Tang Xiaoman returned to Tianlai Manor, stowed the small motorboat, then pulled a few supplies from her space and loaded them into a pickup truck.

She drove the pickup back to the villa, where Zhou Yichen and his team had already returned.

The team was busy sorting through the night’s haul, while Lu Jingming recorded everything into a digital ledger.

Seeing Tang Xiaoman return, Zhou Yichen walked over and gave her a quick once-over. Satisfied that she was unharmed, he reported, “Almost all the ATMs in Tianlai Manor have been emptied.”

Tang Xiaoman nodded. “The bank will probably send another cash replenishment in a few days.”

Most ATMs across Lincheng had already been flooded out. Only the ones in Tianlai Villas were still functioning. Once the owners finally came to their senses and tried to withdraw money again, they’d find nothing left inside.

They’d complain en masse, and the bank would naturally prioritize appeasing these wealthy “VIP clients.”

So Tianlai Manor’s ATMs would likely get one more round of cash replenishment—but as the disaster worsened, even that privilege would only become rarer.

The good news was that the team had already withdrawn most of their savings. No one had to worry about their money turning into meaningless digital numbers.

“We found a large supermarket,” Zhou Yichen continued. “The brothers put on diving gear and hauled up quite a bit of supplies. Unfortunately, the speedboats have limited capacity. Otherwise, we could’ve brought back even more tonight.”

Tang Xiaoman blinked. “How many of the coordinates I gave you did you find?”

Zhou Yichen pulled out a hardcover notebook, tore out a page, and handed it to her.

Tang Xiaoman took it. On it were marked locations: a plastics factory, a logistics center, a construction company—and more.

These were all high-value supplies, but they were bulky and nearly impossible to recover by ordinary means.

The bodyguard team only had small speedboats. They simply couldn’t carry much. They had the ability—but not the capacity. They couldn’t take it all, not even close.

But Tang Xiaoman had her space.

No matter how large or heavy it was, she could take everything.

“Good. Thanks for your hard work.” She reached out and patted Zhou Yichen on the shoulder.

Zhou Yichen: “……”

Somehow, it felt less like encouragement and more like she was patting a dog.

*

Tang Xiaoman had already showered inside her space. She yawned and prepared to head upstairs to sleep.

“Miss Tang,” 01 called out.

She turned lazily, her eyelids so heavy they barely lifted.

01 handed her a heavy bag filled to the brim with hard drives and USB sticks.

“These are the video materials and ebooks you asked me to download. I’ve organized and catalogued everything. If there are any issues, I can continue improving it.”

Tang Xiaoman took it and smiled. “Good work.”

01’s eyes lit up with expectation.

After a moment of thought, she added, “You’ll get a bonus at the end of the month.”

The light in 01’s eyes dimmed. He lowered his head slightly.

He had seen her pat Zhou Yichen on the shoulder—but she had never touched him.

It wasn’t that he expected anything… it was just that the difference in treatment was hard not to notice.

Of course, Zhou Yichen was the team leader, and he was only a deputy. The hierarchy was different.

Even so, for some reason, a faint bitterness still lingered in his chest.

Tang Xiaoman didn’t notice the man’s complicated inner turmoil. Exhausted and half-asleep, she just wanted to collapse into bed.

She had barely taken a step when 01’s voice sounded again.

“Miss Tang.”

“What now? Say it quickly.” She yawned.

01 looked at her tired face and spoke softly, “When we go out to collect supplies again… it’s better if I or Captain Zhou go with you. You’re a young woman—being outside alone is dangerous.”

Tang Xiaoman’s sleepiness vanished a little. She broke into a wide smile and reached out to pat his shoulder.

“Good brother, I appreciate the concern. If I need you or Captain Zhou, I’ll let you know. I won’t be polite about it.”

01 finally got his long-awaited shoulder pat. His sharp, defined features softened into a slightly foolish grin, his ears turning red.

Even after she disappeared upstairs, he remained standing there, staring at the empty staircase for a long time.

The sour feeling in his chest had vanished completely—replaced by something faintly sweet.

*

Gu Heng had barely slept all night. The assassin he sent out had gone completely silent.

He regretted destroying the surveillance at Tianlai Manor. Now there was no way to verify what had actually happened.

A private investigation firm had only confirmed that Tang Xiaoman, along with eleven bodyguards, had moved into Villas 98 and 99 at Tianlai Manor. The two adjoining properties had been merged into one heavily fortified residence.

That’s when Gu Heng realized something was wrong.

Where did Tang Xiaoman get the money to buy those villas?

Hiring over a dozen bodyguards was one thing if she feared being hunted down—but buying property in Tianlai Manor was something else entirely.

Even the smallest, most remote, least valuable villas there still cost tens of millions to purchase and renovate, especially in the current real estate downturn.

She couldn’t possibly have that kind of money.

Unless…

His pupils contracted sharply.

Unless she had sold him out in exchange for money.

Ever since she left the hospital, she had become like a different person—strong-willed, defiant, constantly opposing him. It all made sense now: she had leverage.

She must have hooked up with another man.

Gu Heng immediately thought of Huo Kai—and of how every recent business project he’d been involved in had been snatched ahead of him.

Even the companies in Tianlai Manor he tried to control during the storm disaster had been taken over first by Huo Kai.

With Huo Kai’s usual arrogance, he should have never bothered with such “small fry” assets. So why had his behavior suddenly changed?

Something wasn’t right.

And once suspicion took root, Gu Heng inevitably turned it toward Tang Xiaoman.

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became: she must be manipulating Huo Kai behind the scenes. Who knew how many of his secrets she had already sold?

“Tang Xiaoman… you dare betray me!” he ground out through clenched teeth, fury twisting his face. He wanted nothing more than to kill her.

The woman who once adored him so completely—why had she suddenly turned against him?

He couldn’t understand it at all.

At that moment, the hospital called again.

“…During the flood, Miss Shu Jia was nearly swept away. She was rescued by police, but her left arm was crushed in the impact—a comminuted fracture. The hospital is currently overwhelmed, lacking beds, medicine, and surgeons. Surgery cannot be arranged in time. Please have the family find a solution as soon as possible, or her condition may worsen.”

Gu Heng’s mood darkened further.

He called home, ordering the family doctor to go to the hospital.

But the response he received was: “Dr. Lu has already submitted his resignation. We haven’t found a replacement yet.”

He tried contacting Lu Jingming directly—but there was no response.

Three straight days of torrential rain and typhoons had devastated Lincheng. Countless people had gone missing or died.

Going off the grid was normal now.

But Gu Heng felt as if everything was spiraling out of control. His right eyelid twitched nonstop.

Restless and uneasy, he made a decision—he would personally go back to the company headquarters.

There, he had stockpiled large amounts of gold, cash, and weapons.

It was time to use them.

*

Tang Xiaoman slept deeply through the night.

After waking up refreshed, she enjoyed breakfast prepared by the bodyguards and praised their noticeably improved cooking skills without hesitation.

Encouraged by their boss’s approval, the bodyguards became even more motivated.

So they weren’t just protectors—they could also be cooks.

Another survival skill unlocked. In a collapsing world, that meant another lifeline.

Tang Xiaoman then took out nutritional solution and began teaching them hydroponic vegetable cultivation, even showing them how to grow bean sprouts.

The bodyguards: “……”

They had just learned to cook—and now they were becoming farmers too?

Clearly, the boss was planning to develop them into a fully versatile, multi-functional survival team. That meant trust. They had to take it seriously.

While everyone else was busy learning, Tang Xiaoman slipped upstairs.

She returned to her private room, locked the door, and entered her space.

Last night had been too rushed. She hadn’t properly examined everything they had collected.

Now—it was time to take stock of her harvest.