At this time, Nan Muting started stirring up trouble in the building’s resident group chat. She implied that her cousin lived in the top-floor penthouse and that her family ran a supermarket—hinting they probably had plenty of supplies.

“36th floor, do you have any supplies? I can pay,” the resident from the 15th floor was the first to speak up.

The 11th-floor resident chimed in too: “If your family runs a supermarket, you should have a good variety of things. Can you share a bit with the rest of us?”

More and more people began tagging Nan Muran in the group chat.

“Why is the 36th floor being so selfish? Just going to watch us die?”

“How can such a young girl be so cruel and selfish?”

“36th floor, open the fire escape door. I want to talk to you.”

…

After skimming through all the messages, Nan Muran immediately pulled out a few pieces of damning information about Nan Muting and threw them into the group chat.

“You believe anything that comes out of the mouth of someone with such twisted values and a warped face?

Yes, my family does own a few supermarkets, but obviously, I didn’t haul the entire thing back home.

I can send you the addresses. You can go and scavenge for yourselves if there’s anything left.”

Nan Muting, who had just been enjoying the mob’s fury directed at Nan Muran, was so enraged upon seeing the news articles and full videos Nan Muran posted that her nose almost twisted with anger.

“12th floor’s got a nice body, huh? Wanna come hang out sometime?” a man from the 19th floor commented first.

“Damn, she’s got me reacting. Why’s she moaning like that?”

“She lives on the 12th floor, right? Is she for sale? Got needs, healthy and strong, and she seems like she’d be worth it.” Someone from another building joined in.

…

“Nan Muran, I’m going to kill you!” Nan Muting screamed, furious and humiliated by the vulgar taunts and insults in the chat.

“I’m going upstairs to find her,” Nan Muting’s mother said, unable to calm herself as she saw her daughter break down.

Nan Grandma glared coldly at her. “Sit down and be quiet. Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough already?”

Nan Muran was quite satisfied with how the group chat reacted.

That night, the floodwaters rose again, and the apartment security team set out under the pretext of helping fifth-floor residents find temporary shelter.

They split into several small teams, entering each apartment building through the emergency stairwells, knocking on every door.

Whatever they said at each stop, it seemed to work. Some residents started sending thank-you messages in the group chat. A few even preached unity: “Together we’re strong! If we stand together, we’ll get through this!”

But Nan Muran saw through it clearly. The security team was using a seemingly valid excuse to scout out the conditions in each apartment.

Once they had a clear picture, they’d return to target the weakest households first.

She wasn’t the only one with this kind of vigilance. Several households refused to open their doors, no matter what property management said—including the head of the information company.

Because Nan Muran had locked the fire escape door from the inside with a chain, and the elevator guards didn’t have access to the top floor, the security team could only knock on the emergency exit.

Inside, Nan Muran played with Da Fu, completely ignoring the knocking outside.

The head of the security team pounded the door for a long time. When there was no response and they couldn’t legally break in, the string of refusals from multiple apartments left him thoroughly frustrated.

“Captain, I know the situation with the top floor,” one young guard said excitedly, his tone laced with gossip.

“What’s the deal?”

“The owner of the top-floor penthouse is Miss Nan from the Nan family—you know, the one that owns the Nanqiao Group. Her name’s Nan Muran. She’s stunning, looks like a goddess, and she’s loaded.

That whole 200-plus square meter penthouse is just for her.”

This guard knew all about Nan Muran—she was his dream girl, after all. When he was on duty, he often watched her through the elevator cameras and had pieced together quite a bit of information.

Nan Muran, listening from inside with the help of Xiaoliu, heard everything clearly—but she didn’t care.

If the security team wanted to mess with her, she’d use them to make an example. She had no intention of leaving the apartment until those people from the Nan family—and a few old enemies from her past life—were truly, completely dead.

After their “check-in” rounds, the fifth-floor residents were temporarily housed on the 21st floor along with some of the guards and property staff.

The 21st floor didn’t have any residents, and management had the keys. The units were fully furnished and barely livable.

Sitting on her couch, Nan Muran thought about the 21 physically strong men from the security team and fell silent.

She didn’t want to expose Xiaoliu in front of others just yet. But relying on herself alone—one or two men she could handle, maybe. If pushed, though, and they all came at her, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

She took out the handgun from her dimensional space and looked at it, frustration simmering.

This was the worst time to realize her shooting skills weren’t up to par.

Nan Muran was a practical person. If she lacked the skill, she’d just go and learn it.

Right now, most households still had some food. People weren’t desperate enough yet to completely abandon morality and start robbing others.

And the security team wouldn’t dare act out while there was still a thread of social order left.

But this would only last maybe another twenty days—one full month into the apocalypse. That’s when the first person in this apartment complex would starve to death.

That death would crush everyone’s last sliver of hope and plunge the whole neighborhood into chaos.

The weak and beautiful women would be the first to suffer. Some would even start selling their bodies for food. Men would fight to the death over scraps—some even killing.

And that was just the beginning.

This chapter isn’t over—click to the next page for the rest of the action!

Stronger individuals would start to rise. They would brutalize and enslave, their inner beasts unleashed, turning this place into a living hell.

In her previous life, Nan Muran had almost been assaulted while searching for supplies—if it hadn’t been for a kind security guard stepping in at the last second, she would’ve ended up someone’s plaything.

After that, she didn’t dare go out again. For over two months, she survived on rainwater and half meals every day. Nearly starving to death ended up being the best outcome.

She needed to use these ten or so days for intensive training—to become strong enough to kill all those scumbags. But she couldn’t do it alone. She had to return to Jiawu.

She’d collected enough supplies. Her body had recovered. Time to go back.

She put Da Fu into her backpack, suited up in rain gear, took extra protective measures, and headed out under the cover of night.

She wasn’t worried about the apartment’s safety.

Back when it was being renovated, her obsession with crime thrillers had given her something like a paranoia complex. She felt danger lurking everywhere.

So she replaced every door and window with top-tier security-grade ones and installed an elite defense system.

Without a key—even a master locksmith wouldn’t be able to get through her front door.

And the walls? Please. When the apartment went on sale, they advertised it as a “century home.” According to the sales rep, the walls were tough enough to withstand minor explosions.

It was a state-owned enterprise project. Surely they weren’t lying. Otherwise, how could they justify the 130,000 yuan per square meter price—seven to eight times more than the average market rate?

In her previous life, it was this exact apartment’s reinforced doors and security systems that had kept her hidden and safe.

By the time she reached the ground floor, the floodwater had risen halfway up the sixth floor. Luckily, no one lived on six—it meant fewer eyes on her.

Nan Muran climbed out through a window in the stairwell on the sixth floor, soaking herself in freezing rain. She shivered uncontrollably.

She pulled a jet ski from her dimensional space and sped toward Nanshan.

The base of Nanshan was now entirely underwater, and the water would rise even more. But Nanshan Cloud Garden and the villas nearby were places she’d chosen from experience in her past life—they’d be fine.

The roads on the mountain, though, were heavily damaged. Even now, minor landslides continued. She was lucky not to have come during the big collapse a few days ago—she’d have been buried alive.

In this state, she had to abandon her ride and walk. It was difficult terrain.

As she moved through the dark forest, Nan Muran used her plant-based ability to sense the life around her, completely fearless.

She entered the villa, changed out of her soaked shoes, and stepped into the living room—only to see Jiawu, dressed in a raincoat, seemingly about to leave. Bai Mei, beside him, was pale and red-eyed, clearly just finished crying.

The two of them relaxed the moment she came in.

“Ruanruan, why didn’t you pick up the phone?” Bai Mei asked, her tone anxious as she saw Nan Muran unharmed.

Even Jiawu, always cold and aloof, showed a hint of concern on his face.

Nan Muran quickly pulled her phone from her backpack and saw the missed calls. “Sorry, I didn’t hear it over the rain. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“As long as you’re safe. Now that you’re back, don’t go out again,” Bai Mei said. She’d been reading all kinds of disturbing news lately. The more she read, the more terrified she became.

Nan Muran was just too beautiful—it was too dangerous for her out there. Seeing her now, drenched and worn out, made her even more worried.

Nan Muran gave a faint smile but didn’t agree.

Jiawu understood what she was thinking. “If you want to go out again, fine. But only after I train you until I deem you ready. Otherwise, you shouldn’t leave the villa.”

He could tell she had things she wanted to do. If he couldn’t stop her, he’d at least make her strong enough to face the dangers outside.

Nan Muran nodded—that was the reason she came back to the villa in the first place.