Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy!-Chapter 277: Alien Beast Tide (1)

"Darling, you’re covered in mud again. Come here and let Mommy wipe it off for you."

"Darling, how was your day? Did you make friends? They called you weird for solving advanced math? Don’t take it to heart. These kids are just jealous that our Darling is not only pretty but also smart. If they don’t want to play with our Darling, how about Mom and Darling play together?"

"Zhi Zhi, look what I got! An uncle bought the fish we caught today, and I found this pink clip at the store. Come here and let Dad put it on for you. My Zhi Zhi is the cutest. Let’s take a picture. Once Dad earns a lot of money, I’ll buy Zhi Zhi a clip with diamonds. One that has big stones and shines like the stars. My Zhi Zhi deserves the best."

"My favorite day, Darling? Of course, it’s the day when Darling came into our lives. By the way, what does Darling like? Your birthday is coming soon. Mom will buy it for you."

"Darling, guess what Mom cooked today? It’s beef stew with potatoes, your favorite. I know you’re tired from work, but you should take a break too. How about you apply for vacation leave? We can schedule a trip. I know a wonderful place."

"Sounds great, honey! Does it have fishing grounds?"

"Don’t worry about that. Keep your money or save it in the bank. Mom and Dad still have money to pay the bills and groceries. If you have a family of your own in the future, the money you save will be a great help."

"Come to think of it, Zhi Zhi, if you really have someone you like, remember to tell Dad and Mom. It’s fine if he’s poor, as long as Zhi Zhi likes him, his character is good, and he loves Zhi Zhi wholeheartedly, Dad and Mom will not make things difficult."

"Darling, Mom and Dad will just visit a friend. We’ll be back tomorrow. There’s beef stew with potatoes inside the fridge. When you’re hungry, reheat it, okay?"

"Zhi Zhi, when we’re gone, take care of yourself. Take a rest too. Give us a call if you need something."

"Are you Miss Lu? This is the police. We’re sorry to inform you about your parents’ car accident. We have some questions for you."

"Miss Lu, I already told you a dozen times. The investigators didn’t see any foul play. They already concluded it was an accident. It’s about time you move on."

"Pei Zhiran, so what if you managed to snag Lu Jingnan? In the end, I still have the last laugh."

"Zhi Zhi... Zhi Zhi..."

The familiar voices echoed one after another in Nanzhi’s mind, layered and overlapping. Warm, gentle, full of affection. Then cold, indifferent, sharp like ice.

She stood still for a moment, her breathing steady but her eyes slightly unfocused. The past replayed in fragments—her mother’s gentle hands wiping mud off her cheeks, her father’s proud laughter, the simple warmth of their small home. The scent of beef stew seemed so real that for a second, she almost felt like she was standing in that old kitchen again.

Nanzhi snapped out of the trance when a warm, calloused palm patted her hand.

"Is everything alright?" Lin Weihao asked, his brows furrowed with concern.

His touch grounded her. The warmth of his palm was solid and real, unlike the fading images in her mind.

Nanzhi shook her head lightly. "Yes. I just thought of something."

After killing Lu Chenyu, the past memories had flowed into her mind more frequently. Perhaps it was because a long-standing knot in her heart had finally loosened. But unlike before, when recalling them only brought unbearable sorrow and suffocating grief, now the memories only left a faint sense of resignation.

Now, Lu Meiying was the only one left.

"Zhi Zhi, I was thinking," Lin Weihao continued gently. "After this trip, how about we take a break? Even just for a day? Lin Yicheng has been pestering me every night, saying I’m purposely delaying our trip back so I can have you all to myself."

The first part was clearly a lie.

The second part was definitely true.

"Lin Yicheng? He said that to you?" Nanzhi frowned slightly. "He never mentioned anything like that to me."

Every night, the kid only talked about what he did during the day and asked her what she did too. He often mentioned school as well. The military base was planning to open classes for the children once the weather got better. Even in the apocalypse, they were still trying to preserve some sense of normal life for the next generation.

Lin Weihao lightly chuckled and murmured in a voice only she could hear, "Someone just wants to look like a good and well-behaved cute kid."

Nanzhi couldn’t help but soften a little at that.

She suddenly recalled that before her parents’ car accident, her mother had been planning for a trip. It had been pushed back a couple of times due to work and other responsibilities. They had always said there would be another chance.

But there hadn’t been. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She had regretted it deeply.

"Okay," Nanzhi finally said. "But instead of a day, how about a week? Although we can’t go to other places, we can find activities inside the base. Or maybe we can just stay in and bake all day. I remember he likes chocolate and fruit desserts."

Lin Weihao’s eyes softened visibly. "As you wish."

For a brief moment, the heavy air between them lightened.

Then—

"Roar!"

The sudden, deafening roar shattered the calm.

Both of their expressions changed instantly, reverting back to seriousness.

Inside the small community center, after eliminating the alien beasts hidden inside earlier, everyone had been busy fortifying the gate and the walls, making thorough preparations for the next wave.

They were fortunate that the contractors and builders of this community center had not skimped on materials. The walls were thick, the pillars sturdy. From Nanzhi’s assessment, the structure was strong enough to withstand a direct assault for some time.

Uncle Wang and the two other uncles were busy loading weapons and extra magazines with ammunition. Their hands moved quickly, though their faces were tense. At this moment, they truly wished they had twelve arms.

Feng Ran and Bingwen set up additional lighting and reinforced the electric grid along the walls of the community center, ensuring visibility during combat. The faint buzzing of electricity filled the air.

Baoyin quickly instructed everyone to put on armor, including the children and the Wang family. The atmosphere was tense but organized. No one dared to slack off.

Weihao had just returned together with Nanzhi from outside. They had destroyed the surrounding abandoned buildings to create secondary, third, and even fourth defensive barriers. The collapsed concrete and steel temporarily blocked the alien beasts’ advance.

But it would not hold forever.

Everyone gradually crowded around them, waiting for instructions.

At that moment, the two Hei Qian rushed over, slightly out of breath, holding a tablet.

"Brother Lin! Sister-in-law!"

Nanzhi and Weihao immediately looked at the footage captured by the drones.

On the screen, they could clearly see a massive fire raging inside Longmen Base.

Flames rose high into the air, devouring buildings one after another. Thick black smoke billowed upward, turning the sky hazy.

Due to the lack of moisture in the air caused by the heat wave, it was extremely easy for fire to ignite and spread rapidly. The dry environment only made the situation worse.

In the entire Longmen Base, the only source of water was the pond and the deep wells. However, because the wells had been closed for so long and not properly maintained, most of them had already dried up, leaving only the pond as a usable water source.

With such severe water scarcity, there was a high probability that they would not be able to properly control the fire.