Chapter 46
At five o'clock in the morning, the suburban agricultural wholesale market was already filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares.
Su Jing wore a black baseball cap and anti-fog sunglasses, with a dark mask covering most of her face, revealing only a pair of calm eyes. She carried a waterproof folder containing a shopping list and blended in with the early-morning vendors, completely inconspicuous.
Having just sold 10,000 kilograms of gold on the black market the day before, and with 70 million yuan in cash in her account, her goal was clear: to stockpile as many essential supplies as possible into her space that could quickly replenish energy, be stored for a long time, and improve the quality of life in the apocalypse.
She went straight to "Dingsheng Trade" at the innermost part of the market—the largest comprehensive distributor in the wholesale market, covering multiple categories such as cooked food, snacks, beverages, and daily necessities. She had dealt with the owner, Brother Li, before when she bought emergency supplies online. He was a straightforward person and was used to the requirement that "large customers make bulk purchases without asking about the purpose".
Su Jing pushed open the glass door. Brother Li was sitting behind the counter checking orders. When he saw her, he immediately stood up to greet her: "Boss, the usual routine? Just tell me what kind of products you want and the quantity, and I'll have the warehouse prepare them."
"First look at the prepared food section; the food should be able to be stored at room temperature or remain unchanged in taste after refrigeration."
Su Jing opened the folder and ran her finger over the "cooked food" list: "1000 jin of braised beef (vacuum-packed, 2 jin per bag), 500 jin of braised pig's trotters (boneless, in a food storage box), 200 vacuum-packed roast ducks (individually packaged), 300 ready-to-eat salted ducks, 200 jin of Sichuan spicy rabbit heads, and 100 jin of Cantonese roast meats (including char siu and roast goose). All cooked food must have the latest production date and a shelf life of at least 6 months."
As Li entered the information into the computer, he nodded and said, "No problem. The cooked food warehouse was just restocked yesterday. If we can gather enough, we can deliver it to your designated warehouse this afternoon."
Next up are instant food and staple foods. Su Jing stated her requirements: "50,000 boxes of instant noodles, in three flavors: braised, spicy, and seafood. Each flavor will be paired with a corresponding vegetable packet and a meat and egg packet, plus 20,000 boxes of instant noodle accompaniments (braised eggs and ham sausages)."
For the staple food category, we need 100,000 frozen steamed buns (10 per bag), 50,000 jin of dried noodles (half thin noodles and half wide noodles), 200,000 quick-frozen dumplings (two kinds of fillings: pork and cabbage, and chives and eggs, 50 per bag), and 100,000 steamed buns (filled with red bean paste and fresh meat, vacuum-packed).
For pre-made barbecue items, we need 5,000 marinated lamb skewers, 3,000 beef skewers, and 10,000 Taiwanese-style sausages (pure meat), along with 500 bottles of barbecue sauce, 300 bottles of cumin powder, and 200 bottles of chili powder. All items must be sealed in airtight packaging to prevent flavor mixing.
Brother Li's fingers flew across the keyboard, and the order amount on the screen kept changing: "These instant foods and noodles are readily available in the warehouse, but we need to coordinate with the cold storage to get the dumplings and buns. They can be delivered by tomorrow morning at the latest, is that alright?"
Su Jing nodded and pointed to the snack section on the shelf: "We need 10,000 cans of potato chips (half original flavor and half tomato flavor), 5,000 boxes of mixed nuts (daily nut flavor, including walnuts, almonds, and cashews), 2,000 pieces of dark chocolate (85% cocoa content, high energy), 10,000 packs of spicy strips (different brands, individually packaged), 500 jin of beef jerky (air-dried, good for storage), and 5,000 boxes of biscuits (half soda and half filled). All of them must be sealed and moisture-proof."
Beverages and condiments are key to improving the quality of life in the apocalypse. Su Jing was particularly meticulous when submitting her order: "For beverages, I need 10,000 bottles of Coca-Cola (500ml each), 20,000 bottles of orange juice (1L each, NFC freshly squeezed), 5,000 bottles of lemon-flavored soda, and 3,000 bottles of energy drinks (to replenish electrolytes)."
Give me 10,000 bottles of every kind of juice you have, and 100,000 bottles of mineral water.
The condiments needed include 1000 bottles of light soy sauce (500ml each), 500 bottles of dark soy sauce, 800 bottles of oyster sauce, 600 bottles of cooking wine, 500 sets of braising spice packets (three flavors: five-spice, spicy, and soy sauce), 2000 packets of hot pot base (half clear broth and half beef tallow), 1000 bottles of cooking oil (500 bottles each of rapeseed oil and peanut oil), 500 jin (250 kg) of iodized salt, and 300 jin (150 kg) of white sugar.
Brother Li was increasingly surprised as he remembered, but he didn't ask any more questions. He only reminded him, "The amount of condiments and drinks is too large, so they need to be delivered in two trucks. But don't worry, they were all produced recently and have a shelf life of at least one year."
Su Jing didn't stop, and continued to list daily necessities and fresh produce: "Daily necessities include 5,000 packs of sanitary napkins (one-third each of daytime, nighttime, and panty liners), 10,000 rolls of toilet paper (10 rolls per roll, virgin wood pulp), 5,000 boxes of facial tissues, 3,000 packs of baby wipes (alcohol-free, suitable for wiping hands and face), and 1,000 bottles of laundry detergent (concentrated)."
The skincare products needed include 2000 bottles of moisturizing cream (suitable for dry skin, usable in sub-zero temperatures), 3000 tubes of hand cream, and 5000 hydrating face masks (individually packaged for easy storage).
For fresh produce, we need 5,000 jin of apples (Red Fuji, bagged for preservation), 3,000 jin of oranges (Gannan navel oranges, long shelf life), and 2,000 jin of kiwifruit (firm fruit, can be stored for 1 month). For leafy greens, we need 1,000 jin each of spinach, lettuce, and broccoli (vacuum-packed, roots wrapped in damp paper towels to extend shelf life).
After reporting all the items, Brother Li turned the computer screen to Su Jing: "A total of 32,860 items. With the bulk discount, the total price is 30 million after deducting odds. Just transfer the money to the previous corporate account. The delivery address is still Warehouse No. 12, Area A, Suburban Logistics Park."
Su Jing confirmed the order was correct and immediately transferred 30 million yuan anonymously via mobile banking, noting "agricultural product purchase payment". Upon receiving the transfer notification, Brother Li immediately called the warehouse manager: "Prepare the goods according to the list and deliver them in three batches. The first batch of cooked food, beverages, and condiments will arrive at the warehouse at 3 pm today. The second batch of instant food, snacks, and daily necessities will arrive at 9 am tomorrow. The third batch of fresh food, noodles, and pre-made barbecue will arrive at 5 pm tomorrow. Make sure to be on time and don't make any mistakes."
After leaving "Dingsheng Commerce and Trade", Su Jing went around to the "Old Brand Specialty Dishes Store" on the outside of the market, which brings together pre-made specialty dishes from all over the country.
She ordered 100 Peking ducks (vacuum-packed, with pancakes and sweet bean sauce), 500 packets of Sichuan spicy hot pot base (beef tallow type, enough for 2-3 people), 300 servings of Hunan chopped pepper fish head pre-made dish (frozen, ready to eat after heating), 2000 servings of Guangdong rice noodle roll pre-made dish (with soy sauce packet), and 500 servings of Northeastern sauerkraut and pork pre-made dish, spending 5 million yuan. It was agreed that the goods would be delivered to the warehouse together with the second batch of supplies from "Dingsheng Trading".
For the next two days, Su Jing would appear at the suburban warehouse on time every evening.
When the first batch of supplies arrived, she instructed the delivery drivers to neatly stack the boxes in the center of the warehouse. Only after the drivers had driven away and the warehouse was empty did she concentrate her mind—
"Put all cooked food, beverages, and condiments into the space's daily necessities area." The "daily necessities area" in the space has already been automatically divided into sub-areas by the system: the cooked food area holds braised beef, roast duck, etc., the beverage area holds cola and juice, and the condiment area neatly arranges soy sauce and spice packets. Each area has "temperature control" and "moisture-proof preservation" functions, and the panel displays "supply status: intact, shelf life 6-12 months remaining" in real time.
When the second batch of instant food, snacks, and daily necessities arrived, Su Jing had two robots wait in the warehouse in advance—the robots' robotic arms could quickly lift, sort, and stack instant noodle boxes, snack containers, and sanitary napkins, avoiding the time-consuming manual handling.
After the robot neatly arranged the supplies, she lightly tapped the system panel, and tens of thousands of boxes of supplies disappeared instantly. The sub-area of the "livelihood zone" in the space expanded again: the fast food area was piled with mountains of instant noodles and dumplings, the snack area was filled with potato chips and nuts, the daily necessities area had toilet paper and laundry detergent stacked like supermarket shelves, and skin care products were placed separately in a moisture-proof drawer to avoid being squeezed and damaged.
When the third batch of fresh produce and pre-made barbecue arrived, Su Jing specifically checked the preservation status—the apples had smooth skin without spots, the vacuum packaging of the vegetables was intact and leak-free, and the frozen layer of the pre-made barbecue skewers was still covered with white frost.
She instructed the robot to place fresh produce into the "refrigerated area" (a sub-function unlocked by the system, with a constant temperature of 5°C, which can extend the shelf life of fresh produce to 1 month), while pre-cooked barbecue was placed into the "frozen area" (-18°C, suitable for long-term storage). Finally, the pre-packaged specialty dishes were placed into the "cooked food area," grouped with the braised beef and roast duck from before.
When the last box of Hunan-style chopped chili fish head was stored in her spatial storage, Su Jing checked the system panel and found that the "People's Livelihood Zone" had stored more than 30,000 items of supplies, covering seven categories: cooked food, instant food, snacks, beverages, fresh food, daily necessities, and skin care products, with a total cost of 35 million yuan. The account had 35 million yuan in cash remaining, which would be reserved for the subsequent purchase of energy, defense materials, and other supplies.
She had just closed the panel when the warehouse's metal door swayed gently in the evening breeze. Suddenly, a system notification sounded, and three private message notifications popped up on the edge of the panel.
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