The Ideal Shelter
Stephanie Seymour's invitation struck right at the heart of what Xiao Yi wanted. With power and running water, it really was the perfect temporary haven!
"Perfect! If you don't mind, I'll crash here for a bit. Food's on me from now on!"
Xiao Yi smiled and nodded. He realized he and Stephanie Seymour weren't just fated—they clicked on a deeper level, sharing an effortless rapport that felt innate.
"But first, I need to head out. There's one thing I have to take care of."
A glint of icy resolve flashed in Xiao Yi's eyes. "Where's that back door you mentioned? Mind showing me?"
"Of course! Right this way!"
Stephanie eagerly took Xiao Yi's hand, leading him toward the kitchen's rear exit.
The moment their palms met, it felt utterly natural to both of them.
Just like in the other world, when Stephanie, as a mother, held her son Andy Brandt's hand—warm, intimate, instinctive.
The kitchen spanned the second floor, roughly thirty square meters, with doors at both ends.
The back one opened straight into the villa's rear yard below!
The backyard was generous in size, walled in by tall barriers. Fruit trees and veggie patches dotted the space, while two gardener-dressed zombies and one in a suit shuffled aimlessly through the little grove.
"The backyard's cut off from the front," Stephanie explained. "No one was out here when the outbreak hit. I've watched closely—only six zombies total. It was sealed shut back then, so no stragglers wandered in."
She gestured to a plot of vegetables and a cluster of trees. "Five apple trees and three pear trees—the fruit's almost ripe! Once our supplies run low, we can harvest those. That patch has cabbage, lettuce, potatoes, carrots from the gardeners—ready to eat now. It'll keep us two going for over half a month!"
This revelation lit Xiao Yi up inside. Per her count, wipe out those six zombies, and the yard became their private sanctuary. Fresh fruit and veggies on demand, plus room to plant more.
Water, electricity, and a backyard garden? This was apocalypse paradise.
Xiao Yi's satisfaction with Stephanie Seymour—and this new refuge—deepened by the minute.
"Still, we've got to deal with those zombies," she added.
She snatched a cleaver from nearby, teeth gritted with determination. "I was too scared to go out alone before. But now with two of us, we can take a shot! For safety, though, tomorrow at high noon..."
She didn't finish. Xiao Yi hefted his dao, swung the back door open, and stepped out with calm assurance. "Relax. The backyard's mine. Zombies and foraging? That's all on me from here on."
The door clicked shut softly. Through the window, Stephanie watched tensely as Xiao Yi charged into the grove, blade in hand—her worry laced with budding awe.
In this hellish end times, every woman yearned for a strong man to shield her. And this one, who drew her in so irresistibly, wrapped her in profound security!
Visions of secluded life here, just the two of them... Her face of concern softened into radiant joy, a flush blooming across her alluring features...
Stephanie hadn't exaggerated—six zombies lurked in the yard. Beyond the three visible through the glass, three more skulked in a dank, shadowed rockery cave.
Clumsy, fragile ordinary zombies, every one. Xiao Yi's dao sliced through them like butter. In moments, six headless corpses slumped to the earth.
Zombies cleared, Xiao Yi glanced back at Stephanie's window, then at the sky. Past 3 p.m. now, sun dipping westward. Dusk loomed, and the air was cooling fast.
Sunset would stir the town's undead hordes.
No time to waste. He had to reach his villa before nightfall.
No hesitation. Xiao Yi scaled an apple tree by the wall, vaulted over, and vanished from view.
"Will he come back?"
Stephanie bit her plump red lip, body twisting in unease as she stared at his fading silhouette.
Trapped alone in this sealed space, horrors pressing from all sides... Food and water had held for half a month, but the soul-crushing loneliness of hiding out gnawed at her. Days blurred into torment, an endless grind!
What terrified her most wasn't starvation or death—it was the isolation, the hopeless void.
She'd teetered on suicide more than once!
Xiao Yi's arrival had reignited her fire to survive.
"As long as he comes back to me... I'll do anything! Merciful God, I beg you—bring him home safe!"
Stephanie dropped to her knees, eyes shut tight in fervent prayer.