Chapter 16: Don’t Mess With That She-Devil

“Okay, okay! I’ll fix it right now, I’ll fix it! I promise it’ll be as good as new.”

Liu Lao’er pleaded for mercy as he shakily repaired the lock, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Fueled by terror, he worked at lightning speed.

“It’s fixed! Sis, I fixed it for you!” He set down his tools, nervously watching An Nan’s reaction.

Seeing her lower her head to carefully inspect the lock, Liu Lao’er seized the opportunity and bolted out the door.

He tumbled and scrambled down the stairs, screaming at the top of his lungs:

“Help! Murder! There’s a murder in 1402!”

An Nan raised an eyebrow—she hadn’t expected this coward to run so fast.

She grabbed her triangular bayonet and quickly caught up, stabbing at him without hesitation.

Liu Lao’er flailed as he ran, and by sheer luck managed to avoid a fatal wound, only getting stabbed in the shoulder.

His survival instinct kicked in, and he dashed away at full speed, blood spurting from his wound, somehow making it back to the seventh floor.

The residents huddled between the fifth and sixth floors were scared out of their wits by the scene, screaming and crowding together in panic.

Before Liu Lao’er could even open his door, An Nan was already on him, knife in hand.

“Don’t! Don’t kill me!” Liu Lao’er’s eyes were wide with terror.

But An Nan showed no mercy. In this lawless, post-apocalyptic world, sparing his life would be planting a time bomb for herself—who knew when it might go off?

So she finished him off, clean and decisive.

She glanced back at the trembling residents on the fifth and sixth floors, but didn’t bother with the body. She simply turned and went home.

Liu Lao’er’s corpse was left lying in the stairwell.

After all, if you’re going to kill the chicken, you have to warn the monkeys.

In her previous life, none of these neighbors had been easy to deal with.

Order was about to collapse. Better to let them know early that she wasn’t someone to mess with.

The next day, the other neighbors finally worked up the nerve to open their doors and take a look.

Liu Lao’er’s screams last night had been deafening, waking everyone up, but no one dared to open their doors.

Who wanted to risk their lives?

Even though they’d braced themselves, the sight of blood splattered all over the hallway walls still gave them a fright.

It was like stepping into a horror movie set!

Word spread quickly throughout the complex, growing more and more exaggerated:

There was a ruthless she-devil on the 14th floor of Building 6.

She was vicious! Wielding a bayonet, she’d cut down anyone she saw! Some even said she was a fugitive on the run...

Meanwhile, when Old Lady Liu found her son’s corpse, she threw a fit in the hallway, rolling on the ground and shouting that she’d call the police.

But there was no cell signal, and the police station had long since been submerged.

So she went door to door, trying to rally the neighbors to punish the she-devil.

“That girl on the 14th floor killed someone! Isn’t anyone going to do something?”

But every neighbor kept their doors tightly shut. Are you kidding? With all that blood on the walls, who’d risk their neck for your business?

Besides, everyone knew what the Liu brothers were up to, breaking into a young woman’s apartment in the middle of the night.

Serves them right for getting more than they bargained for!

Ignored, Old Lady Liu plopped down on the floor and started cursing everyone.

“You heartless beasts! Not one of you will stand up for my son!”

“How can you all be so selfish? I’m an old woman with no one to help me!”

She yelled for an hour, tireless and relentless.

Finally, someone couldn’t take it anymore:

“What are you yelling for? If you’ve got the guts, go talk to 1402 yourself. Why try to guilt-trip us?”

This old lady was always playing the moral high ground.

In the mornings, she’d fight like a tiger for discounted groceries. Afterward, she’d get on the bus and demand a seat, cursing anyone who didn’t give up theirs.

In the complex, she’d kick at dogs she didn’t like, and if the owner protested, she’d throw herself on the ground and play the victim.

People had long been fed up with her, so they egged her on:

“Yeah, if you want justice, go find the one who killed your son. Don’t take it out on us, you bully!”

“Want us to escort you upstairs for a one-on-one chat?”

Old Lady Liu fell silent, awkwardly got up, gathered her son’s body, and went home.

My sons, it’s not that your mother won’t avenge you, but if even you couldn’t beat her, I’d only be throwing my life away!

When things finally quieted down outside, everyone scoffed: What a selfish, cowardly old woman.

Bai Wenbin and Qian Ying’er, who’d been hiding at home, were terrified by last night’s events.

They’d thought An Nan was just bluffing with her kitchen knife, never expecting she’d actually kill someone!

Originally, they’d planned to swoop in and play the good guys after the two thugs had their way with her, comforting her and then finding a way to stay in her apartment.

Once they got in touch with her family, they’d be set for life.

But all those schemes went up in smoke.

Those two useless idiots couldn’t even handle a girl in her twenties!

Now, with their food supplies gone, the siblings were anxious and angry, not knowing what to do about An Nan.

Thanks to her “first kill” in the complex, no one dared mess with An Nan for the time being.

But the Liu brothers’ incident gave the other residents a new idea.

In desperate times, breaking into someone else’s apartment could be a way to survive!

The residents holed up on the fifth and sixth floors had long since run out of supplies, and their living conditions were terrible. After some discussion, they set their sights on Old Lady Liu.

Everyone knew she was just a lonely old woman—an easy target.

So they forced her door open.

The Liu brothers had never imagined that after bullying a young woman with their strength, others would turn around and bully their mother with numbers.

Old Lady Liu heard the commotion outside and shouted through the door, but no one paid her any mind.

Soon, the group broke in.

Inside, they discovered a huge 50-pound sack of rice!

That wretched old woman—she’d been begging for food from everyone, claiming she hadn’t eaten in two days, all while hoarding a stash like this.

Shameless!

She’d even tried to rob that young woman. Got herself killed? Serves her right!

The group justified their actions as ridding the community of evil, and shamelessly took over apartment 701.

The four households from the fifth and sixth floors, after taking over Old Lady Liu’s place, found it too cramped and moved upstairs.

On the eighth floor, they found 802 empty and moved right in.

Qian Ying’er, who’d moved into 801, watched through the peephole as a group of burly men took over her old apartment. She was furious but didn’t dare confront them.

With no way to call the police, she decided to bide her time and reclaim her home—and demand compensation—once order was restored.

For now, she’d just treat it as renting out the place.

Old Lady Liu, now homeless, was just as timid. At first, she cursed and shouted, but when the intruders pulled out knives, she immediately backed down.

“Please, just let me take some rice with me, or I’ll starve to death.”

No one listened. They dragged her out and tossed her into the hallway, along with her two sons’ bodies.

With the fifth and sixth floor residents setting the example, others began to stir.

Out of food? Go take it from someone else!

Not everyone could swim, and even if they risked their lives to bring back supplies, it would only last a day or two.

So people started sneaking into others’ apartments to steal.

Those who were robbed today would turn around and rob someone else tomorrow. Chaos reigned.

Evil began to spread among the people.

The complex quickly descended into anarchy—every day brought cries, shouts, and the sounds of looting.

But everyone shared one unspoken rule: Don’t mess with the she-devil on the 14th floor.

No one knew where Old Lady Liu had gone, and the Liu brothers’ bodies were eventually tossed into the flood by the residents.

By then, they were already rotting!"