Ch19 Breaking the Law? It Was Self-Defense
"Ouch!"
Li Xiaoya forgot she was wearing open-toe high heels. The force of her kick sent tears streaming down her face.
"Mom!" Seeing Zhang Lu appear, Li Xiaoya felt utterly wronged.
The security door swung open again.
Mother and daughter both turned to look..
"Get lost!" Si Chen's face darkened.
Earlier, Wen Si'ang had said he wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't get rid of this annoying person.
Now that he'd come out, not only was the person still there, but there was another one too.
What a sicko.
And they reeked of the streets-who knew what diseases they might be carrying?
Later, he'd check if there was any alcohol at home to thoroughly disinfect the doorway.
Li Xiaoya was clearly terrified, frozen in shock.
But Zhang Lu, a seasoned veteran, wasn't intimidated by some youngster. She shielded Li Xiaoya behind her and launched into a fierce, clawing defense.
"What did you do to my daughter?"
"A grown man bullying a girl, and you have the nerve to tell her to get lost? How dare you?"
But Si Chen didn't give Zhang Lu a chance to continue. He emerged from behind the door, wielding a baseball bat.
"I'll say it again. Get lost!"
The noise apparently drew attention from the adjacent room, where a sleepy-eyed young man emerged.
"Si Chen, what's going on?" The young man spotted Zhang Lu and her daughter, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Are they here to beg?"
"Tsk tsk. I told you we don't sell food. Why do these blind fools still show up?"
Zhang Lu's face turned cold. "You're such a handsome young man, yet your words are so harsh!"
"We just came to look. If we don't buy, we don't buy. Why insult people?"
"Yang Ze, you handle this. I need to go soothe my little treasure!" With that, Si Chen slammed the door shut without a second thought.
"No problem!"
Yang Ze hadn't even finished his response before the door closed.
"Damn, how can he be so rude!"
"This attitude when asking for help? Nothing will get done!"
Yang Ze then decided to vent his frustration with Si Chen on Zhang Lu and her companion.
He cracked his neck and popped his knuckles, the loud pops echoing sharply.
Zhang Lu and her daughter, seeing this, turned and fled in terror.
"Boring!" Yang Ze sighed regretfully.
Just then, another boy emerged from the room, clearly awakened by the commotion.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing!"
Yang Ze slammed the door shut and returned to the living room, where a standing punching bag stood. He delivered a few hard punches.
Only after being yelled at by another sleeping guy inside did he reluctantly plop down on the sofa.
If you don't want noise, why yell?
Sitting on the sofa with a pout, Yang Ze began picking at the sofa cushions.
Seeing the drama conclude, Meng Ci maneuvered the remote control to send the surveillance drone up to the eighth floor. He packed up his gear and returned silently to the seventeenth floor.
"What are you doing here?!"
From a distance, Meng Ci spotted two shadowy figures lurking near his door.
He recognized one of them-the woman who had knocked on his door earlier.
The pair clearly startled, especially the hunched middle-aged man who scrambled to straighten up.
Meng Ci noticed the man hastily tucking a wire into his sleeve.
These two were actually trying to pick the lock.
In broad daylight? What law and order do they think exists?
"N-nothing!"
The pair pressed against the wall, shivering as they backed toward Meng Ci.
Meng Ci reached behind him, and a fruit knife materialized from his spatial pocket, gripped firmly in his hand!
"Freeze!"
Spotting the blade, both figures froze instantly, not daring to move.
The woman stammered, "Wh-what are you doing?!"
"Killing someone is against the law."
Meng Ci snorted coldly. "Against the law?"
"You broke into my home to rob me first. This is just self-defense."
"How is that against the law?"
Meng Ci took two steps forward, the knife already pressed against the man's throat.
The man wore glasses, looking like someone who spent his days in an office.
He was thin and frail, lacking strength, and dared not resist.
"Brother, calm down."
"We... we won't come back!" the man stammered.
For over a month, Meng Ci had spent his time either buying supplies or working out.
Combined with his height advantage and now wielding a knife, his stance was genuinely intimidating.
"Tell me. Why did you keep coming to my place?"
When the woman had arrived earlier, Meng Ci had been pondering whether he'd seen her before or if she'd spotted him during bulk shopping trips.
Otherwise, why didn't he go to Shen Que's place? Why specifically his home?
The man swallowed hard, his eyes darting warily to the knife in Meng Ci's hand.
"I... I saw the guy next door bring you food twice, so... so I came." That stormy night, the man had watched Shen Que drag two suitcases back through the downpour.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he'd sneaked out to see what Shen Que had brought.
After entering, Shen Que didn't close the door. He opened the suitcases right in the entryway.
The man watched Shen Que select items from a suitcase packed with vegetables, rice, and flour, then carry them over to Meng Ci.
At the time, the man hadn't given it much thought. He'd even secretly looked down on Shen Que, thinking he was a penny-pincher hoarding supplies.
Little did he know, he himself would soon become that starving beggar.
Two days later, the downpour continued unabated, and the household supplies were completely depleted.
With no other options, the man knocked on several doors downstairs, only to be told each time that they had no food to spare.
He then came to Meng Ci's place and witnessed Shen Que delivering supplies to them once more.
It occurred to him that perhaps asking his wife to request food might be easier.
But to his shock, he still came away empty-handed.
Another four days passed, and every last edible item in the house was completely gone.
Just then, the man's wife happened to see Meng Ci coming downstairs. After returning home and recounting the sighting, the man's courage stirred. He found a piece of wire in the house, determined to try prying the door open.
Hearing the man's explanation, Meng Ci mentally cursed Shen Que from head to toe.
He'd told him not to bring anything, yet he insisted.
And he'd been too soft-hearted-why had he accepted it?
He'd even fed Shen Que several meals.
At this thought, Meng Ci felt a pang of regret for all the meals he'd prepared.
Damn it, beauty really does lead people astray.
He sheathed his knife.
"Get lost!"
"If I catch you lurking around my doorstep again, I'll toss you down the stairs!"
"With the rain pouring outside, even if someone finds your bodies, no one will ever trace it back to me."
Clearly intimidated by Meng Ci's threat, the two nodded frantically.
"Attention all citizens, attention all citizens."
Suddenly, a loudspeaker blared outside.
The couple immediately pressed their faces against the window, peering out eagerly.
A small helicopter hovered in the sky.
Meng Ci didn't go home either, standing outside the door listening.
"Starting tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, the government will send personnel to deliver supplies to everyone."
"Residents must bring their household registration books and ID cards. If If you lack these, please bring two-inch photos of yourselves."
"We will distribute supplies according to population numbers."
Hearing this, the couple jumped up in delight.
"Woo-hoo! Lunch is on the way!"
Ignoring the person beside them, they embraced and even started kissing passionately.
Other residents, hearing the broadcast, responded with joyful voices.
But upon hearing this news, Meng Ci was filled with confusion.