25: How dare they try to take advantage of me?

This warehouse was built on higher ground. Although the second floor was flooded, the water only reached calf-height, so most of the goods on the shelves hadn't been submerged.

The wide array of snacks on the shelves was a pleasant surprise for Ai Yue. She was amazed that after six months of extreme heat, there were still so many snacks left; it was simply incredible.

Beef jerky? Mine!

Potato chips and Coke—the perfect match. Into the space they go.

Biscuits, jelly, Snickers, chocolate, chicken necks, duck necks, chicken feet, chewing gum, spicy strips, and spicy slices—all taken.

Various flavors of self-heating hotpot, self-heating rice, instant coffee, and instant milk tea—these must be taken as well.

Preserved fruits and dried nuts—clearing the whole shelf!

There’s even alcohol? Take it! Not a single bottle left behind.

While Ai Yue was happily collecting, voices suddenly drifted over: "Big Brother, we finally made it in. It wasn't easy at all. I almost got washed away just now. Luckily you grabbed me, otherwise my little life... Whoa... so much food?"

The man addressed as 'Big Brother' impatiently silenced his overexcited younger brother: "Alright, stop babbling. Quickly see if there's any grain."

"Big Brother, there are so many snacks here. Aren't we taking some?"

"Find grain first, then pack the snacks. Let's try to take everything today."

"Okay, I'll listen to you, Big Brother."

The two of them looked like complete idiots.

Ai Yue silently pulled a giant sack out of her space. Knowing she couldn't keep hogging everything for herself, she sped up her movements, continuously stuffing snacks into the sack.

Hearing the noise, the two brothers immediately became alert: "Who's there? Who's over there?" As they spoke, they cautiously walked toward Ai Yue's direction.

Ai Yue ignored them. They were just ordinary people and posed no threat to her, so there was no need to pay them any mind.

When the two walked over, they saw a strange figure completely shrouded in a raincoat. Seeing how small and delicate she was, they lowered their guard.

The older brother stared at Ai Yue. After careful observation, he realized she was a woman and felt even more at ease: "Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you pretending you can't hear me? This is our territory. Get back to wherever you came from."

Ai Yue's movements paused. With her head lowered, the corners of her mouth curled into a sneer. She gave a cold laugh and continued packing snacks.

The two men felt belittled. In a fit of rage, the younger brother stepped forward to snatch the sack from Ai Yue's hand: "I'm talking to you! You're still packing? Get the hell out of—"

Before the younger brother could finish his sentence, Ai Yue moved instantly, grabbing his hand and giving it a light twist. The man immediately screamed in agony: "Ow, ow, ow! You stinking bitch, let go of me! Big Brother, help!"

Seeing the younger brother suffering, the older brother grabbed a nearby shelf and swung it at Ai Yue.

Ai Yue yanked the younger brother in front of her as a shield. There was a loud thud.

The younger brother let out a miserable shriek as blood poured from his head.

"Second Brother!"

The older brother's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He hadn't expected to hurt his brother. After all, he had always fought like this in the past; usually, people would dodge out of fear.

"You bitch, you've got some moves, and quite a fierce personality! But I like it. Once I catch you, I'll show you how I conquer you."

With that, the older brother lunged at Ai Yue.

Hearing that he actually dared to target her, Ai Yue's gaze turned cold. She pulled out her Swiss Army Knife and ran toward the older brother. As they brushed past each other, the man stopped. He slowly turned his head in disbelief as a bloody gash suddenly opened on his neck. With his movement, blood sprayed out.

With a thud, he collapsed to the ground with his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

Seeing the older brother die so suddenly, the younger brother was terrified and ran for the exit. Ai Yue threw her military knife at him; it embedded itself accurately in the back of his head. He maintained his running posture for a moment before collapsing unwillingly to the ground.

Ai Yue walked over to the younger brother step by step, calmly pulled out the military knife, took out a bottle of water to wash off the blood, and put it away.

Ai Yue finished collecting all the food at top speed and went to the third floor. The third floor was the grain and oil section, but most of the shelves were empty. They had likely been stolen or sold off during the extreme heat. Ai Yue took everything that remained.

As for the breakrooms and offices, Ai Yue didn't bother searching further and headed home.

The torrential rain was still falling, and the water level continued to rise. As the water rose, the current became increasingly turbulent. Fortunately, Ai Yue was driving an assault boat; otherwise, she would have been easily swept away.

A day passed quickly. Ai Yue decided she wouldn't go out again after returning. She had basically swept up all the gold and jade in this city. Although a few fish might have slipped through the net, it didn't matter.

If she wanted the house in her space to continue upgrading, she would have to go to other cities. However, now was not the time.

As the food stored during the extreme heat was slowly exhausted, starving people had no choice but to risk their lives and go out to find food.

With few resources and many people, conflicts were bound to arise, and one could easily lose their life. Ai Yue wasn't going to join the chaos; she would stay home and lay low with her parents.

Another five days passed.

Recently, people in the residential area had been mysteriously disappearing. Three people had gone missing so far. Their families didn't know where they had gone, and they hadn't said anything before vanishing.

All the surveillance cameras were broken, so nothing could be seen. People didn't know how they had disappeared. Their families could only think in despair that they had been swept away by the water while out looking for supplies.

The aroma of meat drifted from Villa No. 5 once again.

"Li Luo, I didn't expect you to be so capable. Where did you find such fresh meat in this weather?" Jiang Tao picked out the largest piece of meat from a full bowl. Eating until her mouth was covered in oil, she continued with a satisfied expression:

"What kind of meat is this? It's so delicious! I've never tasted anything like it before."

Li Luo was startled by her words, but he quickly returned to normal. He took a deliberate bite of the meat and swallowed before saying, "I told you I'd make sure you lived well if you followed me, and I'll keep my word... Is it good? Eat more."

As he spoke, he put another piece of meat in Jiang Tao's bowl.

Jiang Tao nodded repeatedly and swallowed in large gulps.

"Hehe, you little glutton. Eat slowly, there's plenty of meat!" Li Luo looked at her with a gentle, doting expression.

In the afternoon, people were pleasantly surprised to find that the torrential rain was gradually turning into heavy rain. This meant the rain was finally going to stop.

Over the past two days, no one knew how many people had been swept away while looking for food, or how many families had lost their breadwinners, making their future survival look bleak.

As the rain gradually subsided, more and more people went out to search for food.

The methods of travel on the water were quite varied: some wore lifebuoys, some sat in bathtubs acting as boats, some used inflatable rafts, and some who could swim simply dove into the water regardless of how dirty it was. Those who didn't have suitable tools or know how to swim could only watch anxiously.

There were even some who clearly couldn't swim but thought they could learn by splashing around a bit. Without a second thought, they gritted their teeth and jumped into the water. As one might expect, they never came back up.

Those who returned safely with a bountiful harvest were envied by the onlookers until their eyes turned red. They stared fixedly at the hauled-back supplies, wanting to snatch them, but no one made a move.

While the people outside were struggling to survive, Ai Yue and the two others from Villa No. 35 were drinking beer and eating barbecue, feeling incredibly comfortable.

"Mom, I want to have fried chicken, burgers, and Coke for dinner. What are you two having?" Ai Yue asked with a beer in one hand and a lamb skewer in the other, her mouth full of meat as she mumbled.

"We haven't even finished lunch yet, and you're already thinking about dinner? Besides, can't you eat some healthy food? You're just a glutton!" Ai Guosheng teased, shaking his head.

Ai Yue swallowed her food and waved her beer bottle: "Not so, not so. Humans have emotions and desires. Being a glutton... is what makes one human!"

Li Shilan poked the slightly tipsy Ai Yue's forehead with amusement: "You and your twisted logic!"

"Hehe, 'A Mother is the Best Thing in the World, a child with a mother is like a treasure'... Er... Mom, I'm a treasure," the lightweight Ai Yue sang, letting out a hiccup.

"Yes, yes, yes, you're our treasure. You're drunk. Let Mom help you back to your room for a nap," Li Shilan said affectionately.

"Okay, the baby is going back to her room to sleep-sleep..."

The drunk Ai Yue was as cute as a three-year-old child.

No matter how terrible the world outside was, this small villa was filled with human warmth, like the last pure land on Earth.