Chapter 191 — A Watchdog at Home
“Although we don’t know exactly what day the glass was broken, I suspect it happened within the last day or two before our return.” The group gathered for a meeting, their faces dark with shared frustration. Luo Xun paused for a brief moment before explaining further, “They’ve definitely noticed that we have things stored in our apartments, and there’s no way they won’t try to find a way back inside to get their hands on them. They might observe the situation for a couple of days after breaking the glass before making their move. Because of that, it’s best if we avoid turning on any lights over the next few nights. If anyone comes over to steal, we don’t need to show them any mercy! Furthermore, we should make sure to pack up and take as many of our things as possible on our next trip out!”
Take it away! Take absolutely everything away! What was the point of leaving anything here? Just to swallow their anger for nothing? They weren’t gluttons for punishment—why should they fill these apartments with crops only to hand them over to thieves?!
“Brother Luo, why don’t we just return half of the apartments? Who cares about those damn mandatory missions anyway!” Han Li ground his teeth in pure anger. If the base couldn’t even guarantee the safety of their homes, what was the point of doing those stupid missions?! Just to wait for thieves to knock on their doors?!
“We at least have to finish this month’s mission,” Luo Xun said, his expression turning serious. “If someone is planning to steal from us, they might let their guard down if they think the place is abandoned. But if they find out we returned half the apartments and realize someone has moved back, they’ll become highly vigilant. Let’s maintain the false impression that ‘someone is still living here’ for now—at least until we find out exactly who is behind the attempted theft!”
The apartment he lived in used reinforced tempered glass. Had it not been for Yan Fei’s caution—fearing that the large glass surface of the terrace posed a safety risk and installing two layers of fine metal mesh right behind it—the glass would have been shattered completely. If the thieves had broken through the terrace glass and discovered the crops inside… it was easy to imagine how thoroughly their home would have been pillaged!
Beyond that, they needed to move the crops out of the base as quickly as possible. Take everything! Leave nothing behind! They would only keep these rooms as a temporary lodging for a few days at a time!
Unexpectedly, discovering that their windows had been smashed only solidified their determination to move out permanently. Of course, they would still keep one or two rooms as a fallback point whenever they returned to the base. This was their final bottom line; otherwise, they would rather have little Xinran sandify both floors completely than let some random parasites pick up the pieces!
Nothing happened during their first night back at the base, likely due to the vehicles parked downstairs. The residents of the compound presumably recognized Luo Xun’s vehicles, and even though the large truck was a new addition, it was accompanied by their usual cars.
Since things were temporarily quiet, Luo Xun and the team took advantage of the early mornings and late evenings to head downstairs. Yan Fei used his metal manipulation to enclose the half-grown crops in metal boxes and quietly transport them down to the truck beds. A substantial amount of vegetables in the apartments had already matured, so everyone harvested what they could. For the fresh produce they couldn’t consume immediately or carry out with them, they simply called their former regular clients to see if they needed any, liquidating the stock within the base over the next couple of days.
On the morning of the first, Luo Xun received the mandatory mission notification as expected. This time, the mission required them to head into the city center to retrieve a specified quantity of cotton cloth and quilts, even providing a target location.
After discussing it, Luo Xun and the team decided to skip the trip and simply turn in crystals to fulfill the requirement instead. The target location was a significant distance from the base, and even if they made it there, it was completely unknown whether the supplies they needed were still intact. It was far more convenient to just pay the fine with crystals. Fortunately, they were highly affluent in crystals right now; everyone contributed a small portion, and the rest was covered by the team’s public funds.
The next morning after finalizing the decision, Luo Xun and the others woke up and carried another batch of metal boxes downstairs, loading them into the truck. Afterward, the large group made a grand excursion to the mission hall. They turned in the mission and took the opportunity to fish for local gossip, while also trying to see if they could trade some crystals—they had gathered many crystals that were useless to their own elements, so it was the perfect time to exchange them for types their team could actually use.
While Luo Xun and the others were milling around the trading hall, the cell phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
“It’s a call from Song Lingling.” Song Lingling had stayed behind to watch the house with little Xinran, the baby, and the puppy. For her to call right now, could something have happened at home?
“Brother Luo, someone climbed onto the roof and rappelled down on ropes! They even had long hooks in their hands!” Song Lingling’s voice sounded rather excited, and before Luo Xun could speak, she continued in one breath, “Before I even noticed them, the puppy heard them! The moment those guys rappelled down, it activated its superpower! It dragged the guys on the ropes and the accomplices holding the lines on the roof straight down to the ground below!!”
A sixteen-story building… it was easy to imagine what state those people were in right now.
Luo Xun froze slightly. “Is there anyone left on the roof?”
“There might be one or two left, but they seemed to have bolted after seeing the others fall.” Song Lingling’s voice carried a thick layer of schadenfreude and a cold sneer. “I doubt anyone else will dare come over for a while… Are you guys coming back now?” Coming back to watch the show?
Luo Xun pondered for a moment. “We won’t head back just yet. Keep observing the situation. Just pretend no one is home and that we have no idea how those people fell. Keep an eye out to see if anyone comes to follow up.” If no one from their household stepped out, the culprits might assume their companions had simply slipped, which could potentially hook a bigger fish. Luo Xun wasn’t kind-hearted enough to rush back just to clean up the corpses of a few low-level lackeys.
After completing their rounds, Luo Xun and the team carried the vegetables they had brought out today to the designated meeting spot to trade with their clients.
“It’s been so long since we could buy vegetables from you. We tried calling you before but couldn’t get through,” the buyer remarked as he leafed through the fresh produce, probing curiously. “You guys didn’t go out on a mission too, did you?”
Luo Xun gave a vague nod. “From now on, if you want vegetables, just leave us a text message. We’ll reply as soon as we see it.” He let out a sigh. “As you know, if we don’t go out to find alternative means and rely solely on growing vegetables inside the base, how much can we actually produce? The space available for farming is heavily limited.”
The buyer didn’t doubt Luo Xun’s words, merely assuming they belonged to one of the teams facing the monthly mandatory excursions. “Isn’t that the truth? In our team, aside from the logistics staff who can stay behind, everyone else puts their heads on the line every time they go out. Not only do you run into high-level zombies in the city center, but lately, a massive number of mutated animals have suddenly popped out as well…”
Hearing him mention mutated animals, Luo Xun casually asked, “When we returned a few days ago, we saw a vehicle hauling a mutated animal…”
“I heard that stuff is edible, but our team hasn’t managed to hunt one yet. Although the experts in the base have stated that those animals are safe to eat, still… who can guarantee that the meat isn’t contaminated with the virus, right? Besides, they’re incredibly hard to kill.”
Mutated animals had indeed begun to appear in the wilds, but their sizes were monstrous and they possessed superpowers. Without a serious trick up one’s sleeve, who could guarantee they could kill the creature while remaining completely unscathed? Even Luo Xun and his team had to rely on alternative, strategic methods almost every single time to secure mutated game for their dinners. Faced head-on in a brute-force clash without heavy military firepower, they couldn’t guarantee they could take those mutated animals down either.
“Boss, Boss, we’ve arrived and are currently observing… A crowd has gathered outside, but no one is stepping close to the scene.” Luo Xun’s phone rang. The moment he stepped aside and answered, Wang Duo’s lowered voice came through the line.
“Just watch the show as well. Wait and see if anyone shows up to claim the bodies.” Luo Xun’s voice remained flat. After confirming the situation at home with Wang Duo, he hung up and turned back to Yan Fei’s side.
With thieves targeting their home, it was impossible for Luo Xun and the others to truly ignore the situation, especially since Song Lingling, the two children, and the puppy were still up there. Therefore, they simply split their forces. He and Yan Fei remained at the meeting spot to sell vegetables and trade for crystals. Li Tie, Xu Mei, and the others went window-shopping, looking around for useful items or crystals. Wang Duo and Zhang Su bundled themselves up heavily and headed straight back to the residential compound, blending into the crowd to watch the spectacle.
What would happen when a group of thieves was subjected to a sudden burst of the puppy’s gravity oppression and dragged straight down from the roof of a sixteen-story building? Even if the superpower users survived, they would be left half-crippled. Wang Duo and Zhang Su could take this opportunity to hide in the crowd, observing whether anyone came to retrieve the fallen thieves and identifying exactly who was targeting their home. Furthermore, this played perfectly into Wang Duo’s strengths, allowing him to fish for local gossip—they hadn’t lived in the base for over twenty days and were completely out of the loop regarding the compound’s current dynamics. If they didn’t seize the chance to ask around now, when would they?
As for Song Lingling and the children? Staying put inside the apartment was perfectly fine. With so many rooms across two floors, Luo Xun and Yan Fei had reinforced the interior windows of every single room with an extra layer of protection before leaving this morning. They were thoroughly safe.
The teams doing business with Luo Xun arrived one after another, quickly concluding their trades before hurrying away. Luo Xun had already gathered that some teams had tried using crystals to buy meat from groups that successfully hunted mutated animals, confirming that the meat was indeed edible and actually tasted quite good.
Once they met up with Li Tie and the others, the guys mentioned that they had also spotted vendors selling meat in the marketplace, though the stalls were few and far between. Most people just gathered around to look out of curiosity, with very few actually spending the money to buy any.
“I checked it out; it was dog meat,” He Qiankun said, licking his lips with a trace of regret. “We wanted to buy a pound to take back and try, but their prices were extortionate! Ten level-two crystals per pound! We thought about how our own puppy at home is a dog too, and worried it might get upset if we brought dog meat back, so we decided against it.”
“Ten level-two crystals?” Luo Xun burst into laughter, shaking his head. These days, zombie crystals were actually growing harder to harvest. While mutated animal meat was rare, it certainly wasn’t worth such an exorbitant price.
“Did you manage to trade for the crystals we need?” Yan Fei asked.
“We got some, but the volume available in the marketplace isn’t large,” Li Tie said, lifting the pouch of crystals in his hand.
“We’ll take whatever we can get. It’s about time we head back.” Luo Xun looked down at his phone. Ever since arriving at the compound, Wang Duo had been sending intermittent text updates describing the situation. Currently, military personnel had reportedly arrived to cart away the broken bodies of the thieves, whether dead or alive. Zhang Su was quietly tailing them, and there was no further update for the moment.
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