Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 6: Stockpiling Supplies

As soon as Mariella sent out the mass text, her phone started ringing.

She didn't even check who it was—she just hung up and blocked the number. Her time was valuable. She wasn't about to waste it on those worthless people.

All her old grudges and new anger were piling up. When the apocalypse came, she would repay them tenfold, even a hundredfold.

After a short break, she got up and left the barbecue joint, driving straight to the market to stock up.

This time, she went directly to a grain and oil store, buying ten bags each of bread flour, all-purpose flour, cake flour, whole wheat flour, and rice flour. She also bought ten bags each of long-grain white rice, brown rice, organic rice, and glutinous rice.

She also bought ten packs each of various grains and beans, asking the store owner to load everything into the bed of her pickup truck.

Mariella returned to her garage and stored the supplies in her storage space. Seeing the remaining cubic feet on the virtual display made her sigh.

The total space was only about 5,300 cubic feet, and she had already used up a third of it.

She drove back to the market again. This time, she bought all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, roughly 200 to 300 pounds in total, hiring people to load them onto her truck.

After storing the produce in the storage space, she headed to the pharmacy.

In the apocalypse, medicine was even more valuable than food.

Food could keep her alive, but medicine could save her life.

With her experience from her previous life, Mariella made a long list of essential medications.

It included saline solution, glucose, gauze, iodine, various cold medicines, antiviral medicine, cough syrup, anti-inflammatory drugs, fever reducers, antibiotics, vitamins, and masks of all kinds.

To avoid drawing attention, she bought ten sets of each item from each pharmacy, sweeping through over a dozen pharmacies in a single afternoon.

As for prescription drugs, those could only be obtained through doctors at hospitals.

Mariella decided to find a reliable doctor to stockpile essential prescription medicines and medical equipment.

Once food and medicine were secured, she went to an outdoor water sports store.

The first disasters in the apocalypse would be floods and typhoons.

For a long time, water transportation would replace land travel. Kayaks and inflatable boats would be as indispensable as cars in a city.

Mariella bought 200 kayaks, 100 inflatable boats, 50 waterproof mining lamps, 20 air pumps, 50 diesel generators, and 50 solar generators in one go.

After storing them in her storage space, she realized only a few cubic feet remained.

Even though the 100 inflatable boats and 200 kayaks were deflated and folded, they still took up a lot of space.

Mariella decided to move all the non-perishable supplies into her 860-square-foot apartment.

The storage space would only hold food and medicine, which needed to be kept fresh.

Luckily, moving items within the space didn't require effort. She spent over half an hour organizing and categorizing everything, freeing up another few hundred cubic feet.

Mariella drove out again. This time, she went to a military supply store.

She bought 100 pairs of military-grade gloves, 20 military canteens, ten boxes of military compressed biscuits, 20 combat knives, 20 pairs of military boots in common sizes, 20 sets each of camouflage uniforms in three sizes and three colors, and 20 sets of black tactical uniforms.

She specifically picked camouflage uniforms and combat boots in her size and also bought 20 rolls of camouflage fabric in various colors and materials.

She even bought ten mini portable electric sewing machines, 20 scissors of different sizes, 100 spools of thread in various colors, plus measuring tapes and rulers.

It wasn't that she loved uniforms more than pretty clothes. She just knew that once the apocalypse began, the rest of her life would be spent fighting.

Military uniforms would be her main clothing, so she stocked plenty for herself and her team.

Having been given a second chance at life, she wasn't planning to fight alone. She needed to form a team to fend off outside threats if she wanted to survive.

She also bought 20 military helmets, 20 night-vision goggles, 20 binoculars, 100 black face masks and camouflage face masks in various colors, 50 pairs of protective goggles, 50 drop-leg holsters, and 50 multifunction tactical belts.

Mariella loaded a full truck bed of military supplies and stored them in her storage space.

By the time she got to the outdoor gear store, it was already dark.

Exhausted to the point of collapse, she didn't dare stop.

Her second chance at life left her little time. Every minute and second mattered.

Mariella bought 20 tents, 50 insulated sleeping bags, 20 portable camping stoves, and 100 gas canisters.

She even bought 20 pairs of men's roller skates in three common sizes, 20 skateboards, 20 sleds, and 10 snowmobiles. Those would serve as transportation in extreme cold and months of darkness.

Back at the garage, she stored everything in the storage space.

Seeing that her apartment was about to be filled with supplies, and knowing that the frozen storage space was meant for keeping things fresh, plus needing to hire a bodyguard team, she decided to rent a large warehouse and an open area for training and storage.

Critical supplies would stay in her storage space, while everyday items could be guarded by her teammates. That way, she could free up even more room.

...

After grabbing dinner outside, Mariella returned to her rented apartment, utterly exhausted.

Just as she was about to enter the elevator, she noticed a few people lurking around.

Thanks to the keen instincts she had developed in her previous life, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

Without hesitation, Mariella turned and ran.

Several burly men came chasing her, shouting, "Catch her! Don't let her get away!"

She ran even faster.

As she ran, she pulled out her phone and called the police.

Before the order fully broke down, it was still best to let the police handle the danger.

...

The police quickly caught the thugs. After a brief interrogation, they revealed the mastermind behind the scheme—Jennifer.

Jennifer was brought to the station, looking pale and teary-eyed.

"I'm sorry. I had some personal grudge against Mariella at work, so I just hired a few people to scare her a little. I never meant to hurt her!"

She looked at Mariella and pleaded, "Mariella, please forgive me! After all, you weren't really hurt, were you?"

Mariella sneered and pressed, "Did you really hire these people? If you tell the truth, I'll forgive you."

Jennifer's eyes flickered, but she insisted, "Yes, I hired them. I was just joking with you."

"Law doesn't joke," Mariella said, knowing Jennifer wouldn't snitch on Harvey. She couldn't be bothered wasting any more words. "Then stay in detention and reflect on your actions!"

When the apocalypse hit, Jennifer would probably still be locked up, and Harvey would likely treat her as a disposable pawn.

She could no longer stick by Harvey's side like in her previous life, running around helping him hatch idiotic schemes.

That thought gave Mariella a sense of satisfaction.

...

Mariella walked out of the station and ran into Harvey and Roxanna, who had just gotten out of the car.

Roxanna stumbled forward, looking so fragile that it seemed a gust of wind could blow her away.

"Mariella, if there's any grudge, take it out on me. Don't go after Kingston and don't drag Jennifer into it, okay?"

Seeing Roxanna made Mariella think of how, in her previous life, she had been forced to act as Roxanna's mobile blood bank and spare organ supply. A surge of intense hatred welled up inside her.

Of course, she hated Harvey even more.

After coming back to life, she hadn't yet had the chance to deal with this disgusting couple, and yet they were already throwing themselves at her for a beating.