Chapter 50
According to the original plan, Suzy had always intended to return to A City.
After all, that was where she had made her most thorough preparations. The safe house there was nearly complete.
If they chose to remain in C City instead, they would have to construct another safe house from scratch.
And now, there simply wasn’t enough time.
More importantly, A City was the central stage of the dream plot’s storyline.
Everything she had foreseen in her dream—the disasters, the sequence of events, the social collapse—unfolded there.
If she left the narrative’s focal region, all the future information she possessed would become useless.
Beyond that boundary, everything would be unknown.
And Suzy refused to gamble on the unknown.
"I’m going back to A City," she said firmly.
Leonard studied her for a long moment. He could see from her expression that her mind was made up.
He sighed and leaned back into the sofa cushions.
"Going back is fine," he said slowly. "But what about the supplies..."
The thought made his chest ache.
All of it was in C City.
When he had been stockpiling, he’d followed the principle of proximity—renting warehouses locally and directing shipments there.
And he hadn’t been subtle.
The volume he’d accumulated was staggering.
There was no way he could just leave it here to rot.
He’d seen Suzy running around buying goods nonstop these past days and had assumed she planned to stay in C City. He hadn’t expected her to insist on returning.
"I’ll go back with you," Leonard said after another breath. "As for the supplies... I’ll think of something."
Transporting everything to A City was technically possible—but the sheer scale made it a logistical nightmare.
And on the drive earlier, Suzy had already told him that the disaster timeline had advanced.
They were now counting down days. Time was razor thin.
If it truly came down to it, he could ask Adam to temporarily safeguard the warehouses.
Leonard silently calculated his remaining liquid assets. There was still plenty.
Even if they had to repurchase some essentials after arriving in A City, they could afford it.
Suzy understood his dilemma.
"If you’re worried about the supplies," she said carefully, "I have a way."
Leonard’s eyes lit up. "Can you take care of it?"
She nodded. Of course, she could. She had her space. As long as she stored everything inside it, they could relocate instantly.
The real issue was... How was she supposed to explain that?
The space was her final trump card. She had no intention of revealing it lightly. But abandoning such an enormous stockpile here would be an unforgivable waste.
If someone else stumbled upon it, it would be handing over her lifeline to strangers.
"Since you have a solution, I’ll leave it to you," Leonard said suddenly, a smile breaking across his face.
He didn’t ask what her method was.
Not even once.
"Tomorrow I’ll send you the exact warehouse locations. You can handle the rest."
Then he stretched his head lazily. "I’m drenched in sweat. I’m going upstairs to shower. Want a late-night snack? I’ll cook."
Suzy blinked. "...Sure."
She remained seated on the sofa long after he left.
He had agreed so easily. Not only agreed to return to A City, but entrusted her with managing that massive volume of supplies without demanding an explanation.
Did he really trust her that much?
After a while, she went to shower as well.
When she came back downstairs, Leonard was already in the kitchen, preparing something simple but fragrant.
Throughout the evening, he never once pressed her about the supplies.
He sensed she had secrets, and he chose not to force them into the light.
After finishing their late-night meal, they both retired to their rooms.
Before going to bed, Suzy took out her phone and booked two plane tickets to A City—for the day after tomorrow.
Suzy had just received confirmation that the plane tickets were issued when a message from Leonard popped up.
It was a document.
When she opened it, inside were multiple addresses, along with access codes.
Warehouses.
All rented under Leonard’s name.
Suzy immediately marked each location on her map, planning to begin handling the supplies first thing in the morning.
***
The Next Day
When she woke up, Leonard had already left.
On the dining table sat a neatly prepared breakfast—and a handwritten note. He said he had matters to settle and wouldn’t be joining her for breakfast. If they were truly leaving C City, there were things he needed to take care of.
Deep down, he had a feeling that once they left, coming back might no longer be an option.
After finishing her meal, Suzy set out for the warehouse addresses Leonard had sent.
They were clustered in the same industrial district, all equipped with uniform digital locks.
She entered the first password and pushed the heavy metal door open.
Suzy froze. Inside, supplies were stacked like mountains, from floor to ceiling.
Her own rented warehouses had always been for cover. Whenever a batch arrived, she transferred it into her space immediately. She had never allowed a warehouse to fill to capacity.
Leonard’s approach was entirely different. He had filled them completely.
And there wasn’t just one or two.
There were ten warehouses.
Ten.
She couldn’t even begin to estimate the total volume.
Suzy inhaled slowly, stunned—and faintly moved. Her uncle had prepared far more than she had imagined.
After regaining composure, she located the security system. One by one, she disabled the surveillance cameras. Once she confirmed everything was offline, she lifted her hand.
And in an instant, all supplies vanished. Everything flowed seamlessly into her space.
Leonard had organized meticulously.
Warehouse A contained food supplies.
Warehouse B was clothing and cold-weather gear.
Warehouse C held daily necessities.
Others stored medicine, tools, fuel reserves, water purification equipment...
Each warehouse was categorized and planned out.
It took Suzy half the day to visit every location and absorb everything into her upgraded space. Thankfully, the space had expanded recently. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been enough.
By sunset, the supply problem in C City was completely resolved. They were ready to leave at any time.
***
Meanwhile — M Country
An abandoned industrial zone in the eastern district.
The air reeked of engine oil and rust. Distant gunshots echoed intermittently. Deep inside a derelict factory, a brief but violent firefight had just ended.
Thomas Kim leaned back against a concrete wall.
His black T-shirt was stained with dust and dark smears. Near his left shoulder, the fabric was torn open. Blood seeped steadily from the wound beneath.
Beside him stood another man, tense and alert.
"Hey, Tom... you okay?"
Footsteps approached. Another man moved toward Thomas, gun in hand, scanning the surroundings vigilantly before reaching him.
Thomas looked at him steadily. "I’m fine."
The word had barely left his mouth when he raised his silenced pistol.
A muted crack split the air.
The bullet struck cleanly through the man’s heart. He collapsed like a puppet with severed strings. Shock filled his eyes as he stared at Thomas.
His mouth opened to protest, but only blood spilled out. Within seconds, he stopped moving.
Thomas looked at his motionless body with a cold expression.
Minutes earlier, his team had been escorting a client through gang-controlled territory when they were ambushed.
The gunfight had ended with no fatalities, only some injuries.
Including his own.
A voice behind him broke the silence. "How did you know he was the traitor?"