Back then, Talia would've sent a servant to check if something was wrong—she had never have stepped out herself. But now, she stood there gripping the iron gate of her home, eyes tired and hollow. The way she clutched the bars, she almost looked like a prisoner behind them. A far cry from the elegance and control she used to carry herself with. The man beside her gave Natalie a curious glance. "Honey, do you know this cop?" Talia blinked, still trying to process. "I do ... but she's not a cop. That's Natalie. Mr. Ashford's daughter." Talia's husband, Emerson Carter, raised his eyebrows. "Mr. Ashford's daughter?" Talia gave Natalie a once-over and asked, "Natalie, what are you doing here? Are you ... with the police now?" Natalie, remembering how Talia had once given her the triangular bayonet and that emerald, kept her tone civil. "No. Just happened to come across the gear." Talia's eyes flicked to the rifle slung over Natalie's back. She asked politely, "Can I ask ... what's the situation outside right now?" She had cut off all her staff a while ago, and since then, had lost contact with the outside world completely. Back when the storms first hit, she'd used her connections to airlift in a decent stockpile of supplies. But now, with the apocalypse dragging on endlessly, that stash was nearly gone. During the flood season, she and Emerson were still managing three full meals a day, plus afternoon tea. Now they were down to two meals—and barely meals at that. Just plain rice. No sides. She'd grown up in wealth. She had never lived like this. And at this rate, she figured they'd burn through everything in a year, maybe less. Natalie answered, "Same as before. Total chaos. A lot of people are dead."Talia's face went a little pale. "What about the official base ... " Natalie replied, "Still under construction. They had to stop for a while because of the plague and acid rain. Work just started up again. It'll be a while." Emerson cut in, "Then you're ... ?" Natalie looked over at him. "I'm not with the government. I just moved into the neighborhood." "New resident?" Talia looked shocked, glancing toward the villa Natalie had just walked out of. "What about Mr. Harrett?" Mr. Harrett? Natalie followed her gaze toward the house behind her. "You mean the owner of that villa?" Talia nodded. Natalie replied simply, "He's dead." Talia and Emerson exchanged a look, their faces stiffening. "That's so sudden. We just saw him last week. How did he die?" Natalie shrugged. "No idea. He was already gone when we got there." She said it matter-of-factly. In the city, this kind of thing happened all the time, every minute of every day. Not just Natalie, even the average kid in the city had grown numb to death by now. But judging from the reactions of Frederick, Wilona, and now Talia and Emerson, the people in Hillside Villa District clearly hadn't reached that point. Natalie didn't stick around. She turned and continued her search for an empty home. Behind her, Talia called out, "Natalie, how did you even get in here? There are guards at the front gate, aren't there?" Natalie glanced over her shoulder and gave her a knowing smile, then patted the rifle slung over her shoulder. Without another word, she stepped into another vacant villa. Emerson's face darkened. "She forced her way in at gunpoint? That's not okay ... " Talia immediately clapped a hand over his mouth and shook her head. "Don't get involved." Then she muttered under her breath, "The world really has flipped upside down." Emerson looked like he still wanted to say something. But Talia tugged on his arm, pulling him back toward the house as she whispered, "We're not getting involved with Natalie moving in. Lock the doors, and no matter who knocks, don't open it." She had a feeling. Now that Natalie was here, the peaceful surface life of Hillside Villa District wouldn't last much longer. Natalie picked the house right next door to Olivia and Harold. It was also three stories tall, with a similar layout and square footage, only the interior design was a bit different. The place was relatively clean. All the furniture was covered in dust cloths, and, most importantly, there were no rotting corpses lying around. It looked like the house had been vacant even before the apocalypse hit. Natalie walked through the entire place, upstairs and down, growing more and more satisfied. She was especially fond of the large fireplace in the first-floor living room, it'd be perfect for heating the place once Frostfall came. After doing a full sweep and confirming there were no cameras, bugs, or surveillance equipment, she pulled a new lock from her storage space and replaced the front door's with her own.A quiet but clear signal—this house had a new owner. Only then did she leave. When she returned to the neighboring villa, Olivia and Harold had already finished cleaning up the former owner's body. Natalie handed them a spare lock. "Use this one for now. Just something temporary until we've moved all our stuff in." Olivia and Harold nodded, accepting it. It was hot out, and after everything, all three of them were drenched in sweat. The A/C wasn't running yet, so they locked up and started walking down the main road toward where they'd parked the car. They were just about to hop in and enjoy some cool air when a familiar voice called out behind them. "Ms. Ashford! What are you doing here?" Natalie turned at the sound and saw Cassian's assistant, Roderick.