The Search
"Yes! Yu Feihong! Do you know her? Is she your friend?" Stephanie asked with concern.
"No, I don't know her. But I just saw her in the footage from this storage room! And it wasn't just her—I spotted a total of four people. That means there are still plenty of survivors hiding out in the safe room beneath our villa."
Xiao Yi frowned, pointing at the screen.
"I can't believe they're still alive!"
Stephanie said excitedly. "I remember a bunch of people deciding to hole up in the safe room back then. Yu Feihong and her group were probably the first ones in. I saw the security guards who handled protection leading a crowd inside."
"That settles it," Xiao Yi nodded.
His hunch had been spot on. The villa's basement was hiding a bunch of survivors after all!
"Stephanie, since there are other people still in this villa, that means danger's lurking here too. Remember—in this apocalypse, humans are always more terrifying than zombies."
Xiao Yi said gravely, gripping her shoulders.
He then drew the pistol from his waist and pressed it into her hand. "Stephanie, this gun still has three rounds left—enough for self-defense. No matter what, even if it's someone you were close to before the end times, don't trust them easily. Got it?"
Xiao Yi stared at her intently, his face dead serious.
He'd found the pistol in the security room earlier; only three bullets remained.
Its mere presence would be enough to deter threats and keep Stephanie safe.
Right now, she was the one he worried about most.
Deep down, Xiao Yi already saw Stephanie as his closest, most trusted woman. He wouldn't allow anyone to harm a hair on her head!
Especially after spotting that man's shadow in the safe room footage—fucking some other woman. It made his blood boil.
He didn't want any other men sharing this villa!
Whether it was Stephanie or any other woman he had his eye on, no man would lay a finger on them.
They were his—his forbidden treasures, untouchable by anyone else!
"I understand, Xiao. From the moment I met you, you're the only one I trust!" Stephanie nodded solemnly, taking the pistol from him.
"These cameras don't cover many rooms, Stephanie. I need to sweep the rest to make sure we're secure in here. Plus, we can't keep crashing in the kitchen forever. Our clothes are filthy—reeking of sweat. I need fresh ones. Do you remember where the bedrooms are in this place?"
"There are five guest rooms for visitors, plus the master bedroom. All on the second floor."
Stephanie pointed at a hallway on the screen, drawing from memory. "That's the guest wing—every room there is a guest room."
"And this," she continued, tapping footage of an ornate door, "is the estate owner's master suite. Only the owner ever goes in. Probably loaded with good stuff."
"From here, head out, turn right to the end of the hall—master door's on the left."
"Perfect. You monitor from here. Radio me if anything looks off. I'll find us a cozy bedroom. Tonight, we sleep like kings!"
Xiao Yi grinned, pulling her close in a dominant embrace. He claimed her sexy red lips with a deep kiss, then turned and waved over his shoulder as he left the security room. "Barricade the door with that metal cabinet after I go. I'll come get you once the bedrooms are clear. Sweet dreams tonight!"
He shut the armored door without looking back, leaving Stephanie blushing furiously, lips pursed in a whirlwind of naughty thoughts.
The path from the security room to the master bedroom snaked through two corridors, passing four or five side rooms.
This time, Xiao Yi moved with extra caution.
The remaining zombies in the villa were no threat to him. What worried him now were the armed survivors!
Amid piles of severed limbs, mangled arms, and rotting zombie corpses, the stench hung thick in the air. Traversing corridors like this took real guts.
But there were rewards: Xiao Yi stripped a bulletproof vest from a uniformed zombie buried in the corpse pile and slipped it on.
It wouldn't do much against zombies, but against gun-toting humans? It could save his life.
He gave each open room a quick once-over, confirming no zombies lurked inside before pressing on.
It took a full half hour to reach the master from the security room.
The master bedroom sat in a secluded spot. Outside it was a small servant's quarters, trashed beyond repair—three bodies on the floor: one in a maid's uniform, the other two in security suits.