At that time, Yang Mu only knew that the little girl was the daughter of a villain, unlike the other children who had been abducted alongside him.

Now it appeared that the little girl was Jiang Yuanyuan, and that villain was none other than her father!

A chill settled on Yang Mu's face as he closed the photo and opened WeChat, where numerous messages from Jiang Yuanyuan awaited him.

Most were curses directed at herself, while others expressed a desire to see Wang Liang.

Yang Mu scoffed, dismissing these thoughts as he plugged his phone into the charger. To his surprise, he discovered two messages from Wen Sijia.

“How are things?”

“The situation is dire. All able-bodied youths in the city have been mobilized to construct walls, and many are fleeing Han City. However, the city is under strict control, making escape extremely difficult. Unless one resorts to trekking through wild routes, transportation is unusable. All entrances are sealed, and the train station, bus station, and airport are all shut down.”

His earlier oppressive mood lifted upon reading Wen Sijia's messages. To his astonishment, she had written so much!

Though underground, there was still signal. Yang Mu initiated a video call with her.

After a few rings, the call connected.

On the screen, Wen Sijia appeared somewhat haggard, barefaced, yet even so, she remained strikingly beautiful, her skin still smooth and fair.

“Is Chu Hong doing well?”

“She? Chubby and healthy—why are you concerned about her instead of me?”

“But we’re on video, and I can see you’re fine. Should I feign concern and ask, ‘Yang Mu, are you still alive?’”

Yang Mu chuckled, finding her tone amusing.

After over two years of marriage, such playful banter had been rare.

“Wen Sijia, I’m trapped in a dire situation and might be facing death.”

“Is that so...”

“Do you feel it’s somewhat tragic?”

“I do. As I said, after knowing you for over two years, I hope you can make it out alive.”

“Is that all?”

“Indeed, that is all.”

“A heartless woman.”

“Our relationship has never been one of deep affection, as you well know—we are merely acquaintances.”

“Alright, fine. I can’t continue this conversation. It seems I, Yang Mu, am being pathetic. Anyway, I’m going to divorce you as soon as I get out; I won’t die here and leave you a widow.”

“You... Yang Mu, you never used to speak like this.”

“How so?”

“Like a rogue!”

“Am I coming off as a scoundrel? Fine, I admit it; I was merely pretending to be obedient in front of you. Enough of this; how is your doomsday refuge coming along?”

“The cost of materials is skyrocketing by tenfold each day, and I’m hesitating…”

“Don’t hesitate! If the apocalypse strikes in full force, your money will be worthless! Spend it now on acquiring supplies of all kinds!”

“But will the apocalypse really happen?”

“It will!”

Yang Mu wasn’t entirely certain, but he couldn’t shake the eerie phrase that had once crossed his mind.

Wen Sijia seemed contemplative, and feeling that the conversation had run its course, he ended the call.

He wasn’t particularly sentimental; his feelings for Wen Sijia were more akin to fantasy.

He longed for and deeply cherished the memory of the girl who had saved him from the pain of the rain-soaked past, yet as for the proud swan before him now…?

Well, Yang Mu found himself at a loss.

Humans all need emotions, and Yang Mu had reached an age where the bloom of youth had nearly withered. Naturally, certain thoughts crossed his mind.

Yet, compared to life itself, emotions seemed almost worthless.

They were underground. Could they dig a tunnel to the surface? It seemed unlikely. Even if they succeeded, the surface was overrun with zombies—what would be the point?

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Chu Hong and the others gradually entered the rest area.

There was only one bunk bed. Yang Mu claimed the top bunk, and no one dared to protest.

The men, in a show of chivalry, graciously offered the lower bunk to the women, then sat on the floor, leaning against the walls to rest.

In contrast, Yang Mu seemed like a morally degenerate loser, destined to remain single and forever incapable of understanding how to cherish women.

Perhaps spending too much time with Yang Mu had caused Xiao Yao to lose interest in Song Ren and shift her fascination toward Yang Mu.

She grabbed the bed rail, jumped onto the bed, and squeezed herself beside him.

Yang Mu sighed and said:

"Song Ren, your girl came to me on her own. I had no intention of taking advantage."

"I’ve told you, she’s not my woman. If you want her, take her."

Seeing Song Ren's frustration, Yang Mu couldn't help but think he wasn't very sharp. How foolish of him to reject such a skilled companion like Xiao Yao.

The room fell silent. Everyone was exhausted, terrified—some drifted into sleep, while others closed their eyes in feigned slumber.

Time slipped by in this tense atmosphere, and before long, night descended.

Yang Mu rolled out of bed, ate a bite of compressed biscuits, drank some water, and did a few simple exercises.

He wasn’t trying to digest the food, merely aiming to get his body in peak condition.

A brief ten-minute workout, and he climbed back into bed, falling asleep instantly, sleeping soundly until morning.

He opened his eyes and glanced at his phone: 8:03 AM.

Lying there in a daze, Yang Mu smiled.

He thought back to his life before moving into the Wen family home. He could never sleep through the night, waking several times, plagued by constant dreams.

During his two years at the Wen family, though much had been unbearable, this one thing had been an unexpected blessing.

He had grown accustomed to a sense of peace, no longer dreaming much, and if he did, it was always of him and Wen Sijia, in some tender embrace, intertwined in each other.

Why was that?

Lying in bed, Yang Mu pondered for a long time and finally came to a realization.

It was the feeling of home.

No matter how cold Wen Sijia was, no matter how arrogant his mother-in-law, unreasonable his sister-in-law, distant his younger sister-in-law, or mischievous his brother-in-law, that place still had the essence of home.

And it was that feeling that had made Yang Mu comfortable.

He got up, pulled out a pair of underwear from his backpack, quickly stripped, and changed.

Hu Die and Chu Hong were curled up on the lower bunk, while beside them, Xiao Yao was drooling in her sleep. Elena lay with the special forces soldiers. Yang Mu had no qualms about their presence—honestly, even if women were around, he wouldn’t care.

Holding the underwear he’d just taken off, he jumped down from the bed, barefoot, and headed to the dining room.

In the corner, there was a small sink with a faucet, the room’s only source of water.

Xiang Ru emerged from the control room, looking haggard—likely from staying up all night.

Upon seeing Yang Mu, she frowned.

Yang Mu, dressed in nothing but his briefs, stood at the sink washing his underwear, a sight that was rather captivating.

Years of hardship had sculpted his impressive physique.

His muscles weren’t the result of gym workouts but were honed for survival.

Sleek, with a subtle grace, not harshly angular—if he entered a beauty contest, his physique would leave the judges speechless.

They would likely insist on measuring his muscle density, curious to see if, like the legendary Bruce Lee, his body contained no fat, only pure muscle.

Xiang Ru found herself momentarily entranced by Yang Mu’s physique, but the dominant emotion that followed was one of disdain.

She was thirsty. Yesterday, food had been rationed, but no water was distributed since there was a faucet nearby.

Now, Yang Mu was washing his underwear at the very spot where she wanted to drink. How could she possibly drink from there now?

Biting her lip, Xiang Ru held her tongue and turned back toward the control room.

As she closed the door, she couldn’t resist another glance at the bare-chested man outside, her heart suddenly racing as if a startled deer had leapt within her chest. Hastily, she shut the door.

Yang Mu, oblivious to the fact that he was in her way, finished washing his underwear and returned to the rest area, hanging it at the head of the bed.

Inside, Chu Hong and Hu Die had followed in Xiang Ru’s footsteps, staring in a daze at Yang Mu’s physique.

Chu Hong couldn’t understand. How could Yang Mu’s body look like that?

She finally grasped the meaning of the phrase, "muscular when unclothed, slender when dressed."

Usually, Yang Mu appeared delicate, but now, he looked like a supermodel—a vision of strength. Truly, he was a sight to behold.

"Brother, you’re quite careless. There are women here, and you’re walking around half-naked."

Song Ren spoke up.

He hadn’t known Yang Mu long, and because Yang Mu had always been polite to him, his tone was somewhat presumptuous.

Yang Mu didn’t mind and replied,

"It’s so hot. If I wear clothes, I’ll be drenched in sweat. It’s uncomfortable."

Wang Liang snorted coldly, "The world’s ending, and you’re still worried about washing clothes. Impressive."

Yang Mu squinted at him for a moment, then suddenly walked over and kicked him in the chest.

Wang Liang, stunned, tried to fight back, but Yang Mu pinned him down, delivering a flurry of kicks and slaps.

Wang Liang, overwhelmed by pain, gave up resisting and begged for mercy.

"Please… stop! I was wrong! I was wrong!"

"Wrong about what?"

"I… I shouldn’t have mocked you."

"No, I’m not that petty. I wouldn’t beat you over something so trivial."

Wang Liang was confused. If not for that, then why?

"You’d better behave and stay out of my sight. Every time I see you, I think of your girlfriend, Jiang Yuanyuan, and that brings up bad memories. It ruins my mood! So don’t provoke me. If you want to survive, stay low like a dog. Otherwise, if you get in my way, I’ll beat you again. Understand?"

Wang Liang, now utterly subdued, nodded meekly.

He had never encountered anyone as ruthless as Yang Mu.

On the other side, Song Ren was finally gaining a deeper understanding of who Yang Mu really was.

After finishing with Wang Liang, Yang Mu sat down on the lower bunk.

Gu Dasen, seeing how little clothing Yang Mu was wearing, hurried over to pull Hu Die up and whispered,

"Let’s go. We’ll wait outside for a bit."

Hu Die hesitated, frowning, but eventually allowed herself to be led away.

Chu Hong’s face turned red, too embarrassed to even look at Yang Mu.

"Hey, girl, how long has it been since you changed clothes? I’ve got clean underwear here if you want. Just let me know."

"I’m a year older than you… do you really have some? Women's?"

"Mmhmm."

"Then give it to me."

"Heh, it’s the apocalypse, Miss Chu. You think things are like they used to be? Nothing comes for free anymore. What are you going to trade for it?"

"Trade? But I don’t have much food left."

"I know. I’m not interested in your food. I’m talking about something else you might have on you."

As he spoke, Yang Mu's gaze roamed over Chu Hong. He wasn’t serious—just bored, looking for something to distract himself from dark thoughts.

Chu Hong hesitated under his gaze, then, after a long pause, pulled out a card from her bag.

"This card has six million in it. That’s all I’ve saved."