Five days until the apocalypse!

Another sunset. Seven in the evening.

Su Jin returned to his rented room with a backpack slung over his shoulder, having changed into a tank top and baggy shorts he’d bought locally.

It had been a fruitful day.

He spent half the day in a bookstore, quantum-speed-reading through numerous encyclopedias and deepening his understanding of this world.

The other half was spent scouting locations, researching market prices, creating a budget, and getting friendly with the neighborhood security guards.

After careful calculation, the money he had was just barely enough... Of course, that was with supplies calculated to an oversaturated level.

The food alone, for a family of four, would last several months.

If he didn't need to purchase a large quantity of other functional supplies, this money could have fed them for over two years.

The purchasing power was truly impressive!

Back home, the first thing he did was drop his backpack and pull out a smaller bag from within.

From the smaller bag, he took out a pen and notebook, followed by two plastic bags.

One bag held rice, the other, stir-fried meat slices.

He'd been fine eating just some leafy greens in the evenings, but today he'd boldly ordered a meat dish from a small restaurant outside.

The taste was decent, and he was pleasantly surprised to find they had normal rice and chopsticks.

As for the two portions on the table, they were leftovers he'd had packed to go.

Su Jin opened his notebook with one hand while unwrapping the plastic bags with the other.

Before he could even open them, a wave of warmth spread from his fingertips...

Staring at the still-warm food, Su Jin froze for a moment.

He'd read his share of novels, the kind of power fantasies where there's always a spatial ring or something that keeps food fresh indefinitely.

But to see it with his own eyes, the food still warm... it felt incredibly magical. Wasn't this equivalent to time being frozen?

In that case, skills like time-stop in novels were too low-tier; they were a dime a dozen.

The food was just like when he'd bought it. It seemed he wouldn't have to worry about things he brought from home expiring.

After opening the bags, Su Jin picked up a clump of rice with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

He chewed a couple of times, his expression changing slightly, then picked up a piece of the meat.

It wasn't time-stop!

The temperature hadn't changed, but the rice had gone stale, and the taste of the meat seemed a bit off too!

So the space in this bag was actually a thermally insulated environment... but molecules could still move.

I wonder if microorganisms and bacteria can survive in it. I'll need a petri dish to test that.

Damn... In that case, things like elixirs would also expire in a storage ring!

What's the principle behind this space?

Su Jin slapped his forehead and laughed at himself.

Why the hell am I thinking about this stuff? Trying to explain the supernatural with science is, in itself, unscientific.

Nothing has been normal since I transmigrated!

But on second thought, he felt a pang of sadness. He'd received a scientific education for half his life and hadn't learned anything else... What could he believe in, other than science?

He couldn't very well believe in his ancestors; they never even had enough to eat...

Pushing aside these stray thoughts, Su Jin began to eat while organizing his notes.

Halfway through his meal, there was a knock on the door!

Su Jin jolted, instantly dropping his chopsticks and striding to the door in a few quick steps.

He looked through the peephole—it was Fu Qingdai!

She was standing nervously at the door, fidgeting. No one was with her.

Su Jin quickly opened the door and pulled Fu Qingdai inside.

Startled by the sudden pull, Fu Qingdai jumped.

She quickly calmed down upon seeing Su Jin's face and said nervously, "I'm out, Cousin."

"Well done! When did you get out? Was there any trouble?" Su Jin asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Today... I got home this afternoon. My mom just left for work." Fu Qingdai kept her head down, not daring to look at Su Jin. "There was no trouble. I don't know what was up with that nurse, she kept speaking up for me... Oh, right, she told me privately that my condition still needs monitoring and that you should call her to report on my progress."

Su Jin nodded repeatedly and led her to the dining table.

"Sit, let's talk."

"Mm..." Fu Qingdai murmured, perching on the edge of the chair.

"Cousin, what do we do now?"

Su Jin went to the kitchen, filled a glass with tap water, and pushed it toward Fu Qingdai.

He sat down and said, "From now on, leave the important stuff to me. For everything else, you just do as I say. But before I give you your tasks, we need to lay down three rules. You have to take them to heart, understand? Do you know what 'laying down the law' means?"

"I understand... Go ahead, Cousin," Fu Qingdai said in a soft, meek voice.

"Good! First, never act on impulse! Second, never fail to report every single detail to me, no matter how small! Third, whatever I ask you to do, you must complete it cleanly and perfectly. Can you do that?!"

"I can!" Fu Qingdai raised her head, finally looking Su Jin straight in the eye.

"Good! That's the spirit!" Su Jin gave her a thumbs-up. "You're smart, I can tell. And I believe you can do it!"

"I'll have tasks for you later, but really, you only need to do one thing: trust me with all your heart. I know you're still nervous, but I'm not just bragging. I never ask my clients to judge me by my win rate. Judge me by my losses—because I have none!"

"Really, Cousin?!" Fu Qingdai's eyes suddenly lit up, shining with hope.

"Of course. Only Trisolarans lie. We Namekians love to tell the truth."

"Why are the Trisolarans so evil?!"

"Right?!"

Seeing Fu Qingdai liven up, Su Jin felt a sense of relief.

Since this mission was unavoidable, he had to maintain his professional spirit.

He couldn't afford to break down, and his young client's mental well-being was even more important to maintain.

"Cousin... tell me what you want me to do next," Fu Qingdai asked.

"Mm..." Su Jin was about to speak when his gaze swept over the electrical socket in the corner of the room.

He suddenly remembered... he hadn't checked on the electricity situation all day. Although he had two power banks, they would have a hard time lasting these next few days.

His phone was quite useful now, and it would be even more crucial later.

The socket on the wall had two prongs. His charger would fit, but he hadn't dared to try it, afraid it might fry his phone. Now was a good time to ask.

"Let me ask you a question first. What's the voltage of the sockets here?"

"220 volts."

"Do you have a scientist here named Volt? What's the unit for voltage?"

"There's no scientist named Volt. The unit of voltage is named after one of our country's physicists, Li Songxi."

"So the unit of voltage is called..."

"Volt."

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"Alrighty then."

Su Jin was speechless. He couldn't help but marvel at how ridiculously powerful the company's translation function was. It really did adapt automatically and even converted cultural references... Of course, no one could read his handwritten notes.

But that wasn't important. His phone should be able to charge normally. He'd test it with a power bank first just in case.

A voltage of 220V was the same as in many countries on Earth. This was probably not a pure coincidence.

Adopting such a voltage was likely a reasonable balance struck between economy and efficiency.

This meant that science had not failed him; his own experience and common sense were completely applicable here.

"What is it, Cousin?" Fu Qingdai asked curiously.

Su Jin shook his head and pulled out another notebook. "It's nothing. Now, tell me about your parents. Be detailed and don't leave anything out. This part is crucial for us to be able to interact openly and legitimately. If we do this right, I can visit your home freely, which will make it easier to help your parents. You can start now."

Fu Qingdai nodded, but just as she was about to speak, she hesitated. "Cousin... after I'm done, can you tell me about Namek?"

"No problem. You start."

...

An hour later.

"Cousin, I've told you everything I know," Fu Qingdai said, clutching the empty water glass. "Is there anything else?"

Su Jin closed his notebook. "I have no more questions. I'll go to your house tomorrow. You have two tasks."

"What tasks?"

"Have your mom cook a few extra hearty dishes, and then figure out a way to get me two thousand yuan."