Su Wan stepped into the storage room.
Behind her, the metal door slowly closed automatically after she entered, cutting off the outside world.
The basement was large, filled with all sorts of boxes and shelves.
Rice, flour, oil, canned goods, bottled water—the variety was extensive, and the quantity was astonishing.
In a corner, there were even several military supply boxes stacked up.
Su Wan wasted no more time and immediately took action.
She walked to the nearest shelf, and with a thought, the boxes before her vanished in rows.
On the empty ground in her space, mountains of supplies quickly piled up.
As she collected, she kept an eye on the movements outside.
Zhang Ma and the Butler would soon discover her.
She had to hurry.
When she had emptied most of the shelves and came to the military supply boxes in the corner, her hand touched the cold metal.
What was inside these boxes?
She took one of the boxes into her space.
Her consciousness entered the space and touched the box.
The box opened automatically.
Inside, several brand-new automatic rifles were neatly arranged, along with a large quantity of ammunition.
There were also a few military daggers.
Su Wan's eyes lit up.
Firearms!
These were even more important than food and water.
With these, her chances of survival in the apocalypse would greatly increase.
She did not waste time and immediately collected all the remaining military supply boxes into her space.
Then, she quickly scanned the basement again, collecting some useful-looking tools, medicines, and other items.
By the time she finished all this, the basement had basically become empty.
Her space, however, was packed to the brim.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from the basement entrance.
"Miss!"
Lin Butler's voice carried a hint of imperceptible anxiety and suppressed anger.
They had arrived.
Su Wan was not flustered.
She had already obtained the most important items.
She quickly exited the basement, and the metal door closed behind her, emitting a dull thud.
Su Wan turned around, facing two unpleasant expressions.
Lin Zhong was suppressing something, the muscles in his cheeks twitching slightly.
Zhang Ma, meanwhile, cowered half a step behind him, her fingers twisting her apron, her head bowed even lower.
Lin Zhong took a step forward, blocking Su Wan's path.
"Miss, what were you doing in there?"
His questioning carried the authority he had developed from long-term management of subordinates.
Su Wan stood firm, raising her chin.
This height allowed her to look down upon Lin Zhong's slightly plump figure.
"Do I need to report to you what I'm doing?"
Lin Zhong's breath hitched.
He had never been talked back to by Su Wan in such a tone.
"Are you responsible for the basement's supply reserves?" Su Wan did not wait for his answer and continued to ask.
Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
"Yes, yes." Lin Zhong was somewhat caught off guard and answered instinctively.
"The situation is special now; you know better than I what the outside world is like."
Su Wan surveyed the empty corridor, her gaze finally returning to Lin Zhong.
"I need to confirm that every single thing in my house is where it should be."
She deliberately emphasized the words "my house."
Lin Zhong's face instantly froze.
It was as if someone had choked him.
Beside him, Zhang Ma couldn't help but shrink back even further, her fingers almost tearing her apron to shreds.
This house, along with everything in it, theoretically belonged to the Su family, belonging to the Miss before them.
But in their hearts, they had long considered it their personal possession.
Su Wan's words were like a needle, precisely piercing their unspoken understanding.
"Of course, Miss, everything in the house is..."
Lin Zhong forced out a strained expression, trying to regain control of the situation, but his tone unconsciously became somewhat dry.
Su Wan did not give him a chance to continue.
She took a step forward, closing in on Lin Zhong.
The distance between them was extremely close.
Close enough for Lin Zhong to smell her faint scent, and for her to clearly see the fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
"Lin Butler."
Su Wan interrupted him, her tone calm yet tinged with coldness.
"I remember, in the past, for the supplies in this basement, I would open the door once a week, and you would take what you needed, and the quantity was sufficient."
She paused, her gaze as sharp as a knife, sweeping over Lin Zhong's and Zhang Ma's faces.
"What's been going on lately? It's changed to me having to come down every three or four days. Has the sky fallen outside, or have your appetites grown, hmm?"
Lin Zhong's expression froze, and cold sweat began to break out more profusely.
Zhang Ma was even more terrified, not daring to breathe, burying her head even lower.
Su Wan did not give him a chance to continue.
She took another step forward.
"Lin Butler."
Her voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable pressure.
"Since you said everything is there, why are you so nervous now?"
Lin Zhong's breath hitched, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
"I, I'm just worried about Miss's safety."
He avoided Su Wan's gaze.
"Worried about me?" Su Wan let out a soft scoff.
"Worried that I'll trip over 'my things' in 'my house'?"
She emphasized those words again.
Lin Zhong's cheek muscles tensed, and he instinctively straightened his back.
"Or..." Su Wan's tone suddenly turned cold.
"Are you worried that some things that should be there are missing from the basement?"
"Or, that I've discovered that 'extra reserve' you've been secretly hiding?"
Lin Zhong's heart skipped a beat.
Zhang Ma clamped her hand over her mouth, her body trembling like a sieve.
"My father will send someone to pick me up very soon." Su Wan's gaze swept over their frightened faces.
"You know him; he can't stand a speck of dust in his eye."
"Especially dust that tries to pull a fast one behind his back."
"Lin Butler, tell me, what if, when the time comes, I casually mention to my father that the household supplies are being consumed exceptionally quickly, and the accounts seem a bit unclear, and I suspect someone is embezzling and lining their own pockets..."
She paused, watching Lin Zhong's face instantly turn pale.
"...What would happen?"
Lin Zhong opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.
He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
Su Wan no longer looked at him.
"Alright, I'm tired. I'm going back to my room to rest."
Her tone was calm, betraying no emotion.
She turned sideways and walked past Lin Zhong's almost rigid body.
Lin Zhong subconsciously held his breath.
It wasn't until Su Wan's figure completely disappeared around the corner at the end of the corridor that his tense shoulders abruptly slumped.
Beside him, Zhang Ma's hand, covering her mouth, trembled, and suppressed sobs intermittently escaped.
"Old Lin... this... what are we going to do..."
"She... she knows, doesn't she? She definitely knows! She even knows about us taking extra things!"
Zhang Ma's voice trembled, almost incoherent.
"Shut up!" Lin Zhong roared lowly.
His voice was hoarse, carrying uncontrollable irritation and lingering fear.
She had indeed discovered their hidden "extra" reserves!
She even knew clearly about their recent abnormal supply usage!
If the Miss really reported it to the Master...
Lin Zhong shivered, not daring to think further.
He knew the Master's methods better than anyone.
Zhang Ma was still whimpering beside him.
"It's all your fault for insisting on touching those things... I said it wouldn't work, and now look, the Miss caught us red-handed!"
"What's the use of saying that now!" Lin Zhong's eyes were gloomy, his mind a tangled mess.
No, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
He had to find a way.
Lin Zhong clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.