Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Renovating the Villa

"The first floor has the living room, kitchen, dining room, a storage room, a bathroom, and two maid’s rooms."

Hollis then led Melody Summers upstairs.

"On the second floor, the previous owner set up four bedrooms. Two have terraces and could be used as master bedrooms. The other two have balconies, which you could use as children’s rooms or a room for the elderly. There’s a lounge in the middle, with a small partitioned-off space for a tea room."

"The third floor has one large room with a terrace and three rooms with balconies. Just like the second floor, they all have en-suite bathrooms. You could use them as guest rooms, making it convenient if you have visitors staying over. Or, if you don’t need this many rooms, you can renovate. We’d suggest converting a few of the bedrooms into walk-in closets or storage rooms."

Hollis explained, "The previous owner designed it for three generations to live together—more than a dozen people in total. That’s why there are so many bedrooms, with many of the functional rooms located in the basement."

Hollis led Melody Summers down from the third floor to the basement, where he continued his introduction.

"The basement is the highlight of this house. The garage has a two-car bay—it’s very spacious and can fit two SUVs at the same time."

"There’s also an indoor underground swimming pool. It’s a very clever design, equipped with an automatic cleaning system, and changing the water is also very convenient."

"As for the remaining four spaces, the previous owner had planned to turn them into a study, a private theater, a reception room, and a gym. However, they decided to move abroad before finishing the renovations. The wiring and all that has already been laid, so if you’re interested, you can contact a renovation company and start work right away."

"There’s also a separate bathroom in the corner, which is very convenient."

Melody Summers followed Hollis from the top floor to the bottom, growing more and more satisfied with what she saw. She nodded and said, "Alright, I’ll take it!"

A study, a private theater, a reception room, a gym—Melody Summers had no use for any of them. In her eyes, they were just four large storage rooms perfect for stockpiling supplies. And the swimming pool? It would be just right as a water reservoir.

Hollis was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected to close a deal on a villa at a time like this. "I’ll take you to sign the contract right now!"

Melody Summers returned to the sales office with Hollis from property management, signed the contract, and paid in full with a direct transfer.

Things moved quickly during the slow sales season. Since there was no need to apply for a loan, the process was simple, and Melody Summers completed the paperwork in no time.

After getting the keys to the villa, Melody Summers brought a bag of fruit to the property management office.

"Hello, I’m the new owner of Villa B16."

"Hello, ma’am!" The staffer at the property management office heard she was a resident of the villa area, and their smile became a bit more genuine.

Melody Summers set down the fruit and asked with a smile, "I just bought my house and would like to do some renovations. I was wondering if you could recommend a reliable renovation company to me?"

The employee immediately found a business card and handed it to Melody Summers. "Yes, yes, of course. Call the number on this card. They’re a professional renovation team, and many of the villa owners here have used them."

After thanking the employee, Melody Summers called the renovation company.

Melody Summers gave them her address, and the people from the renovation company arrived quickly.

A man in work clothes got out of a car and greeted Melody Summers enthusiastically. "Hello, I’m the manager of the renovation team. What can I do for you?"

Melody Summers laid out her requirements one by one:

"I need to raise the height of the perimeter walls, enclose both the front and back yards, and add a roof over them."

"The walls need to be reinforced—add steel plates inside. Make them strong enough that a car couldn’t crash through. Then, install an electric fence."

"Leave space on the roof to install solar panels. Turn the back garden into a sunroom, and the glass needs to be riot-proof."

The renovation manager was taken aback after hearing Melody Summers’s description. "Enclose both the front and back yards? Property management probably won’t approve that, will they?"

"I’ve already cleared it with property management. You just worry about the construction." ’As long as no homeowners complained, they would turn a blind eye to these things. And for now, none of Melody’s neighbors had moved in.’

’The people who could afford a villa here weren’t buying it out of necessity; they were wealthy investors. These people owned multiple properties. By the time the apocalypse hit and they remembered they had a house here, Melody’s modifications would be long finished.’

"Sigh, it’s a shame to enclose such a beautiful yard." The renovation manager said with some regret, looking at the well-designed garden.

Melody Summers just smiled. She thought to herself, ’If I don’t enclose it, there’s no guarantee this beautiful house will still be mine after the cataclysm begins.’

Melody Summers thought for a moment then added, "Leave a large basin in the backyard and install a water filtration and purification system. The villa’s electricity consumption will be very high after I move in, and I also want to install central air conditioning in the yard. I’ll need you to re-inspect the entire electrical system and see if we need to upgrade the power capacity."

The renovation manager was left completely dumbfounded. He muttered, "I really don’t get you rich people..."

But in the end, it was the client’s request. The manager didn’t try to persuade her further and immediately started making calls to draw up plans, schedule workers, and order materials.

A short while later, two more vehicles arrived. A few workers got out and gathered around the manager to discuss the design and how to begin construction.

Melody Summers thought for a moment, then went to find Hollis, the sales agent who had helped her earlier.

"Hollis, here’s the thing. My yard is being renovated right now, but my family and I can’t come over until tomorrow. I was hoping you could help supervise for the day. I’ll give you a red envelope to compensate you for your time."

Hollis quickly replied, "No problem, Miss Summers. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep a close eye on things for you."

Selling this villa had earned Hollis a huge commission, so he was very grateful to Melody Summers. Besides, no one was looking at properties right now anyway, so he was more than happy to supervise the renovations for a day.

With Hollis keeping an eye on things, Melody Summers drove the small truck back to the rental center, exchanged it for a large one, and went straight to a cattle cooperative.

An employee at the cattle cooperative helped Melody Summers load the eight cattle she had ordered the day before. Then, Melody drove the truck to a deserted area and sent the cattle directly into her space.

[Cattle received. Total: 8.]

[The cattle have been placed in the pasture.]

After the cattle were settled, Melody Summers wasted no time. She drove directly to a wholesale market. The house was ready; it was time to start stockpiling supplies!

*

The high temperatures at the start of the apocalypse would cause severe water shortages, so Melody Summers first drove to a mineral water bottling plant.

She lied, claiming she was opening a farmhouse restaurant, and ordered two hundred cases of mineral water and one hundred large jugs of bottled water from the sales manager.

As she transported the water into her space, the usually silent Space System expressed its shock:

[Host, why are you buying so much water? The Arcadian Stream is the best water there is—it’s completely natural, unpolluted, and inexhaustible.]

The memory of thirst during the period of high temperatures and drought was still fresh in her mind. Melody Summers replied, "I was originally planning to go to another supplier and stock up on more, but since you put it that way, I’ll just stick with this."

However, after a moment’s thought, Melody Summers still bought several distillation kits, just in case.

After buying the water, it was time for food. Melody Summers drove to the largest local food wholesale market.