As Calista walked closer, she noticed the Howard couple standing there as well, both looking troubled. It seemed they recognized the group outside.

  When Mrs. Howard saw Calista approaching, she quickly walked over.

  “What’s going on here?”

  Rickson noticed Calista and gave a slight nod.

  “They fled from the city. Want to come in. I didn’t allow it.”

  His voice wasn’t loud, but his expression was cold and stern. Combined with his intimidating physique, the people outside didn’t dare raise their voices.

  Mrs. Howard leaned closer and spoke quietly.

  “These people all used to work at the winery.”

  Seeing that Calista showed no reaction, she guessed the young dy didn’t recognize them and began pointing them out one by one.

  “That young woman is Martha, a winery worker who handled fermentation. The man beside her is her husband Joey, a porter at the winery.”

  “That family of three is Tom, the estate’s mechanical repairman, his wife Mira, and their son Little Jamie.”

  “And the st one… that’s Brian, the estate’s former steward, along with his son.”

  She pointed at a middle-aged man wearing a wrinkled old suit. His beer belly pushed against the fabric, and his face carried an arrogant expression. Beside him stood his son, built like a bull and almost identical to him.

  Mira held her child tightly, her eyes red as she pleaded.

  “Miss Norton, please have mercy. Your pce is so safe. The child can’t survive outside like this. It’s hell out there!”

  Tom rubbed his hands nervously.

  “Yes, it’s complete chaos outside. We just want somewhere safe…”

  Martha and Joey also looked at her with pleading eyes.

  It was obvious everyone had realized she was the one who made the decisions.

  Before Calista could respond, Brian snorted.

  He straightened his nonexistent posture and looked Calista up and down, speaking in a mocking tone.

  “Calista Norton? Hmph!

  I remember very clearly! When Mr. Norton divorced your mother, the whole town was talking about it! The inheritance of Twilight Manor never went to you and your mother! Is this pce even legally yours? You just fenced it off like that?!”

  His voice was loud enough that spit nearly hit the iron gate. He even looked around, trying to incite the others.

  “Did you hear that?

  What right does she have to occupy this pce and give orders? This is illegal occupation! Why should we listen to her? Everyone’s equal here! Who knows, maybe the real owner will show up one day!”

  Calista sneered inwardly.

  Walkers were practically at their heels, and this old fool was still arguing about property w.

  He hadn’t dared to say a word in front of Rickson and the others, but the moment she appeared he suddenly grew bold. Did he think she was the easiest target?

  She crossed her arms and lifted her chin slightly, her gaze sharp as a bde as it swept across Brian’s greasy face.

  “Steward Brian, you’ve got quite a memory.

  Did my father give this pce to you? If he did, why don’t you go cim it? Go to France, find my father, or report me to that trust fund. Let’s see if there’s still a court open for you right now.”

  Calista tapped the pistol hanging at her waist, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “In times like these, the one holding the gun makes the rules. This estate already belongs to the Norton family.

  And even if it didn’t, as long as I occupy it, I decide what happens here.

  You—and your precious son—get out!”

  The word “out” hit the ground like a hammer.

  Brian’s face flushed red, then pale.

  His son, hot-blooded and relying on his size, felt humiliated being cursed at by a young girl. In a moment of anger, he suddenly reached out and shoved toward Calista’s shoulder.

  “Fuck you! Bitch! Who the hell do you think you are?!”

  “Looking for death.”

  Before his fat hand could even touch Calista’s clothes, a shadow beside her moved faster.

  Leah’s eyes turned sharp, her movement lightning-fast.

  She was already irritated—someone actually dared to bully Calista right in front of her. What annoyed her even more was that she had given this idiot a bottle of water earlier.

  “The hell are you touching my sister for?!”

  Leah’s right leg swept low.

  Crack!

  The kick nded precisely on the front of Brian’s son’s shin.

  He let out a miserable scream and colpsed to his knees like a chopped tree trunk, clutching his leg and gasping in pain.

  The next second, a cold gun barrel pressed firmly against Brian’s forehead just as he tried to rush forward to help his son.

  Rickson held the gun, his finger resting on the trigger. His eyes were ice-cold, and the killing intent radiating from him seemed to freeze the air.

  Only then did Brian, his son rolling on the ground in pain, and the remaining refugees truly notice the expressions of the men standing behind Calista.

  Those weren’t the eyes of ordinary bodyguards.

  They were the eyes of men who had killed before, who had seen blood, who had been forged on the battlefield.

  Fierce. Alert. Like wolves staring at their prey.

  Brian’s legs started shaking as cold sweat poured down his back.

  “Get out,” Calista said, even colder than before.

  “Don’t make me say it a third time.”

  Brian didn’t dare say another word. He shot them a venomous gre, dragged his screaming son up, and practically crawled back to their battered pickup truck.

  The engine roared unpleasantly as the vehicle drove away crookedly, kicking up a cloud of dust.

  Calista watched the battered truck disappear at the end of the road, her expression unchanged.

  Carver and Turner beside her exchanged a gnce, a faint, knowing smirk appearing on their lips.

  Neither of them spoke. They simply stepped away quietly.

  Soon, a modified Humvee slipped silently out through the estate’s side gate, heading in the same direction Brian and his son had fled.

  Calista didn’t pay attention to that. She turned toward the remaining people, her tone slightly softer.

  “You all—if you want to stay, you follow my rules. This isn’t a resort anymore, and it’s no longer a winery.

  You’ve all seen what the outside world looks like. We worked hard to gather supplies and build this pce. It’s not a charity.

  If you want to live, you work and follow orders. Can you do that?”

  Martha and Joey nodded rapidly.

  “Yes, yes! We can do anything! We know this pce well too—we’ll learn quickly.”

  Tom also agreed repeatedly.

  Only Mira—Tom’s wife—looked a little unconvinced.

  After agreeing verbally, she secretly tugged Tom’s sleeve and muttered quietly.

  “Is that really necessary… I heard the army is going to build new safe zones. Maybe things will calm down in a few days. If it weren’t so far away, we would’ve followed the army too. Isn’t she being a bit too nervous?”

  Calista heard it with her sharp ears, but she didn’t bother expining.

  In the apocalypse, too many people still held onto wishful thinking. No amount of expnation would change their minds.

  Just then—

  “Woof! Woof! Woof!!!”

  A burst of unusually frantic barking suddenly came from the forest west of the estate, filled with warning and fear.

  The patrol dogs.

  Everyone’s heart instantly tightened.