Chapter 254
Over the past two weeks, snow had fallen on and off every few days.
The storms never lasted long, but even so, the accumulation outside had become immense.
A thick blanket of white now covered everything in sight.
Throughout that time, Suzy and the others had remained inside the building.
For half a month, life had passed peacefully.
Compared to the frozen wasteland beyond their windows, Suzy’s home was practically paradise. There was no reason to venture outside and suffer in the brutal cold.
Thomas had fully moved into the apartment across the hall.
These days, Leonard and Suzy spent most of their time there. Their daily routine consisted of crossing the hallway and gathering in the apartment shared by Derek and Thomas.
Aside from that, Suzy occasionally visited the thirteenth floor to check on Liam and his younger brother, bringing food, supplies, and warm clothing whenever she could.
Thanks to her help, the two brothers were managing far better than most during the relentless cold.
That morning, after waking up, Suzy pulled open the curtains.
The world outside was a sea of white.
Snow blanketed everything, transforming the landscape into a vast, silent expanse.
As temperatures continued dropping and snowdrifts grew deeper, fewer and fewer people dared venture outdoors.
Occasionally she would spot someone moving through the snow, but such sightings had become rare.
During the early days of the cold snap, however, many residents had still been active. Back then, Suzy had been surprised to discover just how many people in the complex had survived.
After watching the snowy scenery for a while, she closed the curtains and slipped into her space.
She drank a cup of spirit spring water, prepared a simple breakfast, and began her usual inspection.
Kitty truly was an excellent caretaker. The entire space was maintained flawlessly. Everything was orderly and thriving. Suzy hardly needed to lift a finger.
Lately, her visits to the space were mainly to check on Kitty and Dummy.
Both creatures had become incredibly attached to her, yet neither could easily leave the space.
As a result, she made sure to spend time with them whenever possible.
There was also something else weighing on her mind.
After distributing the day’s rewards to Kitty and Dummy, Suzy activated administrator mode and teleported directly to the boundary region.
Kitty immediately followed behind her.
The little white cat settled nearby and watched as Suzy stared into the distance once again.
Unable to hold back any longer, Kitty grumbled.
"Master, why do you keep coming here?"
Recently, every time Suzy entered the space, she would spend several minutes standing at the boundary. It had practically become part of her routine.
Kitty simply couldn’t understand it.
The area beyond remained locked. No matter how intensely Suzy stared, it wouldn’t magically open.
Suzy glanced down at the cat and smiled.
"I’m admiring the scenery."
"What scenery?" Kitty rolled its eyes. "You’re making things up again."
Ignoring the complaint, Suzy continued gazing toward the distant fog-covered region.
There was something there... She couldn’t explain it.
An invisible force seemed to be pulling at her.
The longer she stared, the stronger the sensation became.
It felt as though something beyond the boundary was calling to her.
"Since you’re so interested in what’s over there, why not focus on upgrading the space faster?"
Kitty offered the obvious solution.
Suzy sighed. "You think I haven’t considered that?"
She shook her head. "It isn’t that simple."
The space had already reached Level Four.
Few people understood better than she did how much energy had been required to advance from Level Three.
The jump from Level Four to Level Five would undoubtedly require even more.
At this point, Suzy suspected that looting every piece of gold, silver, and jewelry in the entire city might still not be enough.
Unless she discovered an object containing extraordinary energy.
Something similar to the special artifacts once connected to Wendy and Richard’s spaces.
Unfortunately, treasures like that were exceedingly rare.
Although she possessed a treasure-finding ability, it wasn’t foolproof.
Most of the time, she would search a designated area only to discover nothing at all. Meanwhile, the ability would enter cooldown after each use.
She had already scanned the entirety of Starlight Towers. There were no treasures worth risking her life for.
Well, perhaps there was one.
A particular heirloom came to mind. Liam carried a family treasure that contained a substantial amount of energy.
The problem was that it belonged to Liam. She couldn’t exactly steal it from him.
Any attempt to obtain it would require a completely different approach.
At least in the short term, acquiring it was impossible, unless she somehow managed to win Liam over. That would probably increase her chances.
"Keep working hard, Master!" Kitty cheered enthusiastically.
Suzy laughed. "I’ll do my best."
Leaving the space, she returned to her living room.
Strangely, Leonard was nowhere to be seen.
Recently, he had been waking up even earlier than she did. Normally, she would find him in the living room every morning.
"Uncle Leonard?"
She called twice.
No answer.
After a moment’s thought, she guessed where he had gone.
Lately, Leonard spent nearly every day across the hall. Ever since discovering Derek’s gaming skills, he had become hopelessly addicted. The two could lose themselves in games for hours at a time.
Pulling on a light jacket, Suzy crossed the hallway.
Just as she expected, Leonard and Derek were sitting in front of the television.
The moment they heard the door open, both turned toward her and greeted her with raised hands.
"Suzy, perfect timing. Want to join us?"
Leonard immediately extended an invitation.
Suzy strolled into the living room and settled onto a nearby seat. Her eyes drifted to the television.
"The same game again?" She raised an eyebrow. "You’ve been playing this nonstop for two days."
"Ahem." Leonard looked mildly embarrassed. "We still haven’t finished it."
Suzy watched them play for a few minutes. Then she realized someone was missing.
"Where’s Thomas?"
Leonard kept his eyes on the screen.
"He’s in his room."
"I’ll go check on him."
Without waiting for a response, she stood.
Derek watched her leave. For a moment, it looked as though he wanted to say something.
"Hey, focus."
Leonard’s reminder snapped him back to reality. Derek reluctantly turned back toward the game.
Meanwhile, Suzy walked down the hallway and stopped outside Thomas’s room.
She knocked lightly, and a moment later, his voice came from inside.
"Come in."
Suzy opened the door.
The sight before her caused her steps to falter briefly.
Thomas was working out.
His upper body was bare. A thin sheen of sweat covered his skin. Two dumbbells rested on the floor nearby.
"So you were exercising."
Her gaze swept across his powerful frame before eventually reaching his face.
Sweat dampened his hair and traced along the strong lines of his neck.
A towel hung loosely around his shoulders.
"Am I interrupting?"
"No."
Thomas grabbed the towel and wiped away the sweat with an easy, practiced motion.
The simple movement somehow made Suzy stare a little longer than she intended.
"If you’d like, sit down for a moment."
He pulled a chair over for her. Then he instinctively stepped farther away. Apparently, he was worried the smell of sweat might bother her.
Suzy narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you standing so far away?"
Thomas glanced at her awkwardly. A faint trace of embarrassment flickered across his usually composed face.
"I just finished exercising." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I probably don’t smell great right now."
The combination of his restraint and obvious self-consciousness made Suzy laugh.
"Then go ahead."
Thomas visibly relaxed.
"Alright."
Picking up his bathrobe, he headed toward the bathroom.
Every bedroom in the apartment had its own private bathroom.
Moments later, the sound of running water echoed through the room.
Left alone, Suzy began looking around Thomas’s room with quiet curiosity.