Chapter 20: A Bold Hypothesis

"This is Qin Zhong. Ms. Sun?"

"It's me. You can just call me Xiaoyan. Hehe, I finally got in touch with you. It's been almost a week, and I thought..."

"A week?"

Qin Zhong was slightly taken aback. That wasn't right. His last call with Sun Xiaoyan should have been two days ago, shouldn't it? How could a week have passed?

Although he had his doubts, Qin Zhong subconsciously assumed that Sun Xiaoyan must have been mistaken, so he didn't dwell on it.

Soon, Sun Xiaoyan's voice came through the receiver: "Qin Zhong, I've purchased ten million worth of goods, and they are all stored in several large warehouses. But if I give you all these things, do you have a place to put them?"

"Uh!"

Hearing that Sun Xiaoyan had acted so quickly, preparing ten million worth of supplies in such a short time, Qin Zhong couldn't help but beam with joy. But then, her question stopped him in his tracks.

That was true. He had only thought about having her prepare the supplies but hadn't considered how to store them. Not to mention whether the phone could transmit everything, even if it could, where would he put such a massive amount of cargo?

The crux of the matter was that he didn't have a secure place right now. This wasn't the world before the apocalypse; he couldn't just find any warehouse to store things. With zombies everywhere, there was no such thing as a truly safe location.

Thinking about this problem, Qin Zhong felt a headache coming on. For a moment, he couldn't find a solution, and he stood there with a grave expression, ideas flashing through his mind.

In the real world, Sun Xiaoyan was sitting on a long sofa in her home, wearing loungewear. Sensing Qin Zhong's distress, she hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "Qin Zhong, I have an idea regarding this, though I'm not sure if it's feasible!"

Hearing that there was more to what she was saying, Qin Zhong hurried to ask, "Tell me what it is!"

Sun Xiaoyan didn't hesitate and immediately laid out her plan: "Here is what I'm thinking. I am in 2024, and you are in 2034, ten years later. There is a ten-year gap between us. Suppose I bury a cup underground in a certain location in 2024; would you be able to dig up that same cup at the same location in 2034?"

"This..."

Qin Zhong listened carefully to her words. After a moment of contemplation, he understood the implication, and his eyes lit up.

"You mean that if this theory holds true, you could bury the supplies underground for me in 2024, and I could simply dig them up on my end?"

Although Sun Xiaoyan knew Qin Zhong couldn't see her, she subconsciously nodded, then shook her head. "Yes and no. My idea goes a step further. I could build a large-scale underground warehouse in 2024 and store all the purchased goods inside..."

"As long as this place doesn't suffer any major changes and still exists ten years later, logically speaking, you could go to this location during the apocalypse in 2034, use the password I set for you, enter the underground warehouse, and receive the supplies. You could even..."

Qin Zhong fully grasped her meaning and chimed in, "I could even turn this place into a shelter and use it as a base to build my own faction!"

"Exactly!"

Sun Xiaoyan blurted out. Talking to a smart person was truly refreshing; with just a hint, he understood her meaning immediately.

Qin Zhong calmed his racing heart and reviewed their conversation. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was viable. He asked, "This is an interesting idea, but how can we prove it's feasible?"

Sun Xiaoyan pondered for a moment and asked, "Qin Zhong, I never asked—which city are you in in 2034?"

"Shanghai!"

Qin Zhong sighed softly. "My hometown is in L Province, but when the apocalypse broke out, I was in Shanghai managing a warehouse for a logistics company, so I was stranded here. It’s been nearly half a year now, with the New Year approaching."

"Oh..."

Hearing the weight in his voice, Sun Xiaoyan fell silent for a moment before asking, "Do you know how other cities are doing?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but the situation is likely similar everywhere. The streets are filled with those man-eating monsters."

"Beijing... do you know anything about the situation in Beijing?"

Sun Xiaoyan couldn't help but voice the question she had been obsessing over for the past few days. Every time she was idle, she wondered: if the apocalypse happened in 2034, would she and her family be safe?

"Beijing?"

Qin Zhong was momentarily stunned, then realized that Sun Xiaoyan was in the real-world Beijing. He scratched his head, feeling helpless. "Xiaoyan, the phones and internet have long since collapsed here. I don't know the actual situation in Beijing."

"I see."

Sun Xiaoyan felt a wave of disappointment, but she knew Qin Zhong was telling the truth. She didn't dwell on whether she was alive or dead ten years later.

Pulling her thoughts back, she contemplated for a moment and offered a solution to the earlier problem: "Qin Zhong, I'll fly to Shanghai tomorrow, find a spot, and bury something there. If you can find it on your end, that will prove my theory is correct!"

Qin Zhong nodded subconsciously, agreeing it was a great idea. "I'm not far from the Shanghai Wild Animal Park. I visited it before the apocalypse, and I remember there are many trees near the Monkey Mountain. If you bury something under one of those trees, it would be best to leave a mark on the tree, something I can spot at a glance."

"Got it. I'll book my flight now and head over tomorrow."

At this point, Qin Zhong suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "By the way, did the lottery ticket I gave you win?"

A smile appeared on Sun Xiaoyan's face. "It did! It's just a shame I didn't buy more tickets."

Qin Zhong clenched his fist in delight. He had been worried that the information he provided wouldn't work, but it seemed the course of history hadn't been affected by his interference.

The winning tickets would still win!

"I'll give you two more sets of numbers, but be careful. It’s best to change cities. If you win too frequently, you might easily attract the attention of the authorities or others."

"Yes, we should probably think of other ways to make money, too."

Sun Xiaoyan agreed with Qin Zhong's caution. The lottery was mostly a matter of luck; if she won every time, the relevant authorities would likely invite her for a "chat."

If that happened, her actions would be under scrutiny, which wouldn't be good for her current situation.

After this win, Sun Xiaoyan had already realized that winning the lottery was only suitable for one or two times; anything more would definitely be inappropriate.

"What is the date on your end? I remember last time it was March 2nd."

"Yes, it's March 7th now."

Following the date provided, Qin Zhong quickly flipped through the data on his phone and found the lottery information he had stored earlier.

"Xiaoyan, I'm giving you two draws this time. You can buy more tickets for these; after all, we'll need a lot of funds to build the underground shelter later. But do be careful not to be too conspicuous."

"March 12th, Double Color Ball: 02, 06, 13, 27, 28, 32, 13."

"March 17th, Double Color Ball: 12, 18, 23, 25, 28, 33, 04."

Sun Xiaoyan quickly scribbled them down. Just as she finished, she suddenly remembered something and spoke with urgency: "I almost forgot! I've prepared supplies for you, and I also bought something good these past few days. Just a moment!"