You say the cataclysm only comes after you've cleared the entire dungeon?

The rain outside the window was falling softly, as if the heavens were weeping for the city, or as if the way of heaven was mocking the insignificance of mankind.

Lou Fengyue went to the bathroom to wash up and then went back to her room to change her clothes.

As soon as she entered the room, she sensed something was wrong.

There was a very faint scent in the room, a fragrance that didn't belong to her.

Her parents were very protective of her privacy, and they wouldn't enter her room casually since she started junior high school.

Her brother just went out with her again.

Then there's only one option—Shen Xiaoshuang.

Lou Fengyue changed into a comfortable set of clothes.

I checked all the drawers in the room and found signs that they had been opened, but nothing was missing and everything was still in its original place.

She walked out of the room and happened to see Shen Xiaoshuang glance at her guiltily before quickly looking away.

Pan Quan carried a pot of hot porridge and placed it on the dining table. Lou Qingjian followed behind her, carrying a bowl, spoon, and a dish of pickled vegetables.

"Yueyue, Yunzheng, breakfast is ready," Pan Quan called out.

"Here you are." Lou Fengyue walked to the dining table and sat down, quietly waiting for her father, who was in charge of serving the porridge.

Lou Qingjian's first bowl of porridge was for Lou Fengyue; it was a full bowl, with so much rice residue it looked like a bowl of rice.

"Thank you, Dad." Lou Fengyue reached out to take it.

"Don't touch it, it's hot." Lou Qingjian stopped his daughter from handling it and placed the food directly in front of her.

Lou Fengyue's smile was full of the happiness of being pampered. "Thank you, Dad."

Lou Qingjian picked up another empty bowl. Hearing his daughter's sweet thanks, he felt a warm glow in his heart and smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Sweetie, eat first, no need to wait. You must be hungry if you ran out so early."

The second bowl was for Lou Yunzheng, the third bowl was for Pan Quan, and the fourth bowl was for himself.

Lou Qingjian picked up the last empty bowl, glanced at Shen Xiaoshuang who was still sitting blankly on the sofa, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

She lowered her eyes, continued serving porridge, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Come and have breakfast."

His tone wasn't exactly cold, but it certainly wasn't warm either.

Shen Xiaoshuang responded and slowly moved over to sit down next to Lou Yunzheng.

Lou Fengyue picked up the bowl, took a sip of porridge, and squinted because it was so hot, but she still didn't put the bowl down.

The congee was cooked until thick and fluffy, the rice grains had split open, and it was soft and smooth to the taste. Paired with a bite of crisp pickled mustard greens, it was the most comforting breakfast she had ever had.

Simple, yet full of the feel of home.

Lou Yunzheng also lowered his head to drink his porridge, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Shen Xiaoshuang poking at the pickled vegetables in her bowl with her chopsticks, looking like she had no appetite.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"No..." Shen Xiaoshuang shook her head, picked up a piece of pickled mustard greens with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, her eyes suddenly turned red.

Lou Yunzheng put down his chopsticks, pulled out a tissue and handed it to him, "Why are you crying again?"

"I didn't cry." Shen Xiaoshuang sniffed, her voice muffled. "I just...missed my parents."

There was a moment of silence at the dining table.

Pan Quan paused in his porridge-drinking motion, looked up at her, his lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing.

Lou Fengyue glanced at Shen Xiaoshuang, said nothing, and continued drinking her porridge.

She knew Shen Xiaoshuang wasn't faking it.

However, rules are rules, and they have nothing to do with compassion.

After breakfast, Lou Yunzheng took the initiative to clear the dishes and wash them.

Lou Fengyue got up, walked to the window, and looked at the gray sky outside.

The rain was lighter than in the morning, but it hadn't completely stopped yet.

"Yueyue," Lou Qingjian walked over and stood beside her, "Are you going out again today?"

"We won't go far." Lou Fengyue looked at Building C across the street, which was filled with zombies. "Maybe... we'll just wander around the neighborhood."

"Go for a stroll?" Lou Qingjian's eyes widened. He glanced at the puddles outside, then at his daughter, as if worried she might have a high fever. "Where can you go?"

Lou Fengyue pointed to the tall building across the street whose windows were covered in grime, "Let's go level up."

Lou Qingjian's eyes widened even more, and he almost fell to the ground in fright. "Yueyue, the building across the street is full of zombies! I heard screams from over there last night. You…"

"My brother isn't quite proficient at controlling his abilities yet, so I'm taking him to practice." Lou Fengyue turned to meet her father's worried gaze, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Dad, I'll take down those zombies one by one with my stick. Don't worry, I'll protect my brother!"

Lou Qingjian opened his mouth, looking into his daughter's calm eyes, as if she didn't care about the zombies at all.

He finally nodded.

Shen Xiaoshuang huddled on the sofa and heard the two of them talking about going out to the building across the street to level up.

And they even said... one blow after another?

Lou Fengyue could kill any of those biting monsters with a single blow!

Thinking about how she had sneaked into the second bedroom today and searched everywhere, she realized she had violated the rules set by Lou Fengyue.

If she is discovered, will she be beaten to death like those zombies?

Lou Yunzheng wiped his hands and came out of the kitchen. He saw Shen Xiaoshuang huddled on the sofa, trembling all over, and touched her forehead with concern.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Shen Xiaoshuang's body trembled violently, then she threw herself into Lou Yunzheng's arms and hugged his waist tightly.

Lou Yunzheng paused for a moment, then gently patted her back, as if comforting a frightened kitten. "What happened?"

Upon hearing Lou Yunzheng's words, Lou Fengyue turned around and looked at Shen Xiaoshuang, who was curled up like a ball in his arms.

He said calmly, "She came into my room today."

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned deeply.

Shen Xiaoshuang stared in horror, frantically burrowing into Lou Yunzheng's arms, "I...I didn't take your things."

"So you really went into Yueyue's room?" Lou Yunzheng's face was as black as soot. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away.

Shen Xiaoshuang's eyes instantly reddened, and tears streamed down her face, making her look pitiful. "I... I just wanted to find my phone to call my family and let them know I'm safe..."

Lou Yunzheng took a deep breath, his tone filled with anger: "So you sneaked into Yueyue's room and rummaged through her things?"

In the three or four years they had been dating, Lou Yunzheng had never spoken to Shen Xiaoshuang in such a harsh tone.

As soon as he uttered that question, Shen Xiaoshuang's tears fell even harder. She gripped his clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"You yelled at me..." Her eyes welled up with tears, like a broken dam, "I just wanted to call my parents, and not only did you not speak up for me, you yelled at me!"

Lou Fengyue looked at this scene and suddenly found it a little funny, but she couldn't laugh.

She had seen this scene too many times in the game of natural disasters; there were always people who, even when facing death, still fantasized about being a spoiled young lady and giving orders.

So from the beginning, she never intended to have any deep relationships with anyone; keeping her distance was better for everyone.

If it weren't for seeing her brother always spacing out and daydreaming those days, and worrying about Shen Xiaoshuang's safety...

She would never bury a potential time bomb in her own home.

Shen Xiaoshuang was able to stay in this shelter only because of Lou Yunzheng's influence.

She did something wrong, yet she blames Lou Yunzheng for not speaking up for her?