Chapter 5

As the car passed duty-free shop near the airport, Leah checked her phone.

11:40 a.m.

They still had more than two hours before check-in and baggage drop closed for their afternoon flight.

The airport was only a five or six-minute drive from here.

She spoke up at once.

“Could you stop at the duty-free store, please?”

Time was short.

Since her rebirth, every minute had become precious.

She had to start stockpiling for the apocalypse now.

She would buy whatever she could here.

Once they met Warren, the family could sit down and plan everything else.

Beside her, Vivian was completely baffled.

A moment ago, Leah had been desperate to reach the airport.

Now she wanted to stop and shop.

Vivian could not make sense of it.

But Leah had spotted the airport nearby, and some of the tension she carried throughout the drive finally eased.

If they checked in and boarded on time, they would have taken the first step toward safety.

Leah opened the car door with a smile. She caught Vivian by the wrist and playfully tugged her toward the store.

“Miss Kane, it’s your time to shine. We have one job for the next two hours.

“Buy everything in this store that we might need.”

Vivian stared at her in confusion.

“What?”

Leah blinked and spoke seriously, though she tried to sound playful.

“Miss Kane, suppose the world ended tomorrow, and modern civilization vanished. What would we need to stockpile to survive?

“Buy with that in mind. Don’t worry about the money. Get as much as you want.”

She had no time to ease her mother’s confusion.

Leah went straight to the counter and arranged to leave their luggage there.

Then she took Vivian’s hand and hurried into the duty-free mall.

Leah knew her mother could not understand why she was acting this way.

But it was still too soon to tell her everything.

First, they needed to board the plane and meet Warren.

Then Leah could tell both her parents what was coming.

Once news of the earthquake confirmed her warning, they would find it easier to believe the rest.

Any explanation she gave now would sound impossible.

The first floor was filled with counters selling luxury cosmetics and skincare products from around the world.

Leah headed for the brands she and Vivian usually used.

Leah went from counter to counter and called over a sales associate at each one.

She asked them to put together a complete set from every skincare line they carried and ordered five sets from each line.

The staff at the duty-free store often dealt with resellers buying in bulk, so they did not seem too surprised. They quickly began gathering her order.

While they packed, Leah calculated the amounts in her head.

One person used about three skincare sets a year.

She and Vivian would need six sets a year between them.

Three hundred sets would last the two of them fifty years.

Then she remembered the eighteen months of extreme heat in her previous life, when the ground temperature soared to 162°F.

Even a brief moment in the sun could leave exposed skin badly burned.

She ordered another five hundred bottles of the highest-SPF sunscreen spray the brands carried.

Spray was convenient and easy to reapply anywhere.

During the extreme heat, it would be essential.

Leah skipped the makeup.

Once the apocalypse came, who would have time to put on makeup?

When she finished buying skincare for herself and Vivian, Leah headed to the men’s section and ordered two hundred bottles of every product.

That would give Warren enough for decades.

He did not usually bother with skincare.

But Leah had lived through the hell of the apocalypse, and she knew what was coming.

Bitter cold, scorching heat, acid rain, damp, and thick smog...

Every kind of extreme weather could ravage a person’s skin.

It was better to have too much than too little.

The store was used to resellers placing large orders, but this was on another level.

Even the staff at other counters stared in disbelief. Some could not hide their envy.

Leah offered a casual explanation.

“They’re year-end gifts for our staff. The company’s paying.”

She passed several popular budget brands that were running promotions.

Without hesitation, she asked for all their stock.

“I’ll take everything in the promotion. Whatever you have in stock.”

She paid by card without a second thought.

In just half an hour, she spent over $380,000.

Fortunately, duty-free prices were much lower than prices back home, and her bulk orders earned substantial discounts.

The sales associates were delighted. They packed up every free gift at their counters and gave them to her.

For that price, Leah had secured decades of skincare products for her family of three.

It was far better value than she expected.

Their flight was getting closer, and there was far too much to carry.

Leah quickly filled in her flight details.

She arranged expedited service with each counter.

Once everything was packed, the store would send it to the airport for her to collect after landing.

The airport was only a few minutes away, so there was still enough time.

With the skincare orders taken care of, Leah pulled a stunned Vivian toward the pharmacy and beauty section.

Behind them, the sales associates scrambled to sort through mountains of products.

Tavaria was known for its pharmacy products.

Whenever Leah saw something useful, she swept it into her cart.

She left most of the shelves nearly bare.

It took her just over twenty minutes to clear the section.

She paid again, spending over $80,000.

These locally sold products could be packed and taken with her immediately. She did not have to collect them after airport security.

Leah asked Vivian to wait while the staff packed their purchases.

Then she hurried to the snack section without a moment to spare and threw every kind of Tavarian snack she saw into her carts without hesitation.

Once the apocalypse broke the world’s supply chains, none of these snacks would be made in large quantities again. She would stock up while she could.

Four or five employees followed her, taking turns pushing carts.

As soon as one filled up, they took it to the register and emptied it.

Another empty cart took its place. The staff kept pace with her without a pause.

In a little over half an hour, Leah filled ten carts and spent another $40,000.

Her shopping spree drew the attention of the entire duty-free store.

Tourists stopped to watch and whispered among themselves.

Even the mall manager hurried over when he heard about it.

Leah ignored their curious stares.

She gave them a brief explanation.

“Hundreds of our employees are on a company retreat in Bayport. I’m flying over with prizes to surprise them.”

She would be leaving as soon as she finished shopping. She did not care what anyone thought.

By the time everything was packed, it was 1:37 p.m.

The mall manager was especially attentive after seeing how much she had spent.

He arranged a car and sent staff to accompany Leah, Vivian, and more than a dozen large boxes of purchases to the airport.

He also had the staff carry the boxes to baggage drop.

They helped the two women check in, register their oversized luggage, and pay the excess baggage fees.

The manager took care of every detail.

Leah and Vivian passed through security without trouble.

It was just after two.