Chapter 27: There’ll Be No Turning Back

01 thought he’d misheard and pointed at his own nose. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” Tang Xiaoman confirmed.

The other bodyguards exchanged knowing looks, eyebrows waggling. Only Zhou Yichen remained composed.

“01, bring the materials Miss Tang asked you to download,” Zhou Yichen reminded him.

Only then did 01 realize—she had called him in to check on the task she’d assigned that morning.

He glanced at Zhou Yichen. The man’s expression was calm, as if nothing unusual had happened.

Good. At least he didn’t seem upset.

Truthfully, 01 had no interest in getting tangled up in petty jealousy with his captain. They weren’t even playing the same game.

—

Inside the office, the air conditioning was cranked to maximum. Two cooling units, packed with ice, worked in tandem.

The oppressive heat gradually receded.

Tang Xiaoman checked the videos and e-books 01 had downloaded. The volume was decent, but the cataloging was messy.

“Reorganize everything into proper categories and compile it again. Also, prioritize downloading medical and agricultural instructional videos, along with related databases. Ideally, replicate the contents of the national digital library.”

01 nodded at each instruction. “There’s a lot of data. It’ll probably take about two days.”

“No rush. Accuracy comes first.” Tang Xiaoman found him reliable—steady, methodical.

Aside from Zhou Yichen, he was the most dependable one here.

“Understood.”

“Pack up and get back to work. And put in some overtime tonight.” She casually transferred him another bonus. “Thanks for your hard work.”

01 stared at the sizable amount that had just hit his account. “…”

The boss was always finding one excuse or another to send him money. Other than accepting it in silence, he had no way to refuse.

At this rate, if she ever made an unreasonable demand of him… he honestly wouldn’t know how to say no.

“On your way out, tell Captain Zhou to come in,” Tang Xiaoman added, moving seamlessly to the next person.

01, still conflicted: “?!”

—

Carrying the heavy bundle of hard drives, 01 stepped out, ignoring the curious onlookers. He only said to Zhou Yichen, “Miss Tang wants you inside.”

As soon as Zhou Yichen entered and closed the door, the others swarmed around 01.

“Hey, that was fast.”

“Boss called Captain Zhou right after you—guess she wasn’t too impressed with you.”

01 grabbed the loudmouth by the collar with one hand, raising his fist with the other.

“Want me to show you how satisfied I am?”

“Alright, alright—I was just joking!”

Amid the laughter, the office door opened again. Zhou Yichen walked out alongside Tang Xiaoman.

“Dismissed. Everyone except those on guard duty, return to your posts,” Zhou Yichen ordered. “Rest tonight. Anyone who fails tomorrow’s evaluation will be eliminated.”

At the mention of the evaluation, those less confident in their abilities immediately sobered up.

“Woof!” Fubao bared its teeth, herding them upstairs.

Once the first floor finally quieted down, Tang Xiaoman had Fubao guard the staircase before following Zhou Yichen into the storage room.

“The supplies you requested are mostly complete. The temporary warehouses are full. The military gear delivered today has been placed in this storage room you cleared,” Zhou Yichen said, switching on the light.

Tang Xiaoman’s eyes lit up at the sight.

Black combat uniforms, face masks, rain gear, military boots, outdoor boots, tactical gloves, belts, backpacks, canteens, stun batons, entrenching shovels… everything was there.

She picked up one of the shovels. The weight and length felt just right. The blade gleamed coldly, clearly forged from high-quality steel.

A tool like this could attack or defend, with an adjustable handle—perfect for survival.

“This is excellent. You’ve got a great eye,” she praised.

She’d never used one herself, but she’d seen others wield them in her previous life—cutting, hacking, stabbing, digging. Extremely versatile.

Seeing her satisfied, Zhou Yichen continued, “Although the evaluation hasn’t happened yet, I’ve already simulated the likely outcome. These uniforms and boots were ordered based on the predicted sizes of those who’ll make the cut.”

“I trust your judgment. You’re probably spot-on,” Tang Xiaoman said, thoroughly pleased with him.

If not for one thing, he’d be perfect.

He knew about her space.

She shot him a sideways glance. “You didn’t tell anyone about the stockpiling, did you?”

“No. When deliveries arrived, I sent the others upstairs for training. The guards may have seen some of it, but shifts rotate, so no one saw everything. As for purchasing diesel, gasoline, and gas tanks, I had five people, including 01, handle it separately. Some things can’t be completely hidden.”

He had deliberately chosen male bodyguards for those errands—most of them were likely to pass the evaluation.

Tang Xiaoman nodded. “I knew you’d handle things thoroughly.”

Zhou Yichen didn’t respond. He knew she hadn’t called him here just to praise him.

“As for the heatwave, it’ll last several days. Moving now isn’t practical. I’ll handle transporting the supplies. You focus on tomorrow’s evaluation. Once you’ve selected the team, bring them directly to Tianlai Estate and settle in.”

She sent him the location and villa number, then outlined the room assignments.

“Other than the master bedroom, the largest secondary room on the second floor is yours. The remaining five rooms will be shared—two per room. If there’s an odd number of female bodyguards, adjust accordingly. Fubao’s kennel will be on the first floor—it’ll handle security.”

“Understood.”

With business concluded, Tang Xiaoman swept the storage room clean—everything vanished into her space.

Then she had him open the other warehouses, taking in five tons of diesel, one ton of gasoline, and two hundred gas tanks.

All the bulky equipment—diesel generators, solar panels, eighteen large freezers…

Anything cumbersome to transport, she stored away.

At last, Zhou Yichen couldn’t help asking, “Is your space… unlimited?”

“No.” She didn’t hide it. “It’s completely full now. I can’t fit anything else.”

Zhou Yichen looked at the now-empty warehouses and said nothing.

As they were leaving, Tang Xiaoman suddenly spoke.

“Is there anyone you want to take care of? If so, you can bring them along.”

She wouldn’t allow the other bodyguards to bring family.

But Zhou Yichen was an exception.

The disasters were coming soon. She needed him fully focused—anchored at her side.

Any preferential treatment necessary, she would give.

But if he dared to abandon her when it mattered…

She would kill him, no matter the cost.

Zhou Yichen was just about to answer—

“Think carefully before you speak.” Tang Xiaoman raised a brow, her tone turning serious. “If you say no, you won’t get another chance to change your mind.”