9 women

Breakfast was hot soy milk with fried dough sticks and dumplings, which excited the women. They wondered if Eugene had prepared a stash of food.

After breakfast, they started playing cards.

Today was different from yesterday.

Things needed to change. After all, Eugene couldn't keep using his energy to shoot.

Eugene was the banker, betting high or low.

Each person drew two cards; it was straightforward.

If Eugene lost, he'd give a chip, which the women could exchange for food, clean water, or fruit. If he won, they had to remove a piece of clothing. Once they had nothing left to remove, they'd be out.

Clearly, the women would eventually lose, but the more they wore, the longer they could play and the more resources they could earn.

So, they added as many layers as they could.

Even though the basement was nearly 20 degrees, they sweated profusely in their thick clothes. But for extra resources, they endured it until they couldn't add more.

Thankfully, they felt better after removing a few layers.

However, even with their bulky clothes off, it was hard to tell how many layers they still had on.

Eugene didn't mind. What difference would it make to give them more supplies?

Half an hour later, the women had fewer clothes on.

Cathy had the worst luck. After losing another round, she removed her last shirt, leaving her in just a bra. Judging by the straps, she had at least four bras on.

"Eugene chuckled. "No wonder you looked so big last night. You're just really padded!"

Cathy shot him a glance, her eyes flirtatious yet resentful.

"Deal!" she said.

It turns out both men and women can be addicted to gambling. Some hide it better and don't let it get the best of them, but once triggered, anyone can become obsessed, single-mindedly seeking to turn the tables.

It seemed Cathy's luck had turned, and Isabel started losing more. Delia was close behind, and soon, they were all at the same low point.

The women showed their resourcefulness by, for example, wearing three pairs of underwear or four socks, which made Eugene chuckle. "You ladies are something else."

Regardless, the ultimate winner would always be Eugene.

After another fifteen minutes, the last standing, Juliet, was completely out, and all the women were out of the game.

Watching them, with their varied figures and layers of clothing, Eugene couldn't help but feel a mix of respect and seriousness.

"Let's start the second round!"

By the time the second round ended, it was already noon. Everyone took a bath before lunch. After lunch, Delia was the first to exchange her chips for clothes.

She wanted to give the food to her son and share some with her elderly neighbors who had helped care for her child.

However, not long after returning home, she came back, her face filled with panic. "Eugene, my son is missing!" she exclaimed.

The situation was grim. She returned home to find her neighbors' door ajar. Inside, she found blood everywhere. The elderly couple lay in a pool of blood, long dead, and her son was nowhere to be found. She had no choice but to seek Eugene's help.

Would Eugene help find her son?

Firstly, he wouldn't. Why would he care about someone else's son? He'd only made a deal with Delia: he provided shelter, she provided food. What more could he do?

Secondly, even if he wanted to help, how would he go about it? Knock on every door? What if he was greeted with hostility?

Safety first. Eugene couldn't take risks.

So, he comforted Delia and explained the difficulties of searching. Beyond that, he couldn't help.

Cathy and the others agreed with Eugene's decision. After all, what did they care about Delia's son? At most, they'd offer some sympathy due to human decency.

But if Eugene promised to help, they'd try to stop him.

What if Eugene didn't return?

The gate had a password and fingerprint lock. Eugene hadn't given them access. If he didn't return, they'd be trapped in the basement.

They'd already taken the hardest step for survival, sacrificing their dignity. Why would they risk their lives for others now?

Delia's options were limited. Even if she wanted to search, her son could be anywhere, and in this cold weather, she'd risk freezing to death.

She could only resign herself to fate.

It was clear that Delia was also quite self-centered. In her eyes, her safety was paramount.

Eugene just smiled. He didn't need Delia to follow him forever. What did her character matter to him? If she betrayed him, one bullet would solve the problem.

It was like hiring a technician. Did he need to assess their character or morality?

He chuckled.

Of course, Delia was still deeply concerned about her son. She seemed absent-minded and distracted all afternoon.

When Eugene thought the day was going to end just like that, a loud crash echoed, followed by blaring police sirens.

Indeed, it was a police siren, not a car alarm.

Huh, could it be that a police car has arrived?

Eugene went to the third floor and looked outside.

He found it was already past five in the afternoon, with dense fog rolling in, reducing visibility to about 2 meters. So, what could he see?

Absolutely nothing.

He felt a bit itchy to go out just out of curiosity.

Impossible.

Given the current conditions, the chance of breaking into his secure house was zero.

Unless the military or someone skilled in warfare was involved.

Eugene went downstairs, prepared dinner for his leopard first, then went to the basement to call Cathy and three others for dinner.

After dinner, they had some fruits. Eugene took out an external hard drive and plugged it into the TV, letting the four women binge-watch shows to pass the time.

Eugene lost interest after a while, but the four women were engrossed. Eugene poured himself a glass of milk and, turning his head, saw Cathy's ample bosom. He couldn't help but feel moved.

He walked over and lifted Cathy into his lap.

This would have been nothing unusual, and Isabel and the other two didn't pay much attention. But soon, a muffled moan could be heard, soft but clear enough that it couldn't be drowned out by the TV.

They followed the sound to see Cathy blushing in Eugene's embrace.

They understood instantly!

They quickly turned back to the TV, trying to focus on the show, but their attention just couldn't stay on track.

Even though their eyes were on the screen, they had no idea what was happening in the plot.

Contrary to the springtime atmosphere in the villa, a family was experiencing misfortune.

Let's rewind a bit.

A car sped into the residential area, swerving uncontrollably as if driven by a drunk. But in reality, the ground was too slippery, and the driver couldn't stabilize the car.

Bang!

The car crashed into Unit 5 of Building 5. Due to the impact, the equipment inside malfunctioned, and the police lights on the roof started flashing, accompanied by blaring sirens.

It was a police car, more precisely, a prison transport vehicle. A few minutes later, a door opened, and a woman stumbled out. Following her, the second, third... up to the ninth person got out, and then no one else came.

All nine were women of various ages and body types. The youngest seemed to be in her twenties, while the oldest was in her thirties.

Among them was a woman in her thirties who was extremely overweight, looking like a ball in her thick clothing.

Although they came from a prison transport, their clothes looked ordinary, making it hard to tell if they were guards or inmates.

The car accident wasn't severe, but all nine women had some minor injuries.