Chapter 56: Intimidating the Neighbors

The water level had indeed dropped a bit.

Chu Peipei remembered clearly that ten days ago, when she first went crocodile hunting, the water surface was just two centimeters below the seventh-floor window. Now, when she looked again, the water level had already fallen to halfway between the sixth and seventh floors. If it dropped a little more, the sixth floor would be exposed!

An Nan recalled that in her previous life, the floodwaters didn’t fully recede until nearly four months after the disaster struck. Now, it had been a little over three months since the torrential rain. According to the timeline from her previous life, the water level should indeed be starting to go down around now.

Seeing how excited Chu Peipei was, An Nan nodded. “The water level really has dropped.”

Both Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an were thrilled, especially Chu Peipei—her eyes were practically shining. “Do you think the disaster is finally coming to an end?”

An Nan glanced around. “Whether the disaster is ending or not, I don’t know. But you’d better snap out of it. We’ve only just entered the complex, not made it home yet.”

Right now, everyone in the residential compound was eyeing their three boats like hungry wolves. On board were the food supplies Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an had traded for, the crocodile meat An Nan hadn’t managed to barter away, and a whole boatload of loot from their recent raid. Whether it was people floating on the water or those peeking out from their windows, everyone was staring greedily at their haul.

Sensing the strange atmosphere, Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an stood up nervously.

An Nan signaled for Zhao Ping’an to take over steering the inflatable boat and keep heading home, while she herself picked up the chainsaw and revved it.

The deafening roar shattered the tense silence.

In an instant, everyone—upstairs and down—snapped to attention.

A chainsaw?!

The moment they saw it, everyone immediately thought of the infamous “female devil” in their complex—the chainsaw maniac from 14F, Building 6. The rumored fugitive who could slice people up as easily as vegetables.

People’s eyes shifted from the supplies to the three people on the boat. Only then did they notice the blood splattered all over them.

Some had thought the rumors were exaggerated, but now it seemed even these supplies might have been stolen by the “female devil” after killing someone.

Even the two followers beside her looked murderous!

Some of the more timid residents quickly shut their windows.

But not everyone was afraid of An Nan. There were still a few desperate souls itching to make a move—the lure of food was just too strong.

Standing on the inflatable boat, An Nan’s gaze was icy as she killed the chainsaw’s engine and swept her eyes around, shouting:

“If it’s not yours, don’t even think about it! If you’re not convinced, come at me! I’ll show you what it means for no one to walk away alive!”

Her voice was powerful, echoing between the buildings.

“No one walks away alive...”

“No one walks away alive...”

Someone who’s killed before has a certain look in their eyes. Many people were frightened by her aura—especially those in Building 6 who knew her reputation firsthand. They quickly backed off, terrified of attracting her attention.

A few stubborn ones just glared resentfully at their backs, not daring to make a move.

An Nan’s goal was to intimidate her neighbors with sheer presence. If she showed any weakness, she’d be endlessly harassed and never have a moment’s peace.

Of course, even if she couldn’t scare them off, she wasn’t afraid. The reason she could be so brazen was because of the Uzi submachine gun hidden in her storage space. Even if they really tried to swarm her, a burst from the Uzi would be enough to send everyone running.

After all, guns were strictly banned in China. Not just in this residential complex—even in the entire city of Linbei, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with firearms or ammunition. Even the police only carried pistols.

As long as she didn’t attract the attention of the authorities or international organizations, she was practically invincible.

And with the disaster ongoing, the authorities had bigger things to worry about than a small fry like her.

So, she looked down on all her ill-intentioned neighbors equally.

The inflatable boat quickly reached the window of Building 6.

An Nan stayed on board, weapon in hand, keeping watch, while Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an started carrying supplies inside. Once inside, the three of them worked together to haul everything upstairs, trip after trip.

Someone opened their door halfway through, but the moment they saw it was An Nan, they slammed it shut. The people in their own building were truly terrified of her. It wasn’t like they couldn’t catch fish themselves—why risk their lives provoking the “female devil”?

Once all the supplies were piled up in the 14th-floor hallway, they divided them up. The items Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an had traded for belonged to each of them; An Nan kept her share of crocodile meat. The loot from the raid was split evenly among the three.

Each got a gas canister, 100 jin of potatoes, and the rest of the dried food and snacks were split into three shares. Zhao Ping’an’s family needed snacks more, while Chu Peipei’s needed dried food, so the two traded a bit.

An Nan’s storage space had water and electricity, and she’d previously “shopped” a lot of bottled water from the supermarket, so she left most of the bottled water for the others, only taking a token few bottles for herself.

Seeing this, Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei gave her a bit more of the other supplies in return. No one took advantage of anyone else.

After dividing everything, An Nan thought for a moment and said to Chu Peipei:

“We brought back so much today, things probably won’t be peaceful from now on. If you want, you can move into 1401 across from my place. That apartment’s been empty all along.”

The 14th-floor hallway door had a trap designed by Zhao Ping’an for extra security. If Chu Peipei moved into 1401, she’d be much safer, and with both of them on the same floor, they could look out for each other.

Of course, An Nan had considered her own safety. Worst-case scenario, even if Chu Peipei turned on her, her own apartment—1402—still had two reinforced blast doors.

But if she didn’t help Chu Peipei, someone might break into her place tonight. People always go for the weakest target. Compared to the fortress-like homes of Zhao Ping’an and herself, Chu Peipei’s front door was basically paper to any would-be robber.

Chu Peipei’s eyes lit up at An Nan’s suggestion. “Really? Are you sure?”

But then she hesitated. “But what if the owner comes back? Wouldn’t I be trespassing?”

Chu Peipei still held onto the hope that once the flood receded, the disaster would be over.

An Nan couldn’t bring herself to tell her that the disaster would go on, and that the owners of that apartment were never coming back. Whether they just hadn’t returned, or never would, no one could say."