The wholesale market was a cacophony of noise and activity, filled to the brim with a dizzying array of goods.

Chen Yun didn't start buying immediately. Instead, he blended into the crowd like any other casual browser, strolling slowly through different sections, his eyes casually scanning the various stalls.

Rice, flour, cooking oil, cigarettes, alcohol, non-staple foods, daily chemicals, general merchandise—everything was available. Supplies were abundant, prices were significantly cheaper than supermarkets, and bulk purchases came with discounts.

After a full circuit, Chen Yun had a good grasp of the prices and a general understanding of the supply channels.

"Can't buy in huge quantities from a single place," he thought to himself. "A unfamiliar face suddenly sweeping up massive amounts of goods might raise suspicions. Better to be cautious."

Maintaining a neutral expression, Chen Yun eased his way out of the human river and stepped through the market's main gates.

[Ding—!]

The mechanical tone sounded abruptly:

[System Mission Issued.]

[Mission Objective: Hoard sufficient basic supplies to sustain a single individual (standard adult male) for ten years. (Basic supplies encompass food, water, medicine, energy, tools, etc.)]

[Time Limit: 120 hours.]

[Mission Reward: A large amount of points. Choice of one survival item.]

Chen Yun was startled, then his spirits lifted.

A system mission. So this was how to earn points. He wondered what the survival item reward would be.

He pulled open his car door, started the engine, and drove toward the suburbs.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luoyue City Outskirts.

Chen Yun stood beside a Wuling Hongguang mini-van, looking at the 800-square-meter warehouse before him, and nodded in satisfaction.

He had rented this medium-sized warehouse on the outskirts as a temporary storage point for supplies.

He'd also rented the small van to serve as cover for moving the goods.

The van and warehouse would mask his use of the system storage for hoarding. Even if someone took notice of him, he'd just be a guy moving boxes into a warehouse. Once the door was closed, who would know if the contents of his van changed or not?

After giving the warehouse a basic clean-out, Chen Yun drove away.

Food, water, tools, and common medicines were relatively easy to acquire. He could buy them from multiple wholesale markets and online stores. If he was careful, it wouldn't attract attention.

The troublesome parts were 'contraband' items like gasoline, diesel, and prescription medicines, which couldn't be bought in large quantities.

If he tried buying them repeatedly in a short time, the cops would probably be knocking on his door very soon.

Unable to think of an immediate solution, Chen Yun decided to go buy gasoline and diesel cans first. They'd be useful once he found a way to acquire the fuel.

For the next few hours, Chen Yun drove his small van around the city, seeking out hardware stores in remote locations, buying fuel cans in small, separate batches.

Dusk was settling in by the time Chen Yun arrived at a secluded hardware store deep in the old streets of the city's north district.

The store was empty. The owner was a thin, small man in his fifties.

Watching Chen Yun carry out several large fuel cans and glancing at the beat-up van parked outside, the owner suddenly smiled.

"Getting fuel, kid? Such a piecemeal way of doing it is a real hassle."

Chen Yun's heart jumped, but his expression remained neutral. "No choice. For a generator out in the sticks. The gas stations won't let me buy much."

The owner chuckled, leaning closer to Chen Yun and rubbing his fingers together. "Rules, I get it. But... want the real deal? Bulk, good price, and saves you the trouble."

Black market fuel!

Chen Yun understood instantly. The only way to quickly get large amounts of fuel, saving endless time and risk!

"You have a connection?" Chen Yun lowered his voice, simultaneously pulling several red hundred-yuan bills from his wallet and subtly slipping them into the owner's hand. "A small token. Buy yourself some cigarettes."

The owner swiftly scanned his surroundings, pocketed the money just as fast, his smile widening. "South city. Behind the old machine repair factory. There's a place called 'Old Wang's Auto Repair.'

"Go after nine PM, ask for Wang the Lame. Tell him Old Man Sun sent you. Say you need 'industrial solvent.'

"The amount, you negotiate. The rules... you know how it is. Cash. But..." He paused.

"You're on your own for safety. Anything happens, it's not on me."

"Thanks, Brother Sun." Chen Yun memorized the information, picked up the cans, and left quickly.

After leaving the hardware store, Chen Yun looked up at the sky. It was completely dark now, and getting late.

Suppressing the urge to immediately check out the repair shop, he started the van, merged into the traffic, and headed toward his cheap rented apartment.

Back in his cramped rental room, Chen Yun locked and bolted the door and windows.

He pulled out his phone and opened the apps for various major banks, one after another. Credit loans, consumer loans—every type of loan he could possibly get, regardless of size, he applied for, requesting temporary credit limit increases.

He also applied for loans on every private lending platform and shady high-interest loan service he could find, without missing a single one.

[Ding! East City Bank: Your credit card temporary limit increase application has been approved. Current limit: 80,000 RMB.]

[Ding! Sunshine Loans: Your loan application has been approved. Borrowable amount: 50,000 RMB. Annual interest rate: 21.7%. Please confirm loan.]

Notification chimes rang out one after another.

Funds flowed into his accounts.

In just over an hour, every possible online loan (credit limit) had been thoroughly squeezed dry.

A rough calculation showed he'd gotten just over 800,000 RMB from all these various sources.

Added to his original 800,000 RMB in savings, Chen Yun now had over 1.6 million RMB in total.

"Hope this is enough," Chen Yun murmured quietly.

After resting for a moment, Chen Yun picked up his phone again and opened several large e-commerce apps.

Using accounts registered with two different phone numbers, he placed orders in separate batches on different platforms, listing the rented suburban warehouse as the delivery address.

Crates of compressed biscuits, freeze-dried vegetables, vacuum-sealed 10-catty bags of rice, large packages of salt and sugar,

Multivitamin tablets, common medicines, solid alcohol blocks, high-calorie chocolate,

High-lumen flashlights with spare batteries, multi-function entrenching tools, nylon rope, water purification tablets, work gloves, cargo pants and (outdoor jackets), sleeping bags, tents…

He didn't order too much of any single item, keeping the quantity under twenty to avoid raising flags.

The online purchases were just the small change. The bulk would have to come from local wholesale markets.

The wall clock pointed to 10 PM. Chen Yun put down his phone and took a deep breath.

He walked into the bathroom, washed up quickly, changed into a clean T-shirt, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

It was time.

Chen Yun summoned the system panel with his mind. The faint, semi-transparent azure screen unfolded before his eyes.

In the system storage, the silver-white ignition torch and the deep blue Primary Genetic Enhancement Serum hung suspended.

With a thought, the deep blue serum appeared in Chen Yun's hand.

He looked down at the cool cylindrical glass vial. The deep blue liquid inside swirled with a luminous quality, like flowing starlight.

He unscrewed the cap. A strange, cloyingly sweet odor instantly filled the air.

Chen Yun took a deep breath, tilted his head back, and poured the liquid into his mouth.

The serum was cool on his tongue, with a minty sweetness. It slid down his esophagus and into his stomach.

At first, he felt nothing.

The next second!

"Guh—ah—!"

A tearing, cramping agony exploded from his stomach! It felt like countless red-hot steel needles were churning madly inside him! Excruciating pain instantly radiated out to his limbs and bones!

Chen Yun's vision went black. With a soft thud, he passed out cold.