Chapter 232: The Hillside Villa

The car was stopped by the barrier and the iron gate. Several young, burly security guards shouted loudly:

“Stop! What are you doing?!”

Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei exchanged glances.

It had been over two years since the apocalypse began, and they had long grown used to a life without order. Even the most upscale neighborhoods in the city had become places anyone could enter and leave at will—who still had doormen or security guards?

Zhao Ping’an said in surprise, “The security system here is actually still working?”

Chu Peipei marveled, “Yeah, it’s unbelievable.”

An Nan curled her lips into a smile. “Isn’t that a good thing? It’s one more layer of protection for us.”

But she knew in her heart that this protection wouldn’t last long.

The last time she came here in her previous life, there were hardly any security guards left. Most of the rich residents had likely run out of supplies and couldn’t afford to pay salaries anymore. Or perhaps the security guards had already...

An Nan didn’t dwell on it. She rolled down the window and called out, “Old Li, it’s me.”

Among the security guards, the only middle-aged man in his forties came over when he heard her voice.

When he saw who was in the car, he greeted her in surprise, “Miss An?”

An Nan smiled. “Long time no see.”

Old Li’s eyes grew a little moist. “Long time no see. Miss An, I can’t believe you’re still...”

He had worked here as a security guard for ten years. The rich folks in the villa district always looked down their noses at everyone, but An Nan would always greet him whenever she came or went. So Old Li had a deep impression of her.

Especially after her half-sister moved in, always acting arrogant and making things difficult for the security guards to show off her “nobility.” In contrast, An Nan, who had left, seemed all the more gracious and decent.

Old Li didn’t finish his sentence, but they both understood what he meant.

For a girl living alone to survive this long through disasters and chaos in the city—it was nothing short of a miracle.

Although Old Li felt sorry for the mess that had happened in An Nan’s family, he was employed by the villa owners and had to remove her from the access list. The last time An Nan came to collect her trident, she wouldn’t have gotten in if Mrs. Chen hadn’t put in a word for her.

An Nan patted the assault rifle slung over her shoulder and grinned, “I’ve been lucky—still alive and kicking.”

Old Li tensed up for a moment when he saw the rifle.

At this point, the other security guards gathered around.

“Brother Li, who is it?”

Old Li looked at An Nan, thought for a moment, and replied, “This is Miss An. She used to be an owner here.”

An Nan chimed in with a smile, “Thanks for your hard work, guys. I’m planning to move back in—just here to check out the house today.”

She acted as if she was just here to buy a house.

The security guards exchanged glances.

Was this some new kind of robbery?

Two of the younger men were about to curse her out, but quickly noticed the rifle on her back and immediately fell silent.

Old Li, who was more familiar with her, took the lead and said, “Miss An, according to the rules, without the owners’ permission, we can’t let you in...”

Owner’s permission?

An Nan suddenly smiled. “I have the owners’ permission. Gu Zhiyu from the Gu family recommended us.”

“President Gu?” Old Li looked at her in surprise.

“That’s right.” An Nan took out her phone, found a “family photo” she’d taken a couple of days ago with Gu Zhiyu and the three little ones, and showed it to Old Li and the other guards.

Old Li stared at the photo of Gu Zhiyu sitting close to An Nan, looking intimate, and was stunned.

After a moment’s thought, he called out, “Xiao Wang, open the gate.”

An Nan gave Old Li a satisfied look. “See you around.”

She rolled up the window and drove straight into the villa district.

The guards at the gate were puzzled and asked Old Li, “Brother, how could you let them in just because of a photo?”

“Yeah, Brother Li, by procedure, we should check with President Gu and confirm she has an appointment before letting anyone in.”

Old Li stared at the car’s exhaust for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s got nothing to do with President Gu. Even without him, we’d have to find some excuse to let her in.”

Xiao Wang looked shocked. “Huh? Why?”

Old Li shot him a look. “You really want to find out what it feels like to get shot?”

He sighed. “If she wanted in, she could’ve just mowed us down with that rifle. Miss An is a good person—she didn’t force her way in with a gun, so she spared our lives.”

That’s what he said, but in his heart, he knew that the Miss An of today was no longer the same girl he’d known two years ago. Though she’d smiled just now, there was no warmth in her eyes.

A young woman who could survive alone out there—she had to be a tough character now.

Whether for old times’ sake or in light of the current situation, he had no reason—and no desire—to go against An Nan.

The security guards fell silent.

But someone still asked, “But then, how do we explain this to the other owners?”

In times like these, it wasn’t easy to find a place that paid them wages and rations on time. If they offended the owners, they might go hungry.

Old Li wasn’t worried. “Judging by that photo, she’s clearly close with President Gu. We’ll just say she was recommended by the Gu family, as she said.”

The other guards nodded.

The Gu and You families paid the lion’s share of their wages and rations. When it came to influence in the villa district, no one could compare to those two families. If the Gu family recommended someone, the other owners couldn’t say much.

Meanwhile, An Nan and her two companions entered the villa district smoothly and began searching for a vacant villa.

Zhao Ping’an was still singing his idol’s praises. “My idol is so kind—she could’ve forced her way in with a gun, but she chose to use her wits instead.”

An Nan smiled but said nothing.

She wasn’t some bleeding-heart do-gooder. She just thought the security guards standing there looked like they were actually doing their jobs.

After all, they’d be living here from now on. Having the villa district’s main gate as an extra line of defense could only be a good thing.

If marauders ever invaded, even if the guards couldn’t stop them, they could at least buy some time or raise the alarm.

They parked the car by the side of the road, slung their rifles over their shoulders, and walked up the main road, checking each house one by one.

The first three villas were too close to the gate—too dangerous in an emergency—so they were ruled out.

Starting from the fourth house, they skipped any with locked gates or signs of occupancy. For the uninhabited ones, they went in to check the conditions.

Some empty houses still had corpses inside, already rotting—too much trouble to clean up, so those were out.

The three of them picked and chose, and soon attracted the attention of some of the residents."