24: Jiang Fei's boyfriend?

A gunshot rang out, and the man fell to the ground.

The remaining few frantically searched for cover.

"In the north! Shoot quickly! Ah!"

Bang bang bang! Gunshots echoed one after another.

Jiang Fei paused.

She couldn't miss the opportunity to scavenge!

After waiting patiently for a while, certain that everyone outside was dead, Jiang Fei crouched and circled behind Zhu Zi, collecting the weapons from the bodies into the Supermarket warehouse.

She accidentally saw a tattoo on a corpse's neck.

It was a lily pattern with a skull in the center, its eyes and mouth growing flower stamens—eerie and terrifying.

Jiang Fei withdrew her gaze, and before she could pick up the weapons from the second body, a flashlight beam suddenly shone in.

Jiang Fei immediately squatted down and stayed still.

Splash—

The sound of water splashing rang out.

Guessing the other party had thrown the body into the water, Jiang Fei felt a pang of regret.

The weapons were gone!

Knowing there was nothing good left to salvage, Jiang Fei tiptoed to her feet, intending to slip away along the window, but the corner of her eye caught a reflection in the glass door—a figure.

The person was wearing a silver-grey assault jacket and was moving boxes onto a rubber boat.

Lu Yu?

Was he here for a double-cross, or... Jiang Fei recalled the conversation she had overheard earlier.

Those people were looking for "Ink Snake," perhaps referring to him?

Understanding that "curiosity kills the cat," Jiang Fei didn't want to get involved and quietly left the small mall.

In a room at the media company.

Jiang Fei put away the rubber boat, closed the window, and checked her haul from the night.

Besides gold, she had also obtained a pile of pots and pans, several sets of ornaments, tables and chairs, a machine gun, and 300 rounds of ammunition.

It was barely worth the trip.

Jiang Fei walked out of the room, preparing to switch shifts with Xiao Chuxia.

Coincidentally, she ran into Lu Yu returning from outside.

Lu Yu placed three boxes of supplies on the ground and said naturally, "I just searched the company again and found some food we left behind."

"I've put it here; if you need any, you can come and get it."

He hadn't expected those "rats" to be nearby, and since he couldn't sleep anyway, he dealt with them all at once.

Jiang Fei replied with a simple "Okay," not exposing Lu Yu's lie.

As long as Lu Yu didn't cause her trouble, she could pretend to know nothing.

—

The next day.

Ling Zhaorui woke up, in good spirits.

Xiao Chuxia changed the dressing on his calf: "Don't get the wound wet for a while, and keep taking the anti-inflammatory medicine."

"There might be a hardened lump where you got the vaccine, but don't worry, it will be absorbed in a month or two."

Ling Zhaorui was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears: "Thank you..."

"Benefactor, you saved me again. May I know your name?"

"Jiang Fei."

Jiang Fei was very direct: "I saved you on one condition: come back to Yulan Garden with me and teach me how to cultivate."

Ling Zhaorui was stunned: "Is that all?"

"Otherwise, what other value do you have?" Jiang Wuqing looked Ling Zhaorui up and down, speaking frankly:

"You can't carry anything, you can't lift anything, and your leg is injured. Given your condition, you're a burden."

Ling Zhaorui: "..."

The Benefactor was quite good at hitting where it hurt.

Always hitting the mark.

To make it easier for Ling Zhaorui to walk, Jiang Fei pretended to find a trekking pole at the company and gave it to him as a crutch.

Nearing noon, Jiang Fei and the others arrived at Yulan Garden.

The twelfth floor was filled with the aroma of roasted meat.

People living in the corridor were savoring roasted rats.

Someone noticed Jiang Fei's return, not only with a large pile of supplies but also with a man, and whispered:

"Who's that man with Jiang Fei? He doesn't look old and is quite handsome. Could he be her boyfriend?"

"I'm so envious of them, being able to find all those supplies."

"I thought Jiang Fengzi had died outside after not returning for a day. What a disappointment."

Jiang Fei looked over.

Everyone instantly fell silent, clamping their mouths shut.

They almost forgot, the last person who spoke carelessly had their tongue cut off by Jiang Fengzi!

Since it would be inconvenient for Ling Zhaorui and Xiao Chuxia to live together, Jiang Fei moved all of Xiao Hua Lao's luggage to 2201.

Then, she gave the key to 2103 to Ling Zhaorui, including the supplies he found at the media company.

"You'll live here from now on. Once you're better, you can teach me how to cultivate."

"This box has a flashlight, water purification tablets, and some simple daily necessities. If you need water, take a bucket downstairs to get it yourself."

She couldn't possibly take care of Ling Zhaorui like a nanny.

Moreover, he could walk with a trekking pole.

With a thud, Ling Zhaorui knelt on the ground: "Thank you, Jiang Fei."

"You saved my life; from now on, I am yours."

"If you tell me to go east, I will never go west."

"Get up." Jiang Fei didn't believe Ling Zhaorui's words.

Everything in the world changes with time.

She didn't believe in verbal vows.

Click—the door of 2102 next door opened.

Only after confirming that the people downstairs weren't there did Old Mrs. Xu come out: "Little Jiang, you're finally back."

"Yesterday, Xiao Guan and a few property management people came upstairs to smash the door you installed at the stairwell, but they didn't have tools and couldn't break it down. So they left, cursing, saying they'd find someone who could pick locks."

"You all be careful recently. Xiao Guan and property management have robbed three households on the 14th floor."

"They not only occupied their houses but also killed them."

Old Mrs. Xu sighed: "I knew those three families on the 14th floor. Sometimes when I bought too many things to carry, they would help me. It's truly pitiful."

Xiao Chuxia's temper flared: "These bastards, playing tricks behind our backs!"

"I'm going to settle accounts with them right now!"

"Don't be rash." Jiang Fei held Xiao Chuxia back and also gave Old Mrs. Xu a bag of bread:

"Thank you, Grandma Xu."

Old Mrs. Xu didn't take it: "I told you because I was afraid you might be in danger, not for anything else."

"Alright, you two go upstairs and check the door quickly."

Seeing Old Mrs. Xu refuse, Jiang Fei had no choice but to drop it, keeping this favor in mind.

After instructing Ling Zhaorui to lock the door, Jiang Fei went upstairs.

The electric door had scratches of varying depths, and the adjacent wall also had a few shallow dents.

Xiao Chuxia laughed in anger: "Xiao Guan and his crew couldn't break down the electric door, so they tried to break through the wall. They didn't even consider how thick the walls of Yulan Garden are. They really think they're rats, both thieves and burrowers."

Jiang Fei handed her backpack to Xiao Chuxia: "You two go back first; I'm going downstairs."

Understanding her meaning instantly, Lu Yu asked: "Do you need help?"

"No."

She was enough to take out the trash by herself.

—

1401 on the 14th floor.

A bonfire burned in the living room.

Xiao Guan and several property management people sat around the fire, gnawing on the rat meat in their hands.

"Have you noticed that rats have been scarcer since last night?"

"Maybe they were scared away by the fire. This rat doesn't have much meat. Xiao Guan, give me yours."

The man directly snatched Xiao Guan's meat.

Accustomed to such things, Xiao Guan merely licked the oil remaining on his fingers.

Everyone was very hungry.

A little food was enough for him.

Crack—!

The tightly shut door of 1401 cracked open, faintly revealing a sharp axe blade.

Another chilling sound.

The door was kicked open.

Jiang Fei walked in slowly, holding an axe in one hand.

"Yesterday, who all went to the 22nd floor?"