Watching the several women leave in tears, Mu Xiaoxiao felt a little sympathy for them, but she did not try to stop them. After all, this was the apocalypse. If they wanted to survive, they could only rely on themselves. Choosing to depend on others was their own decision, and they had to bear the consequences.
They closed the main gate and secured it with a chain. People could still open it, but zombies could not.
After returning home, Lu Xuan looked at them with concern and asked, “Are you two alright?”
“We’re fine. A group of people came to the neighborhood a few days ago and started robbing the other villa residents of their food. We taught them a lesson and drove them away,” Mu Xiaoxiao said.
“I know who they are. They came to borrow food from me once, but I ignored them. I didn’t expect them to be that kind of person. They’re awful. You did the right thing by driving them away,” Lu Xuan said angrily.
Meng Yu went into the kitchen and washed her hands. Seeing that the porridge was ready, she stir fried a vegetable dish and brought out a basket of steamed buns. This was their dinner for the day.
“Xiaoxiao, dinner’s ready.”
“Come on, let’s eat. I’ll help you over.”
“Thanks.”
After sitting down at the dining table, Lu Xuan sighed with emotion. “It smells so good. It feels like it’s been ages since I last had such a hot meal, not to mention the delicious steamed buns.”
“You don’t cook at home?”
“Hehe, I do, but my cooking isn’t nearly as good.”
After dinner, Mu Xiaoxiao and Lu Xuan sat on the sofa watching television. Meng Yu joined them shortly afterward, but as they watched, there was a sudden pop, and the power went out, plunging the house into darkness.
“Don’t tell me the power’s been cut off?” Mu Xiaoxiao guessed.
Meng Yu got up and looked outside. The entire villa area was shrouded in darkness.
“It looks like it.”
“Do you think the electricity will come back later?” Lu Xuan asked.
“What do you think? Zombies are everywhere, and no one is going to work. Who’s going to repair the power lines and restore the electricity for you?” Mu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at him.
“If the power never comes back, how are we supposed to live? Every night will be completely dark. That’s kind of scary,” Lu Xuan said with a miserable expression.
“We’ll deal with it however we have to.”
“Only the electricity has stopped. The water is still running,” Meng Yu said as she brought over a camping lamp.
“I think the water will probably be cut off within the next few days too,” Mu Xiaoxiao said.
“The water too? Then we won’t even be able to cook. Food can still be dealt with somehow, but without water, we’d be dead in three days,” Lu Xuan said dejectedly.
“Since things have already come to this, just take things as they come. Don’t be so discouraged,” Mu Xiaoxiao encouraged him.
Mu Xiaoxiao and Meng Yu went upstairs and turned on their own power supply. The room was immediately filled with light again.
“Huh? Why is there electricity again?” Lu Xuan asked in confusion.
“I installed solar power. We can’t afford to waste electricity now, so just turn on a small light when necessary,” Mu Xiaoxiao reminded him.
“Got it.”
“Everyone should go back to their rooms and rest,” Meng Yu said.
Mu Xiaoxiao helped Lu Xuan back to his room, then returned to her own room, locked the door, and entered her space.
The chickens she had raised were already fully grown, and the rabbits had even produced a litter of adorable babies.
She had sold the sheep’s milk and goose eggs because she neither liked drinking nor eating them. Her space was now Level 12, and she had 35,000 gold coins.
After finishing everything, she went to sleep in the thatched cottage.
Meanwhile, Meng Yu placed the jade she had collected onto the upgrade platform that night. After the space absorbed it, it only expanded by about the size of a basketball court. Still, it was better than being completely useless. At least all that jade had achieved something.
The next morning, Mu Xiaoxiao woke up to the news that the water had also been cut off.
It did not affect her much, but for the other survivors, life was becoming increasingly difficult.
“The water in my space is enough for drinking, so that’s not a problem. We just can’t waste it on washing up anymore. I’ve been collecting the spiritual spring water too. Right now, I can collect about half of a twenty liter bucket every day,” Meng Yu explained in detail, reassuring Mu Xiaoxiao.
“Sister Yu, there’s actually something I haven’t told you.”
During their time together, Mu Xiaoxiao had realized that Meng Yu genuinely treated her well and had never hidden anything from her. Besides, the situation was getting worse, and the fact that she had a space would eventually be exposed. Rather than continuing to hide it, she might as well tell Meng Yu and make life easier for herself instead of constantly sneaking around.
“What is it? It’s alright. Everyone has secrets. If you want to tell me, I’ll listen and keep it confidential. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine too,” Meng Yu said understandingly.
“I actually have a space too, but mine is different from yours,” Mu Xiaoxiao said quietly.
“That’s a good thing. How is it different?”
Meng Yu was not overly surprised. After all, she had a space too. Another space meant another layer of security, which was good for both Xiaoxiao and herself.
“My space can be used for both farming and storage.”
“Doesn’t that mean Xiaoxiao can grow whatever vegetables and fruits she wants in the future? I happen to have stocked up on seeds, so I’ll give them to you later.”
Meng Yu was genuinely happy for her.
“I activated it before the apocalypse. Sister Yu, let me take you inside and have a look.”
“Alright!”
She could even help Xiaoxiao grow vegetables in the future.
Mu Xiaoxiao took Meng Yu’s hand and silently thought about entering. Mu Xiaoxiao disappeared from the spot, but Meng Yu remained standing in the room.
Seeing that she was alone inside the space, Mu Xiaoxiao could only come back out helplessly.
“It seems that only the owner of the space can enter.”
“My space is the same, but that’s alright. Isn’t it even safer this way? No one can take it away from us even if they try,” Meng Yu said with a smile.
The two of them chatted happily in the bedroom while Lu Xuan waited downstairs for them to come eat. When they still had not come down after a while, he did not want to walk upstairs without permission, so he could only call out to them from below. When there was no response, he began to worry that something had happened.
Supporting himself against the wall, he slowly made his way to the staircase and called again, “Xiaoxiao? Sister Yu?”
This time, Meng Yu and Mu Xiaoxiao heard him.
“Let’s go downstairs and eat. Lu Xuan is calling for us,” Meng Yu said.
When Lu Xuan saw the two of them coming downstairs, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
“I thought something had happened to you two.”
“Sorry, we overslept,” Mu Xiaoxiao explained.
Fortunately, the weather was not too cold, so the food had not gone cold either.
After eating, the three of them sat around the sofa and discussed what they should do next.
“Now that both the water and electricity have been cut off, water is especially important. When we go out later, our main priority will be collecting water,” Meng Yu said.
“I want to go too, but my leg won’t allow it. I can only stay here and watch the house for you two,” Lu Xuan said somewhat dejectedly.
There was not much water left at his own home either. By the time his leg healed, he worried that all the supplies outside would already have been taken by others.
“Just focus on recovering. Don’t overthink everything else.”
Mu Xiaoxiao knew what he was worried about. Ever since he had risked himself to save her, she had been considering whether to keep him around after observing him for a while. She felt that he was a decent person. The two of them could not remain alone forever, and they needed to build a team eventually. Every time they went out, leaving the house unattended was also a problem.
Besides, the male lead had not appeared yet. In the apocalypse, sticking together for warmth was the right choice.
Lu Xuan had a lot on his mind but could not put it into words, so he simply nodded.
This time, Mu Xiaoxiao and Meng Yu planned to drive farther away to search. Having a car made it easier for them to collect supplies than most people, and they wanted to leave some resources for others as well.
When they drove to the main gate, they saw several people standing there.
Seeing their car approach, the group waved at them.
Mu Xiaoxiao cautiously leaned out of the car window and asked, “What is it?”
These people were all villa owners who had previously been robbed of their food.