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The two arrived on the first floor, and Claire immediately noticed the roaring fireplace. It was noticeably warmer here, so much so that she started sweating despite wearing a thick winter coat. Her hands were tied, preventing her from removing it.

Eugene didn't seem to care. The leopard he had with him prowled over, its fierce eyes fixed on Claire, emitting a low growl. If it weren't for Eugene's command, it would have pounced already.

Claire trembled. A dog that bites without barking was known as a fierce one, and this leopard was clearly one of them.

Yet Eugene took out a plate with a nicely grilled steak and placed it in front of the leopard. "Eat."

The leopard, however, didn't eat and continued to stare at Claire.

In its simple consciousness, Claire was the enemy. How could it eat when there was an enemy in the house? It must protect its master and its territory.

"You're actually feeding steak to a dog?!" Claire was shocked and couldn't believe it. What were people eating now? Instant noodles, biscuits, bread! Only families with ample reserves could afford white rice. Meat? No household would store large amounts of fresh meat. Even preserved meat wasn't something every household had.

So, you're indulging to feed steak to a dog? Aren't you afraid of being criticized to death?

Eugene chuckled and sat down at the dining table, which was already filled with a variety of food. King crab, river prawns, mutton soup, braised beef... it was lavish.

"You're going to eat all of this alone? Aren't you afraid of overeating? Such waste!"

"Jealous?" Eugene asked.

Claire nodded subconsciously, her hatred fading, replaced by a strong desire. "Eugene, can we start over?"

"Hahaha!" Eugene laughed mockingly. "Look at this." He turned on the TV, and a video immediately played. It was Cathy, Isabel, Juliet, and Delia, recorded at noon that day. The hidden camera was in 8K ultra-clear quality. Claire could see every detail clearly.

"Cathy and Delia are so beautiful! Their figures! Even though I consider myself pretty, I have to admit they outshine me. Yet even such beauties kneel and serve Eugene. Her face turned pale.

"Given how Eugene is with such beauties, would he even look at me?"

"Eugene, what have I done to deserve this from you?" Claire's tone shifted to hysteria, no longer pleading but glaring at Eugene. Her last bit of hope had vanished.

Eugene chuckled, "You dare question me?"

Indeed, a venomous woman never reflects on her own actions. But I'm not here to argue. I showed you this to let you know how well I'm doing, to make you regret and envy.

"Trying to awaken you, make you repent tearfully? Haha, that's your task in the underworld. Mine is to send you there!"

With that, Eugene pushed Claire to the front door. Claire panicked, realizing Eugene's intentions. She screamed, "Eugene, what are you doing? No! No! No!"

Ignoring her protests, Eugene opened the door, smiled, and with a swift kick, sent Claire out. "Goodbye, whether in this life or the next!"

Bang!

He didn't hesitate to close the door.

Claire tried to rush back, but a hailstone hit her face squarely. Though the hailstones weren't as large as they were initially, they still hurt like bullets. Moreover, the hail was toxic; a touch would cause a burning pain on the skin.

She screamed in agony, trying to find shelter. But more hailstones mercilessly pelted down on her, causing her to shriek continuously. She couldn't bear it, fell to the ground, rolling in pain.

"Eugene, help me! Save me!" she called out, her voice growing weaker until it disappeared entirely.

She lay motionless.

It wasn't the poison that killed her—just the intense cold from the hail.

Eugene watched from the window without any emotion on his face.

As he said, with Claire's death, their past grievances were settled. He could finally let go.

Turning away, Eugene felt exceptionally light-hearted.

Firstly, the 15-day deadline had passed, proving his rebirth. Secondly, the last member of the Walker family was dead; all his grudges were resolved.

Now, he could enjoy life as he pleased.

He hummed a tune and began his workout; he couldn't neglect this routine. After exercising, he took a shower and started checking the surveillance footage.

The new installation in the garage caught his attention.

As he skimmed through, he noticed another missing body.

Rewinding the footage, he identified the body snatchers.

A group of big men lifting a body disappeared into the darkness.

"Uriel from Building 4!" Eugene recognized one of them.

"So, the whole Building 4 is into cannibalism now?"

He shuddered at the thought. Uriel and his group had a high frequency of body snatching; they'd move a body roughly every other day. How could several men finish a corpse in just two days?

The entire building must be involved.

Thinking of this, Eugene felt a chill.

What a world!

Another night passed.

It was the 17th day after.

Eugene woke up, immediately feeling cheerful.

Every day was a bonus for him now.

Huh?

He looked out the window in surprise. The once dark and gloomy view was now significantly brighter.

The fog had lifted!

Eugene was ecstatic, rushing to the window. The visibility was now about 20 meters. Although the fog hadn't completely dispersed, it was safe to move around in such weather.

He could finally go out!

Eugene was elated. He'd been trapped in the compound for over a month. Even though he had women to keep him company daily, it got boring. After all, being a homebody by choice and being forced into it were two different things.

It was time to go out.

Most importantly, he needed resources like gasoline and diesel, which were hard to find before the apocalypse.

As for Dorothy, his friend with connections, that was a different story. She must have significant backing to own a fortress.

With money and influence, getting fuel would be easy.

Smiling to himself, Eugene thought about his heavily modified G-wagon, costing him over 500,000 after the base purchase. With bulletproof glass, anti-skid tires, and excellent insulation, it was well-equipped for the cold.

After waiting for so long, it was finally time to put it to use.

He just hoped... the roads outside weren't jammed.

It's a big issue.

When the hail hit, it was still during rush hour, so there were many cars on the streets. Many drivers wouldn't have had time to find shelter, their windows shattered by the hail, and then obscured by the thick fog. How many would have just abandoned their cars on the roads?

At this moment, Eugene wished he had prepared a tank.

The only good news was that the nearest gas station to the compound was only 2 kilometers away.

Shouldn't be too difficult.

Eugene geared up and was ready to go.

"Leopard, you can't come with me this time. Stay home and watch over things."

The leopard wagged its tail, whether it understood or not was unclear.

Eugene headed to the ground-level garage.

The villa's garage was above ground. Of course, you could also convert the underground level into a garage, depending on the homeowner's choice. For space reasons, Eugene had turned the basement into a living room and control room.

He got into the car, closed the door, roared—the engine started—and the Mercedes-Benz G360 (commonly known as Big G from now on) slowly drove out of the garage.

Hail immediately pelted the roof, making crisp sounds.

Eugene smiled slightly, not worried at all.

Regular cars didn't have to worry about their roofs being shattered—unless they were of poor quality and filled with foam. So, Eugene's modified, reinforced luxury car was even less of a concern.

Some hail did hit the windows, though—a real test.

But not to worry, the Big G's windows were bulletproof and could even raise a steel mesh to keep the hail out.

Solid as a rock!