Chapter 230
Thomas turned to look at him. "...Does she?"
"Doesn’t she?" Leonard replied with an expression that practically screamed you’re hopeless. "If Suzy wanted us to come along, she wouldn’t have rushed off like that."
Thomas fell silent. When Leonard put it that way, it did make a certain amount of sense. Still, part of him felt Leonard might be reading too much into it.
"I’m her uncle," Leonard declared proudly, turning his attention back to the television. "Who knows her better than me?"
He pointed at the screen.
"Now stop thinking about it and keep playing. I’m about to win, and you’re not allowed to run away now."
Meanwhile, Suzy had already crossed the hall. According to the system, the house upgrade had been completed. In her hand was a brand-new key.
After the upgrade, the system had apparently designated the apartment as her property by default and even provided a set of keys.
At least now she would not have to break down the door herself.
Suzy ran her thumb across the cool metal key, anticipation slowly building inside her.
What would the upgraded apartment look like?
Holding onto that excitement, she wrapped her hand around the doorknob and pulled.
But... Nothing happened. The upgraded door was far heavier than she had expected.
After putting some real effort into it, she finally managed to pull open the massive reinforced blast door.
The moment she stepped inside the entryway, the lights automatically flickered on.
The entire interior came into view.
She had to admit it... The system really knew what it was doing.
The layout was practically an exact replica of her safe house. Even the power generation system and water storage system had been duplicated.
There were some differences, however. The interior design leaned toward a minimalist aesthetic. White dominated the color palette, creating a clean, sleek atmosphere. It lacked the warmth of her own apartment, but it felt modern and refined.
Honestly, it was perfect. Suzy had a feeling both Thomas and Derek would like it.
She slipped off her shoes and walked farther inside.
The floors were spotless. Not a single speck of dust remained. Apparently, the system had even cleaned the place for her.
The windows had also been upgraded into top-tier reinforced blast-resistant glass. Combined with the triple-layer blackout curtains, no one outside would be able to tell whether the lights were on.
Suzy wandered into the living room and sank onto the sofa. It was incredibly soft. In fact, it felt even more comfortable than the one in her own safe house.
A fireplace had been built into the room as well. When the extreme cold arrived, it could provide both heat and insulation for the entire apartment.
After looking around, Suzy found herself more and more satisfied. She rose and inspected the remaining rooms.
There were four bedrooms in total. Each room came fully furnished with the essentials: beds, wardrobes, desks, and everything necessary for daily living.
The more she looked, the happier she became. The upgrade card had been absolutely worth it.
Once her inspection was complete, she headed back across the hall and summoned Leonard and Thomas over to see the new apartment.
Suzy walked ahead while the two men followed behind. Leonard shot Thomas a meaningful look and lowered his voice.
"See? I told you."
Thomas arched his brows at him. "Told me what?"
"That Suzy didn’t want us coming over earlier."
Thomas remained silent.
Leonard continued smugly. "You still don’t understand her well enough. What are you going to do when that friend gets here?"
The final question was delivered with a mischievous grin.
Thomas frowned. "What exactly are you implying?"
Leonard only laughed. "Suzy’s junior is arriving soon. Haven’t thought about how you’re going to handle that?"
Thomas sighed.
"Would you two hurry up already?" From the doorway ahead, Suzy looked back at them impatiently. She had not heard a word of their conversation.
Holding the heavy door open, she urged them forward.
Leonard left Thomas with one final infuriating smile before quickening his pace.
Thomas suppressed the complicated thoughts stirring inside him and followed after.
"We’re coming."
Leonard stepped through the doorway first. The lights immediately illuminated the apartment.
"Holy shit..." The words escaped him before he could stop them.
Thomas entered right behind him. Even his usually calm expression cracked with visible surprise.
"Well?" Suzy asked with a grin as she closed the door.
Leonard hurried into the living room, turning in a complete circle before staring at her in disbelief.
"Suzy... this place was already this luxurious?"
Leonard was completely dumbfounded. He had honestly assumed the apartment was nothing more than an unfinished shell.
Instead, he had been spectacularly wrong.
Not only was it fully renovated, but it looked like a luxury residence straight out of an upscale development.
"Would you look at this..."
The place was immaculate. Every surface gleamed. There was not a single speck of dust anywhere.
"Come on, check it out," Suzy urged.
"This place is incredible!" Leonard exclaimed as he wandered through the apartment. "We seriously struck gold. I never imagined the interior would be this nice!"
The level of luxury rivaled their own safe house.
And in a world where most survivors struggled to keep a single lightbulb working, this place still had a functioning power supply.
If that wasn’t a jackpot, what was?
"I kind of want to move in here myself," Leonard said wistfully.
Suzy laughed. "That can be arranged."
Already caught up in his excitement, Leonard circled around the coffee table and headed toward the largest master bedroom.
Soon, only Suzy and Thomas remained in the living room.
At that moment, Thomas walked over to her.
"You’re not picking a room?" Suzy asked.
Compared to Leonard, Thomas’s reaction had been remarkably restrained. Aside from the brief surprise when he first entered, he appeared calm as ever.
Thomas shook his head. Instead, he took her hand gently into his own, as though examining it.
"Did you clean all of this yourself?" he asked softly.
Suzy froze. "I didn’t—"
She had barely spoken a single word when she noticed the look in his eyes––pure concern.
"Why didn’t you ask us to help?" His gaze swept across the apartment.
The place had obviously been vacant for a very long time, yet now it was spotless.
Thomas genuinely could not imagine anyone other than Suzy accomplishing something like this.
Suzy was speechless.
"You must be exhausted." He rubbed her palm gently with his thumb. "You worked hard."
It was a wonderfully convenient misunderstanding.
And honestly, Suzy saw no reason to correct it. There was no way she could reveal the system. So after a brief hesitation, she simply nodded.
Thomas immediately led her over to the sofa and sat her down. Then he moved behind her and began massaging her shoulders.
A short while later, Leonard emerged from the bedrooms. The moment he saw them, he clicked his tongue dramatically.
"The one moving into this apartment should be me."
Thomas answered without missing a beat. "Fine by me."
Suzy could not help laughing.
Leonard’s mouth twitched. "Get lost."
Then he strode over and dropped onto the sofa beside Suzy. Pointing toward one of the bedrooms, he announced, "Thomas, I already picked a room for you."
Thomas raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
Leonard continued proudly. "The smallest one. That’s yours."
Not even a hint of sympathy. "And the biggest room is reserved for Suzy’s friend."
He made sure to add that part.
Once Suzy confirmed the apartment upgrade was completely finished, she began preparing to pick up Derek.
Time was becoming increasingly precious. She had no idea whether the extreme cold would arrive ahead of schedule. The sooner Derek arrived safely, the sooner she could relax.
The moment Leonard and Thomas learned she intended to bring Derek back, both immediately insisted on accompanying her.
And neither seemed willing to compromise.
In the end, Suzy agreed.
After gathering a few essentials, the three of them set out together.
"Keep your voices down," Suzy reminded them as they left. "And stay alert around Wendy."
Leonard waved dismissively. "Relax. There are three of us."
The group passed the tenth floor, where Wendy lived, without incident.
Then they continued descending. The stairwell was silent except for the sound of their footsteps. As they approached the fifth floor, Suzy suddenly caught a faint fragrance drifting through the air.
The scent was unusual––sweet, almost intoxicating. Instantly, alarm bells rang in her mind.
Something was wrong.
A chill swept through her chest.
"Be careful—" She barely managed to speak, and before the warning could fully leave her lips, both Leonard and Thomas staggered.
Then, without any warning at all, they collapsed onto the floor.
The heavy thud of their bodies echoed through the stairwell.