At the bottom of the cliff lay a graveyard of cattle.

The helicopter hovered nearby as Tang Xiaoman rappelled down, delightedly collecting the spoils of the hunt.

Eight large yellow cattle, each weighing over a thousand pounds. Altogether, she had gained more than ten thousand pounds of freshly killed beef.

Most had died from the fall. Any that were still breathing, Tang Xiaoman finished off with the chainsaw.

Before long, all eight cattle were stored in her space. Grabbing the rope, she climbed back into the helicopter.

Zhou Yichen lifted off while Tang Xiaoman reeled in the rope.

The two barely exchanged a word, yet they moved with the seamless understanding of comrades who had worked together for years.

Once the helicopter rose to a safe altitude, Zhou Yichen noticed the sun sinking westward, about to disappear below the horizon.

“Head back now?” he asked.

Tang Xiaoman waved a hand and made a decisive call. “Find a safe place to land first. We’ll eat. Once we’re full, you’re coming into the space with me to work.”

—

Zhou Yichen finally found a relatively flat landing site and touched down successfully.

Tang Xiaoman had reaped a tremendous harvest today, so she didn’t bother worrying about the precious time inside her space. She brought both Zhou Yichen and the helicopter in together.

It was Zhou Yichen’s second time entering her space, yet he was still stunned.

The space had nearly doubled since the last time he saw it.

“Thanks to you coming with me for that jewelry store raid, plus the big bag of jewelry Number 01 gave me, and the twenty kilograms of gold from selling the diesel generators—all of it fed into the space. Its volume has almost doubled.”

Tang Xiaoman’s voice brimmed with excitement, confidence, and anticipation.

Huo Kai had also ordered another sixty diesel generators and a hundred sets of silencers, totaling 340 catties of gold. That could be exchanged for another three hundred-plus cubic meters of static storage.

So she had to work harder.

She had to keep stockpiling like her life depended on it.

Tang Xiaoman rummaged through her supplies and found a large tea table and two stools, having Zhou Yichen set them up.

Then she brought out a steaming pot of ginseng chicken, braised fish, sweet-and-sour pineapple pork, stir-fried shrimp slices, and a large plate of spiral pancakes fried in clear oil.

The meal was so abundant the tea table could barely hold it all. The aroma was mouthwatering.

“Time was too tight. I didn’t manage to stockpile much decent furniture,” Tang Xiaoman said with a hint of regret. The main reason was that her space had been too small in the beginning.

Back then, she had prioritized food and medicine, followed by weapons and energy equipment.

Later, she had stored some porcelain, tea sets, and wineware, along with tea tables, wine tables, stools, and chairs—but never proper furniture.

The villa inside her expanded space had no furnishings and had only been used as a warehouse.

Now that her static storage had become spacious enough, she no longer needed to use the villa inside the space as temporary storage.

Zhou Yichen noticed the regret on her face and suggested, “I know a large furniture mall. They happened to be advertising an exhibition sale a few days before the storm hit. The area is relatively high, so it probably isn’t completely flooded. We can look there for suitable furniture.”

Tang Xiaoman immediately perked up. She opened two cans of beer and handed him one.

They clinked cans, drank freely, then buried themselves in the feast.

Once they were full, Tang Xiaoman tossed all the disposable tableware into a trash bin, planning to throw it out once they left the space.

“Digest a little,” she said, revealing the cruel smile of a capitalist. “Then get ready to work. We’re putting in overtime tonight.”

—

Tang Xiaoman took out two disposable protective suits and handed one to Zhou Yichen.

After putting them on, they began processing the largest cow.

The animal had only just died. One cut severed the blood vessel, and fresh blood poured into a basin.

Tang Xiaoman loved blood tofu—an absolute must-have for hotpot.

They collected three full basins of cow’s blood and placed them on the villa balcony to coagulate naturally.

Tang Xiaoman assisted while Zhou Yichen, holding a sharp combat knife, swiftly skinned the cow in one complete piece.

He asked his boss what to do with it.

Tang Xiaoman casually placed the fresh hide into the static storage. She would study how to process it when she had time.

Each holding knives and axes, the two worked together to butcher the entire cow. They removed the organs, then drew water from the pond to clean everything.

The yellow cow, weighing over fifteen hundred pounds, was divided into six sections. The head and tail were too troublesome to handle, so she directly stored them in the static space.

Tang Xiaoman stacked the four cleaned legs and two slabs of ribs into static storage. The cleaned offal was separated into several plastic bags and stored as well.

Next came the sheep.

They selected the fattest one first, drained its blood, and prepared to make blood tofu.

This was genuine sheep’s blood, pure and unadulterated.

As Tang Xiaoman drained it, she couldn’t help swallowing.

Noticing Zhou Yichen looking at her, she mocked herself lightly. “When I eat hotpot, sheep’s blood is my favorite. Duck blood comes second. What about you?”

Zhou Yichen looked away and replied as if nothing had happened, “Anything is fine.”

Tang Xiaoman: “…”

Their conversations somehow always became awkward.

Better to keep working.

Zhou Yichen really wasn’t suited to chatting with her.

He was much better suited to working with her.

—

The sheepskin, head, and tail were also temporarily placed in static storage, to be processed or cooked later when there was time.

The sheep was likewise divided into six parts: four legs and two slabs of ribs.

The offal was cleaned, packed into plastic bags, and stored together with the processed mutton.

After finishing the work, they cleaned up the mess on the ground, removed their filthy disposable protective suits, and washed their hands.

Tang Xiaoman asked, “What do you want to drink?”

Before Zhou Yichen could answer, she added, “We may be working until the latter half of the night.”

“Whatever you’re having,” Zhou Yichen said, clearly indifferent.

Tang Xiaoman took out two cups of pearl milk tea and handed one to him.

The sweet, rich tea moistened her dry mouth. The pearls burst when bitten, and the thick mochi topping gave it exactly the texture she liked.

Seeing Zhou Yichen take only a few sips before setting it down, she took out a bottle of refreshing soda water for him instead.

After a short rest, the two began a new round of labor.

This time, they weren’t processing cattle or sheep.

They were moving all the supplies inside the three-story villa into the static storage space, clearing room for new furniture.

The static space had expanded to 1,880 cubic meters, enough to hold an enormous amount of supplies. From now on, there was no need to be so miserly with space or cram supplies into the villa just to save storage capacity.

But after clearing out the villa, they still couldn’t leave the space.

The crops in the garden needed watering.

Zhou Yichen was simply too useful.

And since Tang Xiaoman had caught him, she was determined to work him to the bone.