Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 31: Something Had Gone Wrong

After changing her clothes, Mariella headed downstairs, but when she passed the second-floor dining area, she noticed only six people were having breakfast. Lucky was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh? Where is everyone else?" she asked Number One, who was sitting there eating.

Number One glanced up at her. "They're all lined up outside the office, waiting to be called in by Captain Zimmer."

"I see." Mariella almost forgot about that, but Chandler definitely wouldn't have.

He handled everything by the book, methodical and precise, the kind of model employee any boss could trust completely.

Mariella handed Number One a laptop bag along with a pack of high-capacity hard drives and USBs, then instructed, "Help me download all kinds of videos, encyclopedic content, and e-books. If it can be found online, I want all of it."

Number One set down his utensils, his gaze turning deeper as he looked at her. "What kind of content, specifically?"

"All kinds. And I need you to organize everything into a catalog. TV series, international films, entertainment shows, stage performances, Super Bowl, all of it. Also include encyclopedic knowledge and all sorts of e-books. You can check national-level digital libraries. Just make sure everything's properly labeled so it's easy to search and browse anytime."

After giving her instructions, Mariella turned and called out, "Lucky!"

Lucky immediately bolted out of the captain's office and ran straight toward his owner.

Mariella waved at him and headed out with the dog to take care of business.

The remaining bodyguards lost their appetite entirely.

They all gathered around, curiously eyeing the brand-new laptop bag. It was clearly from an expensive, high-end brand.

The other five started nudging Number One, grinning.

"Hey, open it up. I wanna see what's inside."

"The boss even got you a branded laptop? Damn, that's generous."

"She told you to download videos? Bet it's some spicy stuff, huh?"

"Looks like aside from Captain Zimmer, you're the boss's other favorite now."

"Heh, Number One's set. No need to worry about getting cut in three days."

"Captain Zimmer and Number One both latched onto a golden ticket. Meanwhile, the rest of us poor souls still have to live in fear. One slip, and we're packing our bags. Man, life's rough for honest folks. Ow... ow..."

The first "ow" was fake whining. The last one was very real.

Number One had punched the guy and snapped, "I pass evaluations with real skill. If you've got the guts, beat me first before running your mouth! I'm not the kind of man who sells himself for money and status!"

The one who got hit immediately shut up, but the others couldn't resist. "Oh? The kind of man who sells himself for money and status... Are you talking about Captain Zimmer?"

Number One let out a cold snort. "I'm not the kind of man who talks behind people's backs either."

There was no way he'd ever stoop to doing shameless things like Chandler just to win Mariella's favor.

But any other task Mariella assigned, he would still carry out seriously.

Number One slung the laptop bag over his shoulder, picked up the heavy pack of hard drives and USBs, and muttered to himself, "What's she really trying to do with all this?"

Could it be some new trick she came up with to get closer to me?

As soon as Mariella stepped outside with Lucky, the blazing sun hit her so hard that it made her dizzy.

It was barely past 7 a.m., yet a massive, blinding sun was already hanging in the sky, the temperature hotter than a typical noon.

A faint, almost invisible layer of vapor floated in the air, and the ground felt like a giant iron griddle set over fire, as if you could fry eggs on it at any moment.

Lucky whimpered, constantly lifting his paws one after another to ease the burning pain.

Mariella quickly opened the car door and called Lucky to jump inside.

She cranked the AC to full blast. After about ten minutes, the temperature inside the car finally dropped.

It was the middle of morning rush hour, and the sudden heatwave caught everyone off guard, sparking waves of complaints.

"This is insane. It was perfectly fine when I was eating at home, and the moment I stepped out, it's like the sky's raining fire!"

"It's this hot this early? What's it gonna be like at noon?"

"The weather forecast didn't say anything about a heatwave today. Why is it so hot?"

...

People on the streets were scattered in chaos, unable to endure the sudden heat. Some rushed into their cars, others dashed into nearby buildings.

Before long, the streets were empty of pedestrians, leaving only moving vehicles.

Then the car radio began broadcasting a high-temperature warning, advising work and classes to be suspended to prevent heatstroke.

Mariella remembered that in her past life, the heatwave had been followed by torrential rain, typhoons, and flash floods. But why had the heat arrived early this time?

The heatwave was the prelude to the apocalypse, and now it had come half a month ahead of schedule.

Even with the AC blasting cold air, a thin layer of sweat still formed on Mariella's palms.

Her heart pounded, and even her eyelids started twitching.

With memories from her previous life, she realized something had gone wrong.