Si Ye called over Eagle and Xiao Qijin to help.

The three of them quickly surveyed the layout and internal structure of the villa, including the materials used for the walls. Although the villa on the mountainside looked like a block of steel from the outside, the interior was highly adaptable.

The villa’s basement had two levels.

Previously, the first basement level was entirely converted into a training ground. Si Ye led the little ones down to the second basement level instead. The second level was divided into a main hall, three rooms, and bathrooms—very convenient for living.

Si Ye brought over a bunch of nests, cushions, toys, and similar items from Nan Muran.

He also arranged living spaces for Sirius and the others, including Tank and Da Fu. Fortunately, even on the second basement level, there were still two light wells, and the space was large enough. During the full-house renovation, the basement had been included as well, so after a bit of tidying and turning on the system, the space became fresh and comfortable.

After that, Si Ye directly modified the position of the stairs based on the villa’s structure.

He also used his metal ability to alter the walls. In the end, he built a separate passageway for the little ones, which led directly to the maid’s room in the corner of the first-floor kitchen.

He then remodeled the small window in the maid’s room into a door that allowed free entry and exit.

Since the maid’s room window faced north, toward a small courtyard near the cliff, it was perfect for the little ones to get fresh air, and they could also access the mountain through a passage at the foot of the hill.

However, the construction work was fairly large-scale and would take some time to complete.

Nan Muran looked at the blueprints Si Ye had drawn and felt even more at ease.

Now, with the mountainside villa guarded by seventeen wolves, three military dogs, plus Da Fu and Tank, it meant there were twenty-two agile and fierce protectors.

Nan Muran was very satisfied with this. From the beginning, she hadn’t planned to have too many humans near her place of residence.

Human nature in the apocalypse was far too complicated. Even with mutual interests binding people together, things were still uncontrollable, and she didn’t have the time or energy to manage relationships. So relying on simple, direct mutant beasts and plants was the most rational choice.

From the very start, she had entrusted the safety of the mountainside to these little ones.

“You guys will live here once you return to the villa. Of course, you can also find your own place in the mountains,” Nan Muran said to Xuan Yue.

She had no intention of restricting the wolves’ movements and would allow them to maintain their instincts as much as possible, but she was willing to offer them a fallback shelter. The extreme cold was approaching, and even wolves—such excellent hunters—would find it difficult to secure enough food.

Xuan Yue watched Nan Muran’s actions, then walked over and rubbed against her hand in gratitude. It could feel that Nan Muran was truly treating them with sincerity.

“I live on the second floor. If you need anything, just come find me,” Nan Muran said, patting Xuan Yue’s head.

When she returned upstairs, Bai Mei and Jiawu were preparing dinner. Just looking at the table full of ingredients, it was clear the meal would be lavish.

“Need any help?” Nan Muran offered.

Bai Mei glanced at her and Si Ye. “No need. The two of us can handle it. Si Ye, take her over there to play.”

Receiving the hint, Si Ye chuckled. Knowing Nan Muran’s usual style, she’d probably just make things more chaotic in the kitchen. He reached out, pulled her over, and said, “Let’s go watch TV in the living room. There’s no room for so many people in the kitchen.”

As soon as Nan Muran sat down, she immediately asked what she was most concerned about: “Do you know how the fighting outside went just now?”

Si Ye could guess generally, but he didn’t know the specifics.

Eagle set down his tools and walked over. “Tank did pretty well. Although he’s no match for Xuan Yue, he managed to beat some of the other mutant wolves.”

“So what was the final ranking?” Nan Muran asked curiously.

“Xuan Yue was first, Sirius second, Tank third. Fourth and fifth places went to other mutant wolves. After that were the other two military dogs. Then the rest of the wolves ranked behind them,” Eagle explained. He had observed for a long time to figure it out—the little ones had battled for more than four hours before sorting out the rankings.

Nan Muran glanced at Da Fu, who was squinting off to the side. “Our cute little Da Fu didn’t even participate?”

Da Fu: I don’t like fighting and killing.

“That’s right,” Eagle nodded. But he was still very optimistic about this lazy little guy.

In less than half an hour, dinner was ready. Seeing the table full of sumptuous dishes, Xiao Qijin couldn’t help but swallow—this was just too luxurious.

The others weren’t surprised. The mountainside villa had always maintained this standard of food, so everyone was used to it.

Bai Mei first served Nan Muran ribs and fish, knowing these were her favorites.

At dinner, Nan Muran also mentioned her plan to open a “Rare Goods Residence” (奇貨居) at the West City Base.

“Leaving it all to Guo Fei—can he really handle it?” Jiawu was a bit worried. Managing base affairs and running a business on top of that sounded overwhelming.

Nan Muran sighed. “That’s what I’m worried about too. When I saw Brother Fei this time, he had obviously lost a lot of weight.”

It was clear that just relying on Guo Fei wasn’t enough—not because he lacked ability, but because there was only so much one person could do. However, it was difficult to quickly cultivate someone else suitable, and Nan Muran was worried.

“Ranan, do you think I could do it?” Bai Mei asked after thinking for a moment.

Nan Muran was a bit surprised by her question.

“Before everything went wrong, I was a partner at Zhongjia Overseas Branch. I can’t guarantee every type of business, but a shop like Rare Goods Residence—that’s exactly my specialty,” Bai Mei said. Talking about her area of expertise, the usually gentle Bai Mei seemed to shine.

“Really? That’s great! If Sister Mei takes care of it, I can finally be hands-off,” Nan Muran immediately agreed without hesitation.

Bai Mei laughed. “You! Always thinking about slacking off even before we start?”

“But if you manage the Rare Goods Residence, you’ll have to go to the safe base a lot,” Nan Muran said worriedly.

Since meeting Bai Mei, she knew Bai Mei didn’t like interacting with outsiders. Going to the busy base might make her uncomfortable.

Bai Mei thought for a moment. “I’ll get used to it slowly. I can’t hide away forever, right?”

Nan Muran nodded. “If you don’t like it, you can quit anytime.”

“Okay.”

After dinner, they all cleaned up the kitchen together. By then it was already past nine.

“Go back to your rooms and get some rest. You’ve all had a long day,” Bai Mei told everyone.

Since they were indeed tired, they each returned to their rooms to wash up.

Before heading back to their rooms, Nan Muran and Si Ye went outside the villa.

“According to our previous discussion, we’ve found you a place to settle in—right here in the mountains. Find a spot and root yourselves,” Nan Muran said as they walked a short distance from the villa. She stretched out her arm, releasing the four little vines wrapped around her wrist.

Although they were reluctant to leave the life force on Nan Muran, they understood that she would not form a contract with them.