The twist she didn't see coming

Because the properties were in auspicious locations, it was not difficult to sell them.

In just four days, all the properties were sold and garnered 1.7 billion yuan.

Her mind was still bothered by the second water thief, but no matter how deep she dug, not a trickle of clue about her or his identity surfaced. 

[Time until disaster: 11 days: 4 hours: 21 minutes]

Setting that matter aside, she started her shopping spree once again, buying food, water, medicine, miscellaneous items, and generators for Lin Weihao, Lin Yicheng, and his family.

The billboards that were promoting restaurant, automotive sales, banks, insurance, wireless phone companies, and movies before were now replaced by insulated clothes, medical kits, portable water purification devices, and generators.

And there's even a billboard infomercial on how to provide first aid treatment to a victim of heatstroke! 

Nanzhi was startled. She wanted to clap her hand.

Whoever puts those up must have some precognitive ability!

Heat stroke and dehydration were the main causes of the deaths during the heat wave.

At the entrance of every supermarket, Nanzhi saw a commotion and thought there was an accident.

But it was actually just the stalls selling boxes of canned goods, packs of noodles, boxes of self-heating rice, grains, oil, and boxes of distilled water, thermos, electric blankets, heating, and cooling pads for 50% to 70% discounts.

In the hardware and electronic shops were portable generators, hand crack charges, rechargeable and hand-crack fans, and batteries for 30% to 50% off.

Stores that sell camping paraphernalia were also featuring free waterproof lighters, fire starters, matches, rain gear, and purification tablets for every 100 yuan purchase.

She passed by the largest textile market and clothing shops and found them conducting promotional sales too. 

For every winter clothes or winter fabrics, they're selling out of light-colored cotton fabric and breathable linen at a marked-down price of 53%.

Drugstores and pharmacies also joined the craze and gave out free 'Heat Stress Kits' and 'Emergency Ice Packs' if the customers listened to their 30-minute educational video about surviving the summer heat and managed to answer their question correctly.

All the major feeds and hot searches in the online media apps were swamped by celebrities like Helen Wu and Mu Fanjing promoting a particular brand of solar panels, battery-operated bladeless fans, and so on.

"Hello Cuties, Xiao Lizi here! I've come across this adorable portable water filter straw with a boonie bears design! It purifies water in an instant without much hassle, and you can take it wherever you go."

Nanzhi only recognized that the girl from before was named Xiao Lizi and a entertainment star. 

Scrolling, she also famous mukbang and outdoor bloggers posted survival videos of themselves.

"This is called Prickly Pear and is a cactus variant that is edible! It can survive long periods of droughts and thrive in full sun!"

"If you ever get lost in the forest under the extreme sunny weather, look for caves, but beware of animal predators like bears and snakes!"

Even the most famous survival expert, Cho Jin, who rarely posts, shared his tips on how to find water during a drought.

It was the end of November right now, and people were preparing for the winter holidays that will start next week.

But what they didn't know was that the one that welcomed them was a long period of drought.

The commentary barrage in the chat section was filled with fans supporting their idols. 

Nanzhi eventually came to know the cause of the hype.

All TV networks had posted a survival contest about 'How to Beat the Heat' with a pool prize of 50 million yuan. 

This didn't happen in her past life. 

If she remembered it correctly, at this time, it should be Helen Wu's award-winning drama that was being profusely promoted.

She didn't know if this was just a total coincidence, but the timing couldn't be more perfect. 

Nanzhi didn't fish in opportunistic waters and left the discounted goods to the people. She aimed for the stocks in the factories.

Days passed like flowing water. Lu Nanzhi spent the money until there's only a 100, 000 yuan left. 

Lin Yicheng still didn't come. The weather still showed no signs of the impending calamity, and the crisp wind circulating in the city only became much colder.

Nanzhi wanted to send the supplies anonymously, but she didn't know their address. The only thing she knew was that the Pearl City Base was located inside the military base.

She tried going once but couldn't even pass the first blockade.

Her only shot now was during the buffer time in between disasters where the base was officially opened.

[Time until disaster: 10 days: 8 hours: 09 minutes]

[Time until disaster: 8 days: 6 hours: 12 minutes]

[Time until disaster: 7 days: 11 hours: 56 minutes]

....

[Time until disaster: 11 hours: 56 minutes]

Less than a day before the heat wave started, Nanzhi was in her kitchen cooking.

Because the balcony was opened, Nanzhi heard the sounds of an engine coming from outside the building.

She went to check out and found out it was three moving trucks unloading stuff.

As she was cooking, Nanzhi didn't stay long and entered her house. The TV in the living room was playing the live broadcast of the news channel.

Halfway, Nanzhi halted in her steps.

"Synergy Company's incumbent Chairwoman Lu Meiying will step down from her seat two days later after only less than two months of occupying her office due to health reasons. It is speculated that her brother Lu Chenyu is going to take over the position."

Lu Nanzhi rubbed her chin, seemingly surprised by the outcome. "Lu Chenyu actually managed to get the upper hand in the end." Regardless, with the natural disaster coming, his reign would not last long. 

Just before she could change the channel, another news story struck her attention, shaking her to the core. 

"The meteorological station in the capital detected a tropical depression, only 1,400 kilometers from the east of our country as of 3 pm today. Several parts of the country will experience scattered rainfall in the evening." 

A cold wave washed over her, tingling at the nape of her neck like icy fingers.