Chapter 425: The Changjing Courtyard
Hearing Minister Xu’s tone, Su Tao knew he had probably figured it out and was just seeking confirmation from her.
She sighed, “Since you already know, why bother asking through Mr. Shen’s team? If you have questions, just ask directly.”
Whether she admitted it or not, the truth would come out eventually. If she denied it, it might damage their relationship—better to be honest.
“You were the one behind the incident in Shou’an, right?”
“Yes.”
Minister Xu gasped, “…How did you make the zombies self-mutilate?”
Su Tao explained, “The same way I can make buildings rise from the ground is how I made the zombies self-mutilate. Even if I tell you, it’s useless—only I can do it. Minister Xu, please keep this a secret. It’s not that I don’t trust Changjing, but I can’t trust any mutated zombies who might have infiltrated your ranks.”
If these vengeful creatures found out it was her, Tao Yang would surely face their wrath. Until a cure for the virus was developed, she had to stay cautious.
Minister Xu took a few minutes to calm down. After lighting a rare cigarette, he finally spoke:
“Don’t worry, only I know. The others at Changjing haven’t linked it to you, and I’ve already warned the person who gave me the clue. But I do have a request—please agree to it.”
Calling her “Boss Su” instead of “Little Tao” showed how serious he was.
“Go ahead.”
“There will be more and more mutated zombies in the future, and regions will continue to suffer heavy losses. I want to provide you with early intelligence on their movements. If possible, I hope you’ll step in—like you did during the Shou’an crisis.”
Su Tao agreed.
Aside from consuming a few energy crystals, it wasn’t a big problem. If she had more crystals, every mutated zombie she encountered would be captured alive.
If Minister Xu were in front of her, he would probably bow deeply on behalf of the survivors. Over the phone, he could only express his gratitude with a solemn tone:
“No matter what happens, when the apocalypse ends, both Changjing and the entire Federation will remember Taoyang’s contributions. Thank you!”
Feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise, Su Tao quickly changed the subject to Alice, mentioning how she had adopted a chicken and wouldn’t let anyone touch it.
Minister Xu’s attention shifted immediately. He peppered Su Tao with questions about Alice’s daily life—proof of how much he missed his daughter.
“I’m tied up here. I probably won’t be able to leave Changjing for at least a year…”
His voice trailed off, heavy with sorrow. After finally reuniting with his daughter, he couldn’t bring her home.
Returning to an empty house every day tore at his heart. The only thing that eased his pain was watching surveillance footage of Alice in Tao Yang before bed.
Feeling his longing across the phone line, Su Tao found an excuse to ask for his address.
Minister Xu, unsuspecting, gave her the details before hurrying back to work.
Su Tao opened her system interface, zoomed the map to Changjing, and found his residence. Surprisingly, it was only two streets away from a courtyard house that Manman had gifted her—a ten-minute walk.
She decided to use two energy crystals to bring the courtyard under her control and discreetly built a teleportation gate in the back.
The courtyard wasn’t huge—about 350 square meters. It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a spacious central courtyard, and a garage.
Teleporting herself there, Su Tao set foot in Changjing for the first time.
The courtyard showed signs of age, with its weathered walls marked by history. Once, it must have been vibrant—an ideal place to enjoy afternoon tea in the pavilion with friends.
She planned to hire a cleaning crew and bring Wu Zhen over to revamp the garden.
Inside, the main hall featured old mahogany furniture covered in dust. The other rooms were similarly outdated but filled with valuable woodwork—potential antiques in the future.
Su Tao decided to leave the furniture intact, adding only modern appliances for convenience.
She prepared one bedroom for Alice, planning to surprise Minister Xu with a visit from his daughter. Another bedroom was reserved for Manman—though she doubted the well-off girl would ever use it, given her other four luxurious properties in Changjing.
She intended to combine the remaining two bedrooms into a spacious master suite with a study and walk-in closet. This place would serve as her base when traveling between Tao Yang and Changjing.
Over the next two days, Su Tao hired two local cleaners to scrub the place spotless. Wu Zhen stayed late to landscape the garden, adding flowers, a stone pathway, and a lotus-filled pond.
When sunlight reflected off the water’s surface, the courtyard glimmered beautifully.
Seeing the transformation, Wu Zhen commented with envy, “Boss, this place is priceless. Even before the apocalypse, it was nearly impossible to buy a courtyard like this. Now, it’s even more valuable.”
Su Tao laughed, offering to build him a house in Tao Yang in return for his hard work.
Wu Zhen waved it off, “I was just saying—I live alone. What would I do with such a big place?”
A house isn’t a home without loved ones.
Su Tao hesitated before suggesting softly, “You’re still young… you could find someone new.”
Plenty of girls in Taoyang admired Wu Zhen. Even recently, she had heard gossip about a young woman persistently pursuing him.
But Wu Zhen simply sighed, “Not interested.”
Su Tao thought to herself—poor girl, she’s got a long road ahead.
The next day, she coaxed Alice out of the ranch with promises of fun. Without realizing it, the girl followed Su Tao through the teleportation gate.
Meanwhile, Su Tao messaged Minister Xu, telling him she had sent a gift to the courtyard and asking him to retrieve it.
Despite his busy schedule, he made time to visit.
As he approached, he thought, Isn’t this place supposed to be abandoned? Why does it look newly occupied?
Before he could knock, he heard the familiar, joyous laughter of his daughter echoing from the courtyard.
