---

The diesel generators and chainsaws Tang Xiaoman had stored in her space all required large amounts of diesel to run.

She drove to a gas station and asked around, only to learn that private individuals were limited to purchasing one ton of diesel per transaction.

After some negotiation, she struck a deal with the station’s manager—she would pay an extra fifteen thousand yuan per ton.

The station provided specialized explosion-proof metal fuel drums with dedicated outlets and fueling guns, making them convenient to use.

Since Tang Xiaoman was willing to pay such a generous markup, the gas station felt they were making a fortune and spared no effort with the service. Not only did they supply the fuel drums and full fueling equipment themselves, they even delivered everything to her door.

But after the workers left, Tang Xiaoman began to worry.

Her space had less than twenty cubic meters remaining. The two-bedroom apartment inside it was already packed to the brim, and now there was this massive one-ton fuel drum. There simply wasn’t any room left.

The ten motorboats the specialty shop was sending would have to sit in the garage for now.

She reorganized the space again, barely managing to clear enough room to squeeze the fuel drum inside.

After storing it away, she drove back to the club.

On the open training grounds, Zhou Yichen was drilling the five bodyguards and the black German shepherd with intense enthusiasm. Tang Xiaoman didn’t interrupt them.

“Woof!”

Fubao spotted her first, its tail wagging furiously.

Tang Xiaoman waved at it, signaling it not to make a fuss, then quietly slipped away.

On the first floor, she found a large storage room and pulled the fuel drum out of her space, setting it on the ground.

Then she began unloading the bulkier supplies—assault boats, kayaks, air pumps, solar generators, diesel generators, snowmobiles, crates of liquor, and boxes of pet food.

The moment those were removed, vast swaths of space opened up inside both her storage dimension and the apartment.

She left the storage room and took out a lock from her space.

Just as she finished locking the door and turned around, a tall figure suddenly appeared in front of her. She had no time to dodge and nearly crashed straight into him.

“Ah!” she gasped, her hand instinctively reaching for the triangular bayonet she carried.

“It’s me.”

The man’s voice was low and pleasant.

Tang Xiaoman focused—and realized it was Zhou Yichen.

Four years in the apocalypse had conditioned her to live in constant vigilance. She had grown jumpy enough to react to the slightest movement.

Fubao darted over, rubbing against her legs and wagging its tail energetically.

Apparently, the dog had caught her scent and led Zhou Yichen here.

Tang Xiaoman shot the foolish dog a glare before turning to Zhou Yichen with a trace of irritation.

“Why do you move around like a ghost? Not a sound when you walk.”

Zhou Yichen glanced at the locked door.

“Need help moving things?”

Tang Xiaoman had been about to refuse, but then reconsidered.

“I want to stockpile some diesel, gasoline, and gas cylinders. Pick two reliable guys and split up. Buy five tons of diesel, one ton of gasoline, and two hundred gas cylinders. Store them separately. And don’t let outsiders find out.”

“Woof!”

Fubao barked eagerly, volunteering to help.

Zhou Yichen looked stunned.

“…Five tons of diesel? One ton of gasoline? Two hundred gas cylinders?”

All of those were highly flammable and explosive materials—and she wanted that much?

“Buy them in small batches and store them together. Keep everything on the first floor so there’s no risk of collapsing the structure. As for the storage room…” she continued casually, “you and the others can use composite boards to divide it into several simple compartments. The main thing is that the doors need to be sturdy.”

Tang Xiaoman took out her phone and transferred another one million yuan into Zhou Yichen’s card.

Then she patted his shoulder, smiling brightly.

“Work hard. I won’t treat you unfairly.”

“Woof!”

Fubao pushed forward again, clearly expecting praise as well.

Tang Xiaoman gave its head a quick pat, though her tone was far more perfunctory.

“Listen to Captain Zhou and behave. I won’t treat you unfairly either.”

Zhou Yichen: “…”

—

Tang Xiaoman drove off again, originally planning to stock up at a department store.

She glanced at the date on her phone.

July 8.

Her pupils shrank as something suddenly came to mind.

She spun the steering wheel, sending the truck racing toward Tianlai Villa Estate.

Hopefully she wasn’t too late.

—

Sunshine Castle Kindergarten was the private preschool within Tianlai Villa Estate. Only children from the villa district were admitted.

The tuition was expensive, but the safety standards were high, and the location inside the estate made pick-ups convenient. It quickly became the first choice for every resident.

Over time, not only did homeowners send their children there—even the children of their butlers, family doctors, and bodyguards attended.

No one could have imagined that on July 8th, armed criminals would storm the kindergarten, taking children hostage and injuring them in a bloody incident.

Shanshan died on that very day.

Shanshan was Lu Jingming’s daughter.

Lu Jingming was Gu Heng’s personal doctor.

In her previous life, Tang Xiaoman owed Lu Jingming a favor.

This time, she would repay it.

—

Tang Xiaoman drove her pickup like a storm, speeding all the way up the winding road to Tianlai Villa Estate.

Without slowing down, she blared the horn and sped straight toward Sunshine Castle Kindergarten.

A masked thug wielding a knife was dragging several children toward a car, preparing to flee.

On the ground lay a young teacher, blood spreading beneath her in a horrifying pool.

“Anyone who’s tired of living can step forward!” the thug roared, brandishing the knife wildly. “Come closer and I’ll make sure you bleed!”

The kindergarten had descended into chaos.

Children wailed loudly, teachers stood pale and trembling, and the security guard had shrunk into his booth in terror, too afraid to move.

Several thugs tried to shove the kidnapped children into their vehicle.

Suddenly, a little girl opened her mouth and bit down fiercely on the hand gripping her.

“Damn!” the thug yelped, never expecting a child’s bite to be so vicious.

He shook his hand violently.

The girl was flung to the ground, hitting it hard.

Her lips trembled, but she bravely held back her tears and scrambled to her feet, trying to run.

“You little brat! I’ll kill you!” the enraged thug charged after her with his knife.

In her previous life, this was the moment Shanshan had been stabbed to death in a frenzy of blades.

“Stop!”

Tang Xiaoman slammed on the brakes, rolled down the window, and pulled out a nail gun from her space.

The thug looked up at the shout—

—and suddenly screamed as something slammed into his eye.

He collapsed instantly.

Tang Xiaoman kicked the door open and sprinted toward the fallen girl.

Shanshan lifted her small face, eyes wide.

“Sister Xiaoman!”

Before Tang Xiaoman could pick her up, two more thugs rushed forward.

They were burly, ferocious men, knives raised high as they charged at the woman who had appeared out of nowhere.

Tang Xiaoman raised the nail gun and fired repeatedly.

Her marksmanship—and her blade skills—had been forged during four brutal years of the apocalypse.

Calling it perfect accuracy was no exaggeration.

Both thugs screamed, clutching their eyes as blood streamed between their fingers.

But their injuries only made them more vicious.

Driven into a corner, they were ready to kill as many as they could before going down.

After all, they were desperate criminals with nothing left to lose.

Seeing the kidnapped children about to suffer, Tang Xiaoman made a split-second decision.

She tossed aside the nail gun and drew the military knife at her waist.

Charging forward, she faced three wounded thugs alone, refusing to give them any chance to harm the children.

“Run!” she shouted while fighting them. “Shanshan, take your friends and get somewhere safe!”

Shanshan scrambled to her feet and called to the others.

“Everyone follow me! Run!”