On the surface, Natalie was scolding Lucky. But deep down, she felt quite proud. All that training was paying off. Her dog had gotten way tougher. That was exactly what she wanted—a pet that was soft and cuddly at home but turned into a total beast outside. If those two guards didn't have guns, she might've been tempted to let Lucky off the leash just to see what she could do. Her eyes flicked to the three villas behind the iron gate. So this is where Magnus and Kelvin live, huh? She pretended to be clueless. "I just got here and wanted to look around. Why can't I go in?" One of the guards answered, "This is the private area for Magnus and Kelvin. Nobody can enter without their permission."Natalie gave a casual nod. She guessed it right. Now she just had to figure out which house was Kelvin's. One of the guards seemed interested in Lucky. He asked Natalie curiously, "What breed is your dog? I've never seen one like this." He stared at Lucky in confusion. She looked strange. Her face kind of looked like a bulldog, but bulldogs were small, and she was clearly medium-sized. Maybe a bully? But with that fierce look, she also gave off some pit bull vibes. Natalie wasn't about to tell anyone Lucky was a mutant bulldog. She just shrugged and made something up. "Hard to say. It's just a mix." Lucky bared her teeth again, clearly annoyed. Who's calling me a mix?!Of course, she wouldn't snarl at Natalie, so she glared at the guy who asked. She growled low like she might pounce any second. Natalie tried not to laugh and corrected herself. "It's a hybrid." Lucky instantly calmed down, feeling that Natalie was at least more respectful. She nuzzled against Natalie's leg affectionately. The guy who asked was amazed. "Wow, this dog knows people!" Then, like he'd remembered something sad, his voice got quiet. "I also had two dogs. They were the cutest! But the apocalypse came so fast. I couldn't save either of them ... " By the end, his voice trembled, like he might cry. The other guard gave his shoulder a comforting pat. People who loved pets were usually softhearted. Natalie said a few kind words as well. Then, she jumped in to get him talking. "Sir, the perks here are pretty good, right? You guys even get guns." "No way! Not everyone gets one." He sniffed proudly. "Only the ones Magnus trusts can carry. Besides Magnus and Kelvin, just six people have guns." Natalie played along, complimenting him. "Wow, you guys must be the backbone of this place!" "Nah, it's just Magnus looking out for us." He glanced at Lucky. "Miss, it's rough out here, but you're taking good care of your dog. Stick with Magnus, and you'll do fine!" After a short round of compliments, Natalie asked, "Is your job hard? You guys stand guard all day, right?"Seeing her well-dressed and with a pet, he figured she was capable—maybe even someone who could lead in the future. So, he was happy to keep talking. "Not really! Magnus treats us well. We work three shifts, so nobody is stuck on duty too long. You'll see—it's great working for Magnus!" Natalie nodded, chatted a bit more, then left with Lucky. As she walked, she pieced together what she'd learned. Kelvin's place had armed guards around the clock. Besides the two leaders, only six people had guns in the entire base. The guards worked in pairs, three shifts a day, so there were six in total. They were probably the leader's most trusted, responsible for keeping him safe.If the guards had guns, Magnus and Kelvin definitely did as well. So, there were at least eight guns in the base. That was a serious amount of firepower. From what she saw, Magnus was extremely cautious in arranging armed guards and electric fences. He must be terrified to death and not take any chances. She wouldn't be shocked if there were traps or cameras inside his house. Natalie kept thinking as she walked Lucky around. Not many people lived in the inner circle, so clearly, only a few could be VIPs. It wasn't just a pet-owner test. The personal info everyone filled out earlier probably filtered people as well. If someone had a special job or specialty, it would get noticed. She'd seen earlier that their guns were rough—nothing like her official weapon.Those were more like the homemade ones Owen used. If there were that many guns, maybe someone in the villas knew how to make them. And if someone could make them, they could certainly use them too.