Chapter 2
Yu Tianwei rushed over from the police station, but when she checked the hospital bed, Yu Xiaoyuan was nowhere to be found.
The bed was completely empty.
Her heart skipped a beat. She hurried to the nurses’ station, asking every nurse and caregiver on duty, before finally spotting the little troublemaker outside the hospital’s convenience store. He was strolling through the aisles with a shopping basket in hand, acting as if nothing had ever happened.
“What are you doing running around like this?” Tianwei, dressed in sleek professional attire, looked capable and energetic, but her beautiful eyes were filled with deep worry. “If you need anything, just tell your cousin! I will buy it for you. You can’t just sneak out on your own, understand?”
With that, she snatched the basket from his grasp. Looking down, she found it overflowing with instant noodles, biscuits, ham sausages, and vacuum-sealed eggs. She immediately scolded him, “You’re in a hospital, and all you can think about is gorging on snacks and instant noodles? I booked you a private VIP room and arranged for three meals a day to be delivered on time from a five-star hotel.” Her words flew fast and sharp, as fierce and decisive as her personality.
Yu Xiaoyuan stood obediently behind his cousin, listening quietly. However, the moment he noticed her about to put everything back onto the shelves, panic set in. “No, no—these are all for me!”
He couldn’t go to a proper supermarket yet, and the little hamster already felt deeply wronged. If he wasn’t even allowed to buy a few supplies to fill his space, he might burst into tears right then and there.
“You really are something!” Tianwei pressed her lips together, taking in her thin, petite younger brother. His wide eyes were so fraught with anxiety that even his cowlick seemed to stand on end. In the end, her heart softened. “Fine. But you can’t eat too much each day. One pack at most, got it?”
“Mm.”
As Yu Xiaoyuan was led to the cash register, he kept glancing longingly at the shelves packed with instant noodles. He had just spotted compressed ration biscuits, too. The little hamster desperately wanted them—in an apocalypse, nothing was more practical than compressed biscuits.
Next to them were vacuum-sealed packets of sweet and spicy chicken bones that looked mouth-watering. If his cousin hadn’t caught him so quickly, he could have… He swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He could have bought out all six boxes!
“Let’s go!” Tianwei turned around and saw the little scoundrel still drooling over the snack displays. Annoyed and helpless, she reached out and playfully pinched his ear, using the natural authority an older cousin holds over a younger brother to drag the mischievous kid back to his room.
“The value of the stolen goods from your apartment is massive. The police found their fingerprints on several items, but strangely, none on the safe. Did you open it yourself?” Tianwei picked up the medical chart left by the doctor the moment they entered the ward, skimming it while she questioned him.
Fortunately, after a comprehensive checkup, Yu Xiaoyuan showed only a mild bruise on the back of his head; both the MRI and CT scans were clear.
The patient in question sat by the table, meticulously organizing his newfound treasures as he tossed out a casual excuse: “They threatened me until I opened it.”
He neatly arranged box after box of instant noodles. Seeing the small surface crowded with delicious food instantly lifted the little hamster’s spirits.
He had managed to buy quite a haul: five packets of braised beef noodles, two packets of spicy beef noodles—bagged versions, which took up less room—and a package of eight premium ham sausages. After throwing a soft tantrum, he had convinced his cousin to let him keep two packages, giving him sixteen sausages in total.
There were also three boxes of savory salted biscuits and six boxes of sweet peanut cookies. Those were his absolute favorite—crisp, rich, and sprinkled with fragrant crushed peanuts.
However, one box of peanut cookies was already being eaten by his cousin, who munched away while reviewing his medical file. Peanut cookies, minus one.
The little hamster stole a glance at her, turned his back slightly, and swiftly stuffed two whole boxes into his cheek pouches. He patted his cheeks in deep satisfaction. How wonderful—his storage space wasn’t empty anymore!
Tianwei frowned, looking up from the chart. “When the police come by to take your statement, you can’t tell them that. Tell them you were organizing Mom’s belongings before they barged in, and you didn’t have time to lock the safe door, understand?”
“Mm-hmm, got it.” Yu Xiaoyuan nodded along without truly paying attention. His mind was entirely fixated on a bright yellow bag of classic potato chips.
Lay’s Classic Potato Chips: one bag. New spicy peanut flavor: one bag. Little Raccoon Crispy Noodles: six packets.
Back at the monster shelter where the little hamster used to live, the caretakers loved feeding him crispy noodles. The barbecue flavor was aromatic and delightfully crunchy. Every time he was given a packet, he would generously decide not to report the caretakers to the Monster Affairs Bureau for teasing him.
Thinking of those days, Yu Xiaoyuan hugged the crispy noodles to his chest and rubbed his cheek against them affectionately. “I love you guys so much.” The thought of losing such treats in the future broke his heart.
Still, he had only grabbed two bags of potato chips today because the small sixty-gram bags were simply too expensive for their size. He planned to track down bulk family-sized bags later, deflate them, and store them efficiently. Since the temporal flow in his spatial dimension was completely frozen, he didn’t have to worry about the chips going stale or soft.
Compressing items to maximize space was an absolute necessity.
Right, he reminded himself, pulling out a small notebook. I need to buy a vacuum sealer, heavy-duty compression bags, and an electric air pump.
Once the apocalyptic deep freeze set in, he would need endless supplies of sleeping bags, sturdy tents, down blankets, thick sweaters, and winter coats. These items were bulky, but a vacuum seal would shrink them down nicely.
He scribbled down his plans with utmost care, tallying the funds he had on hand. Was it enough?
Certainly not enough to survive an entire apocalypse. What should he do? Everything in the human realm cost money, and all the spiritual stones and magical herbs he had hoarded in his previous life were gone the moment he arrived. The little hamster was completely broke!
“Yu Xiaoyuan!” Tianwei’s voice snapped him back to reality. Seeing that she had been talking to a wall while the kid daydreamed, she grabbed his ear again in mock fury. “Did you hear a single word I just said?”
Caught off guard, the naturally timid boy ducked his head. He nervously licked his lips, activating his strongest survival instincts. “I’ll listen to whatever you say, Cousin!”
“Hmph, so you do know how to flatter me.” Tianwei crossed her arms and tilted her chin proudly, letting him off the hook. “For the next few days, you’re staying at the villa with me and Uncle. He took an overnight flight back the second he heard what happened.”
“Uncle is coming back?” Yu Xiaoyuan’s eyes lit up.
If he had to rely solely on himself, stocking up enough supplies in two short weeks in an unfamiliar world would be nearly impossible. But with his wealthy, deeply capable uncle around, everything would change. His mind raced, scheming how he might break the news of the apocalypse to both of them.
Their family consisted of only three people: himself, his uncle, and his cousin. If they wanted to survive the end of the world, they had to stand united.
From the original owner’s memories and the plot progression of the original world, he knew that when the apocalypse struck, his uncle had been stranded out of town on a business trip. His cousin, despite staying in their home city, had been dragged along on an outing with her college classmates.
When the catastrophe erupted, the original owner had desperately tried to drive out to find his family. But those despicable classmates blocked his car. The kind-hearted original owner couldn’t bring himself to hit them, only to be dragged from the driver’s seat. They even had the nerve to label him cold and selfish.
Just recalling it made the little hamster bristle with disgust. The car and the supplies belonged entirely to the original owner, yet those freeloaders took everything over, gave him tiny rations, and claimed he deserved less because his “selfishness” had hurt their feelings.
If I were in his shoes, the little hamster thought darkly, I would have stepped on the gas and plowed right through them. Why suffer through that abuse?
To make matters worse, they later crossed paths with Xu Wanwan, the female lead of this world’s story—the very same stepsister who had pretended to be so gentle and kind earlier today. The original owner possessed an ancestral jade pendant with a spatial realm, but the spirit dwelling within it betrayed him, colluding with Xu Wanwan to end his life.
The memory made Yu Xiaoyuan grip the bag of crispy noodles so tightly that the snack shattered into pieces.
The original owner’s lingering grief, disbelief, and fury resonated deeply inside the little hamster’s chest. Once the apocalypse arrived, human life would become brutally cheap. He was no longer the naive boy from before; he would not let anyone step on him.
If those traitors dared to exploit him again, he would see if they even had the lives left to enjoy it.
He tore open the crushed packet and tossed a large crunchy chunk into his mouth. To be honest, he was almost looking forward to the apocalypse. Without the original owner serving as their stepping stone, let’s see how well those leeches could survive such a brutal world!
Yu Xiaoyuan fished out the collectible mythical beast card from the bag, placed it on the table, and offered the noodles to his cousin. “Want some?”
Deep down, he thought coldly: Without me, it’s doubtful whether those people will even survive the first seven days of disasters.
“No thanks, that’s kid food.” Tianwei patted her chest, lifting her chin proudly. “Your cousin is a mature adult!”
Still, she leaned over and affectionately pinched his round cheeks. “You did great today. The investigators and I are still baffled by how it all went down, but the process doesn’t matter. What matters is that the stolen goods were caught red-handed in their pockets. Given the enormous value, they’re looking at ten to twenty years behind bars, easy.
“As for that little brat—even if he somehow dodges juvenile hall, don’t worry. Purely out of the goodness of my heart, I’ll make sure to find him an ‘exceptional’ foster home.” A sharp, menacing smirk crossed her face. She patted her brother on the head, thoroughly pleased that he had finally developed some spine and cunning. “Leave the rest to me. Pack your things tomorrow and come home with me, understood?”
“Understood!” The little hamster nodded obediently, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
What he actually heard was: Uncle’s home is massive! A detached villa with a basement—the absolute ultimate hoarding ground!
He wished he could move in right this minute. He watched eagerly as his cousin picked up her purse and the half-finished box of peanut cookies. “I have a meeting with Lawyer Wang tomorrow morning, and I’ll help you pack in the afternoon.”
“Let me walk you out, Cousin! I’ll walk you to your car!” Yu Xiaoyuan bounced enthusiastically behind her.
His poor heart had been left behind at the convenience store; it was time to go pick it up!
Tianwei could tell something was off. The boy had never been this clingy, practically escorting her all the way into the parking garage. There was definitely an ulterior motive at play. When children threw tantrums, it was harmless; when they were quiet and unusually well-behaved, they were usually up to no good!
She calmly climbed into her car and waved goodbye.
The little fellow waved back obediently and turned toward the hospital entrance. But before she could even shift into reverse, she spotted him breaking into a dead sprint straight back toward the convenience store!
Tianwei stared blankly. She was both amused and exasperated. “Why on earth is he sneaking into a convenience store like a little thief?”
Smiling, she shook her head and started the ignition. Yet an uneasy curiosity gnawed at her. She killed the engine, rolled up her sleeves, and marched right back in, determined to catch the little imp red-handed!
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoyuan had no idea she had doubled back. With surprising physical strength, he happily hauled two massive bags of food up to his private room.
He emptied the haul across the table, taking inventory with sheer delight. “Six packs of spicy and sweet duck necks, three packs of compressed rations…”
He had also grabbed several bags of pickled cabbage beef noodles. When the end of the world arrived, nobody would care whether instant noodles were considered unhealthy junk food. Having anything to fill your belly was a blessing.
“And three boxes of Danone milk biscuits!” The little hamster adored them.
Unable to resist, he tore open a box and popped a biscuit into his mouth. It was wonderfully rich, crisp, and bursting with sweet milky flavor.
Munching contentedly, he continued sorting through the goods. The store also carried short-shelf-life bakery items, so he had swept up six pineapple buns, two custard buns, two rare loaves of sliced white bread, several savory sausage rolls, two tubes of sweet condensed milk, and three bottles of salad dressing.
On top of that, he had secured a steaming cup of oden and three bottles of specialty drinks he had never tasted before.
“Perfection~”
On his very first day in this world, the little hamster had successfully resumed his hoarding journey!
Even though it was only a modest start, he was easily pleased. He picked up the pickled cabbage noodles, preparing to tuck them into his cheek pouches for safekeeping. If his cousin saw this mountain of junk food tomorrow, she would skin him alive. He was acutely aware of the absolute authority older cousins held over their younger brothers, and she strictly forbade him from snacking on junk.
The cautious boy opened his mouth wide: “Aaaah—”
Just as he was about to shove the brick of instant noodles into his cheek, a dangerously sweet voice rang out from right behind him.
“Little Yu Yuan… just what naughty things are you doing behind your cousin’s back?”
The utterly terrified Yu Xiaoyuan lost his grip on the noodles. In a pure flash of panic, his human disguise shattered, and he instantly reverted into a fluffy little hamster!
His mind went entirely blank. Tucking his tiny tail, he let out a frantic chorus of squeaks—“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”—and scrambled wildly beneath the hospital bed to hide.
Aaaah! The little hamster is going to die of fright!
Shivering under the bed, the little furball clamped both paws over his head. Then, he froze.
Slowly, he sat up.
…Did he just transform right in front of his cousin?
