The moment Tang Xiaoman returned to her room, she opened the bag of jewelry 01 had given her. Most of it was gemstones, with a smaller portion of jade and gold pieces mixed in.

Among them were several rare, top-grade sapphire necklaces and a pink diamond the size of a pigeon’s egg—together worth nearly a hundred million.

Without hesitation, she tossed everything into her space. As expected, it was quickly absorbed.

The virtual display panel lit up:

A new study and a game room had appeared on the villa’s second floor, bringing the total indoor area to 260 square meters.
The garden expanded by 10 square meters, now totaling 85.
The static storage space increased by 100 cubic meters, reaching 1080 cubic meters.

Pleased as she was with the added storage, Tang Xiaoman clearly realized one thing—

Jewelry simply couldn’t compare to gold and jade when it came to expanding the space.

If she’d used equivalent value in gold or jade, the expansion might’ve been several times greater.

She needed to get her hands on more of those.

But for now, she couldn’t send her team out to take risks again—the flash floods could strike at any moment.

Tang Xiaoman pulled out her phone and dialed Huo Kai.

His lazy voice came through. “Miss Tang, what good thing brings you to me this time?”

She curled her lips into a smile. “I need a favor. I want to buy aviation fuel.”

“Huh?” Huo Kai thought he’d misheard. “What do you need aviation fuel for?”

“I recently got my hands on a helicopter. I need fuel for it. Help me out.”

She transferred over eighty million yuan—the money she’d taken from the assassin—along with everything left in her own account, straight to Huo Kai.

“Buy as much as you can. The more the better. And fast.”

She knew his connections ran deep—he could get almost anything.

Before the floods hit, before digital payments completely collapsed, she had to convert every last bit of virtual money into tangible survival supplies.

Huo Kai grumbled, “Every time you call me, it’s either borrowing money or buying something. Don’t I get anything out of this?”

“Did you forget? I tipped you off last time and helped you secure control over Golden Prestige Mall and Greenfield Organic Farm. That wasn’t a benefit?” she shot back.

Huo Kai chuckled. “Fine, fine. But aviation fuel is scarce right now—and expensive.”

“Price doesn’t matter. Just get it. As fast as possible.”

If she didn’t spend the money now, once the floods came, it would all be worthless numbers.

“Alright, I’ll handle it,” Huo Kai agreed readily.

After hanging up, Tang Xiaoman opened her messaging app and browsed through the group chats.

The residents of Tianlai Villa were relatively calm. After all, they had a large shopping mall and an organic farm to rely on—basic living needs weren’t an issue.

But in the city, things were far worse.

After a full week of typhoons and torrential rain, floodwaters had reached the seventh and eighth floors. Windows had shattered under the wind, causing massive casualties.

Some households had already run out of food. The government had dispatched rescue teams to go door to door—registering survivors, distributing supplies, and relocating flooded residents to temporary shelters.

For now, the storm had passed. Things seemed to be improving.

But Tang Xiaoman knew better.

This fragile calm would soon be shattered by an unprecedented flash flood.

As for when it would come—she had no idea.

She walked to the window and looked down at Zhou Yichen, who was leading the bodyguards in training. Then she called him.

“Captain Zhou, come up for a moment.”

He picked up, glanced up—and their eyes met through the glass for a brief second.

Without a word, he looked away, instructed 01 to continue leading the training, and turned toward the villa.

The bodyguards immediately exchanged knowing looks, whispering among themselves:

“The boss just woke up not long ago, right? Summoning Captain Zhou again already?”

“Guess Captain Zhou’s got something special. Miss Tang seems pretty into him.”

“No way, no way… maybe she just hasn’t seen what other men can do. Vice-captain, have you ever had a chance to demonstrate your… capabilities?”

“Shut up!” 01 snapped, his face darkening. “Anyone caught gossiping about the boss and Captain Zhou gets a hundred push-ups!”

—

Zhou Yichen knocked twice. The door opened, and Tang Xiaoman pulled him inside.

“Do you know how to make keys?” she asked directly. “Most of the cars I salvaged from underwater don’t have keys. Can you get them working again?”

She’d collected quite a few vehicles—but most were keyless and had been submerged.

Zhou Yichen gave her a look and answered honestly, “Those cars have all been underwater. They’ll need major repairs, and even then, they’re prone to breakdowns.”

“I know,” she said. “But once the floodwaters recede, vehicles will become extremely scarce. If we can fix them, they’ll be worth a lot in trade.”

“That’s true. At least they weren’t buried in mud—they’re relatively clean, so the condition should be better,” Zhou Yichen said. “I can repair them. But making keys requires a specialist. I have a former comrade who’s very skilled at that.”

“Is he still in the military?”

“He’s already retired, but I should still be able to reach him.”

He contacted the man right in front of her.

The friend was currently in Ji City next door, which had been hit even harder. He’d lost his job and wanted to return to the military to assist with disaster relief—but he had no way to get there.

Zhou Yichen said, “My employer has a batch of vehicles that need keys made. If you’re willing to help, we’ll come pick you up immediately. Once it’s done, we’ll send you to the military base for free.”

The man sounded stunned. “There’s flooding everywhere—how are you going to come get me?”

“By helicopter,” Zhou Yichen replied calmly.

There was a brief silence before the man agreed. “Alright. I’ll send you my location. Can you get here quickly?”

Then he added with a bitter laugh, “I’m on the sixteenth floor. I’ve run out of food and water. Yesterday I risked diving just to retrieve a pack of instant noodles. I’m still hungry.”

“We’ll head out right away,” Zhou Yichen said. “Make sure you bring your tools.”

After hanging up, he looked at Tang Xiaoman. “Take the small helicopter?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Let’s do it.”

—

One of Gu Heng’s bodyguards spotted Tang Xiaoman’s pickup truck.

When the news reached him, he froze in shock.

“Tang Xiaoman is still alive? And she left Tianlai Villa with one of her bodyguards?”

The revelation hit him like a bolt from the blue.

She was alive?

Then what about Su Ke?

Su Rou grew anxious as well. “Where’s Su Ke?”

There was still no word from the team sent to find him. It was as if he’d vanished into thin air.

A chill crept down Gu Heng’s spine, a deep, gnawing dread taking root.

Ever since Tang Xiaoman slipped out of his control, everything had begun to unravel—spiraling in a worse and worse direction.

“Follow her immediately,” he ordered. “Find a chance to capture her and make her tell us what happened to Su Ke.”

—

Zhou Yichen drove, and Tang Xiaoman, seated in the passenger seat, quickly noticed the tail behind them.

She casually pulled out an AK and blew out the pursuing vehicle’s tires.

As chaos erupted behind them, the pickup sped forward.

Soon, the road ahead was completely blocked by floodwater.

Tang Xiaoman stored the pickup and pulled out a speedboat from her space.

The two climbed aboard and sped toward a nearby office building.

Fifteen minutes later, a small helicopter lifted off from the rooftop, following GPS coordinates toward Ji City next door.