Chapter 2

I carefully paddled out in the makeshift raft Dad had built, silently swearing I would never come back.

But luck was not on my side.

The raft was too crudely made.

After just twenty minutes, water started seeping in, causing it to lose balance.

I watched in panic as the raft slowly sank, eventually slipping below the surface of the water.

And just like that, I died, two and a half months after the apocalypse began.

My heart was full of regret.

When I opened my eyes, I was back at home.

This time, I swore to take back what was rightfully mine.

There were only two weeks left until the apocalypse of torrential rain, and time was running out. I had no time to wallow in self-pity.

In this building, units 3001 and 3101 were both vacant.

3001 was a bare-bones unit with nothing inside.

I quickly contacted the owner of 3101, which was fully furnished. It was not just because it had furniture, but because it was higher up, and that made me feel safer.

I bought apartment 502 in this building.

In my last life, just two and a half months into the torrential rain, the water level had already reached the third floor.

I didn't know how long the rain would last.

But living higher up seemed like the safest option.

I quickly negotiated the price and rented it for a year.

The building had four apartments on each floor, and both the layout and direction made it secure. There was no risk of anyone climbing over from a neighboring balcony.

The units in the middle, 02 and 03, were a bit more dangerous.

In my last life, I hadn't lived long enough to see through human nature, but I wasn't willing to take any chances.

After taking a taxi to collect the keys from the landlord, I started contacting a renovation company to make some modifications.

I had all the windows resealed and installed security bars. I also had three different models of security doors installed.

Even the walls inside were reinforced a little.

Next came the supply runs.

I needed bottled water, instant noodles, compressed biscuits, ready-to-eat food, various canned foods, and cooking oil.

I bought every non-perishable food item I could think of.

Then there were the medicines.

Cold medicine, fever reducers, antibiotics, anti-diarrheal meds... Every household remedy I could think of, I stocked up on.

For extra safety, I rented an abandoned warehouse near the house.

I paid extra to have all the items repackaged and delivered directly to the warehouse.

I paced back and forth inside, waiting to sign off on each batch of deliveries.

The cold breeze inside the warehouse cooled the heat off my body.

It was already 106°F outside.

No one would have guessed that in a week, the world would become a stage for torrential rain.

The apartment renovations were now finished.

After tidying up the place, I went to an outdoor equipment store and bought two inflatable rafts,

And I also bought a few knives, several sets of rain jackets, gloves, lighters, portable heaters, candles, flashlights, power banks, and a small generator.

Once all of that was done, I spent my days shopping at supermarkets, buying items like sanitary pads and toilet paper, and my nights hauling load after load of supplies up to the thirty-first floor.

Two weeks passed in no time.

Tomorrow was the day my parents and brother were supposed to visit.

As I pushed the final cart of fruit into the elevator from the basement, the lift stopped on the first floor.

And there, I saw my parents and brother.

In that instant, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

Weren't they supposed to come tomorrow?