After a long day of hard work, one must reward oneself.

“So this is the mutant from earlier?”
Gazing at the massive new corpse on the ground, An Xiaowei and You Haoyun exclaimed in astonishment.
So this was the creature that had been attacking them all along.
“Yes, a mutant with the ability to conceal itself,” Xue Feng replied, then skillfully used his blade to slice open the mutant’s skull.
He successfully extracted a mutated crystal.
“It’s huge!” An Xiaowei gasped in surprise.
This crystal was noticeably larger than any they had seen before.
Moreover, its color was far purer.
Under the dim light, it emitted a mysterious glow.
Xue Feng quickly cleaned it, then tossed it into his storage space, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
With this hidden threat dealt with, today’s mission was complete.
Time to get in the vehicle and head home!

…

The armored vehicle drove into the Riverbank Villas, stopping just outside the gate.
Nie Xiaoyue paused in surprise at the sight of such a lavish base.
In the midst of the apocalypse, someone could still live in such comfort?
There were even dogs barking in the yard…
Who still kept dogs in the apocalypse?!
But after witnessing Xue Feng’s strength, she suddenly felt that nothing about this man could be considered outrageous, no matter what happened.
“All right, let’s get out,” Xue Feng called, signaling everyone to help unload supplies.
An Xiaowei and You Haoyun, of course, had no complaints.
Nie Xiaoyue, meanwhile, carried supplies while carefully studying the villa’s layout.
“Xue Feng, I think this place could be further improved,” she said after her inspection.
Her words immediately brightened Xue Feng’s eyes.
So quick to get started?
So diligent—he had chosen the right person indeed.
“Go ahead.”
“Right.”
Nie Xiaoyue nodded.
“From what I’ve seen, the environment here is excellent. Whatever happens around us, it won’t reach this place right away.
The only flaw is that, faced with zombies—or those mutants with special abilities—the strength of ordinary building materials is woefully insufficient.”
“I think we should reinforce the construction materials.”
She then laid out her plans one by one.
For example, embedding high-density, high-strength steel plates in the villa’s perimeter walls.

Also, installing the highest-grade bulletproof glass in every window.
“Especially the gate.”
After finishing, Nie Xiaoyue pointed to the rather “plain” main gate in the courtyard.
Such gates were common enough in the lawful society before the apocalypse.
But now, with no laws to restrain people—
“This kind of gate might hold off zombies, but against other survivors, it’s just for show.”
“And the walls are much too low—anyone even slightly agile could easily climb over.”
“And…”
Nie Xiaoyue poured out her observations at length.
An Xiaowei and You Haoyun were both left speechless.
Was their supposedly safe haven so worthless in her eyes?
But Xue Feng listened and nodded in agreement.
She had identified all the villa’s weaknesses.
Luckily, there was still room for improvement.
“Unfortunately, we’re short on materials and without electricity, construction will be difficult.”
The villa still relied on solar panels for power.
That meager stored energy could only support normal usage—it was nowhere near enough for operating construction equipment.
“Looks like we’ll need to get a generator as well…”
Xue Feng silently added “generator” to his list of supplies to collect.
Fortunately, some modifications could begin right away.
For example, raising the courtyard walls:
They scavenged wire mesh from other villas and wove it together with steel wire.
Very soon, the perimeter wall had been reinforced to over two meters high.
“This will do for now. Tomorrow, we’ll go out and look for building materials and upgrade our shelter as soon as possible.”
“Mm!”
The three, exhausted from a day’s work, nodded in agreement.
After dinner, Xue Feng fed a few more mutated crystals to the dogs.

Night fell.
With no reliable water supply, everyone was still dirty from their trip into the sewers, but a proper bath was out of the question.
Xue Feng, the day’s hero, didn’t need to say much.
You Haoyun and An Xiaowei wetted towels and helped clean each other up as best they could.
As for Nie Xiaoyue…
She still hadn’t completely let go of her reservations toward Xue Feng, so she didn’t dare bathe.
Naturally, You Haoyun’s spot on the floor from last night was left for her.

Deep into the night,
Xue Feng lay in bed pondering where he might find a generator, a water purifier, and steel construction materials.
Just then—

The covers beneath him shifted.
Suddenly, he felt himself enveloped in warmth.
He drew in a sharp breath and lifted the quilt.
There, mischievous An Xiaowei was launching a sneak attack without the slightest sense of propriety.
Feeling Xue Feng’s gaze,
She looked up, cheeks puffed, a sly smile on her lips.
“So, you were planning to enjoy this all by yourself!”

Just then, freshly washed You Haoyun entered the bedroom and caught sight of the scene.
She was immediately displeased—
And joined the fray without hesitation.
Xue Feng gave up his worries, pulling You Haoyun into his arms, his hands roaming.
Soon, You Haoyun went limp, utterly spent.
“Please… brother… hurry…”
“I want…”
Her soft, needy voice trembled in the air.
Seeing her so thoroughly transformed, Xue Feng burst out laughing.
He tossed An Xiaowei onto the bed and stacked You Haoyun on top.
Four pale, beautiful legs intertwined and swayed.
Never playing favorites, Xue Feng switched battlefields relentlessly, leaving both “enemies” utterly vanquished.
The sounds—sometimes soft, sometimes urgent—rose and fell without end.
Nie Xiaoyue, of course, heard every bit as she lay in her own room.
She hadn’t experienced it herself, but it didn’t take a genius to imagine what the three on the bed were doing.
In the apocalypse, and yet… the three of them…
Could such things truly bring so much joy?
As she pondered, Nie Xiaoyue’s slender, fair fingers slowly crept downward.

…

The next day.
The sun was high, its rays streaming through the window, casting golden light over the three sprawled on the bed.
Xue Feng, tall and broad-shouldered, lay in the center, surrounded on both sides by a sea of ivory skin.
Basking in the warmth, Xue Feng gradually awoke.
His first order of business, as always, was to check the newly refreshed intelligence.

[1. Doctor Wang Xinyu of the Xin Fang Hospital, 1,537.2 meters away, is highly skilled but reticent and awkward at expressing emotion. Every night, she thinks of her first love as she seeks her own release… unable to let go.]
[2. At Haohua Building Materials City, 10,262 meters southeast, many mutants with invisibility abilities have appeared. Among them: one with super speed, two with stealth, and three with immense strength. Killing them may yield mutant crystals.]
[3. In villa 362, within the same residential area, there once lived a wealthy man passionate about invention. Before his death, he built a simple diesel generator but never used it—it’s still in the basement.]