Building 8, Unit 2, Apartment 801.
Xue E sat on a small stool. In front of her was a simple stove made of stones, a pot of water boiling on top.
She heard a bloodcurdling scream from the hallway outside.
A flash of satisfaction crossed her eyes.
She had met Gao Qiang on a "message in a bottle" app.
They werenât very close, but they had met up privately a few times. She didnât know what Gao Qiang did for a living, but it probably wasnât a legitimate, stable job.
The result of their first meeting had left her rather dissatisfied. In bed, Gao Qiang was the complete opposite of his name, which meant "High and Strong." He was even worse than Liu Changgen. She wondered if men liked to name themselves after the very things they lacked.
After that, she wanted nothing more to do with him, but it turned out Gao Qiang had secretly taken photos of her during their first encounter.
He used the photos to blackmail her into meeting him a few more times.
She was clever enough to realize this couldnât last. Figuring it was only a matter of time before something went terribly wrong, she threatened to call the police on him, and that finally made him stop contacting her.
After her husbandâs death, left a widow with a child, she wanted revenge on Qin Ziwen and had no choice but to contact Gao Qiang again.
In her heart, she hated both Gao Qiang and Qin Ziwen. She even resented Deng Guang.
She believed that if Deng Guang hadnât insisted on associating with Qin Ziwen, things would never have reached this point.
As far as she was concerned, sheâd be happy to see any of them die.
BEEPâ
The door lock chimed.
The lock cylinder turned, and the living room doorknob was pushed down.
Xue E whipped her head around and looked at the door. "Whoâs there?!"
The door swung open.
Gao Qiang, wearing a baseball cap, stood outside, looking at Xue E with a complicated expression.
A sense of foreboding rose in Xue Eâs heart. "You... What are you doing here?"
If Gao Qiang had come to see her under normal circumstances, he would have just knocked.
"Iâm here to see you about something," Gao Qiang said, striding quickly toward her.
His right hand was in his pocket. The moment he was close, he whipped it out, gripping a small knife, and lunged forward.
The blade sank into Xue Eâs chest, but a thick layer of fat stopped it from reaching her heart.
Xue E staggered back two steps, grabbed the pot of boiling water, and viciously threw it in Gao Qiangâs face.
Gao Qiang threw up an arm to shield his face. The scalding water splashed onto his arm and cheek.
He hopped around in agony from the burn.
Xue E used the opportunity to run toward the kitchen for a knife, but after just two steps, a sharp pain flared in her chest.
Gao Qiangâs stab hadnât been fatal, but it had damaged her blood vessels and muscles.
Gritting her teeth against the tearing pain, she staggered forward a few more steps.
However, the wound in her chest slowed her down.
Behind her, Gao Qiangâs heavy breathing was getting closer.
Xue E grabbed the kitchen knife from the cutting board. At almost the same instant, a large hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"You bitch!" Gao Qiangâs voice was seething with rage. "This is all your fault! All your fault!"
He stabbed her from behind, plunging the knife into her lower back.
Xue Eâs vision went black, and she nearly passed out.
The cold blade ground and twisted inside her kidney.
All the strength drained from her body like a receding tide.
Her mouth fell open, her legs gave way, and she crumpled to the floor.
"AhâDonât touch my mom!" a voice roared from behind him.
BANG!!!
Gao Qiang staggered violently.
Liu Zhuang stood there, holding a small stool with both hands. His eyes were red, the terror still etched on his face.
Gao Qiang touched the back of his head. His fingertips came away red. He turned to look at the boy, who was about his height, and his expression twisted into a savage snarl.
"You little shit, youâre really asking for it."
Gao Qiang rushed over, grabbed Liu Zhuang by the collar, and slammed him hard against the wall.
Although they were about the same height, Gao Qiang was clearly a lot burlier than Liu Zhuang.
In a contest of strength, Liu Zhuang was at a clear disadvantage.
âMight as well kill two as one.â
Gao Qiangâs eyes turned bloodshot.
He repeatedly stabbed the small knife into Liu Zhuangâs stomach.
Liu Zhuang gripped Gao Qiangâs sleeve tightly, his eyes fixed on him.
The stare made Gao Qiang increasingly unnerved.
"You little bastard, stop looking at me! If you want to blame someone, blame your mother for pissing off the wrong people."
Gao Qiang closed his eyes and plunged the knife into Liu Zhuangâs neck.
Liu Zhuangâs body went stiff.
Seeing this from the floor, Xue Eâs eyes nearly split with rage. A sudden surge of strength flooded her from an unknown source, and she felt as if the pain in her body had vanished.
She scrambled up from the floor, grabbed the kitchen knife from the cutting board, and swung it down at the back of Gao Qiangâs neck.
Gao Qiang sensed the movement behind him. âHow could I fall into the same trap twice?â
He twisted to dodge, but Liu Zhuangâs hands were clamped around him like iron hoops.
He only had time to turn his head slightly before the blade landed on his shoulder. The blow was so painful that Gao Qiang almost fainted.
He turned his head in disbelief. âShe was stabbed that badly, and she can still get up?â
...
The half-closed door was pushed open.
Qin Ziwen walked into Apartment 801.
Gao Qiang, Xue E, and Liu Zhuang were all lying on the floor.
The floor, the wallsâblood was splattered everywhere.
Gao Qiang opened his blood-caked eyes, his lips moving.
"Help... help me... I finished..."
Qin Ziwen crouched down, reached into Gao Qiangâs pocket, and pulled out a small black box.
Gao Qiang tremblingly raised a blood-soaked hand, trying to grab Qin Ziwenâs leg.
The boot moved away, and his fingertips brushed against Qin Ziwenâs pant leg.
Stepping out of the room, which reeked of blood, Qin Ziwen tilted his head back and breathed in the fresh air of the hallway.
âThe stench in that room was too much.â
Deng Guang looked at Qin Ziwen with a newfound sense of awe and fear.
In Apartment 802, Xiao Xuemei, who had opened her door upon hearing the commotion, covered Deng Wenâs eyes.
Deng Wen grumbled in protest, "Whatâs the big deal? Itâs just dead people. Itâs not like I havenât seen them before. But who was that man who broke into Liu Zhuangâs apartment?"
Qin Ziwu hurried out of the room and whispered in Qin Ziwenâs ear, "Brother, itâs all been cleaned up."
Qin Ziwen patted his younger brotherâs shoulder.
Deng Guang looked worried. "This whole thing got way too big today. I donât think we can keep it under wraps."
Qin Ziwen, however, was calm. "Weâve done nothing wrong. Whatâs there to worry about? If you arenât ruthless, people will always think youâre an easy target."
"Take this time, for example. Why didnât he rob someone else? Why did he come for my family? Is it because Huang Tao has no food? Or Renhe Hall has nothing of value? No, itâs because they thought we were easy prey."
"Since we canât hide it, we wonât."
Deng Guang took a deep breath. He thought about the person heâd knocked down with the club. The man hadnât seemed to be breathing when they came upstairs just now. He didnât know if he was the one whoâd killed him, and the thought still made his heart pound with fear.
Qin Ziwen said, "Letâs clean up the scene. But there are a lot of bodies. Itâll be hard for just the few of us to move them."
The hallway was silent. The residents on every floor had either heard the commotion or sensed something was wrong and were hiding in their homes.
"Xiaowu, go knock on doors. Ask our neighbors in Unit 2 to come out and help clean up the scene. Sister-in-law, you go to Building 6, Unit 2, Apartment 201 and get Guo Xiaochun."
Deng Guang whipped his head around. âSeriously? This arrogant? Calling the neighbors to come clean up a murder scene?â
Qin Ziwen explained, "Brother Deng, Iâm thinking about this in two ways. First, we need to get our version of the story out there immediately. Controlling the narrative is crucial. If we donât seize it, someone else will. We canât let people with ulterior motives slander our names. We are the victims here. Someone tried to break in and rob us, and we were forced to fight back."
"Second, we can use this opportunity to get to know our neighbors in Unit 2. As for the things in Apartment 801, the neighbors can take whatever they want. Once theyâve taken something, theyâll be on our side."
...
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