LOGIN"What do you mean, it's your land? If the developer hadn't paid you, would you have given it up? Give me a break," one of the residents of Oakhaven Gardens groaned."Cut the crap! The developer's gone, so what claim do you have left? And don't stand there acting like the victim. You never even paid for your place," the intruders yelled back.The shouting went back and forth, neither side backing down.The other side had the numbers, and once the alarm went out, residents of Oakhaven Gardens rushed over with whatever they could grab.Men, women, the elderly, and even kids showed up.They held iron bars, wooden sticks, hoes, bricks, kitchen knives… All crude weapons. Not a single firearm in sight.Gun control had always been strict. Ordinary people didn't get access to firearms. If not for everything they had been through, Nicole wouldn't have had any either.They had lost the last clash, and this time, the other side came prepared, fully protected. In both numbers and momentum, O
It had been over half a month since the interview. Alex had assumed Nicole and Zeph wouldn't come back, which left him a little disappointed.He could tell the two of them were capable, and the community was short on people like that.So when they showed up again, it caught him off guard.After they drove into the complex, Alex personally took them to see the available units."We've got plenty of empty places. In Phase One, two buildings are fully finished, but the lower floors are already occupied. For safety and to avoid conflicts, we keep one household per floor and seal the fire doors. The higher floors are empty, so they're quiet, just a bit hotter."Building Three in Phase Two was finished by us, so it's a little rough, but there are still units open on the lower floors. Want to take a look at all of them?"Nicole shook her head. "Mr. Landon, we have a dog. Living above or below other people isn't ideal. We'd prefer a place with some separation. Could we see Buildings Four
Zeph didn't actually know how to run a cruise ship.Either way, having it on hand couldn't hurt.Out of everything, Zeph was far more interested in the weapons.Everything Felix had stockpiled was top quality. He started checking them. "When we get a chance, I'll teach you how to use a sniper."With the AC running, they slept straight through until morning.Before 6 a.m., Zeph woke Nicole to pack up the RV, then carried the still-sleeping Poppy into the Hummer.Breakfast was simple, milk and waffles, but it came with a quiet sense of comfort.With Ironvale Base gone, things should settle down for a while.The sun climbed quickly. Even after a full night, the heat hadn't eased. Another day of relentless scorching began.Vegetation had withered without water, the ground cracked into dry ridges, and the wind blew hot like exhaust, carrying grit and dust that stung the eyes.This had once been fertile southern land, rich with rivers and fish farms. But now, the waterways were g
After leaving Ironvale Base, Nicole's group realized they had nowhere to go.They couldn't return to Crownview Residences, and they hadn't found a new place yet, so all they could do was keep moving through the night.After everything that had happened, they were exhausted and in desperate need of rest.Nicole had Zeph drive to a remote, empty stretch. Before Poppy got out, she pulled out a high-end RV worth a fortune.It was spacious and fully equipped, with two bedrooms and a living room. The built-in storage couldn't match a house, but for an RV, it was as good as it got.The only drawback was that she had found several keys and remotes inside, but not the ignition key. Even so, it was more than enough. They could use it as a place to stay and save fuel.To avoid drawing attention, she pulled all the blackout curtains closed.Despite everything earlier, they had barely eaten. Nicole brought out hot food and called the two little ones to the dining area.They had played a hug
Nicole hadn't expected Felix, for all his fear, to hoard this much. It made everything she and Zeph had done feel worth it.After collecting the fuel, she swept up the 20 or so vehicles that had been moved from the yard to the warehouse area, mostly SUVs and trucks.Next to it was a large supply warehouse.The smell of dried seafood hit her the moment she stepped inside. The space was huge, packed not only with dried seafood but also piles of sweet potatoes and potatoes, along with large quantities of rice, flour, cooking oil, and various grains, easily 50 thousand pounds in total.At this rate, they could never finish it in a lifetime.Nicole was about to move everything into the storage space when Cola suddenly let out a low warning growl.Someone was coming.Of all times, why now?The thought had barely crossed her mind when an explosion echoed in the distance.Nicole rushed out of the warehouse and saw the yard already engulfed in flames.What happened?Under normal circ
Nicole let out a cold laugh. "I'm sending you where you belong. All those people you had killed at your roadblocks, the ones you robbed and burned, they're waiting for you."Felix trembled all over. "Please, don't. I've got food and guns. I can give you the director's seat! Just spare me.""Why would I?" Nicole tilted her head, almost curious. "If I kill you, everything here is mine anyway."After that, she ignored his wailing and turned to Zeph. "You and Poppy keep an eye on them. Cola and I will go collect what we can."If it weren't for the noise drawing attention, she would've burned the place down already.Felix's screams echoed in the air until Zeph shoved something into his mouth. "Be careful. Don't take too long."Nicole took Cola and disappeared into the night.Her first stop was Felix's luxury villa.On the first floor, there was a wine room packed with bottles: red wine, whiskey, brandy, at least a couple hundred. She took every single one.The cabinets in the liv
The fight dragged on, the roar of the crowd pounding against Nicole's ears.Her stomach turned. She looked away.Blending into the crowd, she scanned the room instead. Overweight men had women draped over both arms, while women in their thirties and forties let loose without restraint. No one care
Seeing Zeph still standing there, Nicole grabbed a pair of men's swim trunks for him.They stepped into a spacious changing room. After confirming there were no cameras, she handed them over. "Wear these. I'll change inside."The heat was intense. Within seconds, she could feel sweat forming.Nic
Trouble kept coming in waves. Even Beatrice was getting fed up. "Fine. Then we roll the dice and charge in."Nicole looked at the group. "If they've been out this long and haven't gone back, there might be another group coming. You guys stay and hold the 18th floor. Zeph and I will slip in and see
The thugs had come in full force, confident they would crush the 18th floor.Instead, they had lost more than half their people, while not a single one upstairs had gone down.Were those people monsters or something?Luke was still waiting for them to bring back heads as a birthday gift."You tw







