Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Third Time's a Charm

I spent my first night in my new house in the most beautiful four-poster bed that I had ever seen. Well, maybe I should say that the entire room looked like something out of a magazine. The bed was a king-sized monstrosity with a black metal frame facing a wooden fireplace. The ceiling was done in reclaimed barn wood and the window overlooked the mountains in the back. The walk-in closet was huge and empty, which I took as a good sign seeing as there were clothes in almost every other room in the place.

I took out the bed sheets that I had picked up earlier, all white with lavender and pink cherry blossoms, and made the bed before I fell asleep.

That was the end of my fifth day of rebirth.

Now that I was home, and my list was made, I started knocking down things one after another, using the internet to do most of the work.

The first thing, I looked up was fencing companies. I wanted the biggest and the best fence, and I wanted it to completely surround the 3,000 acres of my property. I knew that this would be a major expense, but it was worth it in the long run. Nothing worse than people trying to escape to the city and thinking my house would be a good place to stay.

Simply searching fences did not give me what I wanted, and even looking at 'security fences' didn't give me the results that I wanted. I did not want a fence made of metal, rods, or otherwise, that allowed people to see through. That was only begging them to try and get in.

I settled on a company that did concrete fencing of all different styles… and I will fully admit to being surprised that there was more than one type of concrete fencing… called Dragon Fencing. I rolled my eyes at the name. First, there was Urban Paradise, then Wang Enterprises, Phoenix Conglomerate, and now Dragon Fencing. I sensed a theme, but if they were as good as they claimed, then I would hire them.

I filled in the report requesting a free estimate and then moved on to the next thing on my list: EMP survival. Ok, fine, it was not the next, next step on my list, it might have been seventh, but I was greatly enjoying my lemon crumble pie (yes, my space did preserve the sweets from the bakery) and I didn't want to leave my dining room table… and if you saw how beautiful it was, made all out of oak and seating for like 20 people, you would understand why.

Anyways, back to the lists. I figured that I needed to check the barns and pens before ordering the animals, so the next thing that did not require me to move was EMPs.

From what I could gather from my past life, the EMP that struck could, or could not, have been an attack by another country or a solar flare. Well, when facing something that was trying to season you to improve your taste, things like what caused the EMP were not high on my list of cares.

And before you ask, yes, I have a list for pretty much everything.

So, EMP… could be the result of war or the environment, no one could say for sure, but what we did know was that it wiped out everything electric, from cell phones to light bulbs to fridges and… bank loans. The only cars that would work were the really only fashioned ones that did not rely on a chip or electricity to run. Unfortunately for this world, 95% of the cars were electric cars. Sucks to be them.

The five that I just bought were not the case, and if they were, removing anything chip related or electric was part of the modifications that I insisted on. You would think that the owner would believe that I was crazy for insisting that that was done, but he simply nodded his head like he completely agreed with me and anyone that did not request that modification was the crazy one instead.

Gotta love like-minded people. Maybe he will survive what was to come.

I did a general internet search for what an EMP was, it was not like I needed to know how to build one, how to use one, or even how to set one off. All I wanted was the information on how to save what I wanted to be saved from the effects of the EMP… in other words, how do I protect my fridge, air conditioner, stove, appliances, freezers, and everything else with electricity that I considered a necessity of life.

On a side note, when the internet went out, how would I watch any shows or movies? Maybe I should invest in a Blu-ray or DVD player and a few TVs to watch it on. Do they still make Blu-rays and DVDs? Add that to the list to research later.

I focused my attention back on EMPs and started the long process of learning exactly what they were and how to protect my stuff from them.

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"Sir, I have today's report, she is looking up some unusual things and had requested our company Dragon Fencing to go to the ranch and provide her with a quote for concrete fencing," said Liu Wei as he handed the daily report to the CEO. It was going to feel weird when he didn't include a report of Li Dai Lu.

"What is she looking up?" Asked Wang Chao, his gaze on the contract in his hand.

"EMPs," came his assistant's quick reply.

Wang Chao put down the paperwork and stared at Liu Wei. "EMPs?" He said, his tone unchanging, but the very air in the office became electric. "What about EMPs?"

"Everything, Sir. How they are created, both the man-made and environmental kind, what area of impact they have, what needs to be done to have the most impact, how to reduce the impact, and how to protect against them."

"Could Blood Moon be planning an EMP attack?" Asked Wang Chao as he looked at Liu Wei.

"Honestly, Sir, we have not had any chatter about Blood Moon since we raided their base last week. We have no way of knowing what they are planning besides what Li Dai Lu is doing."

"Understood. Get one of the men to conduct his own research on EMPs. And contact Dragon Fencing to arrange to go with them for the estimate. Do not leave that place without getting the contract for it. I don't care what you have to do. Do you understand?"

"Of course, Sir," said Liu Wei as he bowed and left Wang Chao's office, already contacting Dragon Fencing and sending an email to the science division of Phoenix.