Chapter 90 Check-in

Behind the Food Street was the Guesthouse Area. Most of the guesthouses here were self-built, elegantly scattered along the mountains and water. Some were row houses close to the street, while others stood in small groups of two or three on higher ground, boasting a unique style.

She didn't know how many people lived in this area, but since her goal wasn't here, she had no desire to investigate.

Reaching the Hotel area further back, it was called a 'district' but actually consisted of only the Mian Mountain Resort Hotel. Just like the Food Street, there were people on patrol here once night fell.

However, they only patrolled the perimeter of the Hotel and the small manor behind it.

This group's equipment looked more sophisticated than those outside; they even had weapons like electric batons.

Seeing that the two groups only patrolled their respective areas, Bai Xiao couldn't help but wonder if that Guesthouse Area in the middle was where the group of refugees led by someone named Dong gathered.

This question was eventually confirmed by the Patrol Captain.

When the two parties met, the other side initially suspected Bai Xiao was sent by the man named Dong, making her wonder just how many groups this person had offended.

Only after seeing she had a gun did they dispel their doubts. Then, they asked the same question—where she came from.

Bai Xiao gave the same scripted answer.

The leader pointed behind her and said, "Refugees are unified in the guesthouses at the back. You've crossed the line."

Bai Xiao had already prepared an excuse on the way here, but since the first group hadn't asked, she naturally didn't volunteer it.

"I have a villa here. There's no reason not to let me through."

After all, the world hadn't completely transformed yet. When things were done under a legitimate pretext, it wasn't so easy for people to refuse.

In reality, she didn't have a villa. She had simply been here before with a university club and rented one back then. She was most familiar with the Villa Area and felt that because it was far from the crowds and the space was relatively independent, it was most suitable for her situation.

Upon hearing this, the other party indeed hesitated for a moment before saying nothing more and letting her pass.

However, the news of her having a gun was quickly reported to the person in charge after she left.

Power was cut in the main city, and power at Mian Mountain would only have been cut earlier. The large iron gates of the Villa Area were locked tight, and the surrounding walls were very high, equipped with an electric fence. But with no electricity now, the fence was useless.

Bai Xiao found a spot with a tree. With a short run-up, she climbed the tree in a few steps. She clung to a thick branch and swung herself toward the wall. If it weren't for the wet and slippery rainy day making it difficult to scale the wall directly, she wouldn't have needed to go through such trouble to get in.

The Villa Area was pitch black. She didn't know how many people lived here or how many were armed, but according to the national regulations on such weapons, it was impossible for private individuals to have large-scale firearms.

Otherwise, the CEO's office in the most prosperous business district of the city wouldn't have only hidden an imitation air gun. It was clear that real guns were strictly controlled. Even so, she did not rashly turn on her flashlight.

The Villa Area was vast. She didn't know if anyone was patrolling. She was an intruder, after all, and couldn't be as reckless as before. To avoid bumping into anyone, she walked carefully the whole way.

Following her memory, she passed rows of houses and arrived at the villa she had stayed in before. The villas in this section were all detached. Each villa had a low wall outside, and over the wall was a small patch of grass.

By now, the sky was dark, and there was no light inside or outside the villa. Bai Xiao pressed herself against the door and listened intently for any movement inside.

It had just turned dark; modern people wouldn't go to sleep this early. Moreover, her hearing had been enhanced. Even with the sound of rain outside, if there were really someone inside, she wouldn't fail to hear a single sound.

After a long time, no sound came from inside. It was basically certain that no one was there.

These rows of villas were all in a European architectural style. Each villa was two stories high, with a sloped roof above the Second Floor. One side of the roof had a human-sized protrusion that looked like a tiny house embedded in the roof from a distance.

That little house was a sunroom. She had stayed up there when she visited before. Because it caught the sun long-term, it was very stuffy inside, so the small window at the top was never locked tight. It was often left with a crack for ventilation. Because it was high enough, usually no one bothered to close it completely.

She thought that since she would be living here, it was best not to damage the doors or windows on the First Floor if she could help it.

The exterior walls of European buildings weren't traditional smooth surfaces but were tiger-skin stone walls made of cultural stones. However, due to the rain, the friction wasn't as strong as usual, making it difficult to find leverage.

However, the Second Floor had a large balcony with railings. The exterior pillars of the villa were decorated with many carvings for aesthetics, creating many angles and protrusions.

Bai Xiao climbed up along the pillar and successfully reached the Second Floor balcony. Inside the balcony was the bedroom. She landed softly and crouched down to check if anyone was living inside.

The bed inside was flat, clearly unoccupied. Unfortunately, the sliding door to the balcony was locked. Bai Xiao had no choice but to continue climbing.

The window of the sunroom was indeed not closed tightly. Bai Xiao entered the villa smoothly. In this type of villa, the bedrooms were all on the Second Floor. Since the master bedroom was empty, the possibility of someone being in the other rooms was even slimmer. After an inspection, it was indeed empty.

At that time, the Administrator had said this rental villa had three keys: one with the landlord, one managed by their company, and one placed in the drawer by the entrance for the convenience of the tenants.

By getting the key, she had indirectly validated half of the lie she told in the Hotel area earlier.

This was already the best outcome. When the Disaster Relief Department's main force arrived, they would be an official organization with weapons and equipment. They would certainly requisition Mian Mountain and redistribute housing. By taking the initiative now, she could always fight for the best conditions for herself.

...

The next morning, the door of the villa where Bai Xiao was staying was knocked on.

By then, Bai Xiao had already gotten up and was organizing her things.

The person outside introduced himself as the person in charge here. She thought it was just as well; it saved her the trouble of looking for them.

Since they were here, she might as well face them. Although she had entered secretly, she hadn't planned on hiding after getting the key. After all, she would be living here for an unknown amount of time, and there was no reason to live her life in hiding.

However, as for how her presence was discovered by the people in the Villa Area so quickly, the story had to start from the beginning.

The Villa Area was divided into two sections. The front section consisted of row houses, about six rows in total. The back section was where the detached small villas were. Together, the two sections had 36 houses.

There were indeed people here with guns, but only one handgun, held by a mother and son and two Bodyguards.

This mother and son—the woman was over fifty, surnamed Qian, but others generally called her Madam Rao. The man was just over eighteen, the woman's youngest son, named Rao Junyu.

The Rao family was a famous wealthy family in Yunzhou City.

Besides them, less than a third of the villas were occupied. Some were the owners of the villas who had originally come for summer vacation, while others were families here for company team-building or tourism who had rented houses temporarily and were now trapped here.

The people who originally lived here had their own storage rooms and ice cellars in their villas, stocking a lot of food. Although there were few of them, they used food to win over the tenants here to resist the groups outside.

Although there were only a few dozen of them, far fewer than the people outside, they had remained safe all these days because of the deterrent of the gun.

The row houses were near the main gate, and the people living there were also responsible for observing movement outside. Early in the morning, someone came to a certain villa in the back to report that the group from the Hotel was coming up.