Chapter 132: The Well

An Nan explained, “It’s only my first day here. I’m exhausted from the journey and would like to rest first. I’ll join the next mission.”

She was here to kill, not to be used as someone else’s tool.

Gu Zhiyu, standing beside her, stayed silent.

Seeing this, Hou Jianming didn’t press further. He just said, “That makes sense. You two just arrived, and there will be plenty of chances to serve the community in the future. For today, just rest.”

An Nan smiled. “Thank you for your consideration, Boss.”

If all it took to avoid work was a few nice words, she could handle that.

Hou Jianming nodded in satisfaction.

Not bad. The girl was beautiful and sensible. If only he could...

He subconsciously straightened his hair and scrutinized An Nan’s delicate face.

Then his gaze shifted to the dog on the ground, and he put on what he thought was a warm, friendly smile.

“Miss An, you’re not only beautiful, but your dog looks strong and healthy too! All muscle! But...”

He looked in confusion at the thermal suit on Fugui.

Why is this dog wearing flesh-colored stockings?

Miss An is so pretty, but her taste is a bit... unusual...

He paused, deciding not to comment further.

So what if she likes to dress her dog in stockings? It didn’t affect her beauty or abilities at all.

Fugui wrinkled his nose at the scrawny monkey of a man sizing him up.

Ignorant ugly thing! Suddenly coming over—so ugly it offends me!

What’s the big deal about wearing a flesh-colored thermal suit? My handsome brother didn’t make a fuss, but look at you, ugly monkey, making a scene!

He turned his head away and shuffled closer to Gu Zhiyu.

Hou Jianming didn’t care about the dog’s indifference and continued to try to charm An Nan.

He put on a perfectly measured smile, looking every bit the gentleman. “I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t disturb your rest, Miss An. If you need anything or feel uncomfortable, just come to me. I’ll help you.”

With that, he glanced thoughtfully at Gu Zhiyu beside her, then turned and left.

An Nan watched him go, then glanced at the expressionless Gu Zhiyu.

Now she was truly convinced: the real power behind the mountain base wasn’t the Gu Corporation.

Gu Zhiyu, the president of Gu Corp, was standing right here, and Hou Jianming hadn’t recognized him at all—he kept calling him “Brother Youcai”...

An Nan asked Gu Zhiyu, “What are you planning to do about him?”

Gu Zhiyu took a disinfectant wipe from his pocket and carefully wiped his hands. “Kill him.”

Huh?

An Nan was puzzled. “Just because he’s using your name to throw his weight around?”

This man was even more ruthless than she was.

Gu Zhiyu watched Hou Jianming getting into his car, his phoenix eyes narrowing. “Not just that.”

An Nan was curious. “Oh? What else did he do to offend you?”

But Gu Zhiyu didn’t elaborate. He tossed the wipe and looked down at her. “Want to go for a walk?”

An Nan thought for a moment and agreed. “Sure.”

She couldn’t sleep anyway. She might as well look around the base—know your enemy and yourself, and you’ll never lose.

Gu Zhiyu wasn’t even wearing a thermal suit and wasn’t afraid of the heat. She and the dog were both suited up, so they had nothing to worry about.

As for why Gu Zhiyu was determined to kill Hou Jianming, if he didn’t want to say, she wouldn’t ask. It was to her advantage anyway.

If he really could get rid of Hou Jianming, it would make it much easier for her to deal with Zhu Dazhuang.

An Nan had already noticed that the entire cohesion of the mountain base centered on Hou Jianming. Without him, this place would fall apart.

Even Zhu Dazhuang, the second-in-command, followed his lead.

The two of them, plus the dog, strolled outside.

As they passed the outer villas, they saw blood and corpses everywhere.

Some people were crying over bodies, others were methodically collecting the dead.

An Nan’s attention was drawn to the group collecting corpses.

They worked in teams, using specialized tools—picking up, collecting, carrying, wiping down—moving in perfect sync, as if they’d done it countless times.

An Nan said to Gu Zhiyu, “These people are really professional at collecting corpses!”

A man nearby, busy cleaning the ground, chimed in, “Of course we are! Ever since we came to the base, our daily job has been collecting bodies everywhere.”

An Nan was surprised. “Collecting bodies everywhere?”

“Yeah! The base leaders are kind-hearted. Out of humanitarian concern, we help collect the bodies of those who died nearby. At least we have something to do—earning our keep.”

An Nan asked, “So where do you bury them after collecting?”

“We don’t bury them. There are people assigned for that. We just collect and transport.”

With that, he went back to work.

An Nan and Gu Zhiyu exchanged a glance and followed another group carrying corpses outside.

They walked a while, arriving at a secluded spot where the team set down the bodies and left.

By now, the clearing was already piled with remains.

The two of them stood in a corner, watching. Before long, eight or nine people arrived and started packing the bodies into boxes.

An Nan noticed one of them was the kitchen auntie who had delivered their food the other day.

It was obvious where these bodies would end up.

Thinking of the cumin beef slices from that day, An Nan felt lucky she hadn’t eaten carelessly.

She’d been suspicious at the time. In this situation, where would they find so much pork and beef to feed everyone?

Hou Jianming was ruthless—using meat picked up off the streets to feed his people, just to show off his wealth and generosity.

Cannibalism—if anyone caught prion disease, it would be a disaster.

The fatality rate was 100%.

The two quietly slipped away and continued walking.

Gu Zhiyu seemed unsurprised, as if he’d expected this, and was purposefully searching for something.

An Nan couldn’t help but ask, “What are you looking for?”

Gu Zhiyu checked their surroundings carefully as he replied, “A well.”

“A well?” An Nan’s eyes lit up as she suddenly understood.

Of course! A well!

No wonder he was a CEO—he immediately thought of the most crucial thing.

If they could control the water source, wouldn’t they hold the power of life and death over the base?

Whether there were a thousand or three thousand people, everyone needed water.

Even if the outer residents weren’t given water, they’d still need it to cook their porridge, right?

She followed Gu Zhiyu, mentally tallying up the medicines in her storage.

She’d hoarded all sorts of drugs from pharmacies and factories—she needed to find one that could knock people out if added to water.

As An Nan was thinking, Gu Zhiyu suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her back a few steps.

Startled, she saw him also yank Fugui’s leash, pulling the dog back, then make a “shh” gesture.

Gu Zhiyu had found the base’s well—it was in an alley just ahead and to An Nan’s right.

The alley was narrow and hidden. Most people would pass by without noticing, let alone guess there was an inconspicuous well inside.

At that moment, four tattooed thugs were standing guard in the alley."