There was no denying it: stockpiling supplies gave people an incredible sense of security.
That night, after finishing her shopping at the supermarket, Gao Xuan lay down on her bed. The moment she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.
She slept soundly through the night.
Early the next morning, Gao Xuan woke in a daze and sleepily climbed out of bed, only to nearly trip over a container of mineral water.
She stood there blankly for a moment before remembering that she had gone on an extraordinarily wild shopping spree the night before.
“It’ll be troublesome if the apocalypse doesn’t come, but it won’t exactly be a good thing if it does.”
She irritably ruffled her hair and decided to wait and see what happened.
Peaceful days passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the final day of 1999.
“I’m not sleeping tonight! I’m staying up to welcome the new millennium!” Annie declared excitedly, practically vibrating with energy.
“Won’t staying up all night make you tired?” Gao Xuan asked in genuine confusion.
Annie fell silent.
*I’m trying to talk to you about romance and excitement, and you’re asking whether I’ll be tired.*
There was simply no way to continue this conversation.
“It’s New Year’s Day, 2000!” Annie emphasised. “How many turns of the century can a person possibly experience in one lifetime? Let alone the beginning of an entirely new millennium!”
“Don’t look forward to it too much. Who knows what the world will become after the year 2000?” Gao Xuan murmured softly, her voice almost inaudible.
Annie did not hear her and continued enthusiastically, “It’s the year 2000! My luck should finally turn around! I hope I become prettier, slimmer, and richer. It would be even better if I found an incredibly handsome boyfriend!”
Gao Xuan was just about to respond when a woman in her thirties hurried into the hospital.
Gao Xuan immediately forgot what she had been planning to say and greeted her with a smile.
“Hello. Welcome.”
“Hello.” The woman glanced around and asked, “Is there a doctor here?”
“I’m the doctor,” Gao Xuan replied.
“My cat is extremely mischievous and accidentally injured itself. Could you please take a look?”
The woman placed her bag down and took out a tabby cat around six or seven months old.
Its fur was yellowish brown with pure black markings scattered across it, making it look extremely endearing.
However, its tail was bent at an unnatural angle and had clearly been broken.
There were wounds around its eyes, on its paw pads, and across its body. Some had already scabbed over, making it obvious that they were old injuries.
After only a brief examination, Gao Xuan understood immediately.
The cat could never have caused these injuries to itself.
Nevertheless, she remained calm and said, “Its injuries are quite severe. It will need to remain in the hospital for half a month to recover.”
The woman visibly relaxed and swiftly took out money to pay the fees.
“As long as it can be treated, that’s fine. Please make sure you cure it.”
“We will.”
Gao Xuan’s face remained expressionless, her lips pressed tightly together.
A short while later, the woman left the tabby cat at the hospital and hurried away.
Annie’s expression was tense, anger hidden beneath every word.
“Someone did this to the cat.”
“And what can we do even if we know that?” Gao Xuan sneered. “It belongs to her.”
“Even if she wanted to have the cat euthanised, outsiders would have no right to interfere.”
The only thing Gao Xuan could do was exaggerate the seriousness of its injuries and keep the tabby cat at the hospital for a few extra days.
Annie felt both furious and anxious, her chest tight with frustration.
Gao Xuan gently smoothed the cat’s fur.
The tabby immediately reacted as though terrified. It hissed and desperately tried to shrink away.
“Be good. You’re safe now,” Gao Xuan comforted it softly.
Her movements were exceptionally gentle as she soothed the cat.
Only after a long while did the tabby apparently determine that the human before it posed no threat. It finally quietened down.
“Humanity currently stands at the top of the food chain, so people can do whatever they want,” Gao Xuan murmured almost to herself.
“If the situation were reversed one day, and humans became prey instead, what would happen?”
“We probably won’t live long enough to see that day,” Annie sharply remarked.
Gao Xuan lowered her eyes and said nothing.
**
The night marking the turn of the millennium did not feel any different from an ordinary night.
The only notable difference was that many people outside were setting off fireworks.
Fireworks repeatedly exploded across the night sky, blooming into brilliant multicoloured light. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful.
Standing beside the window and looking outside, Gao Xuan suddenly had a peculiar thought.
*Welcome to the year 2000—the apocalypse.*
…
Nothing happened throughout the night.
On the first day of the new year, Gao Xuan woke especially early.
She deliberately brought Cola outside for a morning run, hoping to observe the situation along the way.
However, after circling the residential neighbourhood, she was disappointed to discover that no meteorites had fallen from the sky, no plants or animals had mutated overnight, and no one had collapsed in the middle of the road.
How could an apocalypse be this peaceful?
Had she been deceived?
Gao Xuan could not help growing suspicious.
However, after breakfast, she had barely reached the pet hospital when she saw an adult Schnauzer lying unconscious outside the entrance.
A Schnauzer was a type of terrier, with eyebrows and a beard resembling an old man’s. It looked ugly in an oddly adorable way.
*Early January. A Schnauzer. Very old. Terminally ill. In poor physical condition. Loves ice cream…*
Gu Xinghang’s words automatically surfaced in Gao Xuan’s mind.
She took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and carried the dog onto the operating table.
After examining it, she discovered that all the lymph nodes throughout its body were swollen.
In simple terms, it had a malignant tumour that was currently spreading aggressively through its body.
“It really is terminally ill,” Gao Xuan murmured.
She then opened the Schnauzer’s mouth to inspect it further.
Its teeth were heavily worn down, and several were already missing, proving that the dog was extremely old.
Dogs generally lived between eight and sixteen years.
The one before her was probably already seven or eight.
The facts were right before her eyes.
No matter how absurd Gao Xuan found it, she had no choice but to believe that the apocalypse truly was approaching.
“Woo…”
Inside the warm room, the Schnauzer slowly regained consciousness.
Gao Xuan did not bother speaking indirectly and asked, “Would you like some ice cream?”
“Awoo?”
The Schnauzer’s eyes instantly lit up, and it licked its lips.
“Wait here obediently.”
Gao Xuan stood up and went to the supermarket next door to buy two ice-cream cones, one strawberry and one vanilla.
When she returned to the shop, the Schnauzer stretched its neck from a considerable distance away, apparently having already caught the scent.
“Here.”
Gao Xuan held one cone in each hand and brought them before the dog, allowing it to choose.
The Schnauzer licked the strawberry ice cream on the left, then the vanilla on the right.
It was exceptionally excited and incredibly busy.
Had Gao Xuan not already confirmed that something was wrong with its health, she might have believed the dog was pretending to be ill merely to obtain free food.
It was simply far too energetic upon seeing the ice cream!
It looked as though it had already recovered without treatment.
Before long, the Schnauzer finished both ice creams.
It carefully chewed the wafer cones, looking deeply reluctant for them to be gone.
Had it already evolved?
The thought occurred to Gao Xuan, and she examined the dog once more.
Unfortunately, the results were identical to the previous examination.
The Schnauzer was simply in unusually high spirits. Its physical condition remained extremely poor.
Perhaps the changes would occur gradually and imperceptibly, with the evolution completing itself before anyone realised.
A thoughtful expression gradually appeared in her eyes.
The Schnauzer appeared remarkably calm, as though it had long since anticipated its fate.
Now that it had eaten two ice-cream cones in one sitting, it seemed to have no remaining regrets in its life as a dog.
It lowered its head and gently licked Gao Xuan’s fingers, seemingly telling her not to worry too much.
A thought occurred to Gao Xuan.
She had heard that dogs sometimes knew when their lives were nearing their end.
Could this fellow have deliberately wandered far away from home?
The moment the thought arose, the Schnauzer began barking and whining repeatedly.
It seemed that, now that it had eaten and drunk its fill, it intended to leave.
Gao Xuan carried it outside and set it down, allowing it to go wherever it pleased.
The Schnauzer stared deeply at the human before it.
Then it quickly ran away and disappeared.
“Why are you standing outside?”
Annie was about to enter when she noticed Gao Xuan standing motionless at the doorway.
Gao Xuan released a long sigh, her expression exceptionally grave.
“Boss, the situation is critical. It’s time to stockpile food!”
Annie stared at her.
What?
Several days had already passed.
Why was she still obsessed with this apocalypse theory?
She was a university graduate. Could she not place a little faith in science?
However, Gao Xuan was extremely stubborn.
“Something terrible will happen over the next few months. You absolutely need to prepare supplies in advance!”
“Just consider it letting me deceive you once. Can’t you stockpile some household necessities at home?”
“Also, remember to take a dog or cat whenever you go outside. Don’t travel alone.”
Annie’s expression became indescribable.
She desperately wanted to tell her employee to visit a hospital.
“Forget it.” Gao Xuan suddenly became discouraged. “I’ve said everything I can. Whether you listen is up to you.”
She walked into the shop in frustration.
Annie followed behind her, muttering, “What exactly happened to you recently? Tell me.”
“You’re acting like this every day, and it’s frightening me!”
Clearly, she had not taken Gao Xuan’s warning seriously.
That evening, Gao Xuan returned to her rented flat and held her mobile phone in her hands.
She repeatedly considered the matter for a long time, unable to decide whether she should warn her stepmother.
On one hand, they no longer had any relationship.
If Gao Xuan suddenly called her, the woman might not believe her anyway, making the call pointless.
On the other hand, she and her younger brother shared the same father.
Regardless of whether they believed her, she felt that she ought to warn them at least once.
After struggling for a long time, she finally picked up the phone and dialled the number.
She told herself that before her stepmother gave birth, the woman had once looked after her carefully.
She could consider this repayment for that kindness.
It was only a few words and would take almost no effort.
However, the moment she placed the call, an automated message sounded from the other end.
“The number you have dialled is no longer in service…”
Gao Xuan froze before quickly realising what had happened.
After the unequal division of the inheritance, her stepmother had probably feared that Gao Xuan would continue bothering her and had changed her contact details long ago.
“If I’d known I couldn’t reach her, why did I spend so long agonising over it?”
She laughed at herself and completely abandoned the idea.
**
Gao Xuan had believed Annie was far too stubborn and that she would never be able to convince her.
However, only two days later, Annie rushed into the shop in a panic, her expression filled with shock.
“There’s something seriously wrong with this world!”
“What happened?” Gao Xuan asked in confusion.
“You can’t possibly imagine what I saw!”
Annie looked as though she were on the verge of breaking down.
“Last night, I went to the market to buy groceries. One chicken—one single chicken—beat several strong men to the ground!”
“Then it flew to a high place and looked down at them as though they were worthless weaklings with a combat power of five!”
Gao Xuan was somewhat surprised, yet she also felt that everything made perfect sense.
The evolution was indeed progressing gradually.
“Did that chicken undergo some kind of genetic mutation?” Annie cried, losing her composure.
“Was it the legendary combat chicken?!”
“Who knows?” Gao Xuan replied indifferently.
Annie turned towards her in astonishment and complained, “Why aren’t you surprised at all?”
Gao Xuan wanted to say that she had warned her long ago.
However, when the words reached her lips, she realised that would not be appropriate.
Instead, she smoothly changed her answer.
“Because I’ve encountered something similar.”
Annie was utterly stunned.
So the combat chicken was not an isolated case?!
Countless thoughts passed through her mind before realisation struck.
“Is that why you told me a few days ago that something terrible would happen and that I needed to stockpile supplies?”
Then she cried out bitterly, “Why didn’t you simply say so?”
Gao Xuan raised her eyelids.
“If I told you that cats and dogs had started beating humans to the ground, would you have believed me?”
Annie fell silent.
Of course she would not have.
After all, she believed in science.
“Stockpile supplies and take a dog with you whenever you go outside,” Gao Xuan said casually.
“I’ve already warned you about everything I should. Whether you believe me is up to you.”
Without another word, Annie immediately ran outside.
As she ran, she shouted, “I’m going shopping! I’m leaving the shop to you!”
The boss moved with astonishing speed and soon disappeared from sight.
Gao Xuan sighed inwardly.
As expected, people only believed something after witnessing it with their own eyes.
—
**Author’s Note:**
Writing an apocalyptic novel is troublesome. The exact same action might cause people to criticise the character for being a saint, while others accuse them of being cold-blooded.
All I can say is that if our values don’t align, please click the X and escape in time.
**Nomad:**
Tabby cat
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