Hu Cuilan took out the sunflower seeds from the bag, finally revealing a faint smile.
"Did that girl downstairs give this to you?"
She asked while opening the package and popping the seeds into her mouth.
Heaven knows how lonely her mouth had been lately!
Although the house was stocked with plenty of dry provisions, so she wasn't at risk of starving, eating compressed biscuits and rice every day still grew tiresome.
These little snacks, offering a change of flavor, truly hit the spot!
"Son, keep an eye out. If the young girl needs any help, you should lend a hand."
Zhao Ping'an's face darkened: Who was it today that threatened me with having my legs broken if I go downstairs?
...
At the foothills of Mount Luo, in the hillside villa district.
A man dressed in a suit hurriedly entered the villa at the highest point.
He ascended the spiral staircase and made his way to the gym on the second floor.
There, a tall and muscular man was vigorously running on a treadmill, sweat dripping from his body.
The man immediately walked over: "Mr. Gu, all the supplies have been moved."
Gu Zhiyu nodded, his long neck and a few droplets of sweat trickling down his sculpted face and dropping onto his collarbone.
The suited man couldn't help but swallow.
Mr. Gu's looks were so strikingly intense that no matter how long one looked, it was impossible to remain unaffected.
He cleared his throat: "Also, the investigation into the mall theft you asked about—it's showing some progress."
Gu Zhiyu pressed the stop button on the treadmill, taking a sip of water as he dismounted. "Go on."
The suited man handed him a tablet, pulling up a video.
"This is footage from a building across from the mall. Due to the angle, we couldn't capture the suspect's face, but it's the only footage we could retrieve."
A bead of sweat appeared on the suited man's forehead.
This was the first time he hadn't completed a task assigned by the boss.
The difficulty was simply too high! The mall and office building surveillance systems were destroyed, and all the nearby businesses were submerged in the flood that night.
The chaos was immense; the heavy rain and floodwaters had washed away all evidence.
Only the fifth floor of a building across from the mall had a camera that managed to catch the exterior, which gave him something to present.
Gu Zhiyu took the tablet, settling onto a nearby sofa as his long fingers tapped play.
The video showed a torrential downpour before a figure, navigating a speedboat, entered the frame.
From the shape and hair, it appeared to be a woman.
She was holding a window breaker and effortlessly breached the mall's entrance.
What was unexpected was that, more than two hours later, she emerged empty-handed, leaving on the same speedboat.
The suited man, standing nearby, wiped the sweat from his brow. No matter how many times he watched, this video still felt eerie.
"Boss, I checked—the footage hasn't been edited. That night, this woman was the only one who entered the mall."
Even the suited man couldn't believe the absurdity of it.
What was going on? She was the only one who went in that night, yet when she left, her hands were empty, but everything in the mall had disappeared!
Could she possibly have magical powers, vanishing everything in the mall?
The suited man was utterly perplexed.
But this was all he could uncover—camera angles were limited, and the resolution was poor. Despite technical recovery, the woman's face remained unclear.
With the outside world in chaos, finding this woman now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Gu Zhiyu, sitting on the sofa, maintained a much calmer expression.
He rewound the video, paused at a frame, and studied it.
This was the clearest shot, but it only showed a vague profile.
The woman had long hair loosely tied behind her head, a sharp nose, and a delicate chin with no excess flesh. But her eyes were obscured by stray strands of hair, making them hard to discern.
Gu Zhiyu lowered his gaze for a long moment before murmuring, "Let's leave it for now. If she took the assault rifle, there will be a day it's used, and we'll follow up then."
"Understood, boss."
"And what's the situation with Taiyu Group?"
"Young Master You of Taiyu scoffs at the idea of an apocalypse, insisting that the flood will pass soon. He's been hosting parties at home these days and hasn't been affected by the disaster."
The suited man couldn't help but express his frustration: It was truly unjust—people outside were starving to death, yet the young master was living in luxury.
Clearing his throat, he continued, "However, I took a look at Taiyu Tower. All their supplies have been moved. They're putting on a calm front, but they've secretly started stockpiling."
Gu Zhiyu nodded: "Got it. Prepare for the worst."
"Yes." The suited man lowered his head respectfully.
Gu Zhiyu stood, wiping sweat from his forehead as he walked toward the bathroom. "Everything's arranged, you don't need to come by. Take a long break."
The suited man froze.
He understood what the boss meant. If this truly was the apocalypse, then he didn't need to work anymore...
In the past, he had always looked forward to a long holiday—no more running around on the boss's orders, just staying at home, sleeping in late.
But now, he felt a sense of helplessness.
How did the world turn into this so suddenly?
The man reached the bathroom door, then turned back to ask, "How is your home situation, by the way?"
The suited man's heart warmed. "It's all settled, thank you, Mr. Gu."
The storm had come so suddenly. If it hadn't been for Mr. Gu arranging for him and his family to stay in a vacant villa in Luo'an Mountain, they too might have been caught in the chaos, fighting for scraps like everyone else.
Now, even money couldn't buy supplies. Thanks to Mr. Gu turning his salary into provisions, his family was able to eat.
Grateful, the suited man called toward the bathroom: "Mr. Gu, I'll be leaving now!"
No response came, only the sound of rushing water.
As he walked out, he couldn't help but reflect: The only people still able to use water like this in the whole world must be his boss—there couldn't be many others.
Fenglin Yijing.
Annan wrapped herself in a towel, turning on the TV.
After another shower, the bloodstains on her body had finally faded somewhat.
She opened a can of iced cola and found a travel variety show, starting from the first season.
She had always liked this show, and watching it again after the disaster gave her a completely different perspective.
On screen, an endless desert stretched out. A few beautiful female celebrities were sitting in a jeep, cheering excitedly as they raced across the sand.
With a sharp plunge down a sand slope, the wheels kicked up dust, sending the mood soaring.
How carefree!
Annan couldn't help but glance out the window—overcast skies, cold floodwaters, people struggling for survival in the floods…
She stared at the lively women on the screen.
She wondered how these once-glamorous beauties were surviving amidst the natural disaster.