Global Lord in the Apocalypse: I Begin with a Greenhouse

Chapter 8 - Darla Augburn

“Wait!”

Adrian immediately turned toward Darla, who had just stepped through the doorway.

“You’re… a lady of the Augburn family?”

In the old world, the name Augburn was not particularly familiar to the general public. But among the upper echelons of society, it was certainly no stranger.

“The Augburn family are the true rulers of the city. They’ve controlled it from behind the scenes for decades.”

That was what Adrian had heard from the senior servants while delivering food to a wealthy man’s house.

Of course, he had never actually met anyone from the family before.

“Yes. So what?”

Darla stared sharply at Adrian through her helmet.

“Are you planning to take revenge on me, just like they did to my family?”

“You’re reading too much into this.”

Adrian shook his head slightly.

“Of course I’m not thinking anything like that. I just didn’t expect to meet someone like you.”

“Don’t even think about bothering me or trying anything funny!”

Darla pointed her index finger at Adrian.

“Otherwise, I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life!”

She said nothing more before walking toward the corner where the blanket had been laid out.

“No! Wait!”

Adrian quickly stopped her.

“What now?” Darla snapped. “Are you going to kick me out?”

Adrian said nothing. He simply couldn’t understand why this woman was being so sensitive.

It seems I can do something better instead.

He swiped across the screen several times.

“A bedroom costs one hundred Elemental Stones. A bathroom costs two hundred Elemental Stones.”

The System’s voice rang out.

In other words, if I want two bedrooms and one bathroom, won’t that cost me three hundred Elemental Stones? Adrian thought.

It had been days since he had last enjoyed the comfort of warm water pouring over his body. He still had two days left before the Apocalypse officially began. Before then, he wanted to make himself comfortable.

All right. That’s fine. I can gather more Stones tomorrow. For now, it’s time to enjoy myself.

[Proceed with purchase.]

Golden light radiated from beneath the stone floor at three separate points. Within seconds, three rooms had taken shape inside the Greenhouse.

“Yes! Now we can sleep comfortably!”

Adrian opened the first door.

The sight of a single bed with a soft mattress and fluffy pillows made his eyes light up.

It had been months since he had last enjoyed a bed this comfortable. Ever since he had been forced to sleep sitting up to keep watch over Valia, ready to protect her whenever zombies attacked, he had barely known a decent night’s rest. What lay before him now felt like the perfect reward for all those hardships.

“What? Do you want one too?”

Adrian stopped on his way to the bathroom when he noticed Darla standing motionless in place.

“What! Who said I wanted to bathe with you? Go by yourself!”

Darla hurried into the other bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Her heart was beating strangely fast.

Is this man an idiot or what? He doesn’t seem angry or resentful toward me. Instead, he’s treating me so well. What’s going on? Is he planning something?

The faint sound of running water drifted from the bathroom. Adrian could feel his body becoming much fresher.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, his mind felt clearer as well.

That’s right. I can’t afford to relax. I have to prepare for whatever comes next.

Through the Greenhouse’s glass walls, he could see that it had grown completely dark. From where he stood, he couldn’t see anything outside.

That reminded him of what Darla had said earlier that afternoon: the Greenhouse might need something more.

“I need to strengthen its defenses.”

He agreed that something was missing from the Greenhouse. But rather than a garden, what it really needed was a perimeter fence.

There was no fence at all surrounding the Greenhouse. Leaving it exposed like this overnight was quite risky, especially since he knew that the zombies out there didn’t truly sleep. They could attack at any moment.

“All right. Let’s get started.”

“A three-meter-high fence of standard thickness costs one hundred Elemental Stones. Would you like to proceed with the purchase?”

“Of course!”

After he pressed the button, golden light shimmered beneath the ground ten meters in front of the Greenhouse, followed by a rumbling sound.

The golden light rose to the surface, bringing with it a concrete perimeter wall thirty centimeters thick.

In less than a minute, the entire area surrounding the Greenhouse was now protected.

But Adrian didn’t think that was enough.

His fingers continued tapping the screen.

[Turret installation successful. The perimeter wall has been equipped with four laser cannons, one installed at each corner.]

Unlike the turret on the Greenhouse’s roof, which was only two-star level, these four turrets were five-star weapons. They had twice the firing range and reloaded twice as fast.

[Garden installation successful. The entire outdoor area surrounding the Greenhouse has been covered with green grass.]

Adrian hadn’t chosen the green grass without careful consideration.

“This isn’t ordinary green grass. It has the ability to absorb toxins from the red mist. From now on, staying within this yard should be much safer.”

In addition, palm trees had been planted at each corner, releasing a particular fragrance.

“The scent of these trees can disrupt the zombies’ tracking systems. Anyone inside the perimeter should be safe from attacks by these monsters.”

Adrian felt that was enough for tonight. But then, as he glanced toward one corner of the Greenhouse, he realized something.

“That’s right. I almost forgot one important thing.”