Chapter 32 Bright Future
Then there were her vegetable plots.
Fast–growing, high–yield greens like lettuce and spinach had already gone into overdrive.
Iris made sure to harvest them every single day.
If she picked them today, they were back again tomorrow. She had no choice but to return, because leaving them unharvested felt like a crime to her.
Waste was something she simply couldn’t stand.
No matter how tired or busy she was, she always carved out time to gather the vegetables.
She even cleared out a whole room in the bunker warehouse just to store fresh produce.
The radishes, romaine lettuce, and celtuce she had planted were also nearing harvest. Soon after that, the tomatoes and potatoes would hit their peak season as well.
As for the fish pond, the number of fish had doubled since before. Schools of tiny fry had appeared. Iris hadn’t really managed the pond much, mostly because she didn’t know how. Still, with the system backing it up, it took care of its
20:42
.7 Bonus
< Chapter 32 Bright Future
The little fish were lively and energetic, growing plumper by the day.
Everything in her base was moving in the right direction. Her territory was expanding, and the future looked bright.
*****
The next day followed the same routine. Iris headed out to claim new land, this time driving her armored vehicle.
She left Summer with Happy, Lucky, and five other dogs to guard the base and patrol the mountains, killing any zombies that showed up. Iris took the remaining eight dogs with her to seize the next hill.
Her target for the day was the villa district.
The mountain villas had once been a famous luxury development built for the wealthy.
There were only ten villas in total, but rumor had it that not even half of them had been sold, and almost no one had ever actually moved in.
When Iris drove her armored vehicle into the mountain villa district, the first thing she saw was rows of small villas stacked along the hillside, neatly arranged and tiered one after another.
267
The villas were spaced far apart, offering excellent privacy.
20:42
+7 Bonus
<Chapter 32 Bright Future
Built halfway up the mountain, they overlooked the entirety of Aster City, with an unobstructed view.
Anyone who could live here had once belonged to the very top tier of the city, rich or powerful, or both.
She first sent out the dogs to check whether there were any survivors nearby.
“Cherry and Charlie, search the left side.
“Lucy and Molly, check the south.
“Red and White, head uphill.
“Spike and Lucky, stay here. If anyone shows up, call me.”
“Woof! Woof!”
The eight dogs scattered at once, carrying out Iris‘ orders.
Iris, unhurried, took out a sign and drove it into the ground. On it, she wrote: [Private Property. Trespassers Will Be Killed.]
She didn’t bother mentioning guard dogs this time. This area counted as her outer territory, and she wouldn’t be coming here often.
The real issue was that she didn’t have enough dogs to station
everywhere.
20:42
+7 Bonus
< Chapter 32 Bright Future
The sign would serve as the boundary. If someone crossed it later and triggered her senses, she would deal with them then.
After the sign was set, the dogs soon returned, yet no system notification appeared in her mind.
Iris glanced at the ten yillas and knew she would have to clear them one by one.
She left four dogs outside and took Cherry, Charlie, Lucy, and Molly with her to sweep the villas.
The first villa clearly hadn’t been sold. The front door still had its original lock. Iris pulled out a piece of wire from her storage and fiddled with the lock for a moment before it popped open.
After surviving in the apocalypse for so long, she had picked up all sorts of skills.
Inside, the villa was still unfinished, nothing but bare concrete.
She checked every floor, then marked the mailbox by the entrance with her name. At the same time, a new section of the territory map appeared in her mind.
“Beep–territory expanded by 5300 square feet. Reward: 100 points.”
Iris smiled faintly. 4/7
20:42
< Chapter 32 Bright Future
That was more like it.
She moved on and continued clearing the other villas.
+7 Bonus
By the time she reached the ninth one, only two of the earlier villas had been fully furnished; the rest were all unfinished shells.
And she hadn’t seen a person the whole way.
Everything went smoothly, and she expanded her territory to include eight villas.
But when Iris arrived at the ninth villa, she immediately noticed a car parked in the small front garden.
She brushed her fingers along the dust on the window. It wasn’t thick, which meant the owner hadn’t been gone for long.
She studied the villa closely. Every window was tightly curtained.
She knocked on the door and rang the bell.
The sound echoed through the empty villa district, but there was no response from inside.
Iris raised an eyebrow. As usual, she took out a piece of wire and carefully worked on the lock.
5/7
20:42
.7 Bonus
<Chapter 32 Bright Future.
This time, she felt it. The door was locked from the inside.
She was certain now.
There was someone in there.
They were either still alive or already turned into a zombie.
Just then, she felt a vibration through the wire. Someone inside was turning the lock.
Iris understood at once.
Inside was a living person.
She hesitated for a moment.
For abandoned places, or even owned properties whose owners were gone, she could take over without a second thought.
But this place was different. There was someone inside, and they were alive.
Her hand, which had been resting on the door, slowly dropped.
In the apocalypse, laws had collapsed, and human cruelty ran free. As long as you were strong enough, bullying the weak and taking what you wanted came easy.
6/7
20:42
+7 Bonus
< Chapter 32 Bright Future
But Iris couldn’t do that.
She liked to say her moral line sat low. She could kill without losing sleep, but she wasn’t a bloodthirsty madwoman.
Her cruelty only came out when someone crossed her.
If anyone dared trespass on land she already owned, she would kill without hesitation.
But breaking into someone else’s shelter, driving them out or killing them, and then taking their home–that was a line she wouldn’t cross.
Iris decided to let the survivor inside off the hook for now. Just then, the door behind her opened a crack.
B
Write your comment
7/7
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
