Chapter 12 The Final Preparation

Han Jiaojiao's room was personally decorated by her mother in a ladylike style, elegant in both its furnishings and decor. Although some of the objects had become old-fashioned, the care and attention of the person who had arranged the room were still evident.

Yet, tears eventually streamed down.

The more she had lost in the past, the more precious everything seemed at this moment. How fortunate she was to be cherished and pampered by so many, to have grown up smoothly despite being an orphan with no parents...

"Mom... Dad... from now on, I will take good care of my brother... You can rest assured," she whispered.

Han Jiaojiao wiped away her tears and joyfully opened her wardrobe, selecting a set of comfortable home clothes to change into.

As she changed her clothes, her face began to feel hot again. Her clothes as a child were all prepared by her mother. But after her mother's death, it was her brother who took over... even her underwear was bought by her brother. Han Jiaojiao knew her brother certainly wouldn't go to the lingerie store to pick them out himself, yet the thought of her brother solemnly instructing his secretary to buy a specific style and size of underwear made her want to laugh; the scene was just too amusing.

If she had the chance, she really wanted to ask her brother... how exactly did he choose her underwear?

After changing, Han Jiaojiao walked downstairs. Han Yi glanced up and saw her eyes were somewhat red but her face had a smile, indicating she was in a good mood, so he was reassured.

"Come and eat," he said.

The dishes were all set on the dining table. Han Jiaojiao moved her chair a bit closer to Han Yi before sitting down to eat.

Indeed, all her favorite dishes were there.

How blind had she been in the past not to see this man's kindness to her?

Han Jiaojiao had planned to discuss future plans with her brother while eating, but at that moment, she felt that those things were not important anymore.

She secretly observed what Han Yi was picking to eat, yet after a while, she couldn't really make any sense of his preferences. It seemed that her brother... wasn't picky at all?

"What's wrong? Don't you want to eat?" Han Yi asked, thinking she didn't like the food.

Han Jiaojiao shook her head and continued eating, then took the opportunity to ask him, "Brother, what do you usually like to eat?"

Han Yi was slightly surprised before he realized his sister wasn't eating well because she was concerned about his preferences.

"There's nothing I particularly love," Han Yi said with a gentle smile. "I generally like what you enjoy eating."

Han Jiaojiao happily responded, "That's what they call 'love me, love my dog,' right?"

Han Yi laughed, "Hmm."

After finishing the meal, Han Yi went to the study, while Han Jiaojiao sneakily went to the kitchen to ask the cook, Mrs. Zhang, about the foods Han Yi loved as a child.

The young lady suddenly taking interest in the young master's preferences had stirred quite a buzz. Before long, the older servants who had been with the Han Family for years gathered in the kitchen, talking animatedly. This actually helped Han Jiaojiao obtain quite a bit of valuable information.

Han Jiaojiao was thrilled! She didn't care about the impending end of the world anymore; she was sure her brother would have things well planned. He was able to quickly gather a large amount of supplies even when previously things were rushed. Could this time be any worse? Han Jiaojiao signed herself up for a cooking class, with Mrs. Zhang as her teacher, and she spent the whole afternoon busily and happily.

Mrs. Zhang kept praising her talent, so much so that when Han Jiaojiao left the kitchen, her face was still blooming with joy.

On the seventh day, Han Jiaojiao was regripped by the urgency from before the apocalypse. She was somewhat distracted all day, and even entertained the strange thought that perhaps everything after the apocalypse was just a dream. Maybe the meteors wouldn't come, and there wouldn't be any monsters; maybe she had just had a nightmare?

Han Jiaojiao sat on a stone stool in the backyard, quietly watching the sun slowly set, counting the time in her heart.

Suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulders and turned to see Han Yi draping a silver-gray fur coat over her.

Jiaojiao's eyes lit up, and she reached out to touch it, "You got this so quickly?!"

"Yeah, it was delivered right after we got off the plane."

Jiaojiao was so infatuated with the fur coat that her entire face was buried in it.

It was so warm... Now it was early autumn, naturally it wasn't necessary, but after the meteor impact, the temperature would drastically rise. After a greenhouse effect lasting half a year, the Earth would enter an ice age, the temperature dropping to between negative ten and negative forty degrees. The sudden drop in temperature caught people off guard, and while scrambling for food, they had to start collecting items for warmth. She still remembered, during that time, almost half of the people at the base had frozen to death. The bodies were piled up and burned at a set time and place every day, and incredibly, burning the bodies also provided some heat to the base...

For a long time, Jiaojiao seemed to smell the scent of burning bodies...

"Brother, do you think my dream will come true..." Jiaojiao had a vacant look in her eyes, "...Maybe nothing will happen, maybe the meteor and all that is fake."

If that were the case, having her brother rush around Canada to hoard a large quantity of fur coats would seem quite ridiculous, huh... and they would probably end up sprayed across news headlines by some animal rights organizations.

As Jiaojiao let her mind wander, Han Yi had already opened his arms and hugged her.

Jiaojiao quickly straightened up to share some of his weight, "Brother, why aren't you using your crutch again? The doctor said that even though the wound has healed, it's best not to put too much strain on your knee."

Han Yi's chin rested on her head as he chuckled, "Little housekeeper."

Jiaojiao helped him walk back slowly.

After about ten steps, the ground suddenly shook, and the surrounding flowers and trees trembled as well. They looked at each other, both knowing the answer.

Although the amplitude was small, it was quite noticeable, and the vibration would have felt much more severe if they had been in a high-rise building.

Soon, there were shouts from afar, as the servants passed messages among themselves—

"Was that an earthquake?! Was it an earthquake?"

"Did you feel it too? It must have been an earthquake..."

"Quick, go check the news."

Han Yi said calmly, "Tomorrow we can use that as an excuse to reinforce the courtyard walls."

Jiaojiao nodded. An earthquake, huh? The master worried about the buildings not being sturdy enough, bringing in a group of workers would not draw attention.

"Alien Species aren't good climbers, just raising it a bit should be enough for defense. Let's add an electric fence too, it can prevent mutated flying creatures."

Han Yi raised an eyebrow, "Mutated flying creatures?"

"Yeah," Jiaojiao gestured with her hand to explain the scope, "Apart from this garden, it's best to enclose everything with electric nets. Those mutated birds and bats, though not very lethal, could be quite troublesome if they swarm."

She pointed at the plants beside her, "Once the workers are here, let's have some of them clear out the garden plants too, the mutated plants are unpredictable and many are poisonous. Also— the base was established two weeks after the Alien Species appeared, but whether it was safety or living conditions, all aspects were inadequate, and it took about two months to fully get on track; therefore, it would be best if we could hold out here for at least two months..."

Seeing Jiaojiao lay out so many details of the apocalyptic world, Han Yi's eyes flickered with suspicion, yet he ultimately asked nothing.

Then, he heard Jiaojiao let out a soft sigh, "The apocalypse has come."