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Luckily, the internet was still up.
There were computers in the warehouse, too.
Julian dug out a laptop and hooked it up to the big screen. While it downloaded a bunch of classic movies, TV dramas, and anime, the girls could browse and watch whatever they wanted straight from the computer.
"Alright, alright. Back to work, both of you!"
He waved them off.
The lingering atmosphere from that little H-movie earlier still hung in the air. If they stayed any longer, nobody was getting anything done for the next few hours.
Left alone and bored, Julian muttered, "So what's it like playing League on a giant screen…?"
He downloaded the client and logged in.
And damn—it felt amazing. The only downside was the neck strain from staring up at it.
As expected, matchmaking was way harder today. He waited forever before finally getting into a game.
Maybe it was the apocalypse messing with everyone's heads, but this match was weirdly friendly.
"Ah, you take red buff."
"No, no, you should have it."
"Dragon? I'll help!"
"You're about to go godlike? Come here, I'll donate a kill."
By late game, neither side wanted it to end.
Finding real players to match with was ridiculously difficult now.
Without even discussing it, both teams just held their lanes and stopped pushing towers. The match slowly turned into a mini chatroom.
"Hey, where's everyone from?"
"H City. I'm telling you, our place is basically overrun."
"I've only got food for three more days. After that, I'll have to risk going outside."
"Things are bad here too, but my family runs a convenience store. We can barely scrape by."
"Your family owns a convenience store? Damn, Tryndamere, I'm jealous."
"You think that's good? My family raises pigs. Zombies ate the pigs."
"Hey—anyone from N City?"
The Twisted Fate on the enemy team suddenly asked.
"N City? I am," Julian replied.
Who would've thought he'd run into someone from his own city in a game like this?
"Really? Then have you heard of Blackstone Camp?"
"I heard people set up a survivor camp in the basketball arena out in the suburbs!"
"I'm thinking about heading there."
Julian paused.
Blackstone Camp?
"I'd advise you not to," he said flatly. "That place won't last a week."
He knew it well.
Blackstone Camp was N City's first large-scale survivor base after the apocalypse began. It had grown fast—over a thousand people in just days.
But too many of them were still clinging to their pre-apocalypse identities and social hierarchies. Old status, old pride, old grudges. It didn't take long for internal conflict to explode.
Within a week of its founding, Blackstone Camp collapsed.
"That bad…?" Twisted Fate typed.
"Guess I'll check out East Lake Island instead."
East Lake Island…
That rang a bell.
It was a small island off the coast of N City, bought by a developer before the apocalypse and turned into a luxury resort hotel. The construction had finished, but it hadn't officially opened yet.
The island was only connected to the mainland by a single bridge stretching several hundred meters. Even boats couldn't dock directly on its shores.
If Julian remembered correctly, the strongest survivor base in N City later claimed that island.
"That's actually a great defensive location," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "Way better than this warehouse."
For now, the warehouse could hold off zombies—and even desperate humans.
But once awakened ability users and mutated zombies started appearing, it wouldn't be enough. The walls here could be smashed through easily.
And with all these supplies inside? It was practically begging to become a target.
Looks like I'll have to take East Lake Island sooner or later.
The problem was manpower.
Too few people, and moving and securing a new base would be tough.
Too many people… and his body wouldn't be able to handle it.
What a headache.
"My place isn't far from East Lake Island," Twisted Fate continued. "When we run out of food, I'm heading there. Master, wanna team up?"
"Sorry," Julian replied without hesitation. "I don't team up with strangers."
In the apocalypse, no one was absolutely trustworthy.
And with his current strength, he didn't need teammates anyway.
"Alright."
"My name's Tang Tang. Hope we all make it."
"See you if fate allows."
Twisted Fate logged off.
Julian didn't feel like chatting with the others either. He exited the game as well.
"East Lake Island…"
He opened Baidu and searched for aerial images. It didn't take long to find them.
The island was about five kilometers away—not far at all.
From the photos, the resort hotel looked fully built. It just hadn't opened for business yet. That probably meant the living facilities inside were already complete.
Most importantly, there was indeed only one bridge connecting it to the mainland.
If he secured that bridge, defending the place would be absurdly easy.
After thinking it through, Julian made his decision.
They were moving to East Lake Island. As soon as possible.
With the warehouse supplies and that island's terrain?
Life would be ridiculously comfortable.
Once the inventory was fully sorted, all they needed was to gather some gasoline and diesel. Then they could set off.
"Master, we've completed all the tasks you assigned!"
Uzaki Hana walked over with a neatly organized list.
"This is the warehouse inventory."
She had been an intern here before everything fell apart, so she knew the stock well. Using the original warehouse records, she compiled a more detailed list.
"Meat—pork, beef, chicken: 6,000 kilograms."
"Vegetables: 2,000 kilograms."
"Eggs: 500 kilograms."
"Frozen seafood: 3,000 kilograms."
"Food expiring within 10 days: 500 kilograms."
"Food expiring in 10–30 days: 3,000 kilograms."
…
Julian nodded in satisfaction.
It was thorough—very thorough.
But looking at it, one thing became clear: some of this food was going to go to waste.
Five hundred kilograms expiring within ten days.
Even if he stuffed himself, he could only manage five kilos a day at most.
That was a hundred days' worth for one person.
And then there were another three thousand kilograms with a 10-to-30-day shelf life.
How the hell was he supposed to finish all that?
He'd have to do something about it.
Trading for other supplies would work.
Better than letting it rot.
Gold, maybe.
In the apocalypse, paper currency was worthless. Only gold held its value.
Many survivor camps were already using gold as a base currency.
With this much food, he could probably trade for a decent stash.
"Hana, you and Mafuyu mark all the food that expires within ten and thirty days."
"If possible, stack them together."
"Yes, Master."
Hana nodded.
Then she looked at him with a faintly mischievous glint in her eyes.
A chill ran down Julian's spine.
It was broad daylight.
What was she planning now?
"....."