Chapter 35 Liu Erlong Knocks on the Door

Everyone at the dinner table had something beautiful to reminisce about.

This meal seemed to take everyone back to the time before the disaster struck.

"Ah, if only there hadn’t been this flood."

Old Ma, with reddened eyes, suddenly sighed.

Li Lanhua also wiped her tears and said, "I don’t even know how Xiaoya and Xiaoyuan’s families are doing."

Speaking of their children, the old couple became even more sorrowful.

Cai Zhi also fell silent, exchanging a glance with his wife Wu Qian.

They were grateful that at least their family was still together.

It was also fortunate that the great flood didn’t appear in a single day but lasted for half a year.

This allowed everyone to return home safely, and their daughter could be brought back from school in time.

Even the most slow-witted people would have stocked up on some food before the disaster started.

The atmosphere at the table grew increasingly somber, and Liang Yuan spoke up: "Everyone, the disaster has already happened, but at least we are still alive, aren’t we?"

"Do you think there will be any rescue?" Ding Yan suddenly asked.

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted to this topic.

Ma Guocai couldn’t help but say, "This flood is rare, but it shouldn’t paralyze the entire country, right? There are so many ships, troops, submarines, aircraft carriers, and airplanes in the nation; I don’t think the country would lose control just like that."

Cai Zhi couldn’t help but say, "I think so too."

Ding Yan couldn’t help but say, "Then why has it been half a year without any rescue measures from the state?"

"At first, there was news, but later, they just told us to stay indoors and stockpile food. Isn’t that leaving us to deal with the hardship ourselves?"

Cai Zhi couldn’t help but say, "With so many people in the nation, maybe the state can’t rescue everyone in time? Or they’re prioritizing important figures?"

"What about planes? It’s been so long, yet we haven’t seen a single plane in the sky. Does that make sense?" Ding Yan asked.

Cai Zhi couldn’t help but say, "With the wild storms and thunder outside, it’s hard for planes to take off in such weather."

After a brief argument between the two, Old Ma looked at Liang Yuan and asked, "Xiaoliang, what do you think?"

Liang Yuan shook his head: "What’s the point of talking about this now? As long as there’s no rescue, we have to rely on ourselves."

"Right now, Liu Erlong and his people are our biggest threat. If there’s no rescue from above, we’re in constant danger."

"Instead of thinking about when the state will rescue us, let’s focus on how to overthrow Liu Erlong."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, Xiaoliang is right. Why overthink it? Even if there’s no rescue, we have to survive. Let’s deal with Liu Erlong first."

"Liang Yuan, Liu Erlong has quite a few men. What should we do?" Cai Zhi asked.

Liang Yuan looked at him, "What about the help you mentioned?"

"I went to find him today, but he wasn’t there. I’ll check again later."

Liang Yuan asked, "Do you know his exact situation?"

Cai Zhi nodded, "He and his girlfriend used to live across from us. After the flood, he stocked up on a lot of food."

"When the heavy rains continued and everyone couldn’t go out, he shared some of his food with us neighbors."

"But this also made him a target for Liu Erlong’s people."

"Liu Erlong gathered a group and started robbing people and taking over their houses. That’s when his girlfriend was raped by Liu Erlong."

"Unable to bear the trauma, his girlfriend jumped off a building. Since then, he has harbored hatred for Liu Erlong."

"But he’s been biding his time, knowing he can’t confront Liu Erlong yet, so he’s been hiding from them. He now lives in the corridor on the thirtieth floor. I occasionally meet him."

Wu Qian couldn’t help but say, "Xiaozhao seems like a completely different person now. He used to smile a lot; now, I’m a bit scared of him."

Cai Zhi patted his wife’s hand, "Anyone who has been through that would change. But he has a deep grudge against Liu Erlong. As long as we tell him we’re dealing with Liu Erlong, he will definitely join us."

Liang Yuan nodded and said, "Then contact him again later."

"My thought is, we should rally as many people as possible, regardless of age or gender. At least we need to create a significant presence."

"In times like these, numbers give us courage."

"No matter how powerful Liu Erlong is, he only has about twenty people."

"Next, we need a strategy to eliminate those small-time thugs helping Liu Erlong."

Ding Yan glanced at Liang Yuan without saying anything, but her eyes showed a hint of ruthlessness.

It wasn’t aimed at Liang Yuan, but at Liu Erlong’s group.

Old Ma and Cai Zhi exchanged a knowing look and refrained from asking what "eliminate" meant.

There were women at the table, not suited for deep discussions.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

As they were talking, they suddenly heard a knocking sound from outside.

Liang Yuan, Cai Zhi, and Old Ma looked at each other immediately.

"Li Zhiqiang!"

A low voice came from outside.

Everyone inside was instantly shocked.

Old Ma and Cai Zhi even stood up abruptly.

"Liu Erlong!"

They were all too familiar with this voice; it was Liu Erlong!

Liang Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly, noticing the surprised looks on Old Ma and Cai Zhi’s faces. Clearly, they hadn’t called him, and he felt a bit relieved.

Liang Yuan stood up and signaled everyone to be quiet, then spoke softly to Yang Mei beside him: "Sister Mei, go see what he wants."

Yang Mei’s face turned pale with fear.

But with so many people around and Liang Yuan by her side, she felt a bit braver.

"How... how should I test him?"

"Say whatever I tell you to say."

"Alright."

Yang Mei followed Liang Yuan to the door.

Old Ma and Cai Zhi quickly followed, while Ding Yan immediately ran inside and grabbed a makeshift crossbow arrow.

Liang Yuan whispered a few words to Yang Mei.

Yang Mei took a deep breath and called out through the door, "Liu Erlong, what do you want?"

Liu Erlong outside the door was stunned for a moment upon hearing Yang Mei’s voice.

After all, several times when he came to find Li Zhiqiang, Yang Mei didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.

This was the first time he heard Yang Mei speak.

Liu Erlong’s mind flashed with images of Yang Mei’s curvy, sexy figure and alluring face, and he burst out laughing.

"Oh, Sister Yang Mei, it’s rare to hear you talk to me today. Where’s your man?"

Yang Mei looked nervously at Liang Yuan.

Liang Yuan whispered again, and Yang Mei shouted, "You’re not welcome here. Watch out... Liang Yuan from across the hall will kill you."

"Hahaha, Sister Yang Mei, you’re worried about me? Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I’ve already blocked that peephole."

"Good sister, open the door for Brother Long. I’ll give you some food."

A burst of laughter erupted from outside.

It seemed like there were quite a few people outside.

Yang Mei was extremely nervous. Liang Yuan whispered to Cai Zhi, "Do you have a mirror?"

"Wait a second."

Cai Zhi quickly ran inside and brought out a broken mirror.

Liang Yuan held the mirror to the peephole to observe outside.

What he saw startled him.

Outside the door, led by Liu Erlong, stood five or six burly men.