Chapter 55: Stirring Up Trouble on Purpose

Thick smoke and the sound of stir-frying in a wok drifted out from the hallway—someone must have broken up wooden furniture and was cooking in the corridor.

With the power out, the smoke detectors and fire sprinklers in the hallways were useless.

The air was thick with a pungent, choking smell of smoke and fire.

Jiang Yan had actually been itching to go out for a while, but she still chose to hole up at home.

Besides, with a bunch of unknown “intruders” temporarily moving into the building, she had put aside her plan to go down to the seventh floor and get revenge on Zhang Qiqi.

After all, right now, whether it was He Chunmei or anyone else, everyone thought she had gone to the official shelter and hadn’t returned.

So, she decided to just lay low and enjoy a few peaceful days for now.

As for Zhang Qiqi, with the rain pouring down so hard, she was naturally stuck inside the building too.

She could let her bounce around for a few more days.

While everyone else was worrying about where their next meal would come from, Jiang Yan spent her days shuttling between her personal space and her safe house, busy and content.

Studying, hands-on practice, gourmet food, fitness, entertainment, gardening—her schedule was packed.

The vegetable seeds she’d sown earlier in her space had already sprouted into tender seedlings about a finger long.

Following agricultural tutorials, she picked out the stronger ones and transplanted them one by one.

She’d also sown chive and rose seeds, and now little green shoots were poking through the soil.

The flowers she’d planted earlier were also growing strong.

She figured it wouldn’t be long before they bloomed.

Jiang Yan suddenly realized that ever since she’d started growing vegetables and flowers in the black soil of her space, the whole place had become vibrant and full of life.

Maybe that was the magic of new life.

If she could raise some small animals, maybe it would feel even better.

But with the heat and the heavy rain outside, who knew if there were any live animals left to find.

She’d just have to wait for the rain to stop and look for the right opportunity to go out and see.

*

That morning, just after breakfast, she heard some intermittent static from the surveillance feed and quickly grabbed her tablet.

The noise was coming from the 20th floor.

The previously empty elevator lobby and hallway were now packed with people.

Men, women, old, and young—all sorts.

Some had laid out bedding and tents in the elevator lobby.

A smaller group was standing, gathered around the door of unit 2003.

Judging by the angry looks on everyone’s faces, there had probably been a conflict.

Jiang Yan switched the feed to single-screen mode, put on her Bluetooth earphones, and turned up the volume a bit.

“Zhao Xiaobo, what the hell gives you the right to live in Sulaifu’s apartment?! Even if their whole family died a few days ago, you can’t just take over someone else’s place!” The voice was deep and aggressive, coming from a tall, square-faced, sharp-eyed middle-aged man.

He was well-built, with a black-and-red tattoo on his arm.

Though his hair and beard were scruffy, he didn’t look at all like someone who’d been hiding underground, starving for twenty days.

Several men and women of similar age stood beside him.

A few of the men were holding kitchen knives, sharpening rods, large wrenches, and small hammers—makeshift weapons, but they looked menacing and dangerous.

The women were either holding children or dragging suitcases.

It looked like three or four families had banded together.

“Come on, Gao Dazhuang, the place was empty anyway. Weren’t you just trying to pry the door open yourself? Don’t act like you’re any better than us!” The man inside, Zhao Xiaobo, had a head of messy curls and wasn’t backing down at all.

His wife and child had died just yesterday, and he was burning with rage.

He gripped a meat cleaver tightly in his hand.

“Yeah, why can’t we live here?! Tons of people from the first and second floors have moved into empty apartments! Why don’t you go yell at them?! Damn it! You think we’re easy targets?!” This time it was another curly-haired young man, probably Zhao Xiaobo’s younger brother, cursing angrily.

Both men were fuming, not noticing that the people across from them were itching to use their weapons.

Gao Dazhuang flexed his wrists and sneered, “I’ve got my eye on the twentieth floor, so what?!”

“Come on, Dazhuang, these two idiots are just asking for it! Why bother arguing? Either way, we’re taking this place—whether they let us or not!” Another man with a bowl-cut scowled and raised his hammer, swinging it viciously toward the door.

With him taking the lead, the others lunged forward like starving wolves.

Some of the women behind them flinched or quickly covered their children’s eyes.

“Thud!”

“Bang!”

“Aaagh!”

“Bang!”

...

Amid screams and the sound of heavy blows, blood and flesh splattered everywhere.

The stench of blood spread through the damp, moldy air.

“Damn it!”

“You killed my brother, I’ll fight you to the death!”

“Ahhh!”

“Thud!”

“Bang!”

...

Those camped out in the hallway shrank back against the wall at the gruesome scene.

Those in tents trembled and silently zipped up their tents.

A few people just stared blankly, numb and calm.

In less than a minute, the two curly-haired men were dragged out by Gao Dazhuang’s group, covered in blood and limp.

Zhao Xiaobo’s head was caved in, half his skull shattered, white brain matter stained red and dripping onto the floor.

“Old Four, open the window!”

Someone ran over and opened the corridor window.

Boom!

Raindrops as big as beans, carried by a cold wind, rushed in.

Thud! Thud!

The two fresh corpses were tossed straight into the water below.

The bright red blood quickly spread, but was soon washed away by the pouring rain.

“Damn! The living room floor’s covered in blood—what bad luck!”

“Dazhuang, I was too impulsive just now. If I’d known, I would’ve dragged them out before dealing with them,” the bowl-cut man said with an awkward laugh.

“How? They had weapons too!” another man replied.

“Forget it, let’s go in. Later, mop the floor,” Gao Dazhuang ordered, about to step inside.

Just then, a sweet, coquettish voice called out from down the hallway.

“Oh my, Dazhuang, with all your families crammed into that apartment, isn’t it a bit tight? Since you’ve made it up to the twentieth floor, why not go a little higher and settle it all at once?”

Jiang Yan’s eyes darkened as she heard the all-too-familiar voice.

Tomorrow, it’s time for a showdown. Darlings, keep voting for me! (≧▽≦)"