The Apocalypse Took Everything, This Time I Hoard It All First
Chapter 21: The Final Calm

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: The Final Calm

This also served to explain Celestia’s recent string of unusual actions.

Luna Dawson never thought that she, of all people, would one day become a so-called expert.

Upon learning the news, different countries reacted in their own ways. Some immediately began stockpiling survival supplies.

Others, however, used their state media like a social media platform, firing off a series of highly personal attacks, claiming Celestia had surely gone mad.

The entire internet was in an uproar. Trending topics like "stockpiling" and "natural disaster" shot to the top of the charts one after another.

The comment sections went absolutely wild, with countless people thinking a war was about to break out.

A spokesperson urgently stepped in to clarify: "Celestia is a peace-loving nation. We never start trouble, but we are never afraid of it, either. As for who fires the first shot? It will never be us."

Shortly after the press conference, the national disaster management department sent an emergency text message to all citizens.

At the same time, all major transportation arteries across the country were completely blockaded, and public transportation, including high-speed trains and airplanes, was suspended entirely.

The government issued a formal appeal: Effective December 11th, all citizens were to refrain from non-essential travel and work together to face the impending disaster.

Seeing the news, Luna Dawson and Evan Olson heaved a long sigh of relief.

’If they didn’t control transportation, with Celestia having the world’s largest population, it would have been a hellish start to the apocalypse if everyone tried to flee to the provincial safe zones.’

「Time flew by, and soon it was December 11th.」

When Luna Dawson got up around noon, she drove into the city to see what the situation was like outside.

Nearly half the shops on the streets were closed, and the number of pedestrians had been cut by more than half. It seemed most people were obediently heeding the call and staying home to avoid causing trouble.

But there were also plenty of contrarians who made a point of going out on the 11th.

They even posted on social media to attract attention, saying things like, "What’s there to be afraid of?" and gaining massive traffic with countless views and comments.

It was already afternoon by the time Luna Dawson returned home.

Mrs. Dawson and Miles Dawson had been pacing anxiously at home and only calmed down after Luna returned.

"How is it out there?"

Evan Olson asked. If Luna hadn’t forbidden it, he definitely would have gone with her.

Luna’s expression was grim. "It’s okay. The crowds are down by half, so most people are staying home. But Kensington’s population is so large that even half is still a lot of people!"

Mrs. Dawson comforted them, "We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We’ll have to deal with the large population one step at a time. Come on, sit down and watch some TV. I’ll go make dinner. After we eat, you should all get some rest before midnight."

Everyone sat together, eating a dinner they could hardly taste.

Some were worried about the apocalypse itself, while others wondered what kind of disaster could possibly warrant such a serious response from the government.

After dinner, Miles Dawson enthusiastically gathered everyone to watch a movie in the media room.

The double-row sofa booths in the media room were soft and spacious. The moment he entered, he switched off the main lights. The starlight ceiling immediately lit up, its soft, twinkling lights as magical as a real night sky.

The massive screen then lit up, playing none other than *World War Z*. Even Hector, Rollo, and Little Tiger couldn’t escape his summons and were herded inside with the rest of them.

Miles Dawson even justified his choice, saying, "If there really is a zombie virus outbreak, it can’t hurt to watch these kinds of movies beforehand and learn how to deal with it!"

The screen was soon filled with images of zombies frantically chasing and biting humans, the gory scenes of blood and guts flying everywhere proving highly impactful.

From the surround-sound system, the roars of the zombies and the screams of the humans blended into a cacophony, making it feel as if the undead were howling right in their ears.

Everyone’s hearts pounded in their chests as they watched. Many of them instinctively shrank back into the sofa, their palms sweating as they muttered one after another, "Please don’t let it be some kind of bioweapon virus. This is way too terrifying!"

As the night deepened, everyone returned to their rooms after the movie finished.

Luna said she would sleep with Hector tonight. After instructing everyone to lock their doors and not come out until dawn, Rhonda Dawson had no choice but to return to her room alone.

’In her previous life, when the virus descended, she had no idea who among them would awaken a superpower and who would turn into a zombie...’

After putting Hector to sleep, Luna Dawson closed the door and went back down to the first-floor living room, where she continued to watch another zombie movie.

Miles Dawson and Evan Olson couldn’t sleep either, so they came downstairs to keep her company. For a time, they were all silent.

The movie’s camera focused on a newlywed couple. After the wife was bitten, the husband didn’t abandon her; instead, they embraced in the back seat of their car.

The man gently patted his love as she was about to turn, softly recounting the story of how they fell in love.

A moment later, his wife, having fully turned, lunged and bit his throat. The man let out a pained grunt but only held his love even tighter...

As the camera slowly pulled back, Evan Olson spoke calmly, "After tomorrow... will it be like this?"

Luna replied nonchalantly, "Yes, and this is just their initial form. Their destructive power will be even greater after they evolve."

After that, silence fell once more. Even Miles Dawson, usually the most talkative of the group, said nothing.

As the movie neared its end, Luna glanced at her watch. It was 11:52 PM.

Luna spoke up. "You two should head back to your rooms. If you can’t sleep, just browse your phones. No matter what you hear, don’t come out. Stay in your rooms until dawn."

In her previous life, Luna had developed a fever on the 13th and awakened her superpower, while the humans destined to change had turned into zombies in the early hours of the 12th.

’I’m the only one in the house who is certain not to turn. I have to get everyone settled before I can rest.’ She took a cup of spirit spring water from her dimension and drank it in one gulp.

Every passing second of the wait felt agonizingly long. Luna stood in the courtyard, her eyes fixed on the sky, waiting.

A cold winter wind carrying fine particles of snow gusted past. She wore a pale yellow woolen coat, its hem fluttering in the breeze. Beneath it was a white turtleneck sweater, its collar fitting snugly against her neck and keeping the biting wind at bay.

Her loose, waist-length black hair was tossed by the wind, the ends catching tiny ice crystals that swayed gently with the white mist of her breath.

She found herself thinking that perhaps the apocalypse wasn’t so bad. ’Human civilization has dominated Blue Star for millennia, yet now, on the eve of the world’s end, I can’t even see a single star.’

The sky was pitch-black, with only a solitary moon hanging in the void, its cool light seeming to freeze in the frigid air.

Suddenly, a faint silvery halo appeared at the edge of the inky sky. It spread slowly, like the soft glimmer of melting ice, softening the moon’s lonely silhouette.

In the distance, the bare branches of withered trees pointed toward the sky, and the wind moaned as it passed through them.

The once-silent night sky began to stir. A few faint stars struggled to pierce the darkness, only to be swallowed by the night an instant later.

The silvery glow grew more intense, spreading into a gossamer curtain of light, heralding the arrival of the Geminid meteor shower that was about to tear through the darkness of this apocalyptic winter.

Luna stared intently at her watch. When both the minute and hour hands pointed to twelve, the meteor shower that was supposed to light up the night sky failed to appear.

"That’s not right."

’In my last life, I was doing a "Double Twelve" promotional livestream at midnight. Just after the clock struck twelve, tons of fans started spamming the public chat, saying there was a meteor shower outside.’

’A massive meteor shower!’

’It was only then that I belatedly pulled open the curtains to see the meteors lighting up the night sky. I was so stunned I couldn’t speak. The memory is crystal clear!’

’But it didn’t happen this time. Why not?’

’Could it be... that the night of August 26th was just a nightmare?’

’Then how do I explain my dimension? The spirit spring water? What about all the disasters I foresaw and the winning lottery tickets?’

Luna couldn’t help but feel her anxiety rising.

Ten minutes later, a message came from Evan Olson. She replied with a single word: "Wait."

Luna’s heart was pounding with uncertainty. ’Did I just play the expert, only to have it all blow up in my face?’

’Even if it does blow up in my face, that’s fine!’

’At least then everyone can go on living their normal lives!’