Chapter 2: The Plan

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Plan

The next day, Xu Mo awoke to a familiar, bone-deep fatigue. It was the same feeling he’d had after getting COVID, a sensation seared into his memory.

Xu Mo subconsciously touched his forehead. It was cool to the touch. The searing high fever from last night, which had nearly burned away his consciousness, had finally subsided. Xu Mo let out a long sigh of relief, a breath that seemed to tremble with the feeling of having survived a great ordeal. The ibuprofen had worked, temporarily pulling him back from the brink of death.

But Xu Mo knew this was only on the surface. He felt hollowed out from the inside, a profound weakness coiling around every muscle. A dull ache lingered in his joints. While his throat no longer burned like it was on fire, it was still dry and itchy, and he couldn’t help but let out a low cough or two, which sounded exceptionally clear in the silent room.

Xu Mo knew the inflammation hadn’t been completely eliminated. The medicine had only suppressed the symptoms. His body was still in a vulnerable state, needing time and more nutrients to truly recover.

After eating half a pack of compressed biscuits and carefully sipping some water, Xu Mo didn’t dare have more. His supplies seemed plentiful, but he had to be meticulous until the next forty-eight-hour cooldown ended. He carefully took stock of his remaining supplies and organized them again.

Once he was done, Xu Mo slowly shuffled over to the room’s dust-covered window. He didn’t rashly expose his whole body, but instead stood sideways, using the wall and window frame for cover as he cautiously peered outside.

The faint morning light cast a grayish hue over the deathly silent town. The street below was a mess. Abandoned vehicles were parked haphazardly or had crashed into each other, and the road was covered in broken glass and all sorts of trash. A few old newspapers, stirred by the wind, tumbled across the empty street, making a soft SHUSH SHUSH sound.

But what was more eye-catching were the figures wandering aimlessly on the street.

Their movements were stiff, their gait shambling. Their skin had an unhealthy, ashen color, and their bodies were more or less covered in gruesome wounds and dried, blackened bloodstains. Most of them just wandered back and forth without any awareness, occasionally stopping to turn their heads mechanically and let out meaningless groans.

Xu Mo’s gaze went past the zombies as he began to scrutinize the buildings on either side of the street more closely. At first, he just thought they were dilapidated, but the longer he looked, the more a strange feeling crept into his mind.

The small supermarket’s roll-up door hadn’t been damaged naturally. It had been pried open from the bottom with some kind of tool, leaving it twisted and deformed with clear signs of forced entry. Inside, the shelves were not just empty, but mostly toppled over, as if someone had frantically searched for any last possible hidden supplies.

It was the same with the clinic. The glass door was completely shattered, with most of the shards scattered inside, as if someone had broken in from the outside. Inside, every drawer of every cabinet had been pulled out and overturned on the floor. The search had been thorough, leaving no corner unchecked.

Even the residential buildings facing the street were mostly wide open, with doors ajar or windows broken, showing signs of having been broken into.

’This place has been searched over and over again, thoroughly.’ Xu Mo came to this conclusion.

It was just like the room he was in. Besides the heavy furniture that couldn’t be carried away, there was almost nothing useful to be found. All that remained were scattered scraps of paper, empty cans, and broken decorations... any daily necessities that might have held even a shred of value were long gone.

Xu Mo now understood. Before him, an unknown number of people had passed through here, searching, combing through the town countless times like a fine-toothed comb. The hope of finding anything valuable in these abandoned ruins was incredibly slim.

That Golden Finger, the door to the Otherworld, wasn’t just his greatest reliance—in this current reality of depleted resources, it had become almost his *only* reliance. The supply lines in the real world had been completely severed.

This meant his next "door opening" had to be more efficient, his objectives more defined. He could no longer be satisfied with finding a few scattered bits of food and medicine. He needed to systematically gather supplies that could support his long-term survival: a larger-capacity backpack, more water, staple foods, vitamins, and... a weapon for self-defense. The harshness of the real world was forcing him to increase his looting efficiency in the Otherworld.

Outside the window, a zombie knocked over an empty trash can, the sound carrying far in the silence. Xu Mo pulled back and sat down, his back against the cold wall.

His physical weakness and the utter lack of external resources formed a two-pronged survival pressure. But a flicker of determination flashed in Xu Mo’s eyes. ’Thankfully, I still have those sixty seconds. I have to make good use of the next day or so to recover my strength, hide myself more carefully, and think about what I need to get next time to keep going in this cruel game of survival.’

Leaning against the wall, Xu Mo found a half-burnt piece of charcoal in a corner and picked up a relatively intact piece of cardboard. The harshness of reality had sobered him completely. He had to create an absolutely rational plan for the next "door opening," one that followed the priorities of survival.

"Next time, I only have sixty seconds..." Xu Mo muttered to himself, his eyes sharp. He pressed down hard and wrote three words on the cardboard: Food, Water, Medicine. This was the unshakable iron triangle of life support.

First Priority: Lifeline Supplies.

Water: Bottled water is the absolute top priority; I have to grab as much as possible. If I can find large-volume water jugs or unopened sports drinks, those are even better.

Food: The goal is upgraded from "filling my stomach" to "maintaining stamina." High-energy compressed biscuits, chocolate, and beef jerky are the basics. I also need vacuum-packed staple foods (like rice or noodles) and all kinds of canned goods (meat, fish, fruit). These will provide more comprehensive nutrition and a greater sense of fullness.

Medicine: I need to restock on fever reducers. More importantly, I have to find broad-spectrum antibiotics (like amoxicillin) and a bottle of adult multivitamins. The former is to deal with infections, the latter to compensate for the health risks of a monotonous diet. Additionally, a complete first-aid kit (including gauze, bandages, and disinfectants) must also be a primary target.

After writing all that, Xu Mo took a deep breath and wrote down the second objective.

Second Priority: Efficiency and Containers.

Backpack: Assuming I can get the core supplies listed above, if I have the energy and opportunity, a sturdy, large-capacity backpack is the next must-have item. It will directly determine the upper limit of my returns from every subsequent "door opening."

Third Priority: Tools and Weapons.

Tools: A high-intensity flashlight, a fire starter, a multi-tool knife, etc. These would be a huge convenience for future survival, but given the extremely limited resources this time, they can wait.

Weapons: More professional weapons can be put on the back burner. After all, I’m weak right now, so I couldn’t use them even if I had them. But they’re still necessary for the long term.

Looking at the list as it took shape, some of Xu Mo’s anxiety subsided. The plan gave him back a measure of control.

’The core items are water, high-energy food, antibiotics, and vitamins.’ Xu Mo repeated silently, engraving them into his mind. ’If the location for this door opening isn’t ideal, I have to at least secure two of them.’

He weighed the items on the list over and over, ensuring his resolve wouldn’t waver due to the pressure of time when the moment came.

The pressure of survival had been transformed into clear steps, making Xu Mo feel as if a sliver of strength was growing anew in his weak body. He closed his eyes and began to simulate in his mind how he would act like an efficient machine after the next door opening, heading straight for his targets.