When the mountain flood passed, it left nothing standing.

Nearly a third of Licheng’s buildings collapsed under the onslaught. Communications went down, and the entire power grid failed. That night, almost everyone who had ventured out on the water in search of supplies perished.

The floodwaters rose as high as the upper floors of city buildings. A handful of residents, alerted by the noise, managed to escape in time and climb the stairwells to higher ground.

Many more were trapped inside their homes—some even had their windows smashed in by the force of the water, swept away into the raging current without a trace.

More than an hour later, the flood finally began to settle.

Tang Xiaoman pulled Zhou Yichen with her as they slipped out of the space and resurfaced. She took out the speedboat, and the two climbed aboard together.

Only then did they strip off their diving suits. Tang Xiaoman stored the gear back into her space.

Zhou Yichen started the engine and checked his phone’s navigation.

“There’s signal again, but…”

Tang Xiaoman quickly took out her own phone. The 5G network had dropped to 2G. Several missed calls flashed on her screen, along with messages from Lu Jingming and 01 asking if she was safe.

She sent them both a single reply: *I’m fine.*

Lu Jingming called immediately.

The connection was choppy, breaking in and out.

Tang Xiaoman already knew—things would only deteriorate from here, and there would be no going back. Eventually, even finding a weak signal would require high ground.

Calmly, she explained, “When the flood hit, Captain Zhou and I happened to be inside a building. We weren’t swept away.”

Lu Jingming’s voice trembled. “Xiaoman, come back as soon as you can. Be careful on the way.”

—

Thanks to its elevated terrain, Tianlai Villa escaped the worst once again. But the power system had collapsed here as well.

Tang Xiaoman and Zhou Yichen made it back safely, stowed the boat, and continued on foot. The flood had risen to the upper floors of the city—only a few hundred meters now separated it from the villa residences.

There was no point driving.

Every streetlight was dead. Rows of luxury villas lay in darkness.

Days of relentless rain had rendered solar panels nearly useless. Combined with the heavy energy demands of large homes, backup batteries had long since been drained.

Every household now faced an energy crisis. The once brightly lit villas were reduced to faint, flickering emergency lights.

And even those required fuel.

If the blackout dragged on, living in a villa would become even harder than in a standard apartment. A single candle could barely light a small flat—but in a sprawling villa, it only made the shadows deeper, more oppressive.

Tang Xiaoman thought of the stockpile of diesel generators in her space and felt a quiet sense of security.

Electricity was irreplaceable.

Because people had grown dependent on it.

—

Back at the villa, Fubao was the first to rush her, tail wagging wildly.

The dog circled her, nuzzling and sniffing, making sure she was unharmed before settling down.

The rest of the team had stayed awake. Only after seeing the two return safely did they finally relax.

01 turned to Zhou Yichen. “We went out to check the perimeter. A lot of high-rises in the city were wiped out… You’re lucky you made it back.”

Zhou Yichen repeated the story he and Tang Xiaoman had agreed on. “We happened to be inside a high-rise collecting supplies. That’s how we survived.”

Lu Jingming added, “Power’s still out—no word on when it’ll be restored. Mobile networks went down earlier and now it’s only 2G. Cable TV is gone too. But just now, Young Master Huo said in the group chat that he had a large satellite receiver installed. Tianlai Villa can watch TV again.”

Each villa owner could invite up to three people into the group chat. Tang Xiaoman had only added Lu Jingming—after everything she’d been through in her previous life, he was the one she trusted most.

She rarely had time to check the chat herself. Lu Jingming kept an eye on it for her.

Tang Xiaoman nodded. “Huo really does know how to take the lead.”

In a way, Tianlai Villa was its own community. With the right leader—someone capable of uniting everyone—they could stand together against outside threats.

In her previous life, that leader had been Gu Heng.

He had supplies, weapons, and a knack for manipulating people. The residents had followed his lead.

But he was selfish and cunning—full of empty promises, unwilling to share resources. Over time, people saw through him, and his influence crumbled.

Later, when refugees stormed the villa district, he didn’t lift a finger to help. He didn’t organize any meaningful defense.

Only when the mobs reached his own villa did he wake up.

If his neighbors were stripped bare, he would be next.

That’s when he finally rallied everyone to fight back. They managed to hold out for over a year.

But as the number of refugees grew, Tianlai Villa became a shining target—like a mountain of treasure attracting swarms of starving locusts.

People came from everywhere, desperate and feral, determined to take a bite no matter the cost.

Eventually, the wealthy fled by helicopter to government shelters.

Those without connections, means, or power were left behind… to be devoured.

But now, barely half a month into the disaster, things hadn’t reached that point yet.

And this time, things were already different.

Because of Tang Xiaoman’s influence, events—and people—had begun to shift.

Huo Kai, who once would have lounged idly waiting out the disaster, had stepped forward. He had seized control of the villa’s two essential supply hubs, gaining both authority and influence.

Now, whenever crises arose, he acted quickly within his capacity—further solidifying his position.

If Huo Kai could truly shoulder the responsibility this time—if he could help Tianlai Villa endure longer—Tang Xiaoman wouldn’t mind giving him a hand.

—

By the time Tang Xiaoman returned to her room, it was past two in the morning.

Her body was exhausted, but sleep wouldn’t come.

The jade bracelet on her wrist had nearly faded from sight—proof that her space had upgraded again.

She slipped inside and eagerly checked her gains.

The result stunned her.

The loot from three jewelry stores had expanded her storage by 760 cubic meters, bringing the total to 1,840 cubic meters. The villa inside her space had grown into a three-story structure, covering 360 square meters. The garden now spanned 97 square meters.

The enlarged space, the upgraded villa, the nearly hundred-square-meter garden—her fatigue vanished, replaced by exhilaration.

Tonight had been more than worth it.

And she didn’t forget to mentally credit Zhou Yichen with a major contribution.

Unwilling to waste time bathing inside the space, she returned to her room and used the bathroom instead.

After blow-drying her hair, she instinctively checked her phone again.

Huo Kai had just posted an alarming message in the group chat.

“All residents of Tianlai Villa, please take note: we’ve just received an urgent notice. The flood has destroyed the largest prison in Licheng. Thousands of high-risk inmates are now unaccounted for. In addition, the flood has brought in a large number of crocodiles. There has already been an incident of a crocodile entering a residential building and killing a child. Please ensure your doors and windows are securely closed to prevent further danger.”

Tang Xiaoman froze.

In her previous life… she had no memory of either of these events.