Chapter 33: Surveillance

Hu Cuilan took out a bag of sunflower seeds and finally managed a small smile.

“These are from that girl downstairs?”

She asked as she tore open the packaging and popped a handful into her mouth.

God knows how much her mouth had missed this feeling lately!

Sure, they had plenty of dry food stored at home, so they weren’t in danger of starving, but eating nothing but compressed biscuits and plain rice every day was enough to make anyone sick of it!

These little snacks to change up the flavor were just what she needed!

“My son, keep an eye out. If that young lady needs any help, go give her a hand.”

Zhao Ping’an’s face darkened: Who was it that warned me today I’d get my legs broken if I went downstairs?

...

Luo’an Mountain, Mid-levels Villa District.

A man in a suit strode quickly into the highest villa.

He climbed the spiral staircase to the second-floor gym.

There, a tall, well-built man was running on the treadmill, sweat pouring off him.

The suited man hurried over. “Boss Gu, all the supplies have been transferred.”

Gu Zhiyu nodded, his long neck and chiseled face streaked with sweat that dripped onto his collarbone.

The suited man couldn’t help swallowing.

Boss Gu’s looks were just too striking—no matter how many times you saw him, you never got used to it.

He cleared his throat. “Also, about that mall theft you asked me to investigate—there’s finally a lead.”

Gu Zhiyu pressed the stop button, grabbed his water bottle, and stepped off the treadmill. “Let’s hear it.”

The suited man handed him a tablet and pulled up a video.

“This was surveillance footage found in a building diagonally across from the mall. The angle isn’t great, so you can’t see the face clearly. But this is the only footage we could recover.”

Sweat beaded on the suited man’s forehead.

This was the first time he’d failed to fully deliver on an assignment from his boss.

It really was a tough one! The mall’s and office building’s internal cameras had all been destroyed, and the surrounding businesses had been wiped out in that one night.

Society had quickly fallen into chaos, and the torrential rain and floods had washed away all traces.

Only a company on the fifth floor of the building across the street happened to have a camera pointed toward the mall entrance—otherwise, he’d have nothing to show for his efforts.

Gu Zhiyu took the tablet, sat on the nearby sofa, and tapped play with his long fingers.

The video began with a downpour, then a figure piloting an inflatable rescue boat appeared on screen.

Judging by the build and hair, it was a woman.

She used a window breaker and, in just a few moves, broke into the mall.

Surprisingly, more than two hours later, she came out empty-handed and left in the boat.

The suited man stood by, wiping sweat from his brow. No matter how many times he watched this video, it always felt bizarre.

“Boss, I checked—the footage wasn’t edited. That night, only this woman entered the mall.”

Even he felt how unbelievable that sounded.

How could that be? She was the only one who went in, and she left empty-handed, yet everything inside the mall vanished!

Could she be a magician? Did she make everything in the mall disappear?

The suited man was completely baffled.

But this was all he could find. The camera angle was limited, the image quality poor—even after technical enhancement, the woman’s face was still unrecognizable.

With the world outside in chaos, finding this woman would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Gu Zhiyu, sitting on the sofa, looked much calmer.

He slowly rewound the video, found a frame, and paused it.

This was the clearest shot, but even so, it was just a very blurry side profile.

The woman’s long hair was casually tied back, her nose was straight, her jawline soft and delicate, not an ounce of excess flesh. But her eyes were obscured by wisps of hair, making them hard to see.

Gu Zhiyu studied the image for a while, then said quietly, “Let’s leave it for now. If she took the rescue rifle, she’ll have to use it eventually. We’ll follow up then.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“What’s the situation with Taiyu Group?”

“Their young master is scoffing at all this doomsday talk, claiming the flood will pass soon. He’s been partying at home these days, his life barely affected.”

The suited man couldn’t help sighing: What a sin—so many people starving outside, and that young master is still living it up in his own private paradise.

He cleared his throat and continued, “But I took a look at Taiyu Tower—their supplies have all been moved out. I suspect the You family is putting on a calm front, but secretly they’re stockpiling just like everyone else.”

Gu Zhiyu nodded. “Understood. Prepare for the worst.”

“Yes.” The suited man bowed respectfully.

Gu Zhiyu stood, toweling off his sweat as he headed for the bathroom. “Everything’s arranged. You don’t need to come by anymore. Take a long vacation.”

The suited man was momentarily stunned.

He understood what Boss Gu meant. If this really was the end of the world, there was no more work to be done...

He used to look forward to long vacations the most—no more running around at his boss’s beck and call, just lazing at home and sleeping in every day.

But this time, a wave of helplessness washed over him.

How did the world end up like this, just all of a sudden...?

At the bathroom door, Gu Zhiyu turned back. “How’s your family settled?”

The suited man felt a warmth in his heart. “All settled, thank you, Boss Gu.”

The torrential rain had come so suddenly—if Boss Gu hadn’t arranged for him and his family to move into a vacant villa in Luo’an Mountain, they’d probably be fighting tooth and nail for a loaf of bread in the city like everyone else.

Now, money couldn’t buy anything. It was thanks to Boss Gu converting his salary into supplies that his family could eat at all.

The suited man was full of gratitude as he called out toward the bathroom, “Boss Gu, I’ll be going now!”

No response—only the sound of running water.

As he walked out, the suited man couldn’t help thinking: In the whole world, there probably aren’t many people left who can still use water like this—besides my boss, of course.

Maple Woods Residence.

An Nan wrapped herself in a towel and turned on the TV.

She’d just taken another shower, and finally the smell of blood on her body didn’t seem so strong.

She cracked open a can of cold Coke and found a travel reality show to watch, starting from the first season.

She’d always liked this show, but watching it after the disaster hit felt completely different.

On screen was a vast desert, a few beautiful actresses riding in a jeep, screaming with excitement as they sped over the dunes.

The car plunged down a steep slope, sand flying everywhere, and even her mood seemed to soar with it.

What happiness!

An Nan couldn’t help but glance out the window—at the gloomy sky, the cold, stagnant water, the people struggling to survive in the flood...

She looked back at the radiant actresses on the screen.

She wondered, in the midst of this disaster, how those once-glamorous beauties were surviving now."