[XXO]: Ah! I've heard of that event, but I don't know the details. Just heard that within 72 hours of the blackout, the entire city fell into chaos.
[OOO]: I also heard about it, but back then, things like mobile phones and cameras didn't have the functions they have now, so there are very few photos documenting what happened.
[FNC Driver]: Exactly. It was a major city-wide blackout in New York. Just 4 hours after the power went out, people were in extreme panic. Robberies broke out continuously, hundreds of fires, thousands of thefts...
The police couldn't stop the crimes happening right in front of them.
That event showed how quickly humanity can collapse.
Imagine if the entire world lost power, laws collapsed, and everything fell apart. You would be facing a nightmare far beyond anything you can imagine.
[OOO]: Was it really that terrifying?
[XXX]: Sounds scary, but my area has blackouts all the time. Sometimes it lasts the whole day and everything stays peaceful.
[FNC Driver]: That's because only your area lost power, while other areas remained normal.
At that time, people only thought about waiting for the power to come back or feeling annoyed at the inconvenience. That's all.
[XXO]: We should return to the original topic of the post.
[XOX]: That's right. If you know so much, why don't you guide the OP on how to survive the apocalypse?
[FNC Driver]: Huh! I'm not that free, but I can give him a hint. He should find a safe shelter.
[OOO]: Damn it! After all that talking, you still can't help at all.
[XXX]: +1 Report!
[OOX]: +1
[XNX]: +1
...
After reading the comment, Rover felt that this user named [FNC Driver] clearly had a very deep understanding of apocalypse survival preparation.
He frowned and decided to send that person a private message.
[Apocalypse]: Hello, I'm the one who made the post. Could you spare a little time to talk with me?
Rover waited a long time. The message only showed "seen", and the other party had no intention of replying.
He decided to send another message.
[Apocalypse]: Of course, I will pay you.
[FNC Driver]: 010054033XXX -- BIDD Joint Commercial Bank.
Rover made a face, but eventually transferred 100 credit points to that account.
"Laura? A girl?" Rover muttered when he saw the account holder's name, but quickly dismissed the thought.
[Apocalypse]: Done!
[FNC Driver]: Hehehe... what do you want to ask?
[Apocalypse]: As in my post. Go into detail.
[FNC Driver]: I can only speak within my knowledge. Believe it or not is up to you, but at least I think it will make sense in the novel you're trying to write.
[Apocalypse]: I understand.
[FNC Driver]: Good. First, the main character needs to find a safe shelter. Based on the information you gave, the world will fall into black clouds, fog, and monsters, correct?
[Apocalypse]: Yes. I still haven't decided whether the fog affects the mutation of other creatures or not.
[FNC Driver]: Hm... in that case, does your idea include whether the fog affects humans?
[Apocalypse]: No, or very little. It seems to only limit visibility.
[FNC Driver]: If you include a strange detail that has no purpose, then I think you should either remove it or give it a function. For example, the black fog could mutate living creatures and turn dead humans into zombies.
Reading that message, Rover immediately thought back to his previous life.
Back then, he hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings. He only focused on finding food and trying to survive.
But zombies really did exist. People who died would become zombies after a short period of time.
'Perhaps this has something to do with the black fog,' Rover thought, then sent a message to [FNC Driver].
[Apocalypse]: Then I'll let the black fog function as you said—mutating creatures and turning dead people into zombies, but its effect on normal humans will be very minimal.
[FNC Driver]: Ah! Then you need to choose between two types of shelters.
One, an underground bunker.
Two, a sturdy high-rise building.
However, I lean more toward an underground bunker. After all, many cities have abandoned bomb shelters in the suburbs.
But such places are either deserted or turned into tourist attractions. If the protagonist can buy an old bomb shelter and renovate it, then not only can he avoid monsters and zombies, but he can also avoid other survivors.
As for high-rise buildings, they're complicated. If there are disasters like tornadoes or earthquakes, they can collapse easily. And they draw too much attention.
Rover finished reading and quickly picked up a notebook, writing everything down.
[FNC Driver]: However, if the bunker has water leakage issues, it becomes a tomb. So make sure you construct the plot carefully to avoid that.
There is another type of base, but if you let the protagonist have a system that builds bases, then everything becomes simple.
As for food supplies, you just need to...
Rover continued chatting and writing notes.
Until noon, when his stomach growled, he and [FNC Driver] finally ended the conversation.
Looking at the notebook filled with detailed notes, he felt extremely pleased.
'As expected...' Rover thought. 'One person can't do everything. I still need help from others.'
He transferred another 200 credit points to [FNC Driver], along with a thank-you message.
[FNC Driver]: Hehehe... if you need anything else, just message me. I'll definitely reply.
Rover turned off his phone, then based on the suggestions from [FNC Driver], he drove out of the house.
...
Rover entered a rather high-end restaurant and walked toward the cashier.
She greeted him with a friendly smile, bowing slightly.
"Hello, how may I help you?"
"I want to order 100 banquet tables."
"Huh?!" Hearing that, the staff girl jumped in surprise. "I'm sorry, what do you mean?"
"You didn't mishear." Rover smiled. "I want to order 100 banquet tables, each table including all the dishes on your menu. Then pack the food from each table into insulated foam boxes. Can you do that?"
The girl was stunned, finding it hard to believe.
Of course, she had seen customers order 100 tables or even more.
However, each table only had 7 to 10 dishes at most.
But this young man wanted 100 tables, and each table had to contain every single dish on the menu.
She quickly asked, "Sir, our menu has more than 30 dishes. The price per table will be about 1,200 credit points. Are you sure you want to order 100 tables?"
"Of course!" Rover said with a cheerful grin.
The waitress glanced at Rover's clothes, all cheap and ordinary, and suspicion rose in her heart. She said, "I'm sorry, for such a large order, I cannot decide on my own. I need to ask my manager."
"Good!" Rover waved casually, acting indifferent.
After she left, Rover felt a bit excited. This idea came from the suggestion of [FNC Driver]. He had even told her that the protagonist in his novel would have an infinite storage space just like he did.
Because of that, she recommended buying restaurant meals to diversify food choices.
After all, time inside his Storage Space was frozen. Food stored inside would never spoil.
If he bought raw meat, eggs, or vegetables, he could store them forever, but he didn't have the tools to cook them.
Besides, he couldn't survive by eating only canned food and ready-made products. That would cause severe nutritional imbalance.
A moment later, a fat man walked toward him with the waitress from earlier.
The fat man extended his hand and said with a laugh, "I'm Billy, the manager of this restaurant. I want to confirm again. You really want to order 100 banquet tables, each one including every dish on our menu, correct?"
Rover shook his hand and replied with a smile, "Exactly. And I need all the food from each table packed carefully and placed into insulated foam boxes. Alright?"
Although Billy found it strange, he was more professional than the girl. He immediately said, "Of course. It will take a lot of work and cost, but if you can pay one-third upfront, I can give you a 10 percent discount on the entire bill."
Naturally, Rover didn't refuse and paid one-third immediately.
Seeing that, the smile on Billy's face grew wider, his cheeks even turning red with excitement.
"Hahahaha..." Billy laughed loudly. "Sir, I guarantee we will finish all 100 banquet tables today."
Rover nodded. "Good. When everything is done, just call me. I'll send a truck to pick it up."
"Of course, of course!" Billy nodded repeatedly.
After exchanging a few more words, Rover left right away.
The waitress behind them whispered in confusion, "Manager, why would he order so much food? And he even wants everything packed into..."
"Shut up!" Billy snapped. "Why do you care? As long as he pays in full, even if he feeds all that food to pigs, I'll happily smile at those pigs."
"You're doing business. Do you want profit or pride?"
The waitress scratched her head, her face flushed with embarrassment.
...
Rover did not head to another restaurant. Instead, he went straight to the bank to verify the check Selvia had given him.
The bank employee took the check, glanced at Rover with slight confusion, then looked at the check again before making a call.
"Yes, yes, I'd like to verify something..."
She seemed to be calling Selvia. Rover simply slouched lazily in his seat, not planning to explain anything.
If the check was fake, then he would just borrow from loan sharks.
After all, the apocalypse would arrive in 10 days. How much he owed no longer mattered.
After a while, the bank employee smiled at him and asked gently, "Sir, you can cash this check. Would you like the money in cash or transferred to your account?"
Rover's jaw dropped for a second, but he quickly composed himself and smiled: "Transfer everything into my account."