Chapter 6

Aside from that, Hayley's latest batch of seeds had arrived.

She had ordered all the usual crop seeds and saplings. Almost all vegetables could be grown directly from seeds, while things like sweet potatoes needed starter plants. The seeds were super cheap, especially the sweet potato starters.

Hayley had ordered a big pile from the largest seed shop. When she asked the shop owner for some freebies, he ended up tossing in a few extra starter plants for zero charge.

For fruit trees, it was best to buy already-grown saplings that were a bit older. Growing fruit trees from scratch was slow and labor-intensive. Buying a ten-year-old tree was cheap and practical. A top-quality ten-year-old apple sapling cost only about 16 dollars.

Hayley bought a large batch of ten-year-old saplings all at once—apple, crab apple, pear, cherry, lemon, plum, Euriplan plum, walnut, chestnut, hazelnut, peach, persimmon—three of each.

This way, she could guarantee the trees survived and produced fruit year-round. She spent just over 1,200 dollars for more than 100 trees, covering only about half an acre—just the empty space to the right of her fallout shelter.

On the left side, she set up a top-notch plastic greenhouse and racks for vegetables. She planted seeds for greens, cucumbers, eggplants, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, scallions, kale, beans, and many more.

Most vegetables were easy to grow from starters, but Hayley preferred to start from seeds so she could keep planting year after year. Potatoes were simple—just plant the tubers.

Luckily, her land was top-quality. Seeds planted here would thrive without much extra effort.

In just ten days, Hayley's fallout shelter looked completely transformed, inside and out.

Now, it was only three days before the apocalypse.

After planting the last tree, Hayley thought about what else she needed.

For a self-sufficient, hidden life, she needed some chickens, ducks, and fish. Even with all the meal packs she had, nothing beat fresh food.

If she could rear some chickens and fish, she'd be able to have meat anytime she wanted.

She drove straight to the farmers' market, leaving Summer at the warehouse in case there were any more deliveries.

Entering the city again after several days, she immediately noticed the tense atmosphere. Everyone wore masks, their faces anxious.

At a live chicken and duck stall, Hayley scanned the dozen or so birds—both male and female, all healthy-looking.

"Hurry up if you wanna get something. I wanna pack up early and go home," the vendor said impatiently.

"Give me a discount and sell me all of them," she said.

The vendor's eyes lit up. "All of them?"

"Yes."

"I'll do 2 bucks per pound for everything! Normally, my chickens are 3 dollars and ducks are 2.20 per pound."

"Alright."

There were 26 birds in total, averaging about 6 pounds each, costing her just under 380 dollars. She had them delivered to her warehouse, then continued shopping.

At the fish section, she found fresh fish and shrimp, and her eyes brightened.

Her fallout shelter had a water source, so she could dig a small pond. She bought over 30 fish—carp, crucian carp, silver carp, grass carp—and about 40 pounds of fresh shrimp.

She loved prawn dishes—garlic butter prawns, prawn scampi, and Cajun grilled prawns.

She paid extra to get large plastic tanks and oxygen pumps delivered to her warehouse. The fish and shrimp cost over 600 bucks.

Next, she purchased pork and beef. Live pigs and cows weren't available, but with her cold storage and space, she could handle fresh meat.

She ordered 1,000 pounds of pork and 500 pounds of beef, paying extra to have them processed and delivered the same day. This cost over 8,000 dollars, leaving her with around 269 thousand.

Hayley kept walking through the market, but many stalls were closing. In a corner, she spotted someone selling live baby goats. She bought the last two for 300 bucks.

The seller told her that these goats had been specifically bred for producing goat's milk, but business had been so bad that he started selling them off. The big ones were already gone, and only a few kids were left. By chance, Hayley managed to snag the last two today.

"You should go home after buying these! With the flu outbreak, don't stay out too long," the vendor warned.

Hayley nodded. She always wore a professional medical-grade mask, anyway.

The truth was, the flu had never been the source of the zombie virus. It simply spread so widely and so quickly, lowering people's immunity. When the real virus hit, those with the lowest resistance turned into zombies right away.

That was why everyone blamed the flu, thinking it was the true cause.

It took Hayley ten years of surviving in the apocalypse to figure that much out. Yet, she still had no idea regarding the real origin of the zombie virus.

Some people used to say it was nothing more than a game for the gods, like the Hunger Games. After all, the virus didn't just create zombies. It also changed people in other, stranger ways.

Once Hayley had the vendor deliver her goods to the warehouse, she left the farmer's market without hanging around.

She had less than three days before the apocalypse hit and didn't plan to leave her shelter again. But first, she wanted to spend all her money. She couldn't just let it sit there.

Finding a hidden spot with no cameras, she placed the two goats into her inventory and drove off with Summer. On the way, she stopped at a farm supply store and bought a full set of tools, plus 20 shovels.

Most people didn't realize shovels were serious weapons in survival situations. During conflicts, farmers used them as deadly tools. Even modern military spades evolved from shovels.

In an apocalypse, a melee weapon like this could be more reliable than firearms.

After stocking up on enough shovels, Hayley realized she needed to get baseball bats—another surprisingly effective weapon.