Tang Xiaoman inventoried the auto parts she had stored in her space the night before, picked out a Michelin tire, and used a jack to swap out the busted wheel on a black off-road SUV.

Last night, she had collected several decent cars from an auto repair station, but most had been submerged in water—and none of them had keys.

Only this SUV, taken from the assassin, had its key. The rest would require her to find a way to match or bypass their ignition systems.

After four years in the apocalypse, she had long since mastered a wide range of survival skills. Changing a tire was nothing to her now.

Once finished, she washed her hands and brewed herself a cup of rich, aromatic latte to wake up a bit.

Refreshed, she went on to inspect the five fuel tankers she had collected the night before.

What she saw made her genuinely delighted.

Three tankers were labeled diesel. Each carried 20 tons—60 tons in total.

Two tankers were gasoline. One carried 15 tons each—30 tons combined.

That meant she had just secured 60 tons of diesel and 30 tons of gasoline. For a team of a dozen people, it would last decades.

Tang Xiaoman smiled to herself for quite a while before moving on to sort through the weapons and ammunition she had taken from the “vault” the night before.

When she saw the five massive safes, she didn’t hesitate—she grabbed a crowbar and forced them open.

The safes let out piercing alarm sounds, but it did nothing to stop her.

Inside… nothing.

Empty.

The gold must have already been absorbed into her space.

She moved on to the next one. Also empty.

One by one, she pried them open.

All five safes—empty.

Only the last one contained anything: stacks upon stacks of cash.

Ten thousand per bundle. She counted roughly a thousand bundles.

Ten million yuan in total.

If this had been the pre-apocalypse world, it would have been enough to buy a huge amount of supplies. Now, however, it would only continue to depreciate.

Tang Xiaoman had little interest in money anymore.

She left it behind and headed out to inspect the garden’s fruits and vegetables instead.

The results pleasantly surprised her.

Three chili plants, three cucumber vines, three garlic bulbs, and three tomato seedlings were all heavy with fruit.

It had only been less than a week since planting—and they were already fully bearing.

Something about this garden soil was clearly not normal compared to the real world. It was almost miraculous.

She harvested half a catty of chili peppers, five catties of cucumbers, dozens of purple garlic bulbs, and ten catties of tomatoes, storing them immediately in her time-stopped space for freshness.

The moment she did, the plants withered instantly, dissolving into the soil as fertilizer.

Next, she took out grain seeds and planted a ten-square-meter patch of wheat, followed by another ten square meters of corn.

Feeling a little tired, she paused to rest and casually unwrapped a chocolate-coated ice cream bar.

After finishing it, she planted another ten square meters of sweet potatoes.

By the time she checked the clock, nearly an hour had passed.

She sped up her work, planting three pumpkin seedlings, three amaranth greens, and three blueberry bushes.

Exactly one hour later, she stopped—slightly pained at the loss of time—and exited the space.

Since her space had upgraded, the daily three-hour allowance could now accumulate. By now, she had already saved over thirty hours.

She had used less than two hours in total, leaving her with thirty hours remaining.

If an emergency arose, she could stay inside for a day and a half without issue.

*

Gu Heng braved the storm and deployed a helicopter, flying directly from the hospital rooftop to the landing platform of the Gu Corporation headquarters.

The moment the helicopter touched down, he rushed straight to his office.

Through the office into the changing room, then into the cabinet. He turned the concealed latch.

The inner wall slid open, revealing a hidden door.

Gu Heng stepped into the private vault he had built over many years—and froze.

All five of his safes were gone.

Gone.

The billions in gold he had hoarded… the tens of millions in cash… all of it had vanished without a trace.

Cold sweat broke out across his back instantly.

He rushed into the inner chamber—and nearly collapsed on the spot when he saw the empty antique shelves.

The dozen or so precious blades he had collected… the dozen pistols and rifles… the thousand rounds of ammunition…

All gone.

Completely wiped out.

“Who the hell did this? When did this happen?!”

He checked the surveillance system—but every camera had been destroyed. Even the memory cards were ripped out.

Gu Heng nearly spat blood.

Who?!

This vault was his deepest secret. Not even his most trusted lover, Su Rou, knew about it.

So who had raided his lair?

This was his life’s work. His backup plan. His final escape route.

To destroy his escape route was to kill him outright.

It was over.

Everything was over.

His eyes turned bloodshot as he roared in fury, smashing the antique shelves into pieces.

If he ever found the thief… he would tear them apart limb by limb.

*

Meanwhile, Tang Xiaoman had no idea Gu Heng had already discovered the theft. In a very good mood, she headed downstairs after leaving the space.

Zhou Yichen was leading the bodyguards through drills in the courtyard, while 01 was teaching Lu Jingming and his daughter self-defense with blades.

Little Shanshan was actually handling a small surgical scalpel quite skillfully, earning praise from 01.

“Not bad. The little girl is sharp—she’s got real talent.”

After praising Shanshan, he turned to Lu Jingming. “You’re impressive too. Your knife skills are very precise.”

Shanshan, encouraged, trained even harder.

Lu Jingming smiled modestly. “I’m a doctor. I’m very familiar with human anatomy.”

Which meant every strike he made naturally targeted vital points—so precise that even 01 couldn’t underestimate him.

“Interesting. So studying medicine has this advantage too,” 01 mused, newly enlightened.

Zhou Yichen had divided the bodyguards into three-person teams for a cooperative climbing drill.

The courtyard wall was three meters high. With the steel frame supporting bulletproof glass, the total height reached six meters—perfect for training.

One person braced against the wall, arms extended.

The second stepped onto his shoulders, also bracing outward.

The third climbed over both teammates, then leapt upward to grab the highest steel beam they could reach.

The steel structure was incredibly strong, capable of bearing several tons. A few people hanging on it was no different from insects clinging to a tree.

So the climber at the top could jump as high as possible without worrying about load limits.

Five meters was the passing mark. Anything above that was excellent.

Each trio rotated roles so everyone experienced both climbing and being the human base.

Tang Xiaoman watched with interest for a while.

The male bodyguards were one thing—but even the two female guards received no special treatment.

Especially No. 10. She was slight-framed, and under the weight of two men she looked like a thin sapling bent nearly in half, as if she might snap at any moment…

*Thud!*

The sapling actually snapped.

The two men on her shoulders toppled down.

Fortunately, they were well-trained. They adjusted mid-air, tucking and rolling to minimize impact before landing safely.

Zhou Yichen blew his whistle sharply, irritation flashing in his voice.

“What happened to your group?”