Tang Xiaoman accepted the tea Number 10 handed her and took a sip before asking about what had happened during her absence.

Number 01 gave a brief report from the side.

“…That’s basically it. Chainsaws are extremely lethal and very efficient for hunting crocodiles. Among all the bodyguards on patrol, our Villa 98 has caught the most. Number 06’s family are traditional leatherworkers. He knows how to tan crocodile hide, and the leather can be traded for supplies.”

Cash was depreciating rapidly now. Banks couldn’t dispense money, and online payments had collapsed.

People were far more willing to barter goods for goods.

“The villa district installed wire fencing to keep crocodiles out, but…” Number 01 paused, then continued gravely, “that thing won’t stop death-row convicts.”

Tang Xiaoman raised a brow. “What’s going on? Tell me everything.”

—

After Shu Jia returned to Villa 6, the first thing she did was report to Gu Heng.

“I saw Tang Xiaoman. She’s still alive!”

The news hit Gu Heng like a bomb, nearly blowing apart what little composure he had left.

That ominous feeling in his heart had finally been confirmed. His eyelid twitched wildly. “Are you sure you didn’t see wrong?”

“I saw her with my own eyes. Feng Li saw her too.”

Gu Heng collapsed onto the sofa, rubbing his brow over and over.

What the hell.

Ever since Tang Xiaoman had fallen out with him, she had become uncanny.

He kept feeling that something about her was strange, as if she had become a completely different person.

And too many inexplicable things had happened around her.

He had sent a world-class assassin after her, only for the man to vanish without a trace. Su Ke had gone looking for her and vanished too. A flash flood hadn’t washed her away or drowned her. A perfectly good yacht had disappeared into thin air—and not even the people aboard knew what had happened.

He strongly suspected all of these bizarre incidents were connected to Tang Xiaoman.

“And I saw a young, handsome man beside her,” Shu Jia added. “I suspect she’s fallen for someone else!”

Hmph. If the president knew Tang Xiaoman had cheated on him, he definitely wouldn’t let her off.

Before Gu Heng could ask more, Old Madam Gu walked over tremblingly.

“What exactly have you been doing? Master Wan sent people over, saying you lost his yacht and must compensate him with supplies immediately. Otherwise, he’ll make the Gu family pay!”

Gu Heng was shocked. “Master Wan’s men came this quickly?”

He groaned inwardly. When it rained, it poured.

“You lost an entire yacht! How could they not be anxious?” Old Madam Gu struck the floor hard with her cane, furious. “Was this because of that Su Rou again?”

Seeing that he couldn’t hide it anymore, Gu Heng had no choice but to tell the truth.

“…Her younger brother was kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded a yacht as ransom. The Su family had no way out and came to me for help, so I acted as guarantor. I thought once we caught the kidnappers, we could return the yacht…”

“Nonsense!” Old Madam Gu snapped. “Look at the state of the world right now, and you still dared to guarantee a rented yacht to ransom someone? Have you lost your mind? Do you think the Gu family isn’t collapsing fast enough?”

Gu Heng was scolded until he looked utterly defeated.

“It was that Su Rou who coaxed you into doing something so stupid. She’s a curse, a disaster, a walking omen of bad luck!” The more Old Madam Gu cursed, the angrier she became. “She isn’t even as useful as Tang Xiaoman!”

At least Tang Xiaoman had been obedient and proper. She had never stirred up trouble or caused problems for Gu Heng. She had only kept her head down and worked.

“Where is Tang Xiaoman? Go find her. Have her come up with a solution for you!” Old Madam Gu ordered.

Gu Heng’s face shifted between red and white. “I’ve already broken off the engagement with her. Grandma, you know how badly we fell out some time ago. When I was taken to the police station, she wouldn’t even sign the letter of forgiveness…”

At the time, Old Madam Gu had also cursed Tang Xiaoman for being heartless, an ungrateful wretch.

She had even declared that Tang Xiaoman would never be allowed through the Gu family’s doors.

“What’s a quarrel between lovers? Go coax her. Apologize. Bring her back,” Old Madam Gu instructed. “Then have her deal with Master Wan’s people.”

Gu Heng felt his temples throb harder.

In the past, Tang Xiaoman had been easy to handle. A few casual words from him, and all her anger would disappear.

But now…

He had no confidence at all.

—

After listening to Number 01’s report, Tang Xiaoman understood just how terrible and brutal things had become outside.

The sudden flash flood had destroyed Lincheng’s largest prison, leaving thousands of inmates unaccounted for.

Everyone had assumed heaven had claimed them.

Reality proved that scourges lived long.

Not only had they survived, they had formed a terrifying gang.

Their leader was a notorious death-row inmate with a long list of monstrous crimes. He had committed nearly every evil act imaginable. Executing him dozens of times still wouldn’t have been enough.

If not for the sudden flood, he would already have been shot.

But fate was blind. The flood had destroyed the prison, and the man had survived by luck. He had even organized a gang of over a hundred prisoners who now specialized in raiding homes, stealing supplies, and assaulting women.

Their methods were cruel, and they killed without blinking, plunging the disaster-stricken survivors of Lincheng into even deeper despair.

Because the flooding was severe and worsened by mountain torrents, the official warehouses storing food and supplies had also collapsed, with heavy casualties.

The authorities were busy setting up new relief points and were stretched thin, unable to take care of ordinary people for the time being.

The survivors could only fend for themselves while enduring the prisoners’ burning, killing, and looting.

Most terrifying of all, some disaster victims had even joined the gang, willingly becoming enforcers for the prisoners just to earn a few scraps of food.

In a short time, the mob’s power had expanded rapidly, growing more arrogant and ruthless by the day.

Rumor had it they were no longer satisfied with robbing ordinary survivors. Their eyes had turned toward the wealthy villa districts.

Tang Xiaoman listened quietly, her expression unreadable, though her heart was far from calm.

The prison break and crocodile attacks had never happened in her previous life.

But they had happened now.

She no longer knew what direction the future would take.

The only thing she was certain of was this: the disasters from her previous life would happen again.

And disasters she had never experienced before might come as well.

—

Lu Jingming brought Tang Xiaoman to a storage room and unlocked the door, entering first.

When she stepped inside, he had already turned on the lights.

Neatly stacked leather cases filled the room. She counted them—five in total.

“Young Master Huo had Steward Hong bring people over to take away one hundred sets of silencers and sixty diesel generators. They left behind 340 jin of gold, packed into five cases,” Lu Jingming said as he opened the cases for her to inspect.

Tang Xiaoman glanced over them.

She trusted Huo Kai’s integrity in business well enough.

Steward Hong was an old servant of the Huo family too; he wouldn’t stoop to petty tricks.

“Mm. Leave the goods to me. Go take care of Shanshan.” After a pause, she added, “I remember Shanshan likes pumpkin cakes and pumpkin strips. Make some for her.”

Lu Jingming looked at her deeply, his voice soft. “Thank you for always keeping Shanshan in mind.”

She had gone out and still returned with so many good things—most of them things his daughter loved.

“There’s no need to be so polite between us.”

Once Lu Jingming left, Tang Xiaoman immediately stored all five cases of gold in her space.