Chapter 2: A pair of siblings and a dog in the apocalypse

The Destruction Era?

After seeing these three characters, Li Tianran's heart pounded rapidly. It's as if the words possessed a chilling power that made his hands and feet turn cold.

The originally cloudless clear sky had now turned into a gloomy and eerie shroud. The radiant sun, which used to shine brilliantly, seemed to be obstructed by something, with its edges already engulfed in darkness, and the dark portion continuously expanding.

"A solar eclipse?"

Li Tianran knew very well that rare astronomical phenomena like a solar eclipse would be reported by the celestial observatory and the media a week before its occurrence.

However, Li Tianran had not heard any news about a solar eclipse before.

This meant... the "Destruction Era" mentioned by the system prompt might be real.

This wasn't just a solar eclipse; it was a harbinger of the apocalypse!

"The end is near, less than six hours away. How should I prepare?" Li Tianran felt his mind in chaos.

After forcibly calming down, he pondered for a moment and said solemnly, "During an apocalypse, there are usually sudden temperature changes and food shortages... Yes, clothing and food."

Clothing, food, shelter... as the saying goes, they are the essential resources for survival.

Countless past disasters have proven this point.

Warm clothing and nourishing food are always the top priorities for sustaining life.

With this in mind, he immediately rushed out of the door, disregarding everything else, and picked up Hanhan and Xia Hei, heading straight for the truck parked at the entrance of the estate.

…..

Thirty minutes later.

Li Tianran returned from the city, and his truck was now filled with various supplies.

From winter clothing to cooking spices, there was even a simple diesel generator. It took nearly two hours to move all these things into the warehouse, and Li Tianran finally felt a slight sense of calm.

"Big Brother, why did we buy so many things?" Hanhan sat in the passenger seat, swinging her legs outside the door and holding a chicken leg.

She asked curiously, "Are you planning to open a supermarket?"

Indeed, judging by the variety and quantity of the items Li Tianran purchased, it could easily stock a supermarket. In other words, if these supplies were used solely for the survival of two people, they could last for two to three years!

"Better safe than sorry..." Li Tianran didn't directly answer Hanhan's question. After all, the concept of an apocalypse was too terrifying and unfamiliar for a child like her.

He glanced at the system prompt.

Time remaining until the Destruction Era arrives: 3 hours, 26 minutes, 37 seconds.

At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky became even denser.

The sun had already disappeared halfway, and there was an extremely oppressive feeling in the entire world.

….

Li Tianran's residence was a two-story building within the estate.

The first floor used to serve as a restaurant for entertaining guests. It was equipped with all the necessary dining utensils. In addition, the kitchen was connected to a warehouse of about 100 square meters, used to store food ingredients and some seeds.

The second floor was his and Hanhan's room.

After carefully closing all the windows on both floors and confirming that there were no loopholes, Li Tianran, taking advantage of Hanhan watching cartoons, walked out of the building and headed to the area where the cows and sheep grazed.

He herded the two restless cows and a dozen or so goats into the shed, which was swaying in the wind due to the changes in the celestial phenomena. Only then did Li Tianran finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Only at this moment did he have time to carefully examine the specific interface of this doomsday game.

The virtual interface was quite rudimentary, like a poorly made web game.

There were a total of three options.

Permission interface.

Exchange interface.

Shop interface.

He glanced at the permission interface first.

LV1 Shelter Permission: Remote control of the shelter/50,000 points (Even if the player leaves the shelter, they can always monitor the shelter and all products from the shop in real-time and give commands at any time)

Other permissions require upgrading to unlock…

Li Tianran raised an eyebrow and then directly chose to enter the shop interface.

The shop interface appeared, but for now, only three categories were available, while the following seven categories were completely grayed out, showing "Activated after Shelter Upgrade."

The only three categories were Upgrade, Tools, and Resources.

Li Tianran raised an eyebrow and chose to enter the Upgrade category.

"Upgrade the shelter and choose between Defense and Expansion!"

Defense and Expansion were two different interfaces with completely different items for sale.

Defense category:

Wooden Fence (1 meter/30 points)

Iron Bar Fence (1 meter/300 points)

Concrete Thorn Fence (1 meter/600 points)

Alloy Fortress Fence (1 meter/6,000 points)

Radar Guard:

Surveillance Level (1 unit/2,000 points)

Patrol Level (1 unit/5,000 points)

Laser Tower: Locked…

Warning: Player Li Tianran's shelter defense level is rated 3, only capable of defending against small wild animal invasions, and it is considered extremely high risk. It is recommended to establish a defense system as soon as possible!

Around the estate, a fence made of bamboo poles and iron wire trembled in the wind.

Then, Li Tianran looked at the expansion items.

Expansion category:

Intelligent Work Robot: Household Level (1/10,000 points), Farming Level (1/50,000 points), Industrial Level (1/500,000 points)

Battle Warriors: Level 1 Hummingbird (1/1,000 points), Level 2 Hunting Dog (1/5,000 points), Level 3 Adult (1/50,000 points), Level 4 Tank (1/5,000,000 points), Level 5 Mech (1/1,000,000,000 points)

Li Tianran felt a tightness in his chest. The items in the shop were good, but the prices... it was hard to put it into words!

However, at that moment, he suddenly remembered that he still had the novice rewards to check.

He trembled as he opened his backpack interface and saw the gift-wrapped box.

Received points reward: 500,000!

Received radar: Surveillance Level x3, Patrol Level x1!

Received battle warriors: Hummingbird Level x20, Hunting Dog Level x1!

Received seeds (Radiation-Resistant Level): Corn 30 kg, Soybean 30 kg, Rice 30 kg!

Received Simulated Sun: Energy (300/300)!

Received LV1 Crop Accelerator: 80 liters!

Received LV1 Livestock Accelerator: 80 liters!

Do you want to retrieve items from the inventory?

Li Tianran selected "Yes"!

In an instant, a pile of items appeared abruptly in front of Li Tianran on the empty ground.

And the most eye-catching were those mechanical battle warriors.

Twenty Hummingbird-level battle warriors exuded a dull metallic sheen all over their bodies, resembling hummingbirds as they flew with gentle wing vibrations.

Li Tianran curiously observed the row of mechanical guards in front of him. In his mind, it was as if a high-powered computer was instantly presenting him with the status of these guards.

Hummingbird No. 1 (Level 1 Battle Warrior):

Ammo Capacity: 100/100

Damage Level: 0/100

Speed: 5 (1 second/5 meters)

Lethality: 3 (able to penetrate 3-millimeter steel plates)

Defense: 1 (able to withstand attacks of 100 kilograms of force)

Attack method: Shooting!

With a single thought, he gave them an attack command.

In the next moment, the hummingbird guards suddenly sprang into action, and the sound of gunfire continued!

A water tank placed at a distance was instantly shattered!

Li Tianran's pupils contracted.

The power... If it hit a person, it would undoubtedly be instantly lethal!

Li Tianran then looked at the only Hunting Dog level.

Hunting Dog No. 1 (Level 2 Battle Warrior)

Ammo Capacity: 50/50

Fuel Capacity: 100/100

Speed: 4

Lethality: 6

Defense: 5

Attack methods: Incineration, Shooting, Biting!

In an instant, a flash of fire erupted as a ten-meter-long fire snake shot out from the mechanical hunting dog's mouth, igniting a massive fireball in the air.

Even though there was a ten-meter gap, Li Tianran could sense the suffocating heat. Even steel would melt!

Yes!

Li Tianran looked at the items in front of him and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The newbie rewards were indeed impressive!

With these things, even in the midst of doomsday, he had a trump card for survival!

….

Thirty minutes later, Li Tianran returned to the small building.

By now, his points had decreased from 500,000 to about 30,000.

He had purchased five Surveillance Guards, five Patrol Guards, and twenty Hummingbird-level battle warriors, and he had also added an iron bar fence around his estate.

But he couldn't blame himself for being too cautious.

In the midst of the apocalypse, the worst aspects of human nature would be revealed to the fullest.

In other words, those who lost their humanity in the face of disaster were themselves a part of the disaster.

Precaution was necessary.

Under Li Tianran's modifications, the estate now had the semblance of a fortress. He was confident that unless a regular army attacked, no one could forcefully invade it!

The television was still playing Peppa Pig, and Hanhan was laughing carefreely along with the characters on the screen.

On the table, there was a plate of half-eaten egg fried rice and a chicken leg.

Li Tianran sat down, picked up the plate, and started eating with a smile. He asked, "Why didn't you finish it? Are you not in a good mood?"

"Both Xiao Hei and I are full," Hanhan shook her head. "This is specifically for Big Brother."

Li Tianran was momentarily stunned, then he took a few bites with a smile and tossed the remaining leg bone with a little meat to the eager-looking Xiao Hei nearby.

Woof!

Xiao Hei immediately pounced, wagging its tail happily.

Li Tianran let out a sigh of relief.

These days were truly enjoyable…

However, he didn't know how long they would last.

He looked up at the inexplicably dark sky and fell silent for a moment. He gently patted Hanhan's head and asked, "Hanhan, if the world remains in darkness like this starting today, would you be scared?"

Hanhan nodded. "Yes, I would be scared."

Then, as if remembering something, she snuggled into Li Tianran's arms, barefoot, and wrapped her arms around his shoulder. She giggled and said, "Like this... I won't be scared anymore!"

Li Tianran was momentarily stunned, then he beckoned to Xiao Hei with his finger.

Xiao Hei obediently jumped onto the couch and lay down beside Li Tianran.

Li Tianran looked at the gloomy sky outside the window. He knew very well that he, and the entire world, were about to face the most terrifying apocalypse. Therefore, he could only find peace in the presence of the most important things in his life.

It started a long time ago.

A pair of siblings and a dog.

They formed their own separate world, with everyone else being outsiders and everything else being irrelevant. No one could separate them.

Whether it was Zhong Ling or the apocalypse.