In the pitch-black sewer, Bai Wen turned on the tactical flashlight mounted on his helmet. As he walked, he examined the walls on either side of the tunnel and let out an impressed whistle. "Never thought you'd find such a great spot!"
Wang Han, trembling with fear, forced a dry laugh. "This is an isolated sewer line I stumbled upon by accident. It connects to an underground reservoir. After some modifications, I turned it into a sturdy Safe Spot!"
"There's more than just this one entrance, right?" Bai Wen asked casually.
"Of course. I set up three exits—I'll show you later." Wang Han led Wang Ya and Bai Wen down the passage. Along the way, they passed several reinforced steel doors, welded so solidly that even a grenade might not blow them open.
Bai Wen grew even more wary of Wang Han's meticulous caution.
Soon, they arrived at a vast underground space—likely the reservoir. Inside, sofas, coffee tables, and all kinds of furniture were neatly arranged. There were even household appliances like a TV and a refrigerator.
Wang Han entered a side room and started up a generator. Instantly, the space was bathed in bright light, resembling an underground mansion.
With no small amount of pride, Wang Han asked, "So? What do you think? This Safe Spot took me a year to set up—not bad, right?"
Wang Ya, seeing it for the first time, looked around curiously. Aside from the circular main hall, there were several other rooms. Bai Wen took a quick tour—two were storage rooms. One was packed with canned goods and other long-lasting food, while the other was stacked with large barrels of purified water. With careful rationing, the three of them could easily survive here for a year.
Bai Wen suddenly asked, "You didn't stash any weapons for self-defense?"
Wang Han's breath hitched. He was about to deny it, but one look at Bai Wen's calm, unreadable expression changed his mind. If he lied, Bai Wen wouldn't hesitate to shoot him dead on the spot—and who knew what would happen to Wang Ya afterward?
So Wang Han admitted outright, "Yes. I have some guns hidden in my bedroom, though ammunition is limited."
"Show me." Bai Wen's tone was casual, but it brooked no argument.
Wang Ya seemed to sense the tension and quickly stepped between them, shielding her father. She met Bai Wen's gaze with fierce defiance at first, then her eyes softened into a silent plea—begging him to spare them.
Bai Wen said coolly, "If you prove your sincerity, I'll consider it."
Wang Ya had no choice. She drew her kukri, ready to fight Bai Wen to the death.
Wang Han hurriedly intervened, "Wang Ya, put the knife down. If he really wanted us dead, he would've done it back in the tunnel. He's just joking with you!"
Wang Ya's exposed eyes flickered with doubt as she searched Bai Wen's face for confirmation.
"Whether it's a joke depends on your sincerity," Bai Wen replied, his voice still icy.
Wang Han nodded and led Bai Wen into his bedroom. From under the bed, he pulled out a large case. When he opened it, even Bai Wen was stunned.
The box was filled to the brim with an array of powerful standard-issue firearms—handguns, grenades, automatic rifles, light machine guns, various attachments, and even a sniper rifle, all military-grade weapons!
The rest of the space was packed with boxes of ammunition in various calibers, enough to fully arm a reinforced platoon!
Bai Wen asked curiously, "Where did you get so much standard-issue equipment?"
He picked up an automatic rifle—the Armored Soldier Automatic Rifle, the standard-issue weapon of the Celestial Dynasty's military. It was no exaggeration to say it was one of the most advanced rifles on all of Yuanxing.
"The military had to abandon them when evacuating S City. They were hidden locally, but the people from Black Cloud Safe Zone found them. I took advantage of my position to stash this much!" Wang Han explained.
Bai Wen nodded, placed the rifle back in the box, and turned to leave.
Wang Han and his daughter quickly followed. Wang Han asked, "You've seen our sincerity. Can you spare us? Take whatever you want from here—just leave us enough rations to survive!"
Bai Wen waved his hand. "You've misunderstood. I'm not that unreasonable. How about this? I'll stay here from now on. The three of us can keep each other company. What do you think?"
Wang Ya and her father exchanged glances, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes. Wang Han said in surprise, "You—you're not afraid we'll try to harm you?"
Bai Wen grinned coldly. "You're welcome to try."
Wang Han shuddered and waved his hands frantically. "No, no, I wouldn't dare!"
"In that case, my two new companions, let's get along from now on! Old Wang, you've really got a nice place here. Good work!" Bai Wen immediately started acting like he owned the place.
Wang Han was fuming inside. He had worked hard for over a year to build this safe spot, and now it sounded like he had done it all for Bai Wen's benefit! But faced with Bai Wen's terrifying strength, he didn't dare argue and could only swallow his pride.
Wang Ya silently patted her father's shoulder, as if to comfort him.
Wang Han sighed deeply. Fine. Without Bai Wen, they would have either died at the hands of Black Cloud Safe Zone, the Zombies, or Bai Wen himself. The fact that they were still alive was already a stroke of luck.
After eating, the father and daughter retreated to their room, locking multiple bolts behind them. Wang Han even pulled out a gun from under the bed, loaded it, and clutched it tightly.
Wang Ya glanced at the weapon in her father's hands, silently questioning why he was so tense.
If Bai Wen wanted to kill them, he had plenty of chances already—no need to wait until they were asleep. Or was her father planning to strike first?
Wang Han whispered nervously, "Daughter, it's better to be safe than sorry. That kid must have a reason for not killing us yet!"
"?" Wang Ya looked puzzled.
"He's about your age—full of youthful vigor. Now that we have plenty of food and safety, I think he might have designs on you! We can't let our guard down!" Wang Han insisted.
Wang Ya nodded and turned to enter the small bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water could be heard.
Wang Han even reminded her in a low voice, "Sweetheart, even though we have a water recycling system, don't waste it. Use it sparingly!"
Then he leaned against the doorway with his gun, despite having secured it with four or five locks. He still couldn't relax, terrified that Bai Wen might suddenly burst in and defile his precious daughter.
Over these two years in the apocalypse, Wang Han had experienced both good and bad, and he could usually read people's intentions with near-perfect accuracy. Yet Bai Wen remained an enigma—he couldn't fathom what was going through that kid's mind at all.
If Bai Wen wanted to claim this place for himself, the first thing he'd do was seize control of all the weapons. But he hadn't taken a single one. Didn't he fear they might use these guns to kill him?
(End of Chapter)