Storage Ring
Tang Li Yue eyed the ring lazily tossed over the journal like an afterthought. A slim piece of metal with a crystal in the center—small but oddly familiar. Isn't this a spirit stone? Albeit, a tiny piece. It still was a spirit stone.
Li Yue had mentioned this so-called storage ring, and Tang Li Yue had been skeptical. But now, it was clear—this world wasn't that different from the Central Plains, at least in the this department. The ring operated on the same principle as a typical storage ring back home: spirit stones powering pocket spaces created with internal energy or spiritual power.
Pretty complicated stuff, usually reserved for the experts. And here was Li Yue, nonchalantly saying she made it herself. How humble.
Not only did Li Yue manage to craft this ring, but she also filled it with supplies… from the future. Talk about being prepared.
Still, Tang Li Yue wasn't going to rest on her laurels—or Li Yue's stash. The apocalypse probably wasn't the type of event to just wrap up neatly with a bow. No, she had to hoard more supplies, stockpile for eternity. Because who knows how long the end of the world would drag on?
She grabbed a needle from the sewing kit, pricked her finger, and smeared blood on the ring's crystal, face as blank as ever. After all, this wasn't her first time bonding with a storage ring. This was a standard in the Sichuan Tang Clan. Tang Li Yue, as the Saintess, owns multiple of such rings.
Instantly, she felt the connection to the space inside the ring, and her eyes widened. Li Yue might have been downplaying things—this wasn't some average storage ring.
It was a freaking warehouse district.
Ten massive spaces, each about 25,000 square feet, divided like aisles in a supermarket.
Half of them even had time frozen inside, which meant the food wouldn't spoil. Perishables? Not anymore.
"Nice. Meat won't spoil now," she mused, impressed. Finally, I can stockpile like a maniac."
No wonder Li Yue included food when she talked about the supplies in the ring. Tang Li Yue was impressed.
"Too bad living things couldn't be stored in it," she muttered.
"Can't be picky, though. This ring is still a godsend."
Tang Li Yue sighed, rubbing her temples. "Now, if only I wasn't a walking encyclopedia of martial arts with the body of a noodle." She knew the techniques, but her current body wasn't up to the challenge. If a stiff breeze blows, I'm done for.
Making a mental note to gather medicinal herbs for body-strengthening tonics, she couldn't help but reminisce about her grubby uncle, who used to hand over remedies with no questions or payment asked.
Ah, good ol' uncle… Always a reliable pharmacy on legs.
She resolved to try cultivating her inner Qi again—if for no other reason than pride. She was Tang Li Yue, Saintess of the Sichuan Tang Clan, not some random weakling. Besides, inner Qi was also necessary in order for her to use the higher level of the Tang Dagger Arts.
"I will get my inner energy back if it's the last thing I do," she mumbled to Sir Edmund Pawtipurr, who was lounging on the window sill, utterly indifferent to her existential crisis.
Tang Li Yue shook her head and turned her attention to the journal Li Yue had left behind. Compared to the neat handwriting of her letter, the journal looked like it had been scribbled by someone in a feverish rush.
Tang Li Yue winced at the chaotic scrawls, thinking, "Was she battling zombies or her own handwriting?"
The first entry was filled with warnings:
How it will start:
A couple of weeks from now, there would be a widespread news about the flu going around. It would be chalked up to the weather that would start to change erratically. Extreme heat and sudden thunderstorms would be the norm.
The government would say that it's just a persistent viral infection. But it isn't. The hospitals will be overwhelmed. If you have a fever at this time, stay at home. Stock up on food, water, and medicines.
If you believe my letter, then you have a month to prepare more. Prioritize buying grains and flour. These are high-priced commodities in the apocalypse. Some bases will require it as entry fee.
Buy solar-powered gears. Electricity would only come be usable again when the bases have been established.
Get plenty of quilts and winter wear, fire starters, lighters, and heat pads. The extreme heat would be followed by the extreme cold. Trust me, it's no joke.
Buy as much as gasoline as legally possible. If you have no car, don't worry. Cars would be free in the apocalypse.
Tang Li Yue snorted. "Free cars, huh? Marvelous mechanical things… that I can't drive. Yeah, no thanks, I'll probably crash and die faster than a zombie could get me." She chuckled at her own morbid joke, moving on.
Then her eyes landed on a page where Li Yue had switched to red ink.
Zombies.
Behead them. Bash their head. Puncture their skulls.
That's the only way to end zombies. Well, normal ones. This is easy to do in the beginning of the apocalypse.
But as time passes, some of these fuckers evolve into mutant ones. When you meet a mutant, run. If you're fortunate, you can escape.
But if you have shitty luck, you'd be food.
The only cardinal rule that applies to all of them is: Destroy the brain.
About three months after the beginning, you'll be able to find crystals in the zombies' heads.
Just keep them. They are useful in a lot of ways.
DON'T FUCKING EAT THEM.
Tang Li Yue's jaw dropped when she read the words written in big characters and in bold.
"Eat them?! Eat something from a jiangshi's brain?!" Tang Li Yue suddenly she shrieked, causing Sir Edmund Pawtipurr to leap off his window perch in shock
"Sorry, little cutie," she apologized, rubbing his head. "But seriously, who would eat something out of a zombie's head?! Even if you boil it a hundred times, it's still… undead."
The idea made her stomach turn. Even if she cleaned it a thousand times, it would never change the fact that it had once been lodged inside a zombie's brain. Tang Li Yue hurriedly flipped through the rest of the journal, barely able to stomach any more surprises.
The next sections talked about infected animals and plants mutating into dangerous predators. Basically, the entire world was out to kill any remaining humans. Tang Li Yue's thoughts drifted back to the Central Plains, where at least the beasts you faced were normal—wild boars, wolves, or rival martial artists. This world seemed much more… inconvenient.
But one entry caught her attention: Ability Users.
Ability users are individuals who survived the fever. Probably as a gift for not becoming a zombie, they were able to obtain supernatural abilities—manipulating elements, enhancing their physical traits, or controlling energies beyond the realm of ordinary humans.
They are the new powerhouses. A force to counter the walking dead. If only they weren't so greedy.
Tang Li Yue smirked, her eyes flashing with irony. Back in the Central Plains, true experts wielded similar abilities, though they called them internal energy. Here, they seemed to be gifts for surviving the apocalypse. What a bizarre place.
Heh. Power was always a double-edged sword, whether in the martial world or here. Just as in the Central Plains, those with strength had to watch out for greed and betrayal. Tang Li Yue knew that painfully well.
With a final sigh, she closed the journal. "Greed, betrayal, and zombie crystals. Same problems, different world."