“Hey， hey， hey! Where are you going?“ Joris panted， calling out.

John Booth， however， replied with a smile，“To the end of the mountain， beyond the sea.“

Joris:“What the hell are you doing? Do you think you're a Smurf or something?“

The two walked down the pedestrian street， with Joris grumbling behind and John Booth smirking ahead.

At this moment， John Booth planned to go to the mall to buy some supplies. He had no family; his parents had died in a car accident when he was in his first year of high school， leaving behind an independent courtyard located in the core area of the southern part of the city.

In fact， John Booth could have become a rich man from land expropriation. The developers had offered five million for their 300 square meter plot of land， but his father refused to sell， saying that a fortune teller from China had told him that the land was connected to the family's ancestral feng shui.

After his father's death in the car accident， John Booth didn't see any feng shui being preserved. Later， when he wanted to sell the house， the property value had soared to forty thousand per square meter， and the surrounding area had been developed， making it difficult to find anyone willing to take over the land. Eventually， when the apocalypse struck， a red meteorite smashed the place to smithereens.

So for the past two years， John Booth has been getting by on scholarships and working nights to make ends meet， which also explained why he was sleeping in class.

“I say the world's going to end soon， do you believe me?“ John Booth stopped in his tracks and turned around.

“I do， so in the last moments， let's go to the internet cafe for a bit， let's enjoy every second of happiness we can，“ Joris replied.

“Hahaha， that's the spirit， come on，“ John Booth continued walking towards the mall.

“Hey， hey! Wait a minute!“ Joris suddenly shouted.

“What's up?“ John Booth asked.

“Look over there， the white-haired JK girl!“ Following Joris's gaze， John Booth saw a girl， about eighteen years old， standing at the entrance of the mall.

She was dressed in a typical JK uniform， with a simple white blouse and a dark blue tie at the collar， which was both formal and youthful.

Her skirt had a plaid pattern， the length just right to show off her slender legs， the hem swaying gently with her movements.

On her feet were a pair of delicate little leather shoes， with a smooth surface that made her ankles look slender.

Her white stockings were of a fine texture， complementing her skin tone.

Her hair was smooth and white， not the golden blonde that was common among the local population. The white hair fell naturally over her shoulders， swaying gently with her movements.

Her face adorned with a light touch of makeup， a pair of bright eyes seemed to speak， and a faint smile played on her lips， giving off a warm and approachable vibe.

“Hmm， she's quite pretty，“ John Booth commented， but he felt an absurd sense of familiarity. He was certain he had never met this girl before.

Joris nodded， a glint of appreciation in his eyes:“Yeah， she's really attractive， way better than our class beauty， Annie.“

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John Booth pulled his gaze and thoughts back， chuckling，“Let's go， your eyes are about to be glued to her shoe.“

Joris laughed too， and they continued into the mall， passing by the girl who still stood there in a daze.

After what seemed like a long while， Anna came to her senses， murmuring，“John Booth...“ Then， a sickly smile spread across her face.

John Booth and Joris entered the mall， with John heading straight for the shopping area on the first basement level.

Although Joris was somewhat bewildered and puzzled， he still followed quietly， figuring his buddy wouldn't sell him out.

“Here， Joris， grab a shopping cart for me，“ John Booth said as they walked， waving his hand towards a nearby cart. His tone was casual yet carried an air of authority that brooked no argument.

Joris let out a resigned sigh， took the shopping cart， and said，“Alright， what are you up to? Stocking up for a survival kit? Don't tell me the end of the world is really coming.“ He pushed the cart， muttering under his breath.

“Not exactly， just giving myself some leeway. You just pick out instant noodles， compressed biscuits， and that sort of thing，“ John Booth's answer was a bit vague.

Then the two began to select supplies from the shelves.

Joris suddenly picked up a pack of Sofy sanitary pads and shouted deliberately loud，“How about grabbing a couple of packs of these? Just in case you've got some issues later?“

John Booth， unflustered， kept his focus on scanning the shelves:“Yes， get two large packs， and for the size， you pick the extra-long overnight ones， 410mm.“

“Huh?“ Joris was taken aback， his expression full of astonishment，“No way， man! Do men need these too? Have you lost your mind?“

“Take it， no more talking.“ John Booth continued to select food without turning his head， not even pausing in his speech， as if this matter was not worth any further explanation.

“Alright， alright， I'll get them， I'll get them， stop talking about it.“ Joris lowered his head， his face filled with bewilderment as he went to grab two large packs of sanitary pads， thinking to himself: I was just joking， and you're really getting them.

For the rest of their shopping， the two continued to buy a lot of food that could be stored for a long time， such as dried food， canned goods， bottled water， and so on.

Every time Joris picked an item， he couldn't help but comment，“You're not really preparing for a doomsday scenario， are you? You're acting like a mother hen.“ John Booth， however， simply replied with a faint response，“Buy more， it might come in handy.“

Midway through， John Booth went back to get another cart， and the sight of three fully loaded carts was quite a spectacle in the mall.

When it came time to check out， the two stood in front of the cash register， and John Booth， searching his pockets， had a slightly grave expression.

Looking at the shopping list in his hand， the total came to 1246.81 yuan， and the cash in his wallet was only 800 yuan， not enough to cover the cost of the items.

“We don't have enough money...“ John Booth's voice was somewhat somber.

Joris's expression immediately became displeased，“Seriously? How do you shop without enough cash? I don't have much on me either， just a bit over 600.“

“It's enough， you lend me some， and I'll pay you back when we get home，“ John Booth calmly pushed the shopping cart next to Joris.

“Man， who do you think I am? A rich guy?“ Joris couldn't help but complain.

“Aren't you?“ John Booth raised his brow and said.

Joris couldn't hold back his serious expression any longer， pointing at himself and saying，“I didn't expect that you've found out my true identity after hiding so deep. Alright， buddy， I'll cover the rest for you.“

Joris pulled out 600 yuan in cash from his pocket and handed it to John Booth. The process was somewhat awkward， but they managed to check out just barely.

As they were leaving， Joris couldn't help but complain，“Can't you properly prepare some money? Otherwise， don't drag me out for help next time!“

“It was sudden， I didn't even bring my phone， and the money I had was meant for internet cafe，“ John Booth said， pushing the cart， with a tone of helplessness.

“You have the nerve to mention it， my hands should be on the keyboard and mouse right now， but instead， I'm pushing two shopping carts. Damn it， John Booth!“

Since they had previously discussed it with the mall staff about borrowing the carts， the security at the entrance didn't stop them.

Upon exiting the mall， John Booth， almost on a whim， looked at the spot where the girl had been standing， but it was now empty， with only a security guard standing there.

Continuing to push his shopping cart， Joris kept grumbling behind him. He hailed a taxi.

The taxi driver rolled down the window， lifted his sunglasses， and with a troubled expression said，“Handsome guy， it's not easy to fit all this stuff in， how about we...?“

“200 yuan， to 1517 South Cameron Street，“ John Booth said indifferently.

“At your service， my friend.“

In the end， after they loaded up， fastened their seatbelts， and the Chevrolet set off.