clothing to keep warm, then so many people wouldn't have frozen to death in my past life.

I raised my glass and gestured to the three people still partying on the monitor screen.

"Cheers, my old friends," I said softly. "Tomorrow, the real game begins."

The wind outside gradually picked up, and the temperature began to drop.

The end of the world has come.