45: She could also accept Lü Tao's head.

Yan Xueqing admired Si Nan more and more in his heart, “She is not simple. Someone must have known the inside story and told her.”

Meanwhile, Lü Tao had already finalized his plan with his three underlings, “All of you, go to sleep. We strike in the latter half of the night. Remember, that woman has professional bows and arrows. You must take her down as fast as possible and seize her house.”

“After that, it will be our good days. I won’t have to worry about those zombies outside anymore, and you all can live too.”

“Yes, Brother Tao, just watch us.” The three were equally excited. They would soon have a secure house and endless delicious food. They drooled just thinking about the famous dishes Si Nan broadcasted.

After Si Nan finished watching the video Gu Jie sent, she asked, “Are you not planning to send people to bring the vehicle ramp back?”

Gu Jie was a smart person and knew that Si Nan was testing his stance, which was the attitude of the Security Department faction currently led by him.

On the other hand, Si Nan was forcing him to declare himself, making him deliberate whether to stand with Lü Tao or choose her.

Because in the Apocalypse, there was no neutrality; you were either eliminated or you eliminated others.

Si Nan certainly would not proactively leave her safe villa to go on a killing spree, but the current situation was chaotic, something the entire community had witnessed. Everyone wanted self-preservation, yet the outcome remained survival of the fittest.

Si Nan wanted to tell him that their Security Department would be no exception; their elimination was only a matter of time. Moreover, even if Lü Tao didn't move against them, in a few more days, the starving other Property Owners would band together against them, compounded by the countless zombies outside attacking the perimeter wall 24 hours a day.

This was because Si Nan knew that their Property Management still had rice, oil, and other food supplies; otherwise, Manager Xue couldn't have compensated her with ten years' worth of rice and oil all at once.

“Alright, I will personally lead people to retrieve the vehicle ramp.” After careful consideration, Gu Jie immediately made his choice.

“Hmph, you’re smart enough to know that Lü Tao's ultimate target is me, so he won't move against you for now.” Si Nan snorted coldly, verifying through the surveillance feed whether Gu Jie was merely saying empty words.

Soon, the Security Department office door, half-buried by white snow, opened, and three figures emerged. One of them was indeed Gu Jie. The three moved quickly toward the house rented by Lü Tao's three followers.

Si Nan watched them the entire time, for a long while, until they reached the most remote small villa. When Gu Jie and the others pried open the courtyard gate and went inside, they found not the vehicle ramp, but three corpses instead.

Gu Jie live-streamed the scene to Si Nan, “These three people seized this house. The vehicle ramp was driven away long ago. If I guessed correctly, the ramp is already in Lü Tao's courtyard. I’ll call back to check.”

“That’s all we can do then.” Si Nan gripped her phone tightly. Even with the vehicle ramp, she wasn't afraid; no one could sneak in unnoticed. They were just trying to figure out the situation.

Let Lü Tao come then; she also wants to take his head.

Si Nan wasn't foolish enough to sit around waiting for the enemy. She lay down to sleep, planning to get up only when her phone alarmed. Before sleeping, however, she turned on the electricity switch for the courtyard wall.

In the latter half of the night, at four in the morning, to avoid alerting anyone, Lü Tao dared not start the vehicle ramp. Instead, he had his three followers manually push it over, attempting to approach Si Nan’s courtyard wall silently.

He was clever. He stopped the vehicle ramp at a safe distance from the wall, then positioned the ramp against the nearest large tree to the wall, allowing his two most agile underlings to smoothly climb the tree and then onto the branch extending over Si Nan’s courtyard.

They then planned to use ropes to quietly descend into Si Nan’s courtyard, find a way into the room, or wait for Si Nan to come out of the house herself to capture her.

The plan was perfect, but the moment they got close, Si Nan’s phone alarm sounded. She was currently sitting in the pitch-black third floor watching them.

It couldn't be helped; the cameras were too advanced, featuring human body detection and providing clear vision day or night.

She watched the two followers painstakingly clearing the white snow from the tree branch in a dog-crawling posture. She aimed her M-caliber rifle, bypassing the two men, directly at Lü Tao, who was looking up.

Suddenly, “Bang! Bang! Bang!” Three consecutive shots tore through the dark night. The recoil of the M-caliber was too strong; Lü Tao screamed and flew over ten meters, crashing into the thick white snow. The one in the tree was even worse off, flung off the tree, his landing spot unknown.

The last remaining follower was smart; he used Lü Tao as a shield, picked him up, and ran. The shot meant for him struck Lü Tao in the backside. Afterward, Si Nan couldn't see him anymore, as buildings blocked the view, allowing the last man to escape death.

Gu Jie was awakened by the noise and hurriedly ordered people to bring the vehicle ramp back.

Lü Tao, due to severe blood loss, was nearly unconscious when carried back. He tightly gripped the collar of the only surviving follower, “Quick, quickly remove the bullets, stop the bleeding, and bandage it.”

That follower panicked, “But I’m not a professional doctor?”

“Then go find a professional! There are several doctors in this community. Even if you have to tie them up, bring them here! If you don't save me, when my father arrives, you will all lose your lives! Go!” Lü Tao shoved the follower away, conserving his strength.

“Yes, yes, I’ll go immediately.” The follower rushed downstairs.

It was raining and snowing heavily outside. The follower who had just run out was soaked and returned. He messaged everyone in the group chat seeking a doctor, but who would reply in the middle of the night? Even if someone wasn't asleep, seeing the message was for treating Lü Tao, they all backed away.

As a last resort, the follower charged back into the snow and rain and blasted open the door of a veterinarian he knew, forcing the person to come over.

The veterinarian’s medical skills were decent, and he managed to extract both bullets from Lü Tao’s body. The entire community could hear Lü Tao’s screams because there was no anesthetic; Lü Tao kept passing out and waking up.

After bandaging, the veterinarian held out his hand, “It’s best to find a doctor quickly; I don’t have any anti-inflammatory medicine here.”

Lü Tao’s eyes flashed fiercely, “Are you implying I’m going to die?”

The veterinarian, in his thirties, remained calm, “If the doctor arrives quickly, you won’t die.”

Lü Tao looked at the follower, “Go find one quickly. You stay here and look after me.”

“I beg to be excused. I have an elderly relative at home who has difficulty moving.” The veterinarian stood up, showing no fear of the real gun Lü Tao was holding.

Lü Tao looked at the follower.

The follower quickly nodded, “It’s true, his father has been disabled for many years.”

“Get lost.” Lü Tao let the veterinarian go, reasoning that if he couldn't find another doctor, he would still need him; otherwise, he would have shot him already.

The veterinarian left with a bag of five-packs of instant noodles. After stepping outside, his expression instantly turned cold: “You won’t live!”

He said this sinisterly. It seemed he had tampered with something during the anti-inflammatory treatment. This person was no saint either.

Lü Tao on the bed was in excruciating pain. A shot to the chest and a shot to the rear meant he couldn't sleep on his front or back. The pain was tearing his soul apart, making him wish he could kill Si Nan immediately. “I will definitely tear you, you bitch, into ten thousand pieces and feed them to the dogs! Ahhh, it hurts so much.”