Chapter Thirteen: The Villa

Because Ma Yi’s house was too small, he cleaned up the place across the street, intending for Liu Wen’s parents to stay there. As for Liu Xue, she insisted on sleeping with Liu Wen, casting Ma Yi a strange smile, as if declaring that tonight Liu Wen was hers.

Ma Yi shrugged at Liu Wen’s helpless look; after all, there was nothing he could do now. The sisters sleeping together didn’t cost him anything. On the contrary, with his keen hearing, he could listen to their nighttime conversations.

After enjoying dinner prepared by Liu Wen and her mother and sister, Ma Yi lay comfortably on his bedding. Liu Xue, curious and surprised by Ma Yi and Liu Wen sleeping separately, seemed to have plenty to say and was ready for a long chat with Liu Wen.

It was only during dinner that Ma Yi learned Liu Wen’s father’s name: Liu Guoliang, former mayor of P City. He had just received his appointment half a month before the outbreak, completed the handover, and then the disaster struck. Liu Wen’s mother, Chen Fang, was a deputy director of obstetrics at the municipal hospital, well cared for and unexposed to the elements.

The family had planned to celebrate Liu Guoliang’s appointment properly, and hadn’t informed Liu Wen; no one expected the outbreak. Liu Wen herself had no idea her father was now the city’s chief official.

After a hearty meal, everyone’s faces wore smiles. Liu Wen’s parents seemed to have been getting by, eating just enough to survive, not necessarily to fill up. Liu Xue, meanwhile, devoured her food as if she’d been starving for days.

When night fell, everyone went to their rooms to rest. Ma Yi closed his eyes, listening to the sisters talk in the bedroom.

“Sis, you haven’t done it yet?” Liu Xue’s impatience was clear.

“Done what?” Liu Wen, despite being an adult, was slower on the uptake than her younger sister.

“That thing between men and women—making love,” Liu Xue replied with exasperation.

“What’s going on in your little head all day? Why don’t you think about something good?” Liu Wen blushed, tapping Liu Xue’s head.

“I’m just curious. What’s there to hide between men and women? Even if you can’t see it, it’s something everyone knows,” Liu Xue argued, her words both crooked and sensible. In their country, everyone knows, but things are kept secret, and when children ask, adults dodge the question, never expressing themselves openly.

“How old are you to be thinking about this? Have you got your eye on some handsome guy at school?” Liu Wen teased her sister.

“Pfft, what use is a handsome guy? No money, no power, and not necessarily any real skills. I heard from Chu Qian that good-looking guys usually aren’t much, but the less noticeable ones are the real deal,” Liu Xue continued.

Ma Yi chuckled outside but couldn’t say anything, quietly listening to their inappropriate conversation. He remembered a colleague once said that men get anxious when they can’t find a girlfriend, but women are just as anxious about finding a boyfriend. When men chat, it always circles back to women; likewise, women gossip about men just as openly, perhaps even more so than men.

He didn’t remember when he’d fallen asleep last night, but listening to their whispered conversation was like a lullaby.

The next morning, the family enjoyed a harmonious breakfast. Ma Yi, eager to conduct his experiment, remembered his promise to bring them to the grand villa. After breakfast, he told Liu Wen and went downstairs, taking Tie Zhu with him.

The Southern Hill Villa was Ma Yi’s nickname for the place; in reality, it was called Royal Court Manor. When the developers began construction, they touted it as a billion-dollar project for the city’s elite. From development until now, there were only a few dozen households, whose combined assets exceeded those of all ordinary residents of P City.

Driving the small van, Ma Yi smoked leisurely, while Tie Zhu imitated him until a few coughs made him lose interest in cigarettes.

Leaving the city, the number of zombies on the road dwindled noticeably, allowing Ma Yi to speed up. The van sped along the road like a race car, Tie Zhu shouting excitedly in the back.

Royal Court Manor wasn’t far from the city. Normally, it took about ten minutes to drive there, and for someone like Ma Yi, who floored the gas pedal, it was even faster. The roads, except for accident spots, were smooth and wide.

Due to his speed, Ma Yi almost overturned the van several times while dodging obstacles, but his quick reflexes kept the van zigzagging safely. Several stray zombies were knocked aside.

This was the ring road, newly paved and wide. A thirty-meter-wide asphalt road branched from the ring road, leading straight to the mountaintop where Royal Court Manor sat.

The imposing gate stood at the foot of the mountain, with the four golden characters for “Royal Court Manor.” The cement pillars on either side were carved with dragons and phoenixes, reminiscent of the patterns in Beijing’s Forbidden City, exuding wealth and grandeur.

This wasn’t even the residential area yet. At the foot of the mountain, where security guards should have been, Ma Yi saw only one zombie in a security uniform pacing inside the guardroom.

Driving up the mountain, the villas nestled among the trees came into view.

For the wealthy, city noise was a thing of the past; they preferred tranquil, natural surroundings. The exteriors might seem rural, but the interiors had everything.

Meanwhile, those without money fought desperately for a place in the city—even a tiny studio was a cause for joy. That’s human nature.

At the main gate, thirty meters wide to match the road, there were four security booths, but no guards emerged to stop Ma Yi. Either they were zombies locked inside, or they’d fled.

Ma Yi ignored the barrier and crashed the van through it, snapping the aluminum pole without caring about scratches.

“Damn, money really makes you reckless,” Ma Yi muttered as he looked at the hundreds of parking spaces halfway up the mountain, meant for visitors. The cars parked there spoke volumes: the most ordinary were BMWs, Mercedes, Audis, and Land Rovers; higher-end were Porsches, Bentleys, and Rolls-Royces with the flying goddess. Truly a rich man's parking lot. There were a few ordinary brands, but they were rare.

Past the parking lot, for only a few dozen households, there was a large supermarket. Its name was straightforward: Imported Food Supermarket.

Behind the supermarket stood a massive warehouse, with two container trucks parked at the door. Zombies wandered nearby, likely supermarket staff or loaders. Most zombies in supermarket uniforms were young women in their twenties, unlike the middle-aged saleswomen outside. The loaders wore all sorts of clothes, mostly temporary workers.

Beyond the supermarket lay the real attraction. The landscaping was impeccable; villas were spaced at least twenty meters apart, scattered irregularly across the mountain. Each villa occupied over 1,500 square meters—not the house itself, but the yard. The houses hugged the mountainside, with flattened courtyards in front, complete with gardens, natural trees, and swimming pools.

Ma Yi drove up the winding mountain road, passing villas of various styles: Nordic, American, Chinese. Even within the same style, no two were alike—some three stories, some four, some two and a half. He saw a dozen villas, each with its own design.

Reaching the mountaintop, he found a vast flat area with small fountains (now dry), pavilions, basketball and badminton courts. On a distant slope, paved roads wound through the forest, though one was blocked by a construction gate, hinting at future expansion.

It was truly a wealthy district, with only a couple hundred zombies on the mountaintop, mostly from the construction site. Ma Yi circled the area, then began walking with Tie Zhu to inspect the villas, searching for one to claim as his own. If survivors appeared, it would be simple: if they agreed, he’d help them move; if not, he’d drive them out—quick and direct.

To his surprise, there were indeed survivors in the villa district, and not a few. The commotion from Ma Yi’s van had drawn several families out. One man stood on the rooftop, banging two metal basins together to catch Ma Yi’s attention.

“Well, plenty of people still alive!” Following the sound, Ma Yi arrived at the villa’s gate. Hearing the noise, zombies hidden in the woods nearby converged on the gate—more than a dozen crowding the entrance.