For now, Su You had the ability to protect herself and Amber. She was only here to buy supplies—this had nothing to do with her.

In such a situation, she would never step forward or expose her advantages.

Having survived three years in the apocalypse, she knew too well what happened to those who stood out too much. Moreover, being in a foreign country, she couldn’t count on people believing a strange Eastern woman. So, Su You chose to watch quietly.

After speaking so much with her, Li Xiannian seemed a little stirred. He took a sip of water and continued, “Miss Su, to be honest, I gave up my businesses back in the country just to spend my old age here, living peacefully with my son and grandchildren. I never thought something this big would happen. Selina’s father was too obsessed with researching biological viruses. I always felt it wasn’t a good thing—and I didn’t expect it to end up like this.”

As he spoke, Li Xiannian’s eyes dimmed. From all that he said, Su You could tell—he had completely lost hope that his son in the laboratory could still be alive.

Su You comforted him, “That might not be the case. Maybe it’s just a signal problem. The researchers could still be rushing to develop a vaccine and haven’t had time to contact their families.”

She paused, then added, “After all, this is something that concerns the whole city.”

But Li Xiannian shook his head and sighed again, clearly not holding out much hope. “If only that were true. My old life has already been long enough. It would be better if I were the one who died.”

He had lived a full life and seemed to accept things as they were—yet he still sighed from time to time, the very picture of a lonely old man in twilight years.

Su You knew that comforting him was futile, so she stayed silent. She watched the rain outside grow heavier, feeling that this villa community was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.

At that moment, Selina came downstairs in a casual tracksuit, nodding politely when she saw the three of them still together.

The old butler followed her, handing over a tablet showing the community’s message board.

Someone had already stepped forward, acting as the first leader.

The first thing he did was demand that each villa send out a representative to register: how many people lived inside, their gender, age, professions, whether anyone was sick, what medicine they had, how much food they had, and how many days it could last.

He also asked whether there were able-bodied adults in the household who could join a patrol team, to work with the security guards in maintaining order and guarding against external threats.

The moment he made his proposal, however, it was met with fierce opposition. Most people felt it was an invasion of privacy. After all, this was an island surrounded by the lake—surely that meant safety. And since they were now hiding in warm, comfortable villas, who would want to go out and do exhausting, dirty work? So one by one, they refused to take part.

After reading the notice, Li Xiannian hesitated. “This person, Basson, lives not far from our villa—the closest neighbor to us. It’s said that he used to be an arms dealer, making a fortune off blood money. Later, he ‘went clean’ and set up a legitimate business. But people here all avoid him. They’re afraid if they say the wrong thing, he might just pull out a gun and shoot them.”

So he, too, chose to wait and see.

Soon, another resident in the group chat spoke up in opposition: “If you want to guard, you go guard. I’m not going. My basement has plenty of food and water, and it’s already been converted into a survival shelter. I can live comfortably there for a whole year.”

To prove it, he even showed pictures of shelves packed with supplies, row upon row of food and necessities. He placed a bottle of red wine on the round table in front of him and sipped leisurely, proving he wasn’t lying.

He was a programmer by trade, but also a survivalist enthusiast. He had tinkered with many survival tools at home: generators, large amounts of diesel, self-defense gear, compressed rations, clean water, and purification devices.

Seeing how well-stocked he was, every resident felt a surge of envy. While most of them also had wine cellars and basements, few were as well-prepared as him.

This survivalist seemed equally excited. His plan perfectly matched the sudden zombie crisis—exactly as he had imagined.

He even boasted that his basement was reinforced with thick concrete layers, impenetrable even to bunker-buster bombs. He wouldn’t need to go outside, nor did anyone need to contact him.

Immediately, others in the chat accused him of showing off, demanding he hand over part of his supplies.

Of course, he refused.

The group soon devolved into a heated argument.

Throughout it all, the survivalist maintained an arrogant tone, treating everyone else as naïve fools, flaunting his foresight with smug superiority.

Su You found herself speechless.

She couldn’t decide whether this man was smart or foolish.

On the one hand, yes—he had built a strong underground shelter, stocked up on compressed biscuits, canned fruit and fish, clean water, emergency lamps, alcohol, bandages, matches, radios, and other survival gear. He was clearly prepared and had some brains.

On the other hand, flaunting his superiority like this, mocking others as ignorant, and parading his intelligence—such behavior would only incite jealousy. Even if his bunker was secure, Su You suspected it would still attract resentment, perhaps leading to dangerous consequences.

Since Li Xiannian himself disagreed with forming a patrol, Su You said nothing.

She also suspected there was something wrong with this self-appointed leader.

In isolated communities like this, violent organizations often formed with little order. At first, things might seem stable, but once food ran short, these groups would use force to suppress others and seize more supplies.

Li Xiannian also faintly sensed the danger.

He immediately ordered the butler and servants to lock all doors and windows, using cabinets and wardrobes to block weak spots, to prevent burglars from breaking in during chaos. Even if neighbors usually got along, such risks could not be ignored.

The butler quickly set to work with the staff. They also cleaned out the basement and stocked it with food and water.

After making all the arrangements, Li Xiannian felt tired and excused himself to rest.

Su You and Amber also returned to their rooms.

Her bedroom windows had already been sealed shut.

Outside, the rain poured heavily, with flashes of lightning crackling against the glass and whipping the trees. A tall two-meter banana plant swayed violently, bent under the storm.

Su You frowned slightly at the sight.

She felt a faint unease.

The rain was coming down too hard. Today was the very first day of the zombie virus outbreak. Many newly turned infected were roaming the streets.

The rain was washing over the earth—and over those creatures.

Their wounds were exposed, and the virus was in their blood. Would it not be carried by the rain into the sewers, into the rivers and waterways?