Jiang Ning was quite moved. She did not expect Grandma Zhong to be so trustworthy. “Thank you, Grandma.” 

“It’s our Zhong family who should be thanking you.” Grandma Zhong held her hand. “Without your help over the past two years, our family wouldn’t have survived so many difficulties.” 

This child may appear cold, but she has a kind heart. Although her words can be harsh at times, she secretly helps others behind the scenes. 

If it weren’t for being neighbors on the 17th floor, the Zhong family might not have survived until today. 

It is also difficult at the research institute, but it is still better than ordinary people at the bottom. In addition to the monthly salary and food, there are also freshwater benefits. The amount is not much, but it is barely enough for the family. 

Grandma Zhong took out a paper package. “Little Jiang, I managed to get some vegetable seeds. If you plant them well, you can harvest and eat them in half a month. Don’t eat all of them; remember to save some for seeds.” 

There weren’t many, probably about half a tael. 

“We’ve also managed to get some seeds while running around for supplies.” Jiang Ning didn’t take them and asked, “When are you moving? Ah Shen and I can help.” 

The young people have to go to work, so Grandma Zhong didn’t refuse: “We’re moving tomorrow. I have to trouble you again.” 

There was still quite a bit of dry hay left, which she gave to Grandma Zhong to feed the rabbits. 

There was still a lot of water left in the water tower. After adding the purification tablets, it hadn’t gone bad. Jiang Ning didn’t take that either. 

After going back and forth, it was just her and Huo Yishen who left. She wondered how Lu Yu and Zhang Chao were doing. 

Jiang Ning herded the rabbits upstairs and continued to keep them in 1803. 

The top floor was stifling hot, so she took out ice to cool the rabbits down, giving them fresh hay, vegetables, and carrots. 

The rabbits had mutated and no longer feared water. They gathered around the ice and were happily licking it. 

At sunset, Huo Yishen took the dog to the rooftop for training. 

Jiang Ning came up later and was almost shocked to see the dog carrying a brick while crawling or climbing. 

His training methods had completely changed. 

Jiang Ning pondered, “Are you training it for coordinated combat?” 

On the way back, she felt something was off about Huo Yishen’s demeanor. She had initially thought it was because of Doudou, but now it seemed more complicated. 

Jiang Ning asked, “Those people extorting protection money—are they a big deal?” 

Huo Yishen didn’t hide it. “Yes.” 

“Though they’re a disorganized group, they’ve gathered into a base with nearly 200 people.” 

Jiang Ning considered this. His knowledge meant he had encountered them in his past life. “Did you eliminate them before?” 

“They occupied the border between Fengcheng and Yuecheng, extorting tolls and robbing, which makes life miserable for survivors. Fengcheng joined forces with Yuecheng’s police to strike hard, taking out two of their bases consecutively.” 

But that was half a year later. 

After a major earthquake, the survival environment became harsher, and they became more rampant and completely blocked survivor’s escape routes. 

“Two bases?” Jiang Ning was shocked. “Are you saying the group charging tolls in Yuecheng is also a private base?” 

Calling it a base was flattering. It was really a gathering of criminal gangs, and they are increasingly brazen and rampant. 

Unfortunately, the police force is declining, and often times there is nothing they can do about it. 

Now that Huo Yishen had wiped out the checkpoint personnel, they wouldn’t let it go easily. 

Trying to avoid trouble was really difficult. 

Jiang Ning didn’t want to cause trouble, but avoiding it wasn’t a solution either. 

“It doesn’t matter. Whoever comes, we kill them.” 

Anyway, he had given her plenty of homemade explosives and firebombs. She wouldn’t hesitate to use them when necessary. 

Against criminal gangs, the more you tolerated, the more they took advantage. 

Huo Yishen looked at her and asked, “Are you scared?” 

Isn’t that a given? Who isn’t afraid of death? But fear is useless. 

Jiang Ning smiled. “Yes, but I won’t sit and wait to die.” 

Huo Yishen stood beside her and said, “Don’t be afraid; you have me.” 

The next day, Huo Yishen drove Grandma Zhong. 

The Zhong family took everything they could. Grandma Zhong didn’t have much luggage. The dry hay was tied to the top of the Hummer, and the water was placed in the trunk. 

The other two were reluctant to part with Grandma Zhong, so they both rode along to see her off. 

The research institute was located near the outskirts of the city, consisting of several buildings where professionals from various fields gathered, and the residential area for their families was quite spacious. 

In these times, being able to drive a car meant you were not an ordinary person. 

The Hummer stopped in front of the residential building and attracted many envious glances. 

Jiang Ning stayed with the car while Huo Yishen helped move the belongings upstairs. 

“Thank you, Little Huo and Little Jiang,” Grandma Zhong said repeatedly. “My home is on the third floor. Please come over whenever you have time.” 

Where there are people, there are disputes. However, being part of a municipal unit, the residential area had a logistics management department, making it harder for troublemakers to cause issues. Moreover, Grandma Zhong was very frugal, ensuring her days wouldn’t be too difficult. 

When they returned to Jinrong Community, the once lively building was now eerily quiet, with only the 18th floor still holding out. 

Huo Yishen fixed the main door of the building and changed the lock. Which makes it harder for outsiders to enter. 

At the same time, the three doors on the 16th floor were re-electrified, creating a formidable barrier for anyone attempting to break in. 

The two settled into a reclusive lifestyle, and they rarely came down. During the day, they kept the air conditioner running. The two pets ate sweets and watched cartoons, while Jiang Ning studied medical books. Huo Yishen, apart from training the two pets, seemed incredibly relaxed. 

At sunset, Jiang Ning took the dog for a walk on the rooftop. 

Recently, the dog had lost weight due to the intense training imposed by Huo Yishen. 

This dog had an incredible bite force, carrying a homemade explosive pack and fuel bottle weighing over ten pounds and leaping around without breaking a sweat. 

Jiang Ning took out a ball and throw it to let the dog relax. 

As she continued throwing, Jiang Ning’s expression grew serious. 

Huo Yishen came upstairs. “What’s wrong?” 

Jiang Ning ordered the dog to sit, then threw the ball. 

The ball rolled and slid towards the south side. 

After several throws, the result was the same. 

Jiang Ning’s expression was grim. “There’s a problem with this building.” 

This old community had been flooded, then frozen for a year, and now was being baked at high temperatures. The building might have had issues for a while, which Jiang Ning hadn’t noticed in her past life, or it wouldn’t have collapsed during the earthquake. 

The community’s quality was decent. Many buildings with shallow foundations or poor construction had already tilted, collapsed, or cracked. 

It seemed they couldn’t stay here any longer. 

Before the earthquake struck, they needed to find a new place. 

But the earthquake caused serious damage, and most of the buildings collapsed. It is not easy to find a safe house. 

Huo Yishen sat beside her. “We need to take our time with this. Let’s go out and look tomorrow.” 

Thinking about finding a new place, they woke up particularly early the next day. After breakfast, they packed their valuable supplies into the storage space and took the two to search for a house. 

Before leaving the community, they circled the building and discovered a crack in the southern wall. 

It wasn’t very noticeable, even from a distance, but the building was already tilting. 

But the fact remained: even if it wasn’t visible to the naked eye, the damage was there. 

Finding a house wasn’t easy. Old buildings were out of the question, and new ones… Well, it was uncertain if the developers had built them to last. 

Jiang Ning pondered, “How about we find a place with fewer buildings and open spaces?” 

In the event of an earthquake, they would have time to escape. 

Huo Yishen thought for a moment. “Let’s check out Aoyuan.” 

Aoyuan? Jiang Ning hadn’t heard of it. 

“It’s near the outskirts of the city. It should be a newly developed area.” 

Given the long passage of time, Huo Yishen didn’t remember clearly. He only recalled participating in rescue efforts after the earthquake and encountering a civilian rescue team. The team was organized by a residential community, and the leader mentioned their buildings didn’t collapse. 

They not only took part in the rescue but also responded to the government’s call to open several vacant buildings to house homeless victims. 

Jiang Ning took out her phone and used an offline map to search for Aoyuan, but found no such place. 

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