Zhou Lin approached them mysteriously and whispered, "The free accommodation at Dongqing Academy is just a facade."

Cheng Zhi didn't understand why she had to speak so softly. "You can just speak more openly. Our house is very well soundproofed."

The mysterious and tense atmosphere was immediately broken by Cheng Zhi. Zhou Lin didn't care about anything else and started sharing the gossip he had heard from the old lady across the street.

While it's true that free accommodation and protection are provided, Holly Academy has concealed some of the subsequent events.

Once you move in, it's hard to leave. Depending on the type of room you stay in, you also have to pay "rent" each month. This rent isn't money; it's in exchange for labor or the fruits of that labor—basically, you either provide food or labor.

Xiao Feiran, standing nearby, snorted coldly, "This is no different from paying protection money in the city, but this is even worse—once you're inside, they won't let you out..."

Suddenly, Xiao Feiran gasped as if she had discovered something terrifying. "My God, that's like being a slave. The house is like a contract of servitude. Once you live there, you have to work for someone else for the rest of your life."

Before the disaster, Zhou Lin was just an ordinary college student. After the disaster, his life was indeed much harder, but he still had a home. He wasn't living a life of hardship and loneliness. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to live there.

Cheng Zhi tapped Zhou Lin on the head with disdain. "Can you stop being so naive? Do you think things are still the same as before? There are plenty of people who have lost their homes and families because of the disaster. For them, Dongqing Academy is a sanctuary. They were exploited and enslaved, but at least they didn't have to wander anymore."

Zhou Lin clutched his head in pain and accepted Cheng Zhi's criticism, but Cheng Zhi hadn't finished speaking yet.

"You too, always running around everywhere. I heard from Cheng Ye that you've been robbed on the street many times. Be careful, you won't always be so lucky as to only lose some of your belongings."

He couldn't really refute that, as Zhou Lin did indeed come out every now and then to gather information.

After seeing Zhou Lin off, Cheng Zhi suddenly felt a bit anxious. She couldn't shake the feeling that this was unsettling, so she immediately put on a face mask and a mask, grabbed her things, and started fiddling around with Xiao Feiran at their front door and on the stairs.

This city has always been unsafe, and recently these so-called safe spots have been promoting themselves, making everyone quite restless. It's better to be more vigilant.

They took out barbed wire from the space and wrapped it around the entire staircase.

Although he couldn't see clearly, Xiao Feiran knew that the stairs were already surrounded by people, and if someone wasn't careful, they would get pricked and bleed out.

Back in her room, Cheng Zhi still felt uneasy and remained restless before going to bed.

Xiao Feiran, who was sleeping next to her, sensed her emotions and patted Cheng Zhi's stomach through the blanket. "Don't be so nervous. We've surrounded them so tightly. Ordinary people can't get up here. Even if they do, we can take care of them in no time."

Cheng Zhi smiled and nodded, then closed her eyes. Xiao Feiran turned off the light, and the two of them went to sleep.

As a result, around two or three in the morning, Liu Liu, who was sleeping at the foot of the bed, suddenly woke up, as if she had become aware of something.

It quickly ran to the bedside and nudged Cheng Zhi awake with its head.

Although she didn't know what had happened, Cheng Zhi trusted Liu Liu's intuition, grabbed Xiao Feiran, and the two of them picked up their weapons and left the living room.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Ye was already standing at the door in the living room, holding a rolling pin in his hand. When he saw Cheng Zhi and the others arrive, he said in a low voice, "I keep feeling like there are noises, but I can't see anything through the peephole."

There's nothing we can do about it; it's dark and foggy, so it's really hard to see anything.

Cheng Zhi gestured for everyone to be quiet. She put her ear to the door and faintly heard the sound of a hard object hitting something, followed by a very rhythmic sound.

It was impossible to hear what was happening.

Just as she was about to pull back, the voice disappeared, and was replaced by a man's voice, "Damn, is this family crazy? They've put up barbed wire all over the place."

Upon hearing this sound, Xiao Feiran's scalp tingled. Judging from the sound, the man seemed to be right outside the door! But they clearly came out as soon as they heard the sound. In just a few seconds, it was impossible for him to quietly remove all the wires and come up. So where did he come from?