I Hoard Supplies and Raise a Child in the Wasteland World by Drawing Cards (GL) - Chapter 1
When Lin Ran woke up, she felt a splitting headache, ten times worse than a hangover. She opened her eyes to see a clean, white ceiling and a soft mattress beneath her.
Lin Ran propped herself up and sat, pinching her thigh hard. The sharp pain reminded her that she was alive.
Just a few minutes ago, she had been shot and killed while protecting her employer from danger. So how was she suddenly alive again?
Frowning, Lin Ran’s body moved faster than her mind, getting up to find a mirror. She saw her previous body—slender and reserved, with a hint of detachment in her eyes. Her lips were pursed, and her long, ink-black hair fell loosely over her shoulders, giving her a touch of laziness.
Lin Ran lifted her pajama top. A blooming rose was tattooed on her lower abdomen, not because she liked it, but to cover a scar. The tattoo and scar were still there, so this was clearly her old body. But if she had been shot, how did she end up here?
Just as Lin Ran was about to look for more clues, a jarring mechanical voice rang out in her mind. “Hello, host Lin Ran. The Card-Drawing System has been activated. System 33 will be at your service.”
Lin Ran looked around, but it took a moment for her to realize the voice had come from inside her head.
“My dear, no need to look. I’m 33, and I’m living inside your body. Because of your excellent physical fitness and combat skills in your last life, the Main Card-Drawing God System determined you were suitable for surviving the apocalypse, so you were sent into this book.” The system’s mechanical voice continued, making Lin Ran feel uncomfortable.
“You’re saying I’m in a book now? How do I get back, or rather, how do I survive?” Lin Ran had lost her initial tension. A qualified personal bodyguard’s psychological resilience is top-notch.
“My dear, you’re so smart. However, you’ve already died in the normal world and can never go back. Being chosen by the Main Card-Drawing God System is like the main god giving you a second life. My dear, you must cherish it. If you die in this world, you’ll be gone for good.” The system tried to sound cute with its mechanical voice, but it only made Lin Ran more uneasy.
Lin Ran nodded and continued asking, “So, do I have a mission to complete? What do I need to do?”
“No, the Main Card-Drawing God System won’t issue any missions. The only thing you need to do is stay alive. My dear, the apocalypse is coming to Planet Q2 in five days. You should prepare as soon as possible. Oh, and this book is only half-written. I’ve sent you the original text, and you can study it yourself.”
After that, the system fell silent. Lin Ran’s thoughts moved, and sure enough, a half-written book appeared in her mind. She still had questions for the system. “System? 33? Don’t I have any special abilities? How does this card drawing work?”
The room was silent, and the system’s voice was gone. Lin Ran tried calling it a few more times, but it still didn’t respond. If she didn’t have half a book in her head, she would’ve thought it was all a hallucination before she died.
She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, hoping to find something useful in the book. But after only a dozen pages, she couldn’t take it anymore. While the book’s setting was the apocalypse, the plot was filled with the cliché story of the female lead getting entangled with her suitors. The original owner of her new body was nothing more than a simp for the female lead, Mo Shuyu. Later, when Mo Shuyu sought refuge with her, the original owner thought her good days had come, only to be betrayed and killed by Mo Shuyu and another one of her lovers.
Lin Ran frowned as she read. What kind of terrible plot was this? The original owner was still simping even in the apocalypse; she deserved to be killed. And the female lead, Mo Shuyu, was even more absurd, juggling so many alphas. What a master of time management. Lin Ran decided she would focus on staying alive and keeping her distance from the protagonist.
With that in mind, Lin Ran quickly pulled out her phone. Unfortunately, she only had 100,000 yuan left. Her heart sank. 100,000 yuan was not enough to do anything. The book’s description of the original owner was only about her simping for the protagonist and didn’t provide any other details, so Lin Ran was at a loss about the original owner’s life.
Luckily, she found the property deed for a 140-square-meter three-bedroom apartment in a small drawer in the closet. She didn’t know if Planet Q2 was the same as where she lived before and if things like online loans and high-interest loans were a thing. Lin Ran planned to use every means necessary to get more funds.
She drove straight to the bank and used the apartment as collateral, getting a 5 million yuan loan that was deposited into her account. Then she took out every online loan she could, managing to scrape together another 200,000 yuan. Combined with the 100,000 yuan the original owner had, she now had a total of 5.3 million yuan. It wasn’t quite enough, but it was a start.
Lin Ran wasted no time. She quickly found the largest bomb-proof renovation company in the area online, a company rumored to be responsible for the homes of many of Jiangbei City’s wealthy residents.
Lin Ran drove to the company. After explaining her needs to the receptionist, she was politely led into a small conference room.
Soon, several designers in business suits entered. The lead designer, a female alpha, greeted Lin Ran politely. “Hello, Miss Lin. Our company can fulfill your renovation request, but replacing so many things will require a large budget…”
The designer was being tactful but clearly didn’t believe Lin Ran could afford such an expense. Lin Ran interrupted her directly. “Just tell me the budget. I need to reinforce all six sides of my room to be bomb-proof, install bulletproof glass, and have both my bedroom door and front door replaced with bank-grade security doors. I also need all this done within five days. How much will all that cost?”
The smile on the female designer’s face visibly froze, but she still responded politely, “Miss, your original request is already very expensive, and you need it done so urgently.”
Lin Ran didn’t want to waste time with small talk. The apocalypse was coming, and she needed to prepare other supplies. “Just give me the quote.”
The designer saw the impatience on Lin Ran’s face and quickly said, “Alright, Miss. You said you need bomb-proof reinforced steel plates on all six sides of the room, all the glass replaced with bulletproof glass, and both your bedroom and front doors replaced with bank-grade security doors. The original cost would be 2.7 million yuan and would take half a month. With the rush fee, which is an additional 500,000 yuan, the total will be 3.2 million yuan.”
The designer looked at Lin Ran’s expression and, seeing that it was unchanged, continued, “Because these materials are expensive, we require an 80% down payment. Is that acceptable?”
Lin Ran nodded. “What’s the total, and when can your people start?”
“The down payment is 2.56 million yuan. Once you pay it, our staff will immediately order the materials. They’ll be delivered to your home by noon, and work can start in the afternoon. If it’s convenient, you can leave us a spare key.” The designer’s attitude became more eager as she saw Lin Ran had no objections.
“Okay, I’ll pay now.” Lin Ran scanned the QR code, paid, and left her home address and a key before rushing out.
Just with the down payment, a significant chunk of the money in Lin Ran’s account was gone. After leaving the renovation company, she continued to try contacting the system in her mind, but it was like shouting into the void.
Without any special powers or a clear understanding of what the card-drawing system was, Lin Ran could only rely on her own experience to start stockpiling supplies. At the same time, she needed to find someone to modify her car. If she couldn’t stay at home, she would need a car with a high safety rating for her escape.
Lin Ran quickly searched online and found a local car modification company. She planned to have her SUV fully modified with bomb-proof steel plates for the body, bulletproof glass for all the windows, and durable tires. This would be her lifeline during the apocalypse.
Once she decided, Lin Ran drove to the modification company. Because her requests were difficult and urgent, she eventually negotiated a price of 2 million yuan for the modifications, with an 80% down payment of 1.6 million yuan.
After that, Lin Ran only had 1.14 million yuan left in her account. At least after the apocalypse, no one would care about down payments.
She left her SUV at the modification company and then went directly to a supermarket to order a truckload of food and water. She paid the supermarket extra to have them delivered to her home and help her move them inside.
With all that arranged, Lin Ran hailed a taxi to go home. She needed to be there to supervise the delivery of the supplies.
The building the original owner lived in was 21 stories tall, and her home was on the 10th floor. There were four apartments on each floor, with two on the left of the elevator and two on the right. Outside her apartment door, there was another iron door that led to the hallway, which she shared with the neighbor in apartment 1003.
Lin Ran got off the elevator and was about to unlock the iron door to the hallway when her neighbor from 1003 came out.
Lin Ran was preoccupied with thoughts of the apocalypse and only glanced at the woman. Her neighbor was a beautiful woman with a cool demeanor. She had fair skin and wore a light green jade bracelet on her wrist. When her upward-slanting eyes met Lin Ran’s, they narrowed slightly, and her lips were pursed, looking wary.
Lin Ran gave the woman a brief, indifferent glance. A neighbor she wasn’t close with was a good thing; it saved her from a lot of trouble.
Lin Ran placed her finger on the scanner and turned the doorknob. Seeing that the woman from 1003 was still watching her, she gave her a perfunctory nod, then went inside and closed the door without hesitation.
It wasn’t until she heard the “bang” of the door closing that Mo Shuyu snapped out of her daze. Lin Ran, the clingy girl, didn’t bother her today? She didn’t even say a word?
Before, her body had been controlled by an unknown force, making her do many things against her will, including getting involved with five or six suitors. Fortunately, all she did with them was have meals and go shopping; there was no physical intimacy, not even holding hands. Otherwise, Mo Shuyu herself would have been disgusted.
She had only regained control of her body a few days ago. The first thing she did was block all her suitors, except for Lin Ran. Because Lin Ran, in her pursuit of her, had bought the apartment next door. Mo Shuyu had been wondering what to do, but seeing Lin Ran’s behavior today, had she given up? That would be wonderful!