Chapter 137: A Firm Decision

Zhou Wei spoke quickly, his words concise and to the point—everything was essential information.

In just three or four minutes, Jiang Yan already understood everything in her heart.

However, Zhou Wei never once mentioned wanting Jiang Yan and her group to go rescue his son.

He was a smart man. He knew that even if he got down on his knees and begged her, Sun Jingtao, and Ye Qing, they most likely wouldn’t agree.

He only said that his son, along with the children and daughters-in-law of the residents downstairs, had been secretly locked up somewhere by Ma Longbiao and his gang.

No one knew the exact location, but it was probably a safehouse used by Ma Longbiao’s core members.

And this safehouse wasn’t just a prison.

It was also a warehouse, stocked with thousands upon thousands of supplies.

He casually mentioned that when the extreme heat first hit, Ma Longbiao’s group had also robbed a pile of gold and jewelry.

But now, in everyone’s eyes, supplies were the most precious thing.

Gold and jewels had long since lost their original value.

Yet Jiang Yan wasn’t interested in those supplies, nor did she care about playing the hero. But those jewels...

If they really existed, then this might be her chance to upgrade her space and Hua Bao.

She was only 0.4% away.

If she could get the gold and jewelry and wipe out Ma Longbiao’s gang in one fell swoop, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

After all, they were a problem for her too.

But it was a problem she could avoid if she wanted.

So, whether to go or not—she needed to think it through carefully.

She’d weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.

After Zhou Wei finished speaking, he turned and went back to 3203.

As he opened the door,

Jiang Yan saw Wen Wanli, Wang Jiamei, and Zhou Haoyue standing in the entryway.

The natural light inside was a bit dim.

Wen Wanli’s scarred hands rested gently on her lower abdomen, stroking it softly.

When she saw Jiang Yan, she paused.

“Auntie Jiang Yan...” Zhou Haoyue, hiding behind the door, stammered, but still called out timidly.

Her eyes were red, and her small face was streaked with dried blood that made one’s heart ache.

Jiang Yan smiled and gave a soft “Mm,” but in that moment, she made up her mind.

Zhou Wei hadn’t expected his family to be spying from behind the door. He gave an embarrassed laugh and closed it.

As Jiang Yan reached the door of 3204, Ye Qing opened it for her.

He probably hadn’t felt comfortable letting her be outside alone.

Tian Jiliang was awake now. With his glasses on, he could finally see everyone clearly, not just as blurry shadows.

Besides Dao Yinping, there was also a middle-aged man Jiang Yan didn’t recognize.

Su Dai was nowhere to be seen.

Ye Qing must have already told everyone about what happened downstairs, because their faces were all unusually grim.

After a brief greeting,

Jiang Yan learned that the man was an undercover agent Tian Jiliang’s group had placed among the residents downstairs.

When Dao Yinping saw Jiang Yan, he gave a wry smile and pleaded, “Auntie, why don’t you just give me a bullet and put me out of my misery?”

There was a small dried pool of blood on the floor by his feet.

His face was deathly pale from blood loss and the cold.

Jiang Yan ignored him and turned to Sun Jingtao. “Where’s Su Dai? Has her walkie-talkie made any noise lately?”

“She’s in the master bedroom, keeping watch outside. The walkie-talkie’s been silent. The rain’s gotten even heavier, so it looks like Ma Longbiao probably won’t be coming back today.”

Sun Jingtao finished, then shot Dao Yinping a cold glance. “He’s confessed a lot. But some parts are impossible to verify.”

He then summarized the key points of Dao Yinping’s confession for Jiang Yan.

After listening, Jiang Yan frowned slightly.

Some of it she’d already heard from Zhou Wei.

Their perspectives and positions were different, but when you put the information together, the whole picture became clear.

She quickly sorted things out in her mind.

When the extreme heat first hit, Ma Longbiao, who was then a property manager at the neighboring complex, received mysterious instructions from the head of Jindun Security Headquarters.

From then on, he began hoarding supplies and building an underground safehouse to withstand the heat.

But time, money, and preparation were all limited.

As the temperature kept rising, while others still hoped things would return to normal and that law and order would prevail, Ma Longbiao’s group had already realized the heat wasn’t going to end—and began looting with impunity.

Zhou Wei’s family met Ma Longbiao’s group by chance.

When Ma Longbiao and his men were robbing a jewelry store at a mall, they were attacked by a swarm of blood mosquitoes. During their escape, Zhou Wei’s family risked their lives to open a glass door and let them in.

Afterward, Zhou Wei’s group was taken to the underground safehouse by Ma Longbiao’s gang.

Zhou Wei thought they were being rescued out of gratitude.

It wasn’t until later that he realized Ma Longbiao had taken a liking to Wen Wanli, who was young and pretty.

Wang Jin was Wang Jiamei’s younger brother—not just a fellow townsman.

But Wen Wanli and Wang Jin were actually just newly acquainted boyfriend and girlfriend, not a married couple.

They’d only ended up together because the heat trapped them temporarily.

During their time in the basement, Wen Wanli was injured by Ma Longbiao while fighting off his assault.

Her life wasn’t in danger, but her intelligence declined rapidly.

As for the child in her belly, no one knew who the father was.

After Ma Longbiao had his way with her once, he handed her over to his men.

Zhou Wei’s family, forced by circumstances, chose to endure.

Then the torrential rains came.

Ma Longbiao and his men moved to this area, occupying the highest floors of Qianshui Bay.

They specifically chose Building A.

When the heat first hit, Ma Longbiao had already made arrangements with the property manager, Liu Dahong.

So when they invaded, Liu Dahong’s group turned a blind eye, and even gave Ma Longbiao a list of apartments where the entire family had died.

That made it much easier for them to “take over the nest.”

After that, Ma Longbiao’s group hid in the community, gradually luring and controlling the surviving residents according to plan.

Jiang Yan’s appearance, armed with a gun, was an unexpected variable.

As for Liu Dahong’s group’s deaths, that actually worked out in their favor.

So they quickly established a “don’t interfere with the 32nd floor” rule and kept a low profile.

But when the rain stopped, the sudden arrival of two official boats disrupted their plans again.

But with the authorities barely able to fend for themselves, Ma Longbiao’s group found new opportunities.

After that, they gradually took control of some of the children and women among the Qianshui Bay residents.

It was only then that the schemes and plans they’d made before the apocalypse began to show their true colors."