The sheer power of An Nan was simply overwhelming. One wrong move and it could easily cost her life.
Thus, Qian Ying'er paid a hefty price, spending two days with a deranged man, just to get a bottle of sleeping potion from him.
Accompanying it was a set of universal lockpicking tools.
The siblings devised a plan to use the potion to knock An Nan out, then, while she was unconscious, sever her tendons, rendering her incapable of resistance.
They would then use the lockpicks to break into her home, take her valuables, and ultimately exchange her for supplies.
An Nan was so beautiful that even if Brother Wang lost interest, there would always be someone willing to pay.
They could continuously profit from her, gaining food until she was no longer useful. Perhaps they could even sample the dried meat that Sun Peng had tasted...
The more Qian Ying'er thought about it, the more exhilarated she became. As soon as she had the sleeping potion, she urged Wei Wenbin to go with her.
Worried that An Nan might refuse to open the door, she even lied, claiming to have seen her father.
As far as Qian Ying'er knew, An Nan had a close relationship with her father—there was no way she wouldn't open the door.
Now, seeing An Nan unconscious, with all the supplies within reach, Qian Ying'er was about to burst into laughter just imagining it.
She was different from her cousin.
While he was concerned with food and other supplies, she was more interested in witnessing An Nan, that wretched woman, suffer!
The thought of An Nan trapped in her own home, at their mercy, abused and traded off to various men for supplies... the sheer despair of it all thrilled her so much that her hands began to tremble.
The siblings wasted no time, quickly retrieving the lockpicking tools and preparing to force open the door.
Qian Ying'er, with excitement in her eyes, rushed forward, eager to be the first.
However, as soon as her hand touched the door, it was electrified. Her body convulsed, her head swayed, and her limbs uncontrollably shook.
Wei Wenbin, stunned by his cousin's sudden fit, froze.
...Was she this happy? Was she already celebrating?
After a brief moment of shock, he realized: His cousin had been electrocuted!
Seeing her hand stuck to the door, Wei Wenbin instinctively reached out to pull her away, but then quickly realized he would also be shocked if he did.
Panicking, he scanned the area for something that could insulate him.
The hallway was barren, and all his tools were metal—there was nothing useful.
Afraid of being shocked, he hesitated for a moment, while Qian Ying'er was already smoking from the electric shock. Finally, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he quickly stripped off his jacket.
Twisting it into a long rope, he slipped it around her neck, tightened it, and managed to yank her away from the electrified door.
Qian Ying'er's rigid body fell backward, the back of her head striking the floor with a heavy thud.
Wei Wenbin sighed with relief and rushed to shake her:
"Ying'er, are you okay?"
Qian Ying'er kept her eyes tightly shut, showing no response.
Wei Wenbin had no choice but to slap her face: "Cousin, wake up!"
Still no response.
After a moment of helplessness, he finally remembered to perform CPR.
With his hands pressed rhythmically against her chest, he continued the compressions.
After two minutes, the wound on his shoulder from the trident was already difficult to heal, but now it tore open again, blood streaming from it.
Wei Wenbin endured the pain, pale-faced, but his cousin still showed no sign of life.
Frowning, he almost gave up when, finally, Qian Ying'er slowly opened her eyes.
Wei Wenbin, relieved, asked, "Ying'er, how do you feel?"
Qian Ying'er stared at him blankly, not uttering a word.
Wei Wenbin spoke to her a few more times, but still, she offered no response.
He frowned: Was she stunned from the shock? Or had the fall damaged her brain?
At any rate, she was awake now. Wei Wenbin didn't bother with her any longer. What mattered now was that once An Nan woke up, they'd be in serious trouble—she would tear them apart.
The immediate priority was to control An Nan.
He guided Qian Ying'er to sit by the side, pressing down on her shoulder and instructing:
"Stay here and don't move. I'll go find a hammer with a wooden handle. This door is electrified, and our tools are useless."
With that, he rushed home to find the hammer.
Soon, Wei Wenbin returned with the new tool, only to find Qian Ying'er still sitting there like a wooden doll, her gaze vacant and expressionless.
He sighed: Looks like it's up to me.
He eyed the stainless steel door and suddenly remembered there was another sturdy armored door inside. Given that their lockpicking tools were ineffective, the hammer wouldn't break it either.
So he shifted his target, just as the neighbors had done before, and began hammering the wall beside the door.
His arm went numb from the vibration, and his shoulder wound continued to bleed without ceasing.
But he dared not stop.
If he didn't control An Nan quickly, they would be hunted down and killed by her once she regained consciousness.
However, if he succeeded in restraining her, they would have endless supplies.
He was on the verge of either heaven or hell.
With grim determination, Wei Wenbin swung the hammer, his eyes burning with resolve.
Suddenly, a sharp voice called out from behind:
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Wei Wenbin quickly turned around.
Upon seeing the person, he sneered: It was the widow from the 13th floor, Chu Peipei.
He glared at her with menace: "What's it to you? Why are you yelling?"
Chu Peipei furrowed her brow: "You're smashing Miss An's door—of course it concerns me!"
She had come to deliver something to Miss An and had found this man arrogantly smashing the wall.
Though she was just a woman, and knew the world was harsh, she couldn't ignore what was happening.
Miss An was different.
Had it not been for the medicine Miss An had given her a week ago, she might already be dead.
These days, her health had improved, and she remembered the favor Miss An had done for her.
Chu Peipei glared at the man in front of her. She recalled the last time the neighbors had attacked the 14th floor—this brother and sister had been behind it.
Their hearts were filled with malice!
Now they weren't content to leave; they came back to cause more harm.
Wei Wenbin raised his hammer, his face dark with fury: "I warn you, stay out of it! Otherwise, I'll take care of you too!"
Chu Peipei, undeterred, placed the bag she was holding on the ground and drew a long bone knife from her waist.
"As long as I'm here today, you will not set foot on the 14th floor!"
She raised the knife, determined not to back down.
Wei Wenbin's face darkened: This was bad luck! The two electrified doors were already a nuisance, and now a roadblock appeared.
His cousin was sitting there like a fool, offering no help!
He cursed his bad timing, everything going wrong.
He calculated the time quickly, his eyes filled with menace: He had to deal with her fast! If not, An Nan would wake up, and it would be a disaster.
With the hammer in hand, Wei Wenbin charged toward Chu Peipei.