Chapter 22 – Preparations for the Doomsday 末世准备

When Lin Yuan first arrived in this world, while complaining about the arrangements of the Jiuchong Ring, he gradually accepted the reality and began to think about how to prepare for the doomsday. Although he knew that "there were still half a year left", he was not clear about the specific form of the doomsday (for example, the specific characteristics of the zombies, the scarcity of resources in the doomsday, etc.). This uncertainty made him feel anxious, but it also prompted him to analyze the situation calmly.

After several days of observation, Lin Yuan realized that the two most crucial things he lacked were resources and information.

Resources: Water, food, medicine, protective gear, fuel, etc.

Information: How to avoid the initial chaos? Which places might become safe zones? What was Jiang Tianming planning?

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, with various possibilities flashing through his mind. He was worried that if he revealed any hint of the doomsday, he would be suspected by his aunt or even other people, and he was even more afraid of being noticed by the authorities.

"There are six months left... If a 16 - year - old like me suddenly hoards supplies, anyone would be suspicious on my act."

He sighed inwardly and decided that he had to act discreetly, but he definitely couldn't do nothing.

...

Lin Yuan chose to buy a few bottles of water and some compressed biscuits from the convenience store every day with his pocket money and store them at the bottom of the wardrobe in his room in a cardboard box.

He also learned how to make simple dry food (such as dried bread) and storage methods, but the progress was slow.

When he occasionally went to the supermarket with his aunt, he would suggest buying some "discounted rice and flour", using the excuse of "saving money in the future". Although his aunt didn't think much of it at first, she gradually noticed that there was something unusual about Lin Yuan.

By observing his aunt Cao Yuwei's medicine box, Lin Yuan found that the medicine reserves at home were very limited. He secretly wrote down the list, went out alone on the weekend, visited several pharmacies, and quietly bought back cold medicine, painkillers, and anti-inflammatory drugs.

The medicine cost a lot, and Lin Yuan used up all his pocket money. He could only lie that he had bought extracurricular books.

Cao Yuwei was a bit suspicious of this but didn't dig deeper. She just told him not to waste money.

Lin Yuan realized that relying solely on supplies was far from enough in the doomsday. He began to use the Internet to learn some practical skills, such as making a water filter with simple tools and learning some first aid knowledge.

He hid in his room every night and learned the basic doomsday skills through videos. In the morning, while his aunt was out, he secretly practiced.

He also bought some small tools (such as multi-functional knives, flint stones, etc.) but hid them very carefully.

Once, Lin Yuan was caught by his aunt when he secretly took a new kettle from the kitchen at home to transform it (preparing to use it as a water filtration tool).

Cao Yuwei frowned and asked, "What for?"

Lin Yuan felt guilty but forced himself to lie, "For the handicraft class at school, the teacher asked us to make outdoor survival equipment."

Cao Yuwei looked at him suspiciously. Although she didn't ask further, she vaguely felt that something was wrong.

Cao Yuwei was a smart and meticulous adult. She noticed some abnormalities in Lin Yuan's recent behavior.

Cao Yuwei found that Lin Yuan had many "unreasonable" behaviors recently:

He started saving money and almost stopped buying snacks;

He often searched for some survival skills on the Internet behind her back;

Occasionally, he would suggest buying more daily necessities but was unwilling to explain the reason.

Once, she couldn't help but ask, "Yuanyuan, have you been hiding something from me recently?"

Lin Yuan was stunned for a moment and shook his head, "No. I just think we should be thriftier and not always depend on you on living expenses."

Cao Yuwei stared into his eyes for a few seconds. Finally, she sighed and didn't ask any more questions. But she had her own thoughts in her heart: "I believe he must have his own reasons. I hope nothing bad will happen..."

Within three months, while preparing, Lin Yuan went through a lot of psychological struggles.

He knew in his heart that he was hiding the truth from his aunt because he didn't want her to bear too much pressure. But he also often felt guilty and even thought about telling her the truth. However, the Jiuchong Ring had clearly reminded him:

"The host must not disclose the news of the doomsday, otherwise, unknown serious consequences will be triggered."

Lin Yuan asked the Jiuchong Ring more than once, "Can I survive this doomsday?"

The Jiuchong Ring's answer was always: "The possibility of survival depends on your preparations and decisions."

Lin Yuan overcame his initial confusion and became more determined. He knew that "surviving" was his only option.

Lin Yuan learned the name Jiang Tianming from the Jiuchong Ring, but that unreliable ring always refused to reveal more information.

"Who on earth is this person? Will he be an enemy or a friend?" Lin Yuan decided not to contact Jiang Tianming for the time being, but he searched for the name on the Internet and found no relevant records.

One evening, Cao Yuwei and Lin Yuan had dinner. There were just simple home cooked dishes on the table.

Cao Yuwei asked, "Yuanyuan, what are your plans for the future? What major do you want to study in university?"

Lin Yuan paused for a moment and smiled perfunctorily, "I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll study something useful. And I'm only in the first year of high school."

Cao Yuwei smiled gently, "Anyway, you have to remember that if you have any difficulties, your aunt will help you."

Lin Yuan looked up at her and nodded. He thought, "She's so kind to the original me. I'm really conflicted about giving her a hint..."

[Countdown to the Doomsday: 2 months, 26 days, 15 hours, 29 minutes]

===================

林远初到这个世界时,一边吐槽九重戒的安排,一边逐渐接受现实,开始思考如何准备末世.他虽然知道 "还有半年" ,但并不清楚具体的末世形式（比如,丧尸的具体特征,末世资源的稀缺性等）.这种不确定性让他感到焦虑,但也促使他冷静分析.

林远在经过几天的观察后,意识到他最缺乏的是两个关键点:资源和信息.

资源: 水,食物,药物,防护装备,燃料等.

信息: 如何避开初期混乱?哪些地点可能成为安全区?江天明又在计划什么?

他躺在床上,盯着天花板,脑海中不断闪过各种可能性.他担心一旦透露任何风声,就会被小姨甚至其他人怀疑,更害怕被官方注意到.

"还有半年时间...如果我一个16岁少年,突然囤积物资,谁不会起疑?"

他心里叹了口气,决定必须低调行事,但绝不能什么都不做.

...

林远选择每天用零花钱在便利店买几瓶水和压缩饼干,用纸箱存放在自己房间的衣柜底部.

他还学会了自己制作简单的干粮（如风干面包等）和储存方式,但进展缓慢.

他偶尔会和小姨一起去超市时,提议买一些 "打折的米和面",理由是 "以后省钱".虽然小姨起初没多想,但逐渐察觉到林远有些异常.

林远通过观察小姨曹雨薇的药箱,发现家里的药物储备非常有限.他偷偷记下清单,在周末独自出门,跑遍了几家药店,悄悄买回了感冒药,止痛药和消炎药.

药品花费较大,林远用尽了零花钱,只能撒谎说自己买了课外书.

曹雨薇对此略有怀疑,但没有深究,只是嘱咐他不要乱花钱.

林远意识到,在末世中,仅靠物资是远远不够的.他开始利用网络学习一些实用技能,比如,如何用简单工具制作水过滤装置,甚至是一些急救知识.

他每天晚上躲在房间里,用视频学习末世基本技巧;早晨则趁小姨出门时,偷偷练习.

他还买了一些小型工具（如多功能刀,火石等）,但藏得很隐蔽.

一次,林远因为从家里的厨房偷偷拿了一个新水壶去改造（准备当过滤水工具）,被小姨发现.

曹雨薇皱眉问:"你拿这个干嘛?"

林远心虚,但硬着头皮撒谎:"学校的手工课,老师要我们做户外生存装备."

曹雨薇狐疑地看着他,虽然没再追问,但心里隐隐觉得有些不对劲.

曹雨薇是一个聪明,细腻的成年人.她从林远最近的行为中察觉到了一些异常.

曹雨薇发现林远最近有很多 "不合常理" 的举动:

开始攒钱,几乎不买零食了;

经常背着她在网络上查一些生存技巧;

偶尔会提议买多一些生活必需品,但又不愿意解释原因.

她一次忍不住问:"远远,你最近是不是有什么事瞒着我?"

林远愣了一下,摇头:"没啊...只是觉得日子总要节俭一点,不能总靠你赚钱."

曹雨薇盯着他的眼睛看了几秒,最终叹了口气,没有再问.但她心里已经有了自己的想法:"我相信他一定有自己的理由,希望不会发生什么糟糕的事情吧..."

林远在三个月内,一边准备,一边经历了很多心理上的挣扎.

他心里明白,自己瞒着小姨,是因为不想让她承受太多压力.但他也时常感到内疚,甚至想过告诉她真相,但九重戒明确提醒过:

"宿主不得泄露末世消息,否则将引发未知的严重后果."

林远不止一次问九重戒:"我能不能活过这个末世?"

九重戒的回答永远是:"存活的可能性取决于你的准备和决策."

林远从最初的迷茫,逐渐坚定了目标,他知道,"活下去" 是他唯一的选择.

林远从九重戒那里得知江天明的名字,但那不靠谱的戒指始终不肯透露更多信息.

"这个人,究竟是谁?他会成为敌人,还是朋友?" 林远决定暂时不去接触江天明,但他在网络上查询了对方的名字,却没有任何相关记录.

某个晚上,曹雨薇和林远一起吃饭,桌上只有简单的家常菜.

曹雨薇问:"远远,未来你有什么打算?大学想学什么专业?"

林远停顿了一下,笑着敷衍:"没想好呢,可能学点有用的吧.而且我才高一."

曹雨薇轻轻笑了笑:"不管怎么样,你都要记住,有困难小姨会帮你."

林远抬头看着她,然后点点头,心里暗道:"她对原主是真的好啊,真纠结要不要给个提示..."

[末日倒数:2个月26天15小时29分钟]