Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

Jiang Nuan, locked inside the room, spoke up: "Husband, I told you my cousin’s family must have plenty of supplies. Look, they’ve got eggs by the dozen—so there’s definitely even more rice and flour."

"He’s just one man with a ten-month-old Chubby Baby. If you take three or four people, you can clean him out," Jiang Nuan kept urging.

She needed to make herself useful—to find a way to escape this creepy old loner's control.

Inside his pocket dimension, Qi Mo looked at the fruits he had planted—grapes, peaches, apples, waxberries, loquats, pears, and more—and felt a great sense of accomplishment.

He picked up a bucket and watered each tree with a full bucket.

Then Qi Mo remembered—he should also plant cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, watermelons, honeydews, and other melons.

He dug out the seeds from the storage area, found a plot near the water, tilled the soil, scattered the seeds, and lightly covered them with dirt. Now all he had to do was wait for the sprouts to emerge before moving the seedlings.

When he stepped out of the space, the temperature was still sweltering.

Chubby Baby immediately started fussing, reluctant to leave the space.

The outside heat was unbearable. Though the baby couldn’t speak, he knew where he felt comfortable.

Qi Mo planned to cook a big pot of rice in the evening and prepare a large portion of poached fish fillets—something appetizing. In a few months, when his appetite grew, he might enjoy some spicier dishes.

He put the rice on to steam, pulled out two blackfish, cleaned them thoroughly, and swiftly sliced the fillets.

After marinating the fish slices, he placed the bowl into a plastic basin. The water in the basin wasn’t cold enough, so he dropped in a bottle of ice-cold, frozen mineral water.

This would prevent the fish from spoiling in the heat and improve their texture after chilling.

He soaked some sour cabbage, chopped and rinsed it, then chopped the fish bones into chunks and prepared them.

Just as Qi Mo was about to heat the oil, a shout came from outside: "Momo, Momo! Did your family have chickens near the bamboo grove by the chicken farm?"

"A few kids caught some chickens over there," Auntie Chen called loudly.

When it came to village affairs, Auntie Chen was always in the know.

Qi Mo sighed—he had expected this.

Holding Chubby Baby while Kitty Snowball climbed onto his shoulder, Qi Mo opened the courtyard gate and asked, "How many did they catch?"

"Three. My rascal of a son ran off and grabbed one too. I brought them back for you," Auntie Chen said.

Looking at the teenagers with sheepish grins, Qi Mo shook his head. "Forget it. They’re just village kids. Auntie Chen, let them have the chickens to nourish themselves. It’s my fault for not making things clear to everyone."

Auntie Chen hesitated. "But—"

"No buts. These kids are already all skin and bones—they must have been through hell on the road," Qi Mo said before heading toward the chicken farm.

"Then I’ll tell them you said it’s fine," Auntie Chen called after him.

Soon, Qi Mo arrived at the bamboo grove near the chicken farm. He checked the surroundings—no one else was around. The sky had darkened, and visibility was low.

Qi Mo took out some feed, tsked softly, and coaxed them down...

Before long, the hungry chickens, chased for hours and huddled on tree branches and bamboo tops, flapped down.

Watching the chickens pecking at the feed on the ground, Qi Mo quickly gathered them one by one into his space.

Now there were lots of fruit trees inside the space, giving them plenty of places to perch.

Out of the original nineteen chickens, only thirteen had been recovered. Minus the three the boys took, that left three more either lost or stolen.

Qi Mo didn’t care much—he had enough stuff anyway.

By the time he got home, it was already dark.

He lit the lantern and watched Snowball, the fidgety little cat, with slight concern. “Just some kids stealing chickens—forget about it, Snowball. My bad for not watching them.”

Too much trouble would get noticed, and Qi Mo didn’t want to lose the cat. He and Chubby Baby both loved her.

To Qi Mo, Snowball was like his own kid now—he still had to keep her in line.

Once he washed up, he heated oil in the pan and fried the fish bones.

Then stir-fried pickled cabbage until it was dried out, before adding chili, cooking wine, Sichuan pepper oil, and rattan pepper oil.

He added water and brought it all to a boil, tossed in the fried fish bones, and simmered for about ten minutes. Then he slid in the fish slices and boiled everything again before taking it off the heat.

He grabbed a handful of fragrant dried chilies, plus garlic, scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, and white sesame seeds, piling them on top of the fish. Then he heated oil in the pan and drizzled it over the toppings, instantly filling the kitchen with a rich aroma…

Qi Mo took a deep breath—it smelled so good, making him even hungrier.

He boxed up the rice and fish slices one by one. The plain boiled fish slices, cooked only with a splash of cooking wine to remove the fishy smell and nothing else, were just for Chubby Baby and Kitty.

After storing everything in his space, only one portion remained on the table. Qi Mo ate slowly.

The house was quiet, the small lantern lighting up the tiny space. Chubby Baby was asleep—after an overly exciting afternoon of crawling, wiggling, and shaking his little butt, he’d had plenty of fun but must’ve gotten tired.

Snowball crouched next to her bowl, eating the plain fish and rice. It was simple, but still delicious.

Qi Mo was feeling kinda lonely. Would Huo Liangzhou come?

Does he miss us?

I miss him a little…

He shook his head and focused on his meal.

He wondered if Huo Liangchuan had made it back yet and whether he’d run into any danger on the way. That guy could handle himself—he should be okay.

Except the one who *should* be fine had his bicycle stolen and his backpack taken.

Huo Liangchuan was running. The people chasing him weren’t just one or two—they were a whole group, starving and desperate.

They stole anything: food, water, even bodies.

Cornered in a dead-end alley, Huo Liangchuan’s gun was long out of bullets. Now holding only an iron rod, he swung it hard at the men charging toward him. “You already took my bike and backpack—don’t push your luck!”

“Take him out, bro! We won’t have to worry about meat for days. This one’s pretty, soft skin and tender meat—Big Sister will love it,” shouted a tall, muscular man.

Huo Liangchuan cursed under his breath. Cannibals shouting battle cries? What kind of freaks care how their food looks?

If I survive today, I’m wiping this whole village off the map.

This was a small village on the outskirts of Lin County.

By all logic, every household in the village should have had food stored away. Huo Liangchuan raced through the city, only to be cornered by a mob of villagers.

The iron rod crashed against the head of the charging man, splitting it open and sending blood gushing.

But instead of collapsing immediately, the man lunged and grabbed Huo Liangchuan. In an instant, four or five more men swarmed him, pinning him down…

Just as his life hung in the balance, a golden cat’s paw print shimmered into view, and Huo Liangchuan vanished without a trace.

Back in Jiangcheng, at the Huo family villa, a flash of golden light illuminated Huo Liangchuan’s bedroom. He yelled in shock, then gaped in disbelief—how did I get back here?

Without resting, he chugged a full glass of water before heading out again.

Everything from the Huo family villa had already been relocated to the Huo Security Company.

Only two Huo family guards on break remained behind to keep watch.

Huo Liangchuan rode his bicycle to the security company. At the exact moment the golden cat paw print appeared and exploded, Huo Liangzhou—who was inspecting the base—felt his vision go black. Wu Di quickly steadied Mr. Huo.

Now that Wu Di’s mother had also been brought over, he was practically indentured to the Huo family for life.

When Huo Liangchuan arrived, he called out for his elder brother. Chen Lei escorted him in and led him to a bedroom on the third floor: “Your brother suddenly collapsed earlier.”

“We’ve contained the news for now. He hasn’t woken up yet. The weight of the company will fall on your shoulders next. Wu Di and the rest of us will help you,” Chen Lei said.

Huo Liangchuan darted to the bed: “How could my brother collapse? Did you call a doctor?”

“The doctor examined him. He said it was exhaustion—he needs proper rest,” Chen Lei replied.

Huo Liangchuan nodded: “Thank goodness it’s nothing serious. We’ll continue with the base operations according to my brother’s plans. I’ll take charge. Let him rest properly today.”

After watching Chen Lei leave, Huo Liangchuan—who had been holding himself together—felt his legs give way. He collapsed into a chair. What should I do? I’m panicking. Brother, wake up soon.

Huo Liangzhou furrowed his brows tightly. A flood of disjointed memories flashed through his mind—someone had separated him from Young Master.

He couldn’t find Young Master, and Young Master couldn’t see him.

Struggling to awaken, he rubbed his temples and looked into the distance. It seemed he could see the old Huo family estate, where Young Master was sleeping on the marble floor of the first-floor living room, cradling his chubby baby.

Meanwhile, inside the ancestral hall of Huo Village, an oil lamp cast flickering shadows.

“The village isn’t safe anymore. On the day the Mutant Wolves attacked, outsiders tried looting, possibly worse. Villages closer to town have already been hit,” Huo Jingtan said. He had gone out earlier to gather information.

Protecting the village now fell to them.

Huo Jingxuan adjusted his glasses and spoke: “Chen Xia told me this afternoon that someone went looking for trouble with Xiao Mo, saying Zhang Mei claimed Xiao Mo’s family had eggs. Everyone in our village knows Xiao Mo has more than just eggs—if Zhang Mei says so, then they’ve got chickens too.”

“Someone has already targeted Momo’s home. That’s not good. We need to start nightly patrols and set up barricades at the village entrance,” the Elder Clan Leader declared.

The village head sighed: “Elder Clan Leader, our village has too many open pathways now. Roadblocks won’t help…”

“Then form a patrol team. See which families can spare hands, and discuss with the villagers—every family pitches in food,” the Elder Clan Leader suggested.

The village head agreed: “That’s a solution. Families with little food but willing to contribute labor can receive support.”

“But we must consult the villagers first. Start with volunteers—six per patrol team. If Mutant Beasts appear, once they call for help, we must open our gates to let them find refuge. Otherwise, it’s too dangerous—no one would dare patrol at night,” the village head added.

Qin Lan, who had come along, chimed in: “Actually, we could build lookout posts at both ends of the village. Mutant Beasts can’t climb them, making things much safer. Once they descend from the mountains, we can sound the alarm sooner.”

"That could work—if anyone enters the village, they'll definitely carry lanterns, and we'll be able to spot them. But we'll need to block off the main roads and dig pit traps in other areas to make it harder for intruders to get in," Huo Liangya chimed in.

Three ordinary minds combined can outwit a mastermind—the defense plans for Huo Family Village were gradually being refined...

Jiang Nuan's eyes flew open, bulging in shock. In her dream, her head had been cleanly sliced off by Huo Liangzhou and sent flying.

Hot liquid gushed out as Jiang Nuan trembled all over, consumed by fear, terror, and the suffocating grip of death.

"Holy shit, kid, how old are you? Still pissing the bed? What, was I too much for you? Did I break you?" The startled old bachelor gloated smugly.