After dinner, another incident broke out in the community group.

Someone posted a video—Bason, that arms dealer, had barged into a resident’s home.

He had received word that several residents, under cover of night, had taken an inflatable boat from the lakeside and slipped onto the island.

Behind them trailed more than a dozen refugees.

This group carried diving gear or life rings, following the boat quietly until they, too, landed on the island.

Although security discovered them in time, they could only keep the group contained within a limited area, barring them from entering the community and disturbing the residents.

The outsiders were noisy, some even armed. It was Bason who intimidated them into submission, preventing greater chaos.

Now they were placed in an empty villa under strict guard.

Bason then went with his men to a household, demanding they hand over someone who had sneaked back. The family refused, leading to a clash. One man was shot in the leg, writhing in pain.

At once, people in the group condemned this home invasion, calling it no different from banditry.

But soon Bason uploaded another video.

He had caught one of those who returned home—a yellow-haired youth.

Wrapped in a blanket, shivering and dripping wet, his eyes gleamed with a strange dark red. On the skin exposed at his neck were spreading patches of gray mottling.

Bason declared: “Look closely. This is an early-stage infected. Don’t say I framed him.”

The group exploded.

“Who else has people that returned? Speak up! Get them isolated and checked at once!”

“Exactly! This is terrifying. If they turn at home, the entire community could be infected.”

“My god, those idiots—not only did they sneak back, they even dragged strangers with them. What were they thinking?”

“I agree with Bason. Patrols must be strict. What if others try to copy them and swim ashore?”

Not long after, Bason dragged out two more early-stage infected from the outsiders.

The signs on these two were mild.

Strangely, neither had any visible wounds, yet they were still infected.

Through interrogation, Bason learned the group had deliberately come for the island. They believed everywhere else had fallen, but this island, surrounded by the lake and cut off from the causeway, was safer.

The only shared experience among them: wading through the lake.

Bason suspected that the torrential rain had washed sewage and runoff into the lake, contaminating its water.

This was a serious problem—if tap water was cut off, their drinking supply would be gone.

Immediately, Bason imposed stricter control on the outsiders, separating infected and suspected cases into different rooms.

Then he shared his theory in the group, warning everyone to stay alert.

The residents praised him highly.

The atmosphere in the group shifted; most people began accepting his authoritarian methods.

Only the doomsday survival enthusiast mocked him, saying the surface was unsafe and the only correct option was hiding in a basement stocked with food and water.

Now, people’s attitudes toward him were more complicated. Some young, pretty girls asked if they could shelter inside. Others promised him large sums of money if only he let them in to survive the crisis.

But the enthusiast was smart enough—he stayed unmoved and gave no reply.

When Li Xiannian heard the news, he merely frowned.

Still, he sensed that staying in this community would soon spiral out of control.

He needed to prepare early.

The villas all had helipads. If helicopters could land, they might escape by air.

But to bring his whole family, he had to plan carefully.

Other residents had thought of the same. Flying out was the safest option for now.

But tonight’s rain was too heavy. Even if helicopters wanted to come, they couldn’t fly in this weather.

They could only pray nothing happened overnight and wait for morning.

—

If not for Li Xiannian, Su You would’ve long since returned to the base. But since this was his turf, she couldn’t reveal the base’s existence yet.

At the same time, she sensed that this man-made disaster might be one of the beginnings of the apocalypse.

Amber, inside her room, deployed a drone, controlling it with a tablet to observe the situation outside.

More people were on the streets now—security patrolling in the rain, and able-bodied men who had joined Bason’s group, checking for strangers who might have slipped onto the island.

The lake did serve as a barrier, but its flaw was obvious: anyone who crossed it had easy access to the island. With no fences or walls, residents’ safety was vulnerable.

Soon, Amber noticed something wrong and called out: “Sister You, look! The patrol seems to be in trouble.”

Su You took the tablet. Something was indeed off.

A man had charged at the patrol, demanding his family be released. He bit whoever he caught, forcing them to drag him away.

Amber’s expression hardened. “Sister You, is that… a zombie?”

Su You shook her head. “Doesn’t look like it. Might just be someone attacking.”

Either way, chaos had begun in the community. Staying here was dangerous.

Sometimes, conflicts between people were deadlier than monsters.

So Su You went to Li Xiannian and explained.

His face was grim as he shared new intel.

“Miss Su, I just received the government’s official announcement. The entire city has fallen. The streets are filled with the walking dead. No way through.”

“The military has been deployed to guard the exits, setting up refugee camps. But the infected are too many. They’ve broken through the checkpoints. Only a small number of troops have entered the city to search for survivors, planning to evacuate them in batches by helicopter. But the rain is too heavy now, so they’ll wait until it eases before launching full-scale rescue.”

“So… we’re leaving by helicopter?” Su You understood.

Li Xiannian nodded. “Exactly. Afterward, I intend to head to the Margarina. That’s my family’s cruise ship, docked at a nearby city’s port. We can set sail anytime. Out at sea, we’ll face no risks, no discrimination.”

Hearing this, Su You arched a brow. Seems the old man was wealthier than he let on.