Chapter 6

Jonah, who had been through much and was more experienced, reacted first.

"So you're saying your birthmark turned into a void pocket, Fi?" he asked.

Sophie nodded. "Yes, and here's the important part… Before I woke up, I had a long dream of the end times, which came in early April.

"It began with rain, which grew into torrential downpours, lasting day and night. Within two months, the whole world was flooded, with island nations completely submerged as the floodwaters rose to four stories high.

"The government initially tried to rescue whoever they could, but then tsunamis struck. It destroyed most of the power plants, and everything from utilities to communications was crippled nationwide, with no rescue operations since.

"I was trapped in Stockton at the time, and seeing the flooding getting worse, Dad spent a fortune buying an old military boat to reach me, but he went missing.

"Mom was staying back home with Bibi. The tsunami destroyed even high-rise buildings, but our home wasn't affected since it's on the top floor.

"However, when the flood receded, a terrible drought came, followed by acid rain. Both of you had stockpiled plenty of supplies before the storm, and the neighbors remembered it. Things eventually got lawless, and that was when they led thugs straight to our house to kick Mom and Bibi out. With the acid rain, you and Bibi both..."

Sophie's voice trembled as she thought of how she had to gather Billy's and Tina's remains in her past life—it was her worst regret.

"Fi…."

Her parents were left staring at her, bewildered as if she were suddenly speaking in an alien language.

"It's just a dream, Fi," Tina eventually said, patting Sophie's back. "We're all fine, see?"

Sophie's tears flowed uncontrollably again.

She didn't cry after learning that her family was gone in her past life. No one would care anyway…

But at this moment, she was suddenly a college student who had yet to see the harshness of the real world, let alone the apocalypse. All she wanted to do just then was just to throw herself into her mother's arms and cry her heart out.

However, she managed to stop herself, took a deep breath to look at her worried parents, and said solemnly, "I know you think this is just a dream, but I know in my heart it was a life I once lived—and everything that happened did actually happen.

"If you don't believe me, let me make a prediction—at two in the afternoon, the president of Kars will be assassinated. You can see it anywhere online."

"What?!" Her parents were once again bewildered.

Sophie shrugged and smiled through her tears. "You guys know me—I've never been abroad, and I don't even have that many friends. There's no way I could know such a big scoop even before it happens, don't you think?"

This time, her parents were left speechless for a long while, until her father cleared his throat. "Let's get some food in our stomachs for now. Anything else can wait."

Sophie nodded in agreement. Since waking up yesterday, she had been busy stockpiling supplies and hadn't had time for much else, including eating.

She locked the car door and went with her parents to the restaurant where she had made reservations.

Seeing the table full of such scrumptious dishes, she couldn't resist wolfing down everything.

It was a habit that developed in the apocalypse—after going hungry and thirsty for so many years, her stomach felt like a black hole, and she was always ready for a feast.

She ordered six dishes and soup along with three loaves of bread, but she was eating enough food for three people.

Tina stared at her blankly, her voice cracking with emotion as she slid her plate to Sophie. "Fi, take it slow, or you'll choke…"

Jonah also quickly poured her a drink. "Here. Wash it down."

Nonetheless, Sophie kept eating, only looking up to smile at her parents occasionally.

The plates were soon completely wiped clean—even the fatty meat and broccoli she used to despise were not spared.

After she had finished everything on the table and let out a big, satisfied burp, she shrugged in embarrassment. "Sorry, I was just so hungry!"

Tina had things to say but eventually kept quiet and patted Sophie's back gently, like she did when Sophie was little.

Sophie's back stiffened at first, but she slowly relaxed, tentatively leaning on her mother's shoulder.

As she breathed in the familiar and comforting scent of her mother, tears welled up in her eyes.

Jonah said nothing and left.

He returned shortly, handing Tina a bag. "A tonic for the stomach. She should take a couple of spoonfuls for her digestion."

He glanced at the clean plate and decided against saying what was on his mind.

Even though Sophie soon felt bloated and a little sick, she looked content nonetheless.

They finished lunch at half past one, and it was soon two.

Jonah waited another ten minutes before tapping on his phone, but he didn't even have to search—the assassination of a nation's leader was naturally sensational enough to be plastered over every headline.

Seeing that, both Jonah and Tina were silent again.

They did believe Sophie to a certain extent the moment she proved she had a void pocket.

Still, they also held on to hope that it was really just a nightmare…

Jonah was himself quite experienced with the ways of the world, having started out as a hardware store owner, and had since opened a couple of branch outlets.

Breathing a long sigh, he told Sophie, "Fi, let's head back to the van. Tell me what you have in mind, with all the details."

Sophie nodded, and once they were in the van again, she explained, "As far as I know, the apocalypse lasted at least eight years. There were floods, droughts, acid rain, deep freeze, long nights, earthquakes… everything you can think of.

"That's why our top priority is to stockpile everything. We will need food, drinking water, transport, and anything that can help against those natural disasters. It goes without saying that society will collapse, everyone will be struggling to survive, and production will be completely crippled.

"That means the sooner we get our hands on more supplies, the better. I've already bought some myself, but you guys need to get the rest.

"As for shelter, the rooftop of our old home was corroded with plenty of holes left from the acid rain, craggy from acid rain corrosion, but overall, the building is still solid. We can stay there and sell the new apartment since it is situated at a lower sea level. It will be flooded before long.

"Since we live on the sixth floor, we'll have to completely enclose our apartment with tempered glass and replace all the windows. We could use solar panels, high-capacity batteries, air conditioners, room heaters, and the like. That stuff probably won't last without power, so remember to stock up on batteries."

As she finished, she handed her parents a detailed inventory.

"What have you bought these past two days?" Tina blurted.

On the other hand, Jonah glanced at it and quickly understood, and he turned to Sophie. "Actually, there's something really crucial we've yet to ask—how big is your void pocket? How much can it store?"

Sophie smiled wryly. "Only about eight hundred square feet, so it's not all that much… but in web novels, users can expand it by throwing in gold and precious stones. Just an idea."

Jonah looked at Tina, who wore a diamond bracelet—it was a family heirloom and quite valuable.

Being married for so long, Tina immediately understood her husband's intention and took the bracelet off, handing it to Sophie. "Here. Try this."