“Hey， handsome guys. Why did you buy so many things? Are you playing survival on a deserted island?“
“Survival on a deserted island?“ John Booth shook his head when he heard what the taxi driver said.“Not really. Just making some preparations for the future.“
The driver shifted gears and waited for the red light， saying，“Oh? You've prepared quite a lot.“ As he spoke， he looked at the shopping cart in the back seat through the rearview mirror. It was stuffed full and almost took up the entire back seat.
Joris replied with a bit of helplessness，“Dude just wants to stock up on some supplies. In case the end of the world really comes one day， we won't starve to death， right?“
“The end of the world?“ The driver smiled， clearly not taking it seriously. Instead， he continued driving.“Who hasn't heard a few doomsday prophecies in recent years? There was a big fuss in 2012， but look， we're still alive and well. You young people are quite interesting. How long do you plan to survive on these things?“
“One day at a time，“ John Booth said softly.
The taxi driver looked at the two of them through the rearview mirror， smiled， and didn't ask any more questions. He just focused on driving.
The car was driving smoothly on the road， and the street scenes outside the window kept receding. Joris leaned back on the seat， still muttering complaints about John Booth under his breath， glaring at him from time to time. But John Booth seemed not to notice， his eyes fixed on the window.
Before long， the taxi arrived at 1517 South Cameron Street.
John Booth and Joris got out of the car， pulled the shopping carts out of the trunk， paid the driver， and then headed towards John Booth's standalone courtyard home.
John Booth's single-family home was located in a prime spot in the south of the city， with no tall buildings around to block the sunlight， which filled the entire courtyard.
However， the perimeter of the courtyard was enclosed by a two-meter-high wall made of dark gray bricks and stones， sturdier than the brick houses of the time.
As soon as they entered the courtyard， Joris couldn't help but exclaim，“I mean， John， this place is in a good location， but it's just sitting empty. You might as well sell it and get some money， instead of living so tightly.“ He grumbled while moving the items from the shopping carts into the house， panting from the effort.
John Booth ignored his words， silently moving the supplies. After everything was brought inside and neatly arranged， he wiped the sweat from his forehead and said，“There are some things you don't understand.“
Joris rolled his eyes and plopped down on the sofa，“Fine， fine， you're the mysterious one. So， tell me， why did we buy all this stuff? Is this apocalypse you're talking about， actually real?“
John Booth smiled but remained silent， going upstairs to retrieve 5，000 yuan from his safe， which was a significant portion of his limited savings.
Before leaving， he told Joris，“Take a break， there's cola in the fridge， and there's a computer in my bedroom. I'm going out to buy a few more things， stay put at home.“
Without waiting for Joris to respond， John Booth closed the door and left.
Joris， who had also lost his parents at a young age， was fortunate to have a relative who was the chairman of the school， which is why he was able to continue his education without worrying about family concerns.
Walking down the street towards the pharmacy， which was conveniently less than 400 meters from his home， John Booth was well-prepared for his next steps.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
According to his memory， there were still three days until the first wave of red meteorite showers， which gave him enough time.
Exiting the pharmacy with a large bag full of medicines， he returned home and placed them in the living room. Joris was nowhere to be seen， likely upstairs playing on the computer.
Without further concern， John Booth went out again， hailed a taxi with his phone， and headed straight to the blacksmith's shop to purchase a suitable weapon. In the early stages of the apocalypse， having a good weapon would give him a significant advantage.
Sitting in the back seat of the taxi， his gaze was distant as his mind continuously pondered the series of arrangements he needed to make for the coming days.
He needed to quickly acquire more supplies and further strengthen the defensive measures of his home; after all， this was a matter of survival in the impending crisis， and every detail had to be considered thoroughly.
As he was immersed in his thoughts， suddenly， a deafening roar came from the sky， and then the entire evening glow began to change rapidly， the horizon dyed into a strong， bloody red.
John Booth's expression changed instantly， a sense of unease rising in his heart.
He looked up sharply， staring at the changing sky outside the car window.
At that moment， his mind flashed back to the countless red meteor showers he had experienced， and his memory was not wrong; this was the prelude to a red meteor shower!
[How could it be so early? It's three days ahead of schedule， the timeline is off， because of my time travel?)
At this moment， the car also stopped moving， halting in place without any sensation of jerking.
“Driver， I'm getting off now， the platform will handle the payment automatically.“
However， the driver seemed not to hear him， still gripping the steering wheel rigidly， staring straight ahead， unmoving， and completely unresponsive to John Booth's calls， falling into a state of stupor.
John Booth assumed the driver was too shocked to react and didn't have time to say anything more. He pushed open the car door and got out.
The location where he got out wasn't far from the blacksmith's shop， just two streets away. He gritted his teeth and sprinted towards the blacksmith's shop， running while praying in his heart that he would still have time to make some preparations.
“Ah—someone's dead!“ At this moment， a scream of sheer terror echoed from behind， piercing and resonating through the streets.
John Booth's pace faltered slightly before he continued to run headlong towards the front.
Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead， trickling down his cheeks. His current physical condition was far from what it once was; he was still an ordinary person， without prosthetic limbs or enhanced serums， just an average college student.
'Run， John Booth， run faster，' he urged himself.
“Whoosh~~~~“
As the sky changed color abruptly， the temperature of the entire city also changed drastically in an instant.
The sky directly split open， revealing a massive rift. First， there was a distant red glow， followed by red meteorites streaking across the sky like comets， each with a long white tail trailing behind.
The air was filled with a scorching heat， as if the entire world was on fire.
John Booth turned to look， his expression grave; what lay before him was now irreversible.
The meteorites were moving at extreme speeds， with little to no warning， turning the entire sky a fiery red within seconds.
Each impact was accompanied by a deafening explosion， causing the earth to shake violently.
At that moment， a red meteorite hurtled down from the sky， heading straight for the 99-story Century Building that loomed high into the clouds ahead of John Booth.
Like a fierce arrow， the meteorite tore through the night， leaving a blinding red streak， carrying an unparalleled force of destruction， and struck the top of the Century Building with a vicious impact.
Instantly， a violent tremor shook the entire city， a massive explosion resounded through the skies， followed by dazzling flames that illuminated the entire horizon as if the sun had exploded.
Then， starting from the point of impact， cracks rapidly spread in all directions across the building， like a giant spider web covering the entire skyscraper in an instant. With a series of dull and terrifying collapsing sounds， the upper half of the building began to tilt and collapse， dust billowing up， obscuring the sky.
Huge chunks of stone and rebar fell from the sky， slamming into the ground， the raised dust and smoke turning what was once a bustling area into an apocalyptic ruin in an instant.
“Boom!“
Flames and smoke billowed into the sky， forming a massive mushroom cloud， with dust and debris scattering in all directions. The immense shockwave rolled out like tidal waves， tossing buildings， vehicles， and pedestrians into the air. The red meteorites in the sky showed no sign of ceasing， each one that fell brought even more intense tremors and waves of destruction.
John Booth's heart raced， and it felt as if the pulse of the entire city had come to a halt， with only the catastrophe before him taking center stage. The sky was a blood-red canvas， and all the sights became nightmarishly blurred and distorted.