A kilometer away, Shang Xinglan’s team also heard the alarm.
It was deafening.
The surrounding zombies were so frightened that they scattered in every direction.
Ye Lixuan looked toward the source of the sound.
“It seems to be coming from the rental house.”
Zhao Wenkang frowned. “Did something happen there?”
Shang Xinglan’s sharp brows drew together slightly as his boundless ice blue eyes fixed on the place where the alarm had originated.
With one fluid motion, he slid the sword in his hand back into the sheath strapped across his back. He pulled a pair of sunglasses down from his red hair, covering his eyes, and said decisively, “We’re going back.”
The words had barely left his mouth before he shot forward across the ice. The blades beneath his feet carved a deep groove into the frozen surface as he sped away.
Ye Lixuan and the others exchanged glances before immediately chasing after their captain.
Xia Mu clutched her chest, her heart pounding wildly.
In a trembling voice, she asked, “System 003… what just happened?”
System 003 had already entered the group chat to ask System 001 and System 002 why the alarm had suddenly gone off.
System 001 told it to check its own system notifications.
When System 003 saw the words “Host has suicidal tendencies” highlighted in bright red, it froze.
It was its first Host. Its first mission.
Staring at Xia Mu in shock, it asked timidly, “Mu Mu… why were you thinking about ending your life just now?”
I simply couldn’t understand.
Everything had been getting better.
So why would Xia Mu think about suicide?
Xia Mu was stunned by the question.
Suicide?
When had she wanted to kill herself?
Wasn’t living a wonderful thing?
Just as she was about to deny it, something suddenly surfaced in her memory.
A moment ago…
She really had entertained that thought.
But only because she had imagined a future where her parents were gone.
If they were no longer in this world, she didn’t want to keep living alone either.
It had only been a fleeting thought.
Could that single thought really have triggered the alarm?
Meanwhile, System 003 posted the highlighted notification into the group chat.
System 001 and System 002 immediately exploded.
System 001 shouted, “System 003, you’re finished! If your Host actually commits suicide, you’ll be locked in the little black room for 999 days of reformation!”
System 002 also demanded, “What did you do to your Host? Why would she even have thoughts like that?”
System 003 completely broke down.
It burst into tears.
“I finally found my Host! I treasure her more than anything! How could I ever force Mu Mu into wanting to die?”
It cried louder and louder until its sobbing echoed directly into Xia Mu’s ears.
“Waaah… Mu Mu, you can’t do that! Waaah… I like you so much! System 003 will always stay with you! Waaah…”
Hearing its desperate cries, Xia Mu felt both touched and amused.
Her eyes grew moist as she laughed softly.
“System 003, you’re so childish. I would never do something like that. I still have to earn enough money to buy medicine for my parents.”
System 003 sniffled.
Then suddenly, inspiration struck.
Its little mind finally understood why Xia Mu had briefly thought such a thing.
In a tiny, hoarse voice, it carefully asked, “Mu Mu… were you only thinking that because you were afraid you wouldn’t be able to save your parents?”
Lowering her eyes, Xia Mu nodded gently.
“…Mm.”
Now that it understood everything, System 003 instantly relaxed.
“Mu Mu, don’t be silly. As long as you fill an entire Beijing style courtyard with tenants, you’ll receive Mother Xia’s medicine as a reward.”
“What did you say?”
Xia Mu’s head snapped up.
Her pupils contracted sharply in disbelief.
A moment later, countless tiny sparks of hope lit up her bright eyes.
They shone as beautifully as the stars scattered across the dark night sky of the Apocalypse.
They were the light that gave humanity hope to keep moving forward.
A priceless treasure.
Shang Xinglan was momentarily captivated by that light.
He quietly watched the petite young woman before him, who seemed to radiate the purest brilliance.
System 003 noticed Shang Xinglan’s return and quickly reminded her, “Mu Mu, your tenants are back. You can either buy the medicine yourself or wait until your first Beijing style courtyard is fully occupied and receive it as a reward. Don’t be sad anymore.”
Only then did Xia Mu turn around.
Shang Xinglan was standing not far away.
Standing atop his ice skates, he appeared even taller than usual. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but his fiery red hair stood out brilliantly against the snowy landscape.
She blinked in surprise before immediately putting on her signature professional smile and greeting him in clear, standard Mandarin.
“Mr. Shang, you’re back. You’re the only one…”
Before she could finish, Rong Yulong and the other four skated into view behind him.
Ye Lixuan bent over, supporting himself on his knees as he panted.
“Boss… why are you so fast? We… we couldn’t catch up with you.”
“Did your ability evolve again? You’re way too fast… way too fast.”
Repeating those words twice only proved how unbelievable Shang Xinglan’s speed had been.
The others said nothing.
Instead, they carefully surveyed the Beijing style courtyard in front of them.
The alarm had already stopped.
It was almost as if it had never sounded at all.
After a brief moment of awkwardness, Xia Mu quickly recovered and greeted the rest of them with another bright smile.
“You all headed out pretty early today.”
Her mood was much lighter now.
System 003’s words had finally put her mind at ease.
So there really was another way to obtain the medicine and save her parents.
Especially her mother.
Her illness couldn’t wait much longer.
“Oh, right.”
She looked at the five of them.
“I have some not so good news.”
After saying that, she blinked playfully, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.
The expression made everyone blush.
There were beautiful women in the base as well.
But girls as fresh and lively as Xia Mu were almost nonexistent.
The women in the base were either fierce and battle hardened or delicate flowers that needed constant protection.
Just as Rong Yulong and the others were about to keep looking at her, they suddenly felt a chilling killing intent.
By the time they instinctively pulled their gazes away from Xia Mu and searched for its source, it had completely vanished.
They scratched their heads in confusion, wondering if they had imagined it.
Rong Yulong asked, “Boss Xia, what’s the bad news?”
Xia Mu pointed toward the house.
“The shopping mall is temporarily closed, so you won’t be able to buy food anymore.”
Her expression was apologetic.
She couldn’t do anything about it.
System 003 was still a rookie system, and she had to bear the consequences of its inexperience as well.
Shang Xinglan and the others didn’t think it was a major problem.
Although they felt a little disappointed, they had survived perfectly well before the shopping mall existed.
Without it, they could simply find food elsewhere.
There was a large shopping mall nearby with plenty of frozen food still preserved inside.
Food was never the real issue.
As long as they could continue renting rooms and resting here, everything else was manageable.
Sleeping outside could never compare to sleeping in a rental house.
It had warm heating, hot water, electricity, and even television.
It was already more than they could have hoped for.
Seeing that they were only mildly disappointed and showed no sign of anger, Xia Mu found herself liking these tenants even more.
Then she remembered the reward System 003 had mentioned, and her heart began burning with anticipation.
She returned to the main hall and walked over to Shang Xinglan.
She hesitated, unsure whether she should ask.
Before she could speak, his distinctive deep voice sounded above her, making her ears twitch as a faint blush spread across them.
“Boss Xia, is there something you’d like to ask?”
The others all turned to look at her, making her feel as though she were standing under a spotlight.
She quickly steadied herself, smiled brightly, and asked, “I wanted to ask… Do you know where the population is the largest?”