The Hope of Existence

"Ah. You're the richest widow on the Federation's wealth rankings, aren't you?" Mu Xiao's memories automatically surfaced, and he realized An Rongru was a social celebrity.

After her husband fell ill and passed away, she inherited all his assets and instantly became a prominent figure on the Federation's wealth rankings, a rising star in high-society business circles. She also frequently donated supplies to the slums and established a charitable organization. Gradually, she built up considerable popularity among ordinary people.

But Mu Xiao knew even more clearly that she owned many high-end villa districts and various side businesses in the City of Magic, because her Jian An Real Estate was one of the industry's giants. He also knew that the building he lived in happened to be one of this beautiful woman's properties.

Simply put, she was Mu Xiao's landlady. She just never involved herself in the trivial affairs of the building, much less collected rent personally.

But there was no denying that the rent Mu Xiao had paid in the past had ultimately ended up in her hands.

But times are different now, and so are people, Mu Xiao silently said to himself.

An Rongru did not like being called "the richest widow." Back then, people in her circle had been polite on the surface, but weren't they all thinking the same thing underneath? They believed she had merely been born lucky and encountered the right opportunity, which was how she came to possess such enormous wealth.

Some envied her, some resented her. That was only natural. So she had always kept her distance from the hypocrites of high society and turned her attention toward charity, hoping people would recognize her for more than just her wealth. Besides, she knew many men had designs on her—not only because of her immense fortune, but because of her body as well.

An Rongru had met far too many outstanding men. She was also at an age when desire ran strong. In the lonely emptiness of midnight, bold thoughts sometimes arose in her heart. But once she calmed down, her traditional and conservative values always held her back. Unless she remarried—but she did not want her daughter to be unhappy. And sometimes, she could not tell whether those gentle men who appeared so attentive were secretly harboring the vile intention of taking both her wealth and her person.

She knew her body and her fortune were both sweet cakes, and everyone wanted to rush over and take a bite. That was why her psychological defenses were so high.

Yet An Rongru had never met a man like Mu Xiao. His casual tone and indifferent expression made it seem as though her status and position meant nothing remarkable to him. Only when he looked at her body did his gaze carry the interest of a normal man—yet without the greedy look of someone desperate to swallow her whole.

He was too calm.

A sense of foreboding spread through An Rongru's heart.

"I am the wealthy woman you spoke of. May I ask what happened outside?" Deep fatigue lay on An Rongru's face, and her cheeks were slightly gaunt. Her frail appearance made one want to protect and cherish her. Still, she forced herself to remain alert and asked the question that concerned her most, not minding that Mu Xiao had not revealed his name.

After crawling out from beneath the bed, An Rongru revealed a trace of vulnerability, but she was not overly terrified. She still bore the composure of someone accustomed to grand occasions, along with vigilance and wariness hidden deep within.

As if he had seen through her thoughts, Mu Xiao said, "There's a terrace outside the room. Go take a look, and you'll naturally understand what's going on. Leave this place as soon as possible before it gets dark."

"Alright... wait!" Seeing Mu Xiao turn to leave after only saying a few words, An Rongru hurriedly stopped him. "I don't know what happened outside, but the situation must be terrible. Otherwise, you wouldn't be carrying weapons. I know this request may be abrupt, but could you escort me for part of the way?"

As she spoke, she bowed slightly.

From Mu Xiao's armed attire, An Rongru could clearly tell that he possessed some combat ability. At the same time, she had often heard fighter jets flying overhead during the past two days, though they had gradually become fewer, until it felt as if the entire world had fallen still. With such strange circumstances, she vaguely sensed that something extraordinarily serious had happened outside.

"You're quite smart... but I refuse." Mu Xiao had expected to get dragged into this sort of troublesome matter, which was why he had been preparing to leave.

He had called her out only so she could see the cruelty of this world and find a way out on her own. She should not keep hiding in the law office and draw zombies or mutants inside, creating trouble for him when he returned to live there.

As for what she chose to do, Mu Xiao had no intention of caring whether she lived or died.

Hearing Mu Xiao's utterly uncompromising refusal, An Rongru panicked. Her lips had already been dry, and her pale, haggard face grew even more anxious. Without thinking, she said, "I can pay you a large sum of credit points, or you can name a reasonable price. I will seriously consider it."

A teasing smile curved at the corner of Mu Xiao's mouth as he looked at An Rongru with that same amused gaze.

Only after making An Rongru so uncomfortable that her expression became extremely unnatural did Mu Xiao speak. "I suggest you go out to the terrace first. Then consider what price you can offer, or what bargaining chips you have that are worth giving..."

As he spoke, he turned and headed for the door. "As for me, I don't have the leisure to play bodyguard. Good luck to you—but remember to leave the place I've claimed."

Seeing that Mu Xiao had absolutely no intention of staying, An Rongru understood that money could not move him. She gritted her teeth and walked toward the terrace to see just how terrible things were outside...

The roads had been stained in mottled blackish-red. The air reeked of blood. The streets were deathly quiet, with not a single normal living person in sight. Only groups of three or five walking corpses wandered about. The main road was filled with the wreckage of exploded vehicles, while the surrounding buildings seemed veiled in a murky aura of death, stripped of their former brightness and splendor. Far away, black smoke rose into the sky. Not a trace of prosperity remained; all she could see was devastation and chaos, as though despair had become the main theme of the entire world...

"Th-this... this..." All color drained from An Rongru's face. A vast, unknown terror pressed down on her until she could barely breathe. Coupled with the fact that she had not eaten for so long, a deep weakness rose through both body and mind, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

But when she thought of how she could not survive alone, and that she had no idea whether her daughter at home was alive or dead, a burst of strength seemed to come from nowhere and flood every cell in her body, shooting straight into her mind. It was as though she heard something unlock inside her head. In an instant, she could clearly sense the movements around her, as well as the man who was leaving outside.

The next moment, An Rongru did not think any further. As if all her potential had been unleashed, she rushed out, crying desperately as though clutching at a life-saving straw, "Sir, please wait!"

Mu Xiao turned back impatiently and saw her hurrying toward him in high heels. Her pair of towering, ample breasts trembled violently with every step, bouncing in powerful waves. Mu Xiao's impatient expression swiftly turned into one of pleasure and focus as he patiently admired the magnificent sight before him.

When An Rongru noticed Mu Xiao's strange gaze roaming over her chest, much of her fear immediately faded, replaced by a wave of embarrassment. Her jade-white hands subtly rose to cover those twin weapons, as though trying to calm her racing heartbeat—or block Mu Xiao's gaze. She stammered, "Can you take me with you?"

This time, An Rongru did not dare bring up any bargaining chips. She understood that if no amount of credit points could move him, then her alluring, mature body was her only remaining asset. Thinking back on what he had said earlier, it all seemed to imply that her body was the only capital she possessed. But she did not want to degrade herself by using her body as a bargaining chip. Nor could she accept a strange man indulging himself upon her body. She also did not believe her physical beauty was all she had.

Mu Xiao was not a lustful man. In his youth, his status and background on the Moon had made him the very image of a privileged heir. He had grown accustomed to extravagant, decadent lives of splendor. Introduced by several children of families close to his own, he had dated quite a few socialite beauties and spent a period of his life wildly and recklessly.

But when his family lost the power struggle among the Moon's factions, he lost his greatest source of status. After enduring countless instances of coldness and indifference from others in society, his mindset lost its arrogance, and that unrestrained pride was buried deep within him.

He had truly lowered himself and become an ordinary person in the mundane world. Otherwise, he would never have loved Xia Qian more than himself back then. By that time, he had already lost his edge; one could say he had been trying to numb himself against his once-glorious past.

Yet the world was always unpredictable. The New Human Plan had transformed the world, filling him with an endless thirst for power. But the death of his only family, his younger sister, had completely turned his heart to ashes. It was as though power became his only support. Gradually, he underwent an extreme transformation. With the world stripped of order and humanity's dark side exposed without restraint, he himself became part of that darkness. He would stop at nothing for power. Thus, he became a lone wanderer, never forming deep ties with anyone, nor did anyone befriend him. He had become almost an emotionless, sinister new human.

However, now that Mu Xiao had been reborn, his soul had undergone a cleansing. He clearly understood the hidden dangers his once-extreme personality had left in his heart, dangers that had caused his temperament to become twisted beyond recovery. Therefore, he would not make the same mistakes again, nor would he lose himself in desire.

As for his reminder to An Rongru, it was merely advice. He wanted her to understand that in the days to come, dignity would be the cheapest thing of all. Only the strong had the right to possess dignity. Sometimes, one had to lower oneself and offer up one's greatest bargaining chip—even one's own life—in exchange for a hope of survival. Then, one had to make good use of that chance to live and gain the strength for freedom.

Having lost her greatest asset—her wealth—An Rongru was right in thinking that her ripe, voluptuous body was now her greatest bargaining chip. But Mu Xiao did not believe that her alluring mature body could earn his protection. In his eyes, she was nothing but an enormous burden. With his current strength, he could only protect himself for the time being. Adding an old human with no power to fight even a chicken would only slow his evolution.

But Mu Xiao quickly changed his mind.

Hm?

Mu Xiao's gaze sharpened. The words of refusal stopped at his lips as he carefully examined An Rongru from head to toe, discovering that she seemed somewhat different from before.

Seeing him stare unblinkingly at her body, as though hinting at something, An Rongru's heart filled with both embarrassment and anger. Yet forced into a desperate situation, she could not show the slightest displeasure. She could only pretend not to notice and sincerely hope she could muddle through it. What harm was there in letting him look a few more times?

I hope he has principles and won't force himself on me... An Rongru suddenly realized how foolish she had been. If he wanted to force himself on her, he would have acted back in the room. He would not have left so decisively. Clearly, he simply did not want to take on the burden of her. Once she understood that, her entire heart sank as though it had fallen into a bottomless abyss, and her whole body turned cold.

Mu Xiao had not intended to take her with him, but he had noticed something interesting. His originally hard tone softened slightly as he asked, "I can take you with me, but what can you give me?"

An Rongru had not expected things to take such a turn. Her chilled heart came back to life and gradually warmed. But faced with Mu Xiao's blunt question, she did not know how to respond. Her jade-like cheeks flushed crimson, and she lowered her head with the bashfulness of a young girl, stammering and evasive.

"I... I..."

A mature beauty displaying a young girl's bashfulness truly had a unique charm. Especially with her lush, shapely, breathtaking figure, it only made her mature allure all the more vividly soft and enchanting.

"It seems you're struggling inside because you still don't understand what kind of world this is. That's why you can't clearly recognize what true fear is, and why hope still lingers deep in your heart..." Mu Xiao paused. His cold eyes were like ice as he said mercilessly, "Now come with me and experience the feeling of fear firsthand. Otherwise, you won't believe what I'm about to say, nor will you be able to bear the despair of having that last shred of hope in your heart completely shattered."

With that, Mu Xiao turned and headed downstairs without looking back.

An Rongru stood there in a daze. Her thoughts had been seen through completely, and she did not know how to respond.

As Mu Xiao was about to go downstairs, she finally noticed how deathly quiet it was around them. The bloody smell in the corridor, which she had not noticed before, became distinct as well. A sinister atmosphere permeated the air, as though countless flesh-devouring monsters lurked in the darkness. She shuddered involuntarily and hurried after Mu Xiao's retreating figure, terrified of truly being left behind.