028 Shelter Upgrade, Unexpected Visitors

“This place clearly shows signs of habitation!”
Outside the villa district, a ten-member expedition team crouched in the tall grass, observing the luxurious villa before them. They had been dispatched by the shelter to scavenge for food. Hoping for good fortune, they’d come to this affluent area, never expecting to spot such a promising target so quickly.

“Look, the villa actually has electricity!”
Someone suddenly noticed something amiss. Through the window, faint light from electric lamps inside the villa could be seen.

All ten grew visibly excited.

It was common knowledge: ever since the blood rain had fallen, the whole world had changed, and the apocalypse had arrived. The peaceful era’s electrical infrastructure had long since been destroyed. Humanity had been thrust back into the age of dawn-to-dusk labor, living as primitives once more.

Yet here, this villa still had power! How could they not be astonished?

“It must be a diesel generator providing electricity. And anyone wealthy enough to live here must still have plenty of resources!”
A gaunt man’s eyes glittered with greed.

That wasn’t all—they also spotted an armored vehicle parked outside the villa. Nearly two meters tall, it looked formidable, with reinforced plating and mock blades mounted on the front and sides. There was no doubt that this machine could plow through zombies, even split them in two.

“If we can get our hands on that armored vehicle, won’t we be able to roam this apocalypse unchallenged?”

Now, every one of them was elated. If they could seize this armored vehicle, there’d be no need to return to their previous shelter. With such a ride, they could pillage at will—what could be more exhilarating?

These thoughts sent excitement surging through the group.

“Let’s move!”
The leader stifled his excitement and waved his companions forward.

Immediately, each man drew his sidearm, gripping it tightly—these were their lifelines in the end times. Though useless against mutants, against zombies and ordinary humans, a steady hand and a well-aimed shot could settle matters quickly.

One by one, they leapt from the grass and crept toward the villa.

Suddenly, loud barking erupted.

Startled, the expedition team froze. “Damn, this rich family actually keeps a dog?”
But what they saw was a massive, jet-black panther, its coat gleaming in the dim light.

The team was dumbfounded. Goodness, such a large beast—how much did it eat in a day?

“Let it bark. Once we’ve dealt with the people inside, we’ll celebrate with a hotpot of dog meat!”
The leader was unconcerned. The barking might alert the homeowners, but it was nothing compared to the threat of gunfire. If the residents got spooked and fortified themselves, that would be inconvenient.

With that, they pressed stealthily toward the villa’s main entrance.

……

“Beep, beep, beep—”
Inside the house, an urgent alarm pierced the dreams of those sleeping.

Nie Xiaoyue was the first to react, glancing quickly at the screen in her hand. There, she saw ten men in bulletproof vests, guns at the ready, advancing toward them.

“Something’s wrong—we have company!”

An Xiaowei and her two companions hurried over. But when they realized the figures on the screen were people, not zombies, they hesitated in shock. The shelter had just been upgraded, and now it was already being put to the test?
More importantly, before a horde of zombies could besiege them, humans had arrived first.

“These people are clearly up to no good!”
Watching the expedition team inch closer on the monitor, An Xiaowei spoke coldly. After all, what survivor approaches fellow humans with guns drawn? These men clearly coveted their shelter and wanted to seize it.

“If they fancy our home, let’s just deal with them!”
An Xiaowei spoke with confidence. The intruders had guns, but so did she. More importantly, they were exposed, while she was concealed. If they wanted to invade, they’d have to survive a hail of her bullets first.

You Haoyun, however, was nervous. “They’re armed—it doesn’t look easy to handle…”
Guns still represented power, then as now. Ten people firing at once could create a deadly barrage. One careless mistake could mean death.

Nie Xiaoyue, however, stared thoughtfully at the screen. She had long anticipated that this day would come. Thanks to her designs, their shelter could now withstand not only zombie assaults but also human attacks.

Compared to the others’ anxious thoughts, Wang Xinyu appeared unaffected.

She was nestled in Xue Feng’s arms, her head resting on his chest, a blissful smile on her lips. Thank goodness she’d been brought here by Xue Feng. Even if she had to spar nightly with An Xiaowei and You Haoyun for his attention, she firmly believed that with Xue Feng around, she would be safe. On the contrary, if she were still in the hospital… faced with such a scenario, ending things swiftly might have been the best option. The thought brought a flicker of relief to her face and deepened her reliance on the man before her.

Hearing the conversation, Xue Feng slowly awakened.
Finally, they had come!

A flash of excitement crossed Xue Feng’s eyes. Upgrading the shelter as quickly as possible had been for this very moment. But he hadn’t expected trouble to arrive so soon. The shelter had only just been fortified, and now it was about to undergo a real defense test.

“How considerate of them…” Xue Feng murmured.

“No need to panic. It’s just a handful of humans.”
With a wave of his hand, Xue Feng reassured the anxious three. Then he drew them toward the window, one on each arm.

The windows had been replaced with bulletproof glass, and thanks to Nie Xiaoyue’s modifications, they were now one-way—transparent from the inside but opaque from the outside.

Standing before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, his left arm around An Xiaowei, his right around Wang Xinyu, with You Haoyun and Nie Xiaoyue at his side, Xue Feng could clearly see the ten ragged men approaching, creeping forward with fearful caution.

They were about to step into the shelter’s defensive perimeter. Out in the yard, the black panther, flanked by seventeen other dogs, was barking furiously.

“Doctor, open the door.”
Gazing at the scene, Xue Feng spoke calmly.

“Open the door?”
Nie Xiaoyue was taken aback. The security door was her carefully chosen, heavy-duty defense. Opening it now would be like inviting the enemy inside. These ten looked anything but friendly.

But as she hesitated, Xue Feng’s voice sounded again in her ear:
“Open the door. Then release the dogs.”

“We haven’t fed them much today. And here comes the dog food, delivered right to our doorstep.”

At his words, Nie Xiaoyue dared not object. She pressed the unlock button on the screen.