Chapter 3

Right then, Hayley realized that outside the tunnel, most of the fence was covered in barbed wire. However, a lot of it had collapsed or was abandoned.

If she repaired the fence and added electricity, her fallout shelter's defenses would get a huge boost.

She decided to get started.

Just then, the voice from the system popped into her head.

Ding! [Super Lord System activated! Please reinforce the original base. Rewards will be given based on the level of reinforcement. Countdown: 15 days!]

Hayley's eyes lit up.

She was just starting to process the new mission when another notification came.

Ding! [Base war dog detected. Reward: War dog's combat power increased 100x! Physical stats increased 100x!]

Hayley watched in amazement as Summer's body started to change. Its muscles doubled in size, its claws grew longer and sharper, and all signs of aging disappeared. In its place was the fierce, commanding presence of a powerful beast.

"Woof, woof!"

Hayley was amazed. "Wow!"

-

At the building supply market…

Hayley had Cynthia's old car, so she could get around easily. It was now time to start reinforcing her base.

She found a barbed wire factory and ordered about 6,500 feet of coiled razor wire. Wrapping the old fence with these steel coils was easy and effective.

The price was 0.43 per foot, so she spent about 2,800 dollars. It was a lot, so the factory sent a big truck to deliver it. Hayley led them to an empty lot near the outskirts and had them drop it there.

"I'll call a truck to haul it later," she said, not wanting to reveal the base's location.

"Okay," the driver agreed.

It was already dark. With Summer keeping watch, Hayley stored everything in her system's space. Her 3,110-cubic-foot space easily held the wire, along with the furniture she had already stored. There was plenty of room to spare.

After Hayley was done, she drove back to the shelter with Summer. On the way, she realized she would need another warehouse.

Half an hour later, she was back at the fallout shelter. She immediately started reinforcing the old, damaged barbed wire along one section. She wound and reinforced it one foot at a time, while Summer brought her tools now and then.

They worked from night until dawn. By morning, the entire 6,500 feet of wire was strengthened.

Hayley was eager to see the reinforcement rewards. As she finished the last bit, the system's notification rang out in her mind.

Ding! [Barbed wire reinforcement detected. Reward: Defense effectiveness increased 100x!]

The wire visibly thickened and became denser, each blade of razor wire gleaming sharply. The previously thin gate had transformed into a steel lift gate.

Hayley pushed on the wire—it didn't budge.

Before, the fence could stop people on foot, but a car or a horde of zombies could break through. Now, even thousands of zombies couldn't tear it down.

Hayley was thrilled. She couldn't wait to buy more materials and keep reinforcing.

However, another problem reminded her immediately.

Gurgle…

"Woof, woof!"

She was hungry. Summer circled her, whining.

"You're hungry too, huh?" Hayley said.

"Woof!" Summer responded with a few whines.

They had only eaten a little yesterday, too busy all day. They hadn't even started proper supply gathering yet.

Right then, Hayley remembered that she had some food in her system.

She thought about the bread she had cleared from the house yesterday. Suddenly, a freshly baked bread appeared in her hand.

It was still warm!

Hayley brought out her fridge to check. Even without power, the contents were still frozen.

"Even without electricity, it keeps everything intact!"

This meant the system's inventory didn't let anything lose heat. Whatever she put in stayed exactly as it was, making it perfect for stockpiling without needing to worry about spoilage. She could hoard food freely.

-

"Rent here is 60 dollars a month, with a one-month deposit," said a man in his late 40s at an empty suburban house.

Inside, Hayley stood with Summer. She had found an old farmhouse along the main road outside her shelter. Many old houses in the suburbs were empty because families had moved to the city. The better-located ones often had "for rent" signs.

She planned to use this farmhouse as a transfer station. Supplies would be stored here and then moved invisibly into her system space, keeping her operations secret while she went shopping.

"I'll pay you 80, no deposit. I just want it for a month as a warehouse," Hayley bargained.

"That won't work," the landlord said.

"Then I'll go elsewhere."

"Alright, fine, 80 dollars it is. Just don't damage anything and leave on time."

"No problem."

Hayley paid and got the keys. She'd move out before the lease ended, anyway. She didn't want to give a deposit because it was too risky. Spending the extra 20 dollars was safer than losing the deposit later.

With the warehouse secured, she started stocking food.

First, pasta. She visited ten stores, buying 4,000 50-pound bags from each, making that 100 tons of pasta.

One hundred tons didn't take much space. A 16-foot cube would hold it, and her system could store it all. The total cost added up to about 80 thousand, and the amount was enough to last her a lifetime.

Next, she stockpiled instant noodles—1,000 cases of every flavor she could find: classic beef and chicken to seafood, spicy chili, creamy Alfredo, and even dry-mix pasta packs. Noodles were a luxury after the apocalypse. They were easy to cook, tasty, and full of oil and salt, with all the seasoning provided.

Price per case ranged from about 10 to 20 dollars. The most common was 24-pack classic beef-flavored noodles for 10 bucks, while the most expensive was truffle and mushroom-flavored, set at 20 dollars per 30 packs. They cost 14 bucks per case on average, so the total for 1,000 cases was 14 thousand dollars.

Hayley didn't stop there—she grabbed 200 cases of black pepper and breakfast sausages and 100 cases of pickled vegetables. The total cost was under 6 thousand dollars.

After buying the basic food supplies, she also stocked self-heating meals and pre-cooked meal packs, as they were extremely easy to prepare—she just needed to heat them before eating.

She went to all the stores that sold them and bought a box each—beef stew, mac and cheese, barbecue pulled pork, chicken Alfredo, cheeseburger pasta, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, spicy buffalo chicken, and chili con carne. They cost on average 1.50 dollars per pack. She bought 20 thousand packs across several stores, costing about 30 thousand dollars.

With this, she would have a lifetime supply—no more worrying about food.

Only then did Hayley feel a bit safe. She could now focus on other things.

By the end of the day, she had spent nearly 140 thousand dollars. She already had 60 thousand dollars saved previously, and the house sale brought in 400 thousand more.

After spending on the basics, she still had 320 thousand dollars—and she hadn't even started buying other supplies yet.

Guess you could never have enough money.

Hayley's gaze hardened. She opened her hand, and a property deed appeared. She found a private finance number online and called.

"Hello, I'd like to use my property as collateral for a loan."

"Sure, come by tomorrow at ten to discuss in person."

Hayley hung up. She was going to mortgage her house again.

Some debts must be repaid—and doubled. She couldn't wait for her family to find out the big surprise she had prepared.