Chapter 62: Persona Shattered

“Bang!”

“Clang!”

“Clatter!”

...

The residents from the lower floors were the first to throw their weapons into the corner, and Gao Dazhuang’s group quickly followed suit.

Liu Dahong glanced at the dark muzzle of the gun in Jiang Yan’s hand, and a plan formed in his mind. He tossed his steel crowbar aside with a loud “bang” as well.

Once he gave up resisting, the others immediately followed suit.

On the other side, Sun Jingtao, seeing this, kept an eye on everyone while quickly bending down to gather up the pile of weapons in the corner. He carried them all to the doorway of apartment 3201.

With a gun in her hand, Jiang Yan already exuded an aura that could hold off an army single-handedly.

Now that Sun Jingtao had collected all the weapons, any hope the others might have had of making a move later was completely cut off.

Many of the weapons still had fresh bloodstains on them. The sight was not only gruesome but also sent a chill down one’s spine.

After finishing, Sun Jingtao stood next to Jiang Yan, gripping a bone-cutting knife. He was careful to keep a respectful distance, making sure not to cross into Jiang Yan’s safety zone.

Jiang Yan glanced at him but said nothing.

Meanwhile, Liu Dahong and his group glared at Sun Jingtao, their eyes full of rage, but none dared to say a word.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Ye Qing was about to turn on the display screen when Liu Dahong suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud “thud.”

Everyone: “...”

Gao Dazhuang and his crew were so shocked their jaws nearly hit the floor.

The other property management guys exchanged baffled looks, not sure what Liu Dahong was up to.

But then Liu Dahong frantically gestured for them to kneel as well.

After a moment’s hesitation, they had no choice but to kneel down too, looking utterly bewildered and resigned.

“Miss Jiang, I, Liu Dahong, am willing to lead my brothers to follow you! From now on, we’ll be responsible for the security of the 32nd floor! I also have a storeroom full of food and drinking water—everything will be handed over to you to manage as you see fit!”

A real man knows when to yield!

With the rain pouring endlessly outside, those with supplies were few and far between.

What’s more, he was offering up an entire storeroom’s worth of supplies.

Such sincerity was as clear as day to any onlooker!

He was confident Jiang Yan wouldn’t refuse.

The other property management guys, including Zhang Qiming, were all dumbfounded.

They had all sworn to never reveal the existence of that storeroom, even if it killed them.

How could Liu Dahong spill the beans in the blink of an eye?

And to top it off, he was the first to kneel and beg.

Wasn’t this just throwing away all dignity and backbone?

His persona had collapsed so completely, even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him!

Everyone was baffled.

Utterly baffled.

What they didn’t know was that Liu Dahong was actually stalling for time.

He was pretending to surrender, planning to use Jiang Yan’s gun to help himself become the overlord of Qianshui Bay.

As for Jiang Yan, she’d just be a figurehead, a powerless commander.

Once the time was right, he’d replace her, take her gun and people for himself—it wasn’t impossible.

As for the supplies, how much could a single young woman possibly use up?

In the end, the supplies would end up back in his hands anyway.

The other residents and Gao Dazhuang’s group lit up the moment they heard Liu Dahong had food and water.

But then a wave of anger surged in their hearts.

This proved that the rumors about property management hoarding official supplies weren’t baseless after all!

But with everyone wary of Jiang Yan’s gun, they could only swallow their resentment and stay put.

After Liu Dahong finished his speech, he looked at Jiang Yan hopefully.

He didn’t expect that Jiang Yan, listening to him, didn’t even bat an eyelid the whole time.

Liu Dahong: “Miss Jiang? Is that acceptable?”

Jiang Yan’s reply was icy and decisive: “No need.”

Liu Dahong: “...”

Hearing this, Sun Jingtao couldn’t help but curl his lips upward, his admiration for Jiang Yan growing even more.

With the room quiet again, Ye Qing finally asked, “Miss Jiang, shall I play the video now?”

Jiang Yan nodded.

The video started. As an armed man furtively opened the unit door, the crowd erupted in shock.

This was clearly the surveillance footage from the entrance of Building A.

Liu Dahong and his group’s faces instantly changed.

Soon, when Guan Sanqiang bent down to wedge the door shut, his distinctive flaming sneakers and six-fingered hand appeared on screen.

Unlike Jiang Yan, the others didn’t recognize the sneakers right away, but the six fingers were already well-known among the residents.

After all, the property management team at Qianshui Bay was pretty stable—there were only a handful of supervisors, and everyone knew each other’s quirks.

Most residents had lived here for years; they all knew each other well.

Normally, you could chalk this up to coincidence—maybe someone else with six fingers was the culprit.

But given the timing, the location, the extreme heat, and the near-lockdown of all communities, such a coincidence was impossible to believe.

As they watched swarms of blood mosquitoes fly in through the door and remembered their loved ones being killed, the residents’ anger finally boiled over.

Even the timid ones, whose pants were still wet, now looked murderous.

“Miss Jiang, we want them to pay with their lives!” the bespectacled man said angrily, though he was still wary of Jiang Yan’s gun and thought it best to ask first.

“Damn! So this is the truth? You property managers not only stole from us but also framed others?!”

“How can there be such shameless, heartless people in the world?! Mom, you died so unjustly, so horribly! Wuwuwu!”

“Liu Dahong, you two-faced bastard! I swear I’ll kill you today!”

“Guan Sanqiang, give me back my son’s life!”

...

Everyone was filled with righteous fury, wishing they could tear the property management crew to pieces.

But the scene was a little strange:

Though everyone was shouting angrily, no one dared to actually make a move.

After all, Jiang Yan’s gun and bullets could be very impartial—or not.

Watching the video, Liu Dahong’s mind quickly calmed down.

Before he could say anything, Guan Sanqiang, desperate to take the initiative, jumped up and shouted:

“This footage is spliced together! It’s AI-generated! It’s fake! Don’t be fooled! With those sixty, seventy-degree temperatures earlier, all the wires and cameras stopped working long ago! How could there be surveillance footage?!”

“Yeah right! Like your AI deepfake could look this real?!”

“Damn it, the property managers were deliberately reducing the population to hoard the official supplies for themselves! Ruthless!”

...

Seeing that Jiang Yan didn’t shoot when Guan Sanqiang jumped up, the others instantly grew bolder, getting up and swinging their fists at the property management crew.

The property managers weren’t pushovers either, and a wild brawl broke out.

The scene quickly descended into chaos."