If someone had actually slipped in while they were recklessly collecting supplies from the warehouse just now…
Thinking of the uncontrollable consequences if someone discovered the Space, Xia Nuan quietly reached for the carving knife she carried with her, her expression utterly calm.
The more murderous intent she felt, the more harmless she appeared.
The first thing a hunter learns is to lie in wait—killing intent can only serve as a deterrent.
The secret of the Space must not be exposed.
No matter who it was, she could only say sorry.
Xia Nuan gripped the carving knife, already prepared to unsheathe the blade and strike first.
But Xia Mu was faster than her.
Xia Mu charged forward first, grabbing the bag in front of him with his bare hands and tossing it behind them.
Then, they heard two adorably cute, milky barks.
"Woof~ Woof~"
It turned out to be two little puppies.
Neither sibling saw the ferocity in the other's eyes. The moment they saw the puppies, the ice and snow melted away, their expressions changing faster than one another, returning to their usual good-natured selves.
"There are actually two puppies here. Oh, they look so adorable," Xia Mu picked up one of the pups.
The puppy wasn't afraid of people either. Once picked up, its tail wagged so fast it looked like a propeller, tongue lolling out and mouth open as if smiling.
The one Xia Mu picked up was the chubbiest, likely a native Song dog puppy.
"Mhm."
Xia Nuan also smiled and walked forward, crouching down to pet the other little pup.
They really were adorable.
In the world to come, it would be hard to see such cute creatures again.
Domestic cats and dogs had long become meals on plates when people were starving and freezing.
Most stray animals had vanished due to various natural disasters.
The few animals that barely survived became massive, ferocious, and more or less altered in appearance after entering the Mutation stage, bearing no resemblance to soft, cute creatures.
However…
Some pets, cherished deeply by their owners, were not killed during the hungriest times. After the animals mutated, these pets, who had long formed bonds with their owners, became loyal, powerful, and perfectly synchronized partners.
"They look like stray dogs. They probably crawled into the warehouse to avoid the rain," Xia Mu stroked the puppy's fur, which was still slightly damp.
"Do you want to keep them, brother?"
Xia Nuan smiled gently.
Her brother's gaze at the puppies was full of reluctance—he probably wanted to keep them.
With the Space in hand, raising two more dogs wouldn't be much of a burden. Once bonds were formed, they would become the most loyal companions, far more reliable than people.
"A little, but… won't it be difficult to raise them?"
Xia Mu was conflicted. He knew the apocalypse was coming, and when people couldn't even eat their fill, bringing along two dogs seemed like nothing but a burden.
"It won't be difficult. If you like them, that's enough. Besides, I've always wanted a pet too, but the Lu family never allowed it before," Xia Nuan shook her head slightly. Hearing that she also wanted to raise dogs, Xia Mu immediately stopped hesitating. He wiped the puppy's body with his sleeve and stepped aside.
They continued gathering supplies from the warehouse, working for another half hour until everything in the entire warehouse had been transferred into the Space.
By the time they returned home, it was already past midnight. Standing downstairs, they could see that only the lights in their apartment were still on in the entire building.
On the dining table were two bowls of wontons, with a thermos containing the wonton soup—just pour it in and they were ready to eat.
Below that was a note from their mother, filled with concern.
[Wash the bowls after eating, and go to bed early when you get back!]
Seeing the note and the wontons, Xia Nuan smiled knowingly.
Sometimes the definition of home is just that simple—just leaving a light on, a steaming bowl of wontons on the table, and it’s enough to bring tears to one’s eyes and warmth to the heart.
Of course, they couldn’t let down a mother’s love. The siblings ate until they were full, bid each other goodnight, and returned to their rooms to rest.
After falling asleep, Xia Nuan couldn’t rest peacefully.
She kept dreaming about her past life, interspersed with scenes that differed from the trajectory of that life.
In her dreams, her current biological parents treated her poorly, just like the Lu family, both doting excessively on Lu Zhaozhao. It felt as if the entire world revolved around Lu Zhaozhao alone.
And she was like a rat in the gutter, peeking at Lu Zhaozhao’s happiness from dark corners, suppressing her own desires, quietly going about her own business, just hoping to earn a little of their attention.
In that dream world, she was utterly alone, with no one to rely on.
Xia Nuan woke up startled from her dream, the wind chimes in her room tinkling softly in the breeze.
After waking, it took her a long time to come back to herself. Last night’s dream had felt too real, too terrifying.
Especially when compared to her current life—it was like the ultimate hell.
“Nuan Nuan, get up and wash up. We’re moving soon.”
Her mother’s voice came from outside the room. Xia Nuan pushed the strange dream to the back of her mind, responded, and got up to wash up.
Breakfast was entirely prepared by Fu Ying, and it was a feast for the senses.
“Mom, you’re practically a master chef!”
Xia Nuan gave a thumbs-up and praised generously, swaying her head happily.
After breakfast, they started packing.
There wasn’t much to pack at home. The furniture was all old, and valuable items would be utterly useless after the Apocalypse. In the end, they only took some essentials.
They had already arranged a time with the agent yesterday, so today they could go directly to collect the keys to the new place.
Just as the family stepped out together, Lu Zhaozhao came visiting again.
But today, no matter how much she called out, no one answered. It wasn’t until a neighbor mentioned that Xia Nuan’s whole family had gone out that Lu Zhaozhao finally left.
On her way back, Lu Zhaozhao felt restless and irritable, as if she had lost something incredibly important without even realizing it.
Truthfully, she didn’t know what the bracelet was for, but it felt exceptionally special to her.
Lu Zhaozhao had a secret.
Her eyes could see colors others couldn’t, and usually, the more vibrant the colors, the more valuable the item.
If something caught her eye and she liked it, it was definitely something good.
To others, the bracelet was just an ordinary silver chain, but to her, it shimmered with a rainbow of starlight, as beautiful as if millions of jewels had been condensed into one. Nothing in the world captivated her more than that bracelet.
“How could this be? How did Xia Nuan know the bracelet was their token of love? And how did she know it was in my possession?”
Lu Zhaozhao muttered to herself, utterly perplexed.
She had never told anyone about the bracelet’s origin. And under her influence, Xia Nuan clearly despised Xia Zhiguo and Fu Ying and would never reach out to them on her own.
So how could she know so clearly?
It wasn’t just Xia Nuan who was acting strange—Xia Zhiguo and his wife were acting strangely too.
Since she left the Xia family, those two had clung to her like stubborn patches, impossible to shake off.
Now she truly showed him no warmth.
Overnight, it seemed everything had changed.
"Uncle, I'm a bit worried about my sister. Could you help me look into her recent whereabouts?"