The phone ringing cut them off, and Rover felt a stab of irritation, but if someone was calling him this late at night, it had to be something urgent.
He glanced at Vivian and smiled. "We'll continue this another time."
Vivian nodded, her expression shy with a hint of disappointment.
Rover pulled out his phone. When he saw the caller ID was Billy, he frowned but still answered.
"Billy?"
"Sir Rover!" Billy's voice sounded exhausted. "Sorry to disturb you at this hour, but… I found something I think you'll want to see. I'm sure you'll like it."
Rover's brows tightened. "Send me the picture."
"Yes, sir!"
The call lasted only a few seconds. Five seconds later, a photo popped up.
The moment Rover saw it, his eyes widened. He immediately called Billy back. "Where are you?"
"Hahaha… Sir Rover, I'll send you the address right now," Billy replied.
Rover nodded and hung up. He turned to Vivian and said, "Go rest. I have something to take care of."
Vivian obediently nodded.
But the next second, Rover seemed to remember something. "Tomorrow, take the day off and help me with a few things, alright?"
Vivian nodded. "Of course. I'll request a leave of absence."
"No. What I mean is… quit your job." Rover said.
Vivian froze, her expression suddenly stiff and conflicted. "Rover, I… I…"
Rover took out his phone and transferred 2 million credit points to Vivian. "Go home and rest. I'll find you later."
With that, he turned around and left.
Vivian stood frozen in place, mouth slightly open, staring at his fading silhouette.
It wasn't until a long moment later that she finally snapped out of it and checked her phone again.
He really transferred 2 million to her.
She rubbed her eyes, checked again, and slowly… her lips curved into a soft, trembling smile. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but this time, they were tears of happiness.
"Thank you, Rover…" Vivian whispered. "If… if only the first person I had met back then had been you…"
…
Rover, of course, wasn't thinking about Vivian's feelings at all. He rushed to hail a taxi and headed to the address Billy sent him.
The ride took around twenty minutes, all the way to the outskirts of the city. The taxi stopped in front of a large industrial warehouse with no signs or labels.
In front of it stood a round, sweaty man frantically wiping his face with a handkerchief.
Rover recognized Billy immediately.
He paid the taxi fare and walked over.
Billy's face lit up with excitement. "Hahaha… Sir Rover! Sorry for dragging you out here so late, but…"
Rover waved his hand calmly. "Just talk."
"Yes, yes!" Billy nodded rapidly and hurriedly led Rover into the warehouse.
The workshop was huge, filled with metalworking equipment, though not a single worker was present at this hour.
But Rover's eyes were fixed on a single masterpiece in the center of the room.
In the dusty, grimy warehouse, a pitch-black mobile shelter vehicle stood silently under a faint light. The polished metal exterior gleamed so brightly it reflected the surroundings, dazzling and flawless.
Seeing Rover's captivated expression, Billy grinned triumphantly and said, "Sir Rover, I knew you would be interested. The moment I saw it, I called you right away."
Rover stepped closer, the cold touch of metal radiating from the vehicle sending a thrill down his spine.
"This thing… why do you have something like this?" Rover asked in confusion.
"Well…" Billy scratched his head, then waved his hand.
A towering man, nearly two meters tall, walked toward them. Despite his massive frame, rugged beard, and muscles sculpted like a Greek statue, his expression was timid and nervous, completely mismatched with his appearance.
Billy said with a grin, "Sir Rover, this is Dokai, the owner of this forge."
"Hello, Sir Rover." Dokai extended his hand shyly.
Rover nodded, shook it lightly, then let go.
Dokai fidgeted, unsure what to say. Billy smacked his arm and snapped, "Damn it! I brought Sir Rover here, not for you to stand around grinning like an idiot!"
"Ah! S-Sorry! I…" Dokai stammered.
Rover sighed softly. "This forge is yours?"
"Yes." Dokai answered honestly. "I used to work at a military workshop, but because of some conflict with my superior, I was kicked out. After that, I had no idea what to do, so I opened a private forge."
Rover frowned, glancing around the workshop before looking back at Dokai with a faint smile. "Judging by what I see… your forge doesn't have any legal certification, right?"
"Ack!" Dokai's face went pale. He immediately looked to Billy for help.
Billy sighed. "Sir Rover, you are correct. This place isn't legally registered, but he hasn't done anything illegal. He's just trying to earn a bit to take care of his wife and daughter."
Rover nodded. "Uhm. Then… why do you have this vehicle?"
Dokai didn't dare answer. Billy stepped in again.
"Two years ago, the mayor's son became obsessed with sci-fi movies and started believing the world was heading toward doomsday. So he hoarded supplies like crazy." Billy explained while glancing at Rover, as if thinking these two young men shared the same mentality.
Rover didn't mind. People with money often feared death the most. Every year, countless millionaires and billionaires built private shelters, terrified of war, nuclear disaster, apocalypse, zombies, and so on.
People used to laugh at them, but later, the world saw so many disasters that no one cared anymore.
Billy continued, "He wanted a mobile survival vehicle. Bulletproof, shockproof, top-tier everything. Naturally, no workshop could meet such ridiculous demands."
"But Dokai's forge was different. He could acquire military-grade materials under the table and fulfill every requirement the mayor's son listed."
"At first, the mayor's son paid a deposit of 700,000 credit points. After completion, he would pay the remainder, totaling 3 million. But two months ago… the brat suddenly disappeared."
"Now the vehicle has become a financial burden for Dokai because most of the money he used to build it was borrowed. That's why, Sir Rover, if you like it, we can sell it to you for 2 million."
Rover frowned slightly. He didn't rush to decide. Instead, he looked at Dokai and said, "Take me inside. Show me the features."
Dokai immediately brightened. He wasn't good at anything else, but when it came to technical craftsmanship, he was confident.
"Of course!"
Dokai led Rover inside the vehicle. The interior was so refined and intricate that Rover couldn't help but feel surprised.
Dokai began explaining excitedly, "Sir Rover, the entire interior is made from ultra-durable, high-resistance materials. They withstand extreme impact and temperature but are lighter than conventional furniture to keep the vehicle as agile as possible."
"There's also a ventilation and toxin-filtration system. Flip this switch, and all incoming air will be purified up to ninety-five percent. And here we have a heating system in case the temperature drops."
"The electronic driving system is military-grade. Even if the driver faints, the vehicle will automatically stop or maneuver itself depending on the programmed calculations."
"Over there is…"
After listening to Dokai's explanation, Rover felt this was not a mobile home at all. This was a full-fledged mobile fortress.
Even the outer shell and the windows were made from top-tier military bulletproof materials, capable of withstanding rounds from a 7.62mm sniper rifle.
Even in the event of a bombing, the vehicle could still operate for a short time and activate its emergency defense systems, allowing those inside to escape as quickly as possible.
Despite being fourteen meters long and three point four meters tall, its speed could reach eighty kilometers per hour, and its massive fuel tank allowed it to run six hundred kilometers non-stop.
Rover was extremely satisfied, but he still felt there were a few areas that needed improvement.
He smiled and said, "I'm satisfied. But can you reinforce the tires and the front end a bit more?"
"Of course I can." Dokai beamed. "But… I'm out of funds. Right now, I'm drowning in debt. If I can't sell this vehicle soon, I…"
Rover nodded lightly. He rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then said, "I'll pay you two hundred thousand upfront. You upgrade the vehicle according to my requirements. When I receive the vehicle, I'll give you another three hundred thousand. After one month of use, if the vehicle runs without issues, I'll pay you the remaining amount."
Dokai looked both thrilled and terrified.
Billy immediately understood what he was worrying about. He slapped Dokai's back hard and scolded, "Are you stupid? Sir Rover is not the kind of person who would scam you."
"Besides, that amount is more than enough to stabilize your situation for a few months. What else are you scared of?"
Dokai scratched his head and laughed foolishly. "Ah! I-I understand."
"Good. Give me your bank account number, I'll transfer the money right now."
Hearing Rover say that, Dokai hurriedly pulled out his phone. After transferring the money, Rover mentioned a few more specifications he wanted upgraded.
After all, he would be living in the real apocalypse, not just preparing for a hobby. Everything needed to be perfect.
By two in the morning, he finally returned home. And of course, Karen was already gone.
Rover fell onto his bed, so exhausted that he didn't even bother changing clothes before instantly drifting off to sleep.
"Rover, seems like you're living quite comfortably these days."
A chilling voice echoed, jolting Rover awake.
He suddenly realized he was sitting inside the mansion he had inspected earlier that evening. But now, he was tied tightly to a stone pillar in the center of the grand hall.
In front of him stood a man, staring at him with the most cruel and twisted smile imaginable.
Rover's eyes widened, filled with disbelief as he looked at the figure before him.
"Kai… Kaito?!"