Chapter 11
Early the next morning, the little hamster scampered downstairs and sat obediently at the long dining table.
Neither his uncle nor his sister said a word when they saw his fluffy form. If adopting this shape gave the little fellow a stronger sense of security, they were entirely fine with it. Yu Yuanzhou even suspected that Little Yuan believed he would consume fewer rations and dodge danger more effectively as a tiny hamster during the apocalypse. Knowing what hardship had shaped this instinct only made their hearts ache, and neither pressed him to turn back into a human.
Yu Tianwei found a small handkerchief and gently tied it around his neck like a bib, ensuring his snow-white chest fur wouldn’t get stained while he ate.
“White fur is such a pain to clean. And since you’re so tiny, do you take real water baths or sand baths?” Tianwei muttered, feeling a headache coming on just thinking about it.
Logically, a hamster was supposed to roll around in bathing sand, but since this was her precious flesh-and-blood brother, she couldn’t quite bring herself to subject him to a bowl of dust.
“This little hamster can wash with warm water!” The hamster puffed out his tiny chest and picked up a slice of dried apple.
To maintain complete secrecy during this sensitive period, all the family’s housekeepers and cooks had been placed on paid leave. A few were only brought in to prepare the daily meals before being sent straight home, strictly barred from entering the main hall.
Nibbling on the crisp, sweet dried apple, the little hamster carefully spat out each tiny seed with his paws, intending to plant them in his dimension later. The fruit was wonderfully sweet, fragrant, and crisp; saplings grown from it were bound to produce delicious fruit.
“Try some of this Akizuki pear.” Yu Yuanzhou sliced off a juicy wedge and held it out, even taking the time to carve out the core seeds for him. “What do you need all these seeds for?”
“For planting!” The little hamster held the pear wedge with both paws. “My third dimension can actually grow crops!”
“Ah, like an ancient dimensional jade pendant?” As a middle-aged man who had devoured his fair share of web novels, Yu Yuanzhou grasped the concept instantly, communicating with his nephew without the slightest generational divide.
“Mm-hmm! But the artifact spirit inside is rotten to the core. I had to bind him with a soul contract last night,” the little hamster explained, taking a bite of the sweet pear. “In my past memories, he conspired with Jiao Yuwan to murder me just so she could seize the spatial artifact.”
“You mean Pang Liangcai’s stepdaughter?” Tianwei’s expression soured. She had detested that girl at first glance—always sniffling and putting on a fragile, tearful act, yet lacing every word with venom. “That little viper kept weeping non-stop at the precinct, claiming Little Yuan must have misunderstood their good intentions and planted the stolen goods out of spite.” Her temper flared. “Her acting is even more sickening than her mother’s!”
Yu Yuanzhou frowned. “An artifact spirit actually dared to betray its own master?”
“I had bound him with an equal partnership back then, but now he’s under an absolute master-servant contract,” the little hamster squeaked with a cold sneer. “I treated him like a brother, and he treated me like a fool.”
Yu Yuanzhou was about to remark that one should never show mercy to ungrateful parasites, but then he remembered that he had practically raised the boy himself. How could he not know how kind and pure Little Yuan was? His sister had passed away far too young, and that deadbeat father had always been a nuisance.
“It’s good that you nipped that threat in the bud. In that case, we should buy plenty of premium seeds and fertilizers for you.” Yu Yuanzhou didn’t linger on the grim details of that past life. He simply offered practical advice while cutting a fresh slice of crustless toast for the little hamster, who had just polished off his pear.
“Uncle, Uncle, I want a thick layer of peanut butter!” The hamster held up his bread, staring with sparkling eyes at the glass jar. “And… and that cashew butter over there! The little hamster wants to try that one too!”
Yu Yuanzhou grumbled under his breath, but his hands moved swiftly. He unscrewed the lid and slathered a generous layer of peanut butter over the toast. “Here.” He even picked up a dab of cashew butter on the tip of a chopstick and brought it to the little creature’s mouth. “Give it a taste. Do you like it?”
The little hamster took a small lick, his dark eyes widening in delight. “I love it!” He clutched his fluffy cheeks with both paws. “The little hamster loves it so much!”
“Which one do you prefer? Peanut or cashew?” Yu Yuanzhou cut another small slice, spread it with cashew butter, and handed it over.
“I love them both!”
Grasping the warm toast, the hamster took a hearty, eager bite—nom! He then quickly darted his pink tongue out to clean up every stray drop of nut butter from his whiskers.
Sitting nearby, Tianwei hadn’t uttered a peep. She was staring down at her phone, her shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter.
Serving the little one, Yu Yuanzhou didn’t forget to shoot a stern glare at his grown daughter. “Aren’t you going to eat? Didn’t you say you were heading out to inspect that warehouse this morning?”
Originally, Yu Yuanzhou had opposed hoarding commercial goods in advance. He believed it was smarter to secure their defenses and simply let the little hamster scavenge abandoned, ownerless supplies once the disaster struck. But the little hamster had been restless and determined to stockpile ahead of time, so what else could an uncle do but indulge him?
“Uncle Zhang posted a video in the neighborhood group chat and tagged me, hahahaha!” Tianwei couldn’t hold back any longer, turning her screen toward her father. “He told me to keep a tighter leash on my pet! Last night, little hamster drove that toy sports car you bought him all the way back to settle scores with that fat calico!”
“He tipped over the litter box, shredded the cushions, and even nudged Uncle Zhang’s prized clay teapot right off the table! He framed the cat for the entire mess. But Uncle Zhang’s daughter checked their living room security camera and discovered a certain hamster slipping through the window frame! To top it off, he yanked three whiskers off the sleeping cat before making his grand escape!”
It was hilarious. Who could have guessed this little furball had such a vengeful streak against neighborhood cats?
“What?” Shocked, Yu Yuanzhou leaned in to read the group chat.
Sure enough, beneath a flood of “hahahaha”s from the neighbors, Uncle Zhang had posted a wry explanation:
“My cat must have pushed that little hamster too far over the past couple of days. The little fellow clearly holds a grudge! I remember back in the village, the clever field mice were just as vindictive.”
“Looks like the twelfth floor’s hamster has quite a temper~ I had no idea it was @12thFloorHamster this morning, so I already gave my fat cat a firm spanking. Consider your honor avenged!”
Uncle Zhang’s daughter chimed in with laughing emojis: “My dad is currently trying to console our deeply depressed calico, hahahaha! Serves that fat bully right—chasing dogs in the morning and terrorizing hamsters in the afternoon!”
Caught red-handed, the little hamster froze, holding his bread between his paws and chewing with an awkward, guilty expression.
Oh dear… exposed!
After breakfast, the little hamster asked his uncle for a comprehensive catalog of heavy agricultural machinery. Brandishing his uncle’s fountain pen with both paws, he checked off items with grand enthusiasm.
“The little hamster wants this, this, and that one too!”
“My dimension has a thousand acres of fertile black soil, though less than a tenth is cleared right now,” he explained. While he wasn’t sure how everything would be utilized in the long run, there were at least seventy to eighty acres ready for immediate cultivation. Mechanized farming was an absolute must. “We also need high-yield staple seeds: wheat, rice, soybeans, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. The soil in there should preserve their genetics, so we won’t have to worry about the seeds degrading with each harvest.”
He also checked off an automated fruit-and-vegetable harvester. “I’m going to plant orchards on the mountain slopes too. Uncle, just order saplings of whatever fruits you and Sister love to eat.”
Because some of the specialized harvesters were imported models, handling customs clearances and rapid freight within two weeks was far beyond a hamster’s reach. His uncle would have to pull the strings.
Tossing the pen aside, the little hamster decided to take a stroll through the downtown shopping district to stretch his legs and brainstorm his next stockpiling steps.
Today’s objective: high-end arctic down parkas, professional ski suits, winter sports gear, and four-season mountaineering tents.
His uncle had taken full charge of modifying their vehicles, which took a massive burden off his shoulders. Converting civilian SUVs into apocalyptic battle tanks required extensive, borderline-illegal structural reinforcements that regular auto shops wouldn’t dare touch. Entrusting that to an outside mechanic risked costly delays, and the little hamster wasn’t about to let his armored trucks end up in someone else’s hands when the world ended.
Transforming back into a handsome young man, Yu Xiaoyuan drove the sleek SUV his sister had loaned him to the premier shopping mall in the city center. The sixth floor featured a massive outdoor expeditions department—exactly what he needed.
Picking the largest flagship store with the widest display, he strode right in. A sales associate hurried over with an eager, professional smile. “Welcome! How may I assist you today, sir?”
Yu Xiaoyuan didn’t know the exact technical jargon, but he hadn’t come to browse. After a brief pause, he stated simply, “I need gear suited for deep-snow trekking and sub-zero winter camping.”
“Ah, planning a winter expedition? Sounds exciting!” The associate guided him toward the cold-weather zone. “Right this way. Here is our alpine shelter lineup. This four-season tent is ultra-lightweight, completely windproof, and offers exceptional thermal retention. And this multi-fuel expedition stove can boil five hundred milliliters of icy water in under three minutes outdoors.”
Yu Xiaoyuan ran his fingers over the ripstop fabric. “It feels a bit standard. Do you have anything more heavy-duty?”
“In that case, let me show you our professional polar series—though the price point is considerably higher. The two-person alpine tent runs for thirty-six thousand yuan, and the family basecamp model is fifty-seven thousand. But the aerospace-grade alloy poles are virtually indestructible yet featherlight. Feel the weight.”
Yu Xiaoyuan weighed the pole in his palm. It was remarkably light, with superb structural rigidity. “Give me three of the small ones and three of the large ones.”
“Three… of each?” The associate blinked, visibly startled.
“Yes. Do you have anything even better?” The boy’s dark eyes were full of genuine curiosity.
“This is the absolute pinnacle of our commercial line, sir,” the clerk replied, his smile growing infinitely more attentive. “What other gear will you require? Would you prefer fully bundled expedition kits?”
“Yes. Pack complete expedition kits for everything, three sets of each.” Yu Xiaoyuan settled comfortably onto the leather lounge sofa in the VIP area. Another clerk immediately rushed over with fresh tea and imported snacks.
“Will you require air-travel compliant gear, or will this be transport-freighted?”
“Ground freight is fine, no security restrictions. I also need heavy-duty entrenching shovels, tactical axes, and survival blades.”
Sitting back, Yu Xiaoyuan personally tested the balance and steel quality of each tool brought before him. If he was dissatisfied, he asked for a replacement on the spot. To keep such a high-spending VIP from walking away, the store manager didn’t hesitate to coordinate with neighboring outdoor brands, pulling stock from other high-end boutiques to fulfill his checklist.
Inspecting a pair of forged steel shovels and a compact survival axe, Yu Xiaoyuan decided that in peacetime civilian markets, this was as good as it got. He nodded in approval.
Selecting professional cross-country skis proved slightly more tedious. He only found three models whose composite bindings and edge durability met his standards, which was barely enough for their family.
Seeing that the store’s local stock was running dry, Yu Xiaoyuan pulled out his black credit card. “Let’s settle the bill for these first. I’ll check out the other specialty shops.”
“Please wait, Mr. Yu! If you don’t mind varied colorways, I can source identical high-spec units across our regional network within thirty minutes!” The store manager glanced up from his tablet, speaking with utmost deference. “The only catch is that warehouse transit will take two to three days. Would that timeframe be acceptable?”
“That works. Have everything delivered directly to my home address,” Yu Xiaoyuan agreed. He hadn’t expected to check off so many boxes in a single morning. “Bundle every single item into three master sets: two for men, one for a woman. I don’t want loose boxes cluttering my hallway.”
“Understood, Mr. Yu! Please allow me to review your manifest line by line.”
The manager cleared his throat, glancing at the wealthy young heir lounging comfortably on the sofa. He began reciting the manifest:
“All following items in quantities of six: high-lumen tactical camping lanterns, self-inflating sleeping pads, insulated ground mats, ultralight camp chairs, heavy alpine mountaineering boots, three-layer Gore-Tex waterproof hard-shell jackets and trousers, minus-forty-degree arctic expedition down parkas, merino wool thermal base layers, carbon-fiber trekking poles, waterproof snow gaiters, neoprene wading boots, three-season sleeping bags, and eight-hundred-fill goose down expedition sleeping bags.
“Regarding the closed-cell egg-crate foam mats you selected, we have one on hand; the remaining five will arrive from our provincial hub within forty-eight hours. As for the portable ceramic gravity water filters, multi-fuel expedition stoves, and hard-anodized cookware sets, five sets are ready in our local depot, with the final unit arriving in three days.
“Does this initial equipment list meet your approval, sir?”
He tactfully omitted mentioning the tactical axes and entrenching tools out loud in the showroom.
Yu Xiaoyuan skimmed the detailed itemized invoice on the tablet, complete with brand certifications, warranties, volume discounts, and guaranteed delivery schedules. Satisfied, he handed over the card.
“Add high-capacity portable power stations, heavy-duty tactical flashlights, compact magnetic power banks, and commercial-grade deep-water fishing tackle—braided lines, forged hooks, and long-shelf-life bait. Nothing flashy, just rugged and dependable.”
“My apologies for overlooking your power needs! I will update the order immediately,” the manager said smoothly, pulling up specs for several industrial-grade lithium-iron-phosphate battery generators. “Six units of these as well?”
“Give me fifteen of the largest outdoor power stations,” Yu Xiaoyuan replied casually.
The manager’s hand froze mid-swipe. Fifteen industrial power stations?!
Electricity was life! With unlimited stored power, the little hamster could dig a cozy burrow underground during the apocalypse and play video games all day without a care in the world!
Right, he reminded himself, I still need Uncle to order two heavy-duty industrial diesel generators, and we need to stockpile as much diesel and gasoline as legally possible.
When the apocalyptic ice age descended, the three of them could curl up under thick down quilts, run the heaters on diesel, and binge-watch television dramas with his sister!
“That many units?” The manager quickly recovered his customer-service smile. “To the same delivery address, Mr. Yu?”
“Yes. You run a fine shop, so I’ll be sending more business your way. Several elders in my family are avid wilderness fishermen, you see,” Yu Xiaoyuan fabricated effortlessly.
“It is our absolute privilege, sir,” the manager said with a polite bow, swiping the black card through the terminal. Lowering his voice to an intimate, professional whisper, he added, “If your final destination happens to be overseas, Mr. Yu, our company also offers international concierge fulfillment—order domestically, pick up on-site at your destination.
“Certain sporting tools face strict domestic restrictions, but overseas markets operate differently. For instance, if you plan to hunt deer or wild boar in North America and haven’t arranged local gear, our international logistics arm can coordinate everything in advance.”
Yu Xiaoyuan’s ears perked up instantly. “Let me see that catalog.”
“Would you mind sharing your private email? I will send the encrypted overseas catalog directly to your inbox,” the manager offered with a knowing smile as the receipt printed. “Different jurisdictions carry distinct regulatory frameworks, but certain regions have virtually zero restrictions on hunting hardware. Gentlemen of your refined taste always appreciate that caliber of sport.”
The little hamster had zero interest in hunting innocent woodland creatures, but he was immensely interested in the specialized hardware that wasn’t allowed on domestic shelves.
Impressive. This manager really knows his trade.
Taking a quick flight abroad for a few hours to load up on heavy-duty defense gear before the borders shut down wasn’t out of the question.
Pocketing his card, Yu Xiaoyuan stood up, stretching his limbs as he considered where to browse next. He hadn’t even taken two steps toward the glass doors when a loud, familiar voice echoed from behind:
“Hey! Yu Xiaoyuan! What on earth are you doing here?!”
A heavy hand reached out, about to clamp down on his shoulder. “What a crazy coincidence! Did you come here to gear up for our class hiking trip too?”
