The morning sun crept into the expansive villa, warm and lazy, as if reluctant to rouse the people inside.
Downstairs, the dining table was already bustling with activity. Most people looked… wrecked.
Several Shadows had dark circles under their eyes. Shadow 2 silently stirred his coffee like it had personally offended him. Shadow 5 wore sunglasses indoors and flinched at the sound of toast crunching. Secretary Xu Mo was blankly holding a piece of bread in his hand, staring into space like he hadn't slept in years.
Only Han Yue and Shadow 8 looked lively.
Han Yue, glowing and refreshed, wore a soft hoodie and had her long hair casually tied up. She was seated in her usual corner of the table, slowly enjoying warm soy milk and egg pancakes. Her mood was as light as the spring breeze. She hadn't lost a wink of sleep—as usual.
Shadow 8, cheerful as ever, was happily munching on fried dumplings and chatting away with one of the kitchen staff. "The gossip meeting last night was amazing! Let's do that again tonight, okay?"
Everyone else: Absolutely not.
After breakfast, the group headed straight to the meeting room. The atmosphere shifted to something more focused, although a few yawns still echoed through the hall.
Secretary Wen stood up after checking the attendance. "Let's begin the final segment of this week's strategic meeting: assigning and confirming missions."
Long Yi, seated at the head of the table, raised his hand slightly.
"Before that," he said calmly, "I have something to reveal. It's related to our supply transport and storage capabilities."
Everyone's eyes turned to him.
He reached up and tapped the silver-black dragon ring on his index finger. "This Dragon Ring is a Long Family heirloom. It contains a dimensional space—a sealed realm with infinite capacity. I can store food, weapons, vehicles, anything. The only limitation is that it can't hold living beings."
Gasps and murmurs filled the room. The room's atmosphere instantly grew heavier with realization—this was a true weapon in the end times.
Then, without waiting, Long Yi tilted his head and looked at Han Yue. "Yueyue, you explain yours."
Han Yue stood up casually and smiled. "I have space too, but mine is different. It needs jade to evolve, and it's already upgrading. My space can support farming, raise animals, and store items. There's also a warehouse area inside with a special fresh-keeping function—anything inside remains exactly as it was."
Now the room was stunned into silence.
Secretary Wen blinked. "...It can raise livestock and grow crops?"
Han Yue nodded. "Yes. It even has a mountain, a lake, and sea inside now."
Everyone else: ?!
"Also," Han Yue added, as if it was an afterthought, "after this meeting, assign my two assistants to hire a bunch of temporary workers and order as much takeout and high-calorie food as possible for the next week. Prioritize preservation-friendly food and variety. And send someone to keep restocking it nonstop."
"Yes, Miss Han," Secretary Wen replied immediately, and even whipped out his phone to start texting instructions mid-meeting.
Only then did everyone truly grasp the scale of their upcoming plan. They had not one, but two massive space powers to serve as storage centers. The impossible had now become… doable.
Once things quieted down, Secretary Wen cleared his throat again and activated the smart board.
"It's time. Each Shadow, from 1 to 8, will be assigned a major country or economic region. You will lead your own team to handle reconnaissance, purchasing, and hoarding operations. You will rent local warehouses, purchase essentials based on our itemized stockpile list, and stay under the radar."
A few aides entered and passed out folders to each Shadow. On top of each folder was a black credit card with the Long Family crest.
Long Yi spoke again. "Each of these cards is tied to my offshore holdings. Use them freely. There's no limit. But use discretion."
The room buzzed again.
"Once you've secured enough materials," Secretary Wen continued, "a retrieval window will be scheduled. Han Yue and Mr. Long will personally fly to your location via private jet, enter the warehouse, and collect all the goods into their respective space abilities. Efficiency is key. Plan wisely."
Han Yue's eyes sparkled. Around the world? By private jet?
She held her chin in her hand and let out a dreamy sigh. "Shopping around the world… this mission doesn't sound too bad."
Several people coughed lightly, trying to hide their envy.
Secretary Wen's expression turned serious again. "Everyone—you must complete your assigned procurement list this month. No matter what. We expect supply chains to destabilize next month, and the governments may intervene. After that point, it'll be chaos. So we must act before the crowd realizes what's happening."
"Understood," came the unified reply.
Everyone opened their folders and began reading—inside were lists of prioritized supplies, maps, travel routes, embassy contact guidelines, and black market leads.
Shadow 2 immediately asked for a weapons license permit for his country.
Shadow 5 requested adjustments for food safety regulations.
Shadow 3 asked if he could disguise his team as a startup logistics company.
Shadow 7 complained that his assigned region was "cold and full of weird bugs," and asked for thermal gear.
The entire room was alive with questions, logistics checks, and back-and-forth chatter. Long Yi answered some. Colonel Long handled a few complex customs issues. The three secretaries worked like machines—typing, responding, coordinating.
As for Han Yue?
She popped a mini strawberry tart into her mouth and happily sipped from a glass of fruit tea, watching the chaos unfold like it was an episode of her favorite drama.