A swift and decisive victory in the early stages, a post-apocalyptic survival story in America!

His clothes were all by the pool. After thinking for a moment, Li Qi simply went to the door naked and opened it.

Outside the gate, three security guards stood under the porch. The one in the lead was Harry Brandt, the white deputy security captain.

Because the door blocked his view, Harry couldn't see Richie's body, but he still immediately noticed the change in Richie's face.

Harry was slightly surprised that he looked much better after not seeing him for a few days, but he didn't think much of it.

There are many reasons why a person's face can change like this, such as swelling, excessive dehydration from previous weight loss that has now been reversed, or recent cosmetic surgery such as hyaluronic acid injections...

Anyway, no matter how hard Harry racked his brains, he couldn't figure out what had happened to Richie.

"Dear Harry, is something the matter?"

"Oh, Ms. Stern, we received a complaint from the neighbors saying that you were at home... um... driving an inpar..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear Harry! It's my fault. I was entertaining myself by the pool, watching my new videotape, and the sound was probably too loud!" Li Qi lied without batting an eye, accurately taking advantage of his identity and the fact that he was completely naked at the moment.

"You know, I have the body of a man but the heart of a woman. Sometimes, sigh..." Li Qi said with some sadness. It didn't seem like he was faking it at all; it was enough to make anyone who saw it feel sad and anyone who heard it weep.

With both liars and imposters working together, the effect of lying is indeed remarkable.

"We feel obligated to come and remind you when a homeowner complains. We apologize for the intrusion, but please keep your voice down. Thank you for your support and understanding!"

"I will definitely support you and understand! My God, William will hate me to death if he finds out!"

Harry smiled gently: "Don't worry, Ms. Stern, we will keep your secret."

For some reason, this transgender woman looks much more pleasing to the eye today...

Harry, unaware of what was going on, bowed politely and then took his leave.

After closing the door, Li Qi went to the backyard and called to the women who had hidden because they heard the doorbell: "It's alright now. We were just too loud and got a complaint."

Cindy blushed. Sophia and Anna hadn't made much noise before, but she was the one who started yelling as soon as she went up, which attracted the attention of the security guards...

Li Qi didn't blame her. Ultimately, it was his own competitive spirit that caused this whole mess. He had to regain his pride by confronting Cindy.

Regardless, the mission was accomplished, and my health improved significantly, which is a wonderful thing.

Li Qi was overjoyed. He went to the poolside, picked up Sophia, put his arm around the beautiful woman's slender waist, and helped her back into the house.

There are many things I need to talk to Sofia about.

Because of her need to recover from her injuries, Sophia did not stay on the second floor. Otherwise, given her status among the girls, it would have been perfectly reasonable for her to stay in the second bedroom.

Of course, Li Qi was also willing to invite her to live with him in the master bedroom on the second floor...

In a guest room on the first floor, Li Qi held Sophia in his arms as they lay on the bed, asking her about some details of how she first met Nick Grant.

"...That year I was thirty years old. I came to the United States smuggled with my family. Because of my beauty, the smuggler bought me from my father for fifty dollars and wouldn't let me off the ship. Just then, ICE agents raided the smuggler's ship and arrested us."

Speaking of the past, Sofia still feels lingering fear.

"After being arrested by ICE, we were detained and endured a long period of darkness. Later, we were deported in batches. When it was my turn, that tall, strong agent, the one you mentioned Nick Grant, took all eight of us in the same batch to a place, and then..."

Sofia's body trembled, clearly indicating that the memory was not pleasant.

"Because my head was covered, I heard people running away, I heard gunshots. My companion and I were tied up and kneeling there. We waited for a long time before people finally came. Then I was stuffed into the trunk of a car, and after being moved several times, we finally arrived at the basement of a house..."

Based on Sophia's account, Richie roughly deduced that either Nick killed his partner and captured Sophia, or Nick and his partner killed the other stowaways, leaving only Sophia and her companions behind.

As for her companion's whereabouts, Sophia couldn't say for sure, but she was certain that when she appeared in the basement of that house, she was all alone, with no one else around.

It's impossible to confirm whether it was killed and buried or sold off in smaller quantities.

Li Qi hugged Sophia tightly and comforted her. With his soothing breath in her ear, the beautiful woman quickly calmed down and continued her story.

"Actually, before Cindy Sophie, he had arrested two other groups of people, but for some reason, they were taken away again not long after they were arrested. One of them might have been sick, but the other probably wasn't..."

Li Qi suddenly realized why there was a year difference between Sophia and Cindy.

Were there other people involved in the process?

"Then there's Cindy and Sophie..." Sophia wasn't in so much pain when she talked about the others. Clearly, after spending so many years together, she knew the two women's situations very well.

"Cindy was a famous South African model. It was 2016, and Sophie was only eleven years old. The two came to Los Angeles in search of the American Dream, and were kidnapped by Nick and brought here..."

Li Qi was curious: "Did Nick decide at that time that the two of them should record videos and do live streams together?"

Sophia nodded: "Yes, Nick saw Sophie's value; people like that are popular on the dark web."

Li Qi was somewhat speechless: "I don't think Cindy has much of an accent. Has she been here for many years?"

Sophia sighed. "Cindy has already applied for permanent residency and passed the initial screening, otherwise she wouldn't have brought Sophie here. I never expected..."

Sofia didn't say anything more.

Even eleven or twelve-year-old white girls can be seen as potential future beauties.

Such a beautiful and delicate little girl is naturally a rare find on the dark web.

Cindy, especially in her early thirties, is stunningly beautiful; with this outfit, I wonder how much money she makes…

It could be said that bringing Sophie over was the very act of bringing Cindy into a terrible mess.

"Naleen never intended to immigrate illegally. She came here only to exchange ideas, learn, and improve her cooking skills, but she was still targeted by Nick and kidnapped."

"The same goes for Anna and Tina. I've always suspected that Nick was responsible for their parents' deaths, because as long as their parents were alive, they would never have abandoned such adorable twins..."

Sophia is, after all, a level four gardener and a smart person with a mental strength of seven. This speculation is reasonable and in line with human nature.

Li Qi nodded in agreement, feeling even more tenderness and pity for the beautiful woman, and couldn't help but show her some affection.

Sofia, beaming with happiness, continued, "In the meantime, Nick brought back quite a few people, but none of them could adapt to this place and were soon taken away due to illness..."

Li Qi listened patiently, then suddenly had a bright idea and asked, "Among those people, was there a very beautiful Chinese girl?"