Tang Xiaoman first rented a pickup truck from a car rental company, then drove to Tianlai Manor.
Although the renovation company had a good reputation, she still needed to see it in person to feel at ease.
When she arrived at Tianlai Manor and drove around to the two adjacent villas at the northernmost side, she found the site already bustling with construction work.
Tang Xiaoman was fairly satisfied with their efficiency and called the person in charge to remind him:
“…I’m not short of money. Quality must be guaranteed. If you cut corners just to rush the schedule, I will demand double compensation according to the contract.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Tang. Our company’s reputation is well known. We never ruin our own name.”
Tang Xiaoman hung up and was about to get into the car when a Tibetan mastiff suddenly barked wildly and lunged at her.
Having trained her reflexes in the apocalypse, she reacted instantly—opened the car door and slipped inside.
“Bang!” The door shut just in time.
The Tibetan mastiff missed its target and immediately clawed and bit at the door with its front paws, producing a harsh scratching sound.
Cold sweat broke out on Tang Xiaoman’s back.
Tianlai Manor was a wealthy district, and security had always been excellent before the apocalypse—so why would a vicious dog suddenly appear and attack someone?
She grabbed a heavy wrench from the car’s toolbox, preparing to fight.
Although the dog was fierce, its teeth and claws couldn’t break through the sturdy pickup truck. The commotion quickly attracted bystanders.
“Whose dog is this? It’s so aggressive! What if it bites someone!”
“It already tried to bite her! Luckily she got into the car. That’s terrifying!”
“Where are the security guards? Hurry up and deal with it! What if a resident gets hurt!”
The wealthy residents valued their safety highly, and panic quickly spread.
Before security arrived, the dog’s owner showed up.
Tang Xiaoman looked through the car window—and couldn’t help but laugh coldly.
It was him.
The owner of the dog was her younger half-brother, Su Ke, also Su Rou’s biological brother and the only son of her father, Su Cheng.
Su Ke had always believed Tang Xiaoman’s return threatened his sister Su Rou’s position, so he constantly targeted her and played pranks on her.
In her previous life, Tang Xiaoman tolerated him in hopes of fitting into the family—but it only made things worse.
Soon, several security guards rushed over with tranquilizer guns and riot poles.
Su Ke quickly grabbed the dog leash. “This is my dog!”
The guards looked at him and forced a smile. “Oh, it’s Young Master Su. Your dog is a bit too big—please keep it properly leashed to avoid harming others.”
“Got it,” Su Ke replied, still glaring unwillingly at Tang Xiaoman hiding in the pickup.
He hadn’t expected her to react so fast and dodge the attack.
Tch. She got lucky this time.
Tang Xiaoman got out of the car, wrench in hand, her expression dark.
The previously calm Tibetan mastiff immediately bared its teeth again, showing clear aggression toward her.
Tang Xiaoman instantly understood—this dog had been trained by Su Ke specifically to attack her.
Thinking of her past humiliation and tragic death, and how the Su family had all been complicit, her eyes turned red with fury.
She needed to collect some interest today.
The dog’s eyes were also bloodshot, struggling violently against the leash, trying to pounce again. It remembered her scent—its owner had ordered it to bite her on sight.
The surrounding residents cried out in alarm.
“Oh my god, it’s going crazy again!”
“Security, hurry—use the tranquilizer gun!”
Su Ke suddenly let go of the leash.
The dog broke free and first lunged at a security guard holding a tranquilizer gun. The guard panicked and fled, and the crowd scattered in terror.
Su Ke whistled.
The dog immediately turned back and charged at Tang Xiaoman again.
She dodged sideways and struck the back of its head hard with the wrench.
In a flash, ordinary people wouldn’t even have time to react—but Tang Xiaoman was no ordinary person anymore. She had survived four years in the apocalypse.
She knew exactly how to strike lethally—ruthless and without hesitation.
“Ugh—woof—!” The dog howled in pain, dizzy from the blow.
But its skull was thick, and it didn’t go down.
Seeing his dog injured, Su Ke’s expression turned vicious. He pulled out a spring knife and rushed at her.
Tang Xiaoman kicked the knife out of his hand and raised the wrench toward his arm.
She wanted to kill him—but this wasn’t the apocalypse yet. She didn’t want to end up in prison.
So she decided to break one of his arms in self-defense and collect interest from the Su family first.
The debt would be repaid in full later.
Just as she struck, the Tibetan mastiff lunged from behind, jaws wide open, aiming for her neck.
The stench of its breath reached her instantly.
She immediately abandoned her attack on Su Ke and swung the wrench overhead.
“Bang!”
The hit landed on the dog’s head—but it missed the fatal point.
Enraged, the dog continued its attack.
Tang Xiaoman fought it off with the wrench, barely dodging, but couldn’t finish it off.
If only she had a knife.
In her previous life, she had mastered blade combat—but she hadn’t gotten one yet after her rebirth.
Su Ke, now shaken after seeing her fight the dog head-on, realized she was dangerous.
He pulled out a micro pistol from his waist and cocked it.
Click.
Tang Xiaoman instantly recognized the sound—she had heard it countless times in the apocalypse.
Realizing he was about to shoot her, she abruptly turned and charged at him instead.
Su Ke panicked and fired—
“Bang!”
But the gun flew out of his hand before the shot could properly aim.
A swift figure rushed out from the crowd and kicked the gun away—the bullet went astray.
Before the gun hit the ground, the figure caught it.
“Bang!”
Another shot rang out.
The raging Tibetan mastiff let out a final scream and collapsed heavily to the ground, twitching before going still.
Blood streamed from one of its eyes, pooling on the ground.
Tang Xiaoman’s eyes widened slightly.
So fast. So accurate.
Su Ke, seeing his dog killed instantly, was about to explode in rage—
But the gun was already pressed against his forehead.