Lan Shiru entered the space with Jiang Xiang and Little Le Bao. While Jiang Xiang played with the little one, she took out the tools, seeds, and fertilizer she had collected and approached a small plot of land in front of the dilapidated straw hut. The soil was rich and fertile, needing no extra preparation.

Although Lan Shiru was no farming expert, it didn’t stop her from producing crops. In her previous life, she had survived on the small amount of grain and vegetables she managed to grow. With no stockpiled food and no one to help her, she had only turned to the space to plant something when hunger became unbearable during her journey for revenge.

The space had always been incredibly generous—despite her haphazard planting methods, the harvests were impressive.

Now, in this life, she was determined to be more intentional. A bit of care would undoubtedly yield even better results.

With limited time and energy, she started by planting the essentials: rice, wheat, and a few of her favorite vegetables. The process was simple—dig a small hole, drop in a few seeds, sprinkle some fertilizer, cover it with soil, and water it. Done.

Even when she ran out of fertilizer, the crops would still grow just fine. Watering was even easier—she simply pointed her finger upward and conjured as much water as she needed. Lan Shiru couldn’t help but suspect her water-based powers were tailor-made for farming.

She had no idea how others farmed, but her method worked, and that was all that mattered.

Time flowed the same in the space as outside, but the growth rate of crops in the soil was two to three times faster. Most plants matured in just a month. By planting a little every day, the first month might be lean, but after that, she’d have a steady supply of food every day.

When they ventured to the suburban factories, she would need to look for threshing machines, rice mills, flour grinders, and other agricultural equipment. With expanded planting in the space, these tools would be indispensable. Manually digging hole after hole would only get her so far.

She had never planted fruit trees before, so she wasn’t sure about their growth cycles. However, given the space’s properties, they were bound to grow faster than usual. She planted the few saplings she had in a circle around the straw hut, eagerly looking forward to the day they bore fruit.

Lan Shiru kept busy for over two hours straight, during which both Little Le Bao and Jiang Xiang had fallen soundly asleep.

Not wanting to disturb them, she rinsed herself quickly with some water and lay down nearby to rest.

Exhaustion made her sleep deeply, dreamlessly, and she might have slept forever if not for Miao Miao’s frantic shouting.

“Sis, come out quickly! I can’t hold them off anymore—someone’s banging on the door!”

The commotion outside was audible only to Lan Shiru. She jolted awake, her sudden movement stirring Jiang Xiang and Little Le Bao. There was no time to comfort the little one who was starting to whimper. Scooping him up, she quickly exited the space, packed everything away, and readied her weapons.

With a loud bang, the door burst open.

A flood of people poured in before she could assess the situation. In the chaos, the three humans and the mastiff were pushed into a corner.

“Close the door! Quickly, close it!”

The newcomers weren’t just loud; they reeked of sweat, dirt, and decay. The overwhelming stench made Little Le Bao squirm in Lan Shiru’s arms, his little face scrunching up in discomfort as he let out a soft whimper.

Lan Shiru checked his diaper—no accidents. Must be hunger, she thought. Turning her back to the crowd, she shielded him from the chaos and began feeding him quietly.

Wrapped in the comforting scent of his mother, Little Le Bao felt much better. He settled down, smacking his lips as he ate with gusto.

Miao Miao and Jiang Xiang flanked Lan Shiru, standing guard to keep others from coming too close.

Nearly a hundred people had crammed into the warehouse. Thankfully, the space was large enough to accommodate them, otherwise, it would have been impossible. Once the doors were shut, the zombies outside lost their target and began aimlessly wandering.

Inside, the group collectively let out a sigh of relief, some collapsing to the ground in exhaustion but relief quickly gave way to anger. An elderly man, his face twisted with rage as he jabbed a finger at Miao Miao’s nose and shouted. “You heartless girl! We were out there, nearly dying, and you refused to open the door! You even barricaded it! What kind of twisted mind do you have, huh? Answer me! What’s your deal?” His finger inched closer to her face as he ranted. “Your parents must’ve raised you poorly! No manners, no decency! You’re nothing but a cold-blooded little monster. People like you deserve to be thrown out there to feed those creatures!”

Miao Miao, infuriated, let out a sharp laugh before slapping the man’s hand away with enough force to break it. The loud crack echoed in the room as the old man yelped in pain. “How my parents raised me is none of your business, but clearly, they did a better job than yours!” She snapped, her voice cutting like a blade. “You’re a grown man, yet you don’t know how to speak decently or act like a human being? Don’t you dare point fingers at me. Didn’t your parents teach you basic manners? This warehouse was ours first. Whether we opened the door or not was our choice. The fact that we didn’t fight you off for barging in is already a mercy! And now you want to act high and mighty? In what world? Let me tell you something: even in a peaceful era, someone like you who plays the ‘respect-your-elders’ card to bully others would deserve a slap. And now, in this apocalypse? If you’re so useless that a hundred people can’t handle a few stumbling zombies, you might as well drop dead. At least you’d be less of a burden to everyone else!”

“You—you—you—” The old man stammered, clutching his broken hand, sweat pouring down his face from the pain. His neck turned bright red, but his fury and humiliation rendered him speechless.

“I what? You’d better watch yourself. Push me again, and I’ll do more than break your hand.” Miao Miao retorted, raising her bloodstained weapon for emphasis.

The crowd gasped in horror, instinctively retreating to form a safe distance around her.

Miao Miao sneered, her expression full of disdain. “Pathetic. If this is all it takes to scare you, then you’re better off dead. Living like this is just a slow death anyway, dragging others down with you.”

Spineless cowards who only bully the weak.

From within the crowd, a tall, thin man emerged. He wore glasses and had a scholarly appearance. The respect he commanded was evident as the people instinctively made way for him.

“Someone help the old man with his injury,” he instructed calmly before turning to Miao Miao. “Young lady, please don’t be angry. The situation forced our hand. Most of us here are ordinary people without the ability to defend ourselves. Many are elderly, weak, or young children who can’t fend off the creatures outside. I’m just one man with limited strength. My only choice was to find a safe space for them to stay. When I saw this warehouse, I thought it was a suitable place, so I led them here. I didn’t expect the monsters to follow us. In the panic, we had no choice but to knock on the door. Of course, we were wrong to force our way in. My name is Kong Fenglin. If you ever need help in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll do whatever I can to repay this debt.”

Miao Miao pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. As if I care about your help or your name. What makes you think I’d need anything from you?

Lan Shiru was observing silently with her eyebrows raised. So, inevitable meeting has happened. A tangled fate, perhaps? She wonder if her dear adoptive family was hiding somewhere in this crowd?

She gently burped Little Le Bao, patting his back as he finishing eating.

The disdain on Miao Miao’s face didn’t go unnoticed by the crowd. To them, Kong Fenglin was practically a savior, someone they revered, so seeing him being dismissed so casually was intolerable. “Mr. Kong, they don’t know what’s good for them. There’s no need to be polite. She even said herself-this is the apocalypse. Might makes right. We’ve taken this place now, so what? If they don’t like it, throw them out!

“Exactly! So young, yet already so malicious. People like her are a menace. The sooner she dies, the better—it’d be doing everyone a favor!

“Throw her out, throw her out.”

Each person shouted louder than the last, their voices filled with agitation. Seeing the chaos brewing, Kong Fenglin quickly raised his hand to calm them. “Everyone, quiet down! Quiet down! Don’t attract the zombies!

The shouts died down, but the tension in the room was palpable.

“Brother Kong, the young lady might have been startled by so many people around her.” Someone spoke up, trying to smooth things over. “The two girls have it tough as it is. Let them stay, please.”

Lan Shiru immediately felt a shiver run down her spine, the familiar voice making her skin crawl. Hearing her adoptive sister’s voice after all these years brought back a rush of disgust—deep from the core. Some things never change. In both lives, she’s still the ever-blooming white lotus, forever pretending to be pure and kind.

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