Chapter 141: A Gun Enthusiast Since Childhood

Sun Jingtao pondered for a second before finally speaking:

""Why don't we just split it up? After all, we did take these things back from them."" After he finished, he turned to Jiang Yan. ""Jiang Yan, what do you think?""

""Yeah, Jiang Yan, what do you think?"" Only then did Tian Jiliang realize that he'd answered a bit too hastily.

He was indeed the organizer for the remaining residents, but when it came to distributing supplies and weapons, it really wasn't his call to make.

The man called Old Liu paused, then looked over at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan glanced at the group and said, ""I suggest you hold onto the weapons for now. Don't distribute them yet.""

Everyone looked confused: ""?""

Jiang Yan turned to Tian Jiliang. ""If I understood correctly, the residents on the 31st and 32nd floors all had their families taken by Ma Longbiao's group, right? And most of the people downstairs had their kids or wives taken as hostages?""

""That's right,"" Tian Jiliang nodded.

""Exactly. The people upstairs will fight the criminals with everything they've got to protect their families. But the people downstairs, since their families are in the hands of the criminals, their actions are basically constrained. It's not impossible that they might even switch sides if it comes to that.""

She added, ""Don't forget how you got those injuries on your hands and feet.""

""Yeah, the two residents from Building C who attacked me were controlled by Ma Longbiao's gang. The knives they used were given to them by Ma Longbiao too."" Tian Jiliang looked a bit embarrassed, but he didn't try to hide it.

""So, if Ma Longbiao and his people come back, I won't expect the downstairs residents to help us, but at the critical moment, I definitely don't want them dragging us down,"" Jiang Yan said bluntly.

""I agree with Jiang Yan!"" Ye Qing chimed in.

Sun Jingtao quickly caught on as well.

Old Liu and Tian Jiliang exchanged a look, both feeling a bit of lingering fear. ""Alright, I'll go downstairs and have them bring the weapons back up.""

He then asked, ""By the way, it's getting dark soon. We can't slack off on defense downstairs. Xiao Zhang and Xiao Liu can't see much from the stairwell anyway. Should I bring them down with me?""

He didn't really need to ask so formally.

After all, they were all neighbors who saw each other every day.

Even though he'd heard rumors about the 32nd floor, it wasn't until today, after seeing Jiang Yan and the others wipe out Dao Yinping's group, that he truly felt a sense of awe toward them.

So he unconsciously became much more polite.

""Mm."" Sun Jingtao didn't correct him, just nodded.

Tian Jiliang said a bit awkwardly, ""Old Liu, could you help me downstairs too? I've been imposing here all day. Old Zhao, you should come down with us.""

He couldn't be of much help up here anyway. He might as well go downstairs to rally the residents and give them a pep talk.

Besides, it was clear that Sun Jingtao, Ye Qing, and Jiang Yan had things they needed to discuss.

He wasn't clueless.

That Old Zhao from downstairs was the ""undercover"" who'd been standing quietly to the side.

His full name was Zhao Pengfei. He used to be a martial arts coach for kids.

Who knows how good he really was, but he was definitely tougher than most residents.

Old Liu nodded. ""Alright, that works.""

Zhao Pengfei snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Tian Jiliang, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.

He should've gone down earlier.

But Dao Yinping's revelations had been so shocking that he'd forgotten to leave.

""Jiang Yan, Xiao Sun, Xiao Ye, you guys just focus on preparing upstairs. The dozens of residents downstairs are your solid backup. If there's anything we can do to help, just say the word,"" Tian Jiliang said, pushing himself up from the sofa with one hand.

Old Liu hurried over to help him.

In Tian Jiliang's eyes, Ma Longbiao's group was indeed ruthless.

But for now, it looked like Jiang Yan was on their side.

With her here, a lot of things would be easier to handle.

""I can help in the front lines too. I used to be a martial arts coach, so I've got some skills,"" Zhao Pengfei said to Jiang Yan.

He could tell that Sun Jingtao and the others really valued her opinion.

He didn't know why, though.

After all, Jiang Yan was clearly the youngest among them.

""Sure,"" Jiang Yan nodded, not refusing.

Hearing her response, Sun Jingtao and Ye Qing exchanged a glance, both feeling a sudden surge of confidence.

Old Liu stepped forward and bent down to carry Tian Jiliang on his back.

Once the door closed, the room fell silent.

Everyone's gaze unconsciously returned to Dao Yinping.

Dao Yinping curled his lips and said quietly, ""After all that I've heard, you guys do realize only the dead can keep secrets, right?""

""Speak human language!"" Ye Qing kicked him in the butt.

A wave of searing pain shot through Dao Yinping, making him grimace. ""Just kill me already!""

Jiang Yan smirked. ""Tell us everything about Ma Longbiao's group and the Golden Shield Security Company—the personnel, structure, key leaders, areas of control. I want inside information, not what's on their website. Do that, and I'll let you die.""

""I'm just a low-level grunt..."" Dao Yinping looked troubled, but still spilled everything he knew.

After listening, Jiang Yan turned to Ye Qing. ""Tie him up, gag him, and toss him in the corner.""

""When Ma Longbiao comes back and contacts you over the radio, you'd better think carefully about what you say. If you let a single word slip, I'll make you wish you were dead,"" Jiang Yan said, getting up and patting him on the shoulder.

""...Come on, lady, you said you'd let me die! Why are you going back on your word?!"" Dao Yinping looked like he was about to break down.

Jiang Yan sneered. ""With scum like you, what honor or integrity is there to talk about?""

Ye Qing tied up his hands and feet and tossed him in another corner of the living room.

There was a low cabinet there that blocked the view, and with the sound of rain, he couldn't see or hear anything, so he wouldn't be an eyesore.

Just to be safe, Ye Qing dragged over a solid wood dining chair and tied him to the back of it as well.

That way, any movement would be immediately noticed.

Dao Yinping was filled with regret.

Bashing his head against the wall was out of the question, but he didn't have the guts to bite his tongue and end it either.

Ye Qing turned to Jiang Yan and Sun Jingtao. ""Jiang Yan, Brother Tao, what's the plan now? Do we take the initiative or wait for them to come to us?""

Sun Jingtao frowned slightly. ""Let me think.""

Jiang Yan glanced at Ye Qing. ""Your moves just now, when you grabbed the gun and subdued Dao Yinping, were textbook. You seem to know your way around that shotgun too. Have you trained before?""

""Yeah, I've been a gun nut since I was a kid. I used to climb the firewall to watch a ton of instructional videos, and I did some amateur shooting practice for a while. This semester's military training class, I even got to handle real guns a few times.

As for the moves I used to subdue Dao Yinping, I learned those from Brother Tao recently—capture techniques and such.""

Ye Qing wasn't sure why Jiang Yan was suddenly asking, but he answered honestly."