Chapter 29: Eight Hundred Schemes

In a flowerbed not far away lay the corpse of a cat.

Judging by its fur color and the dirt covering its body, it was likely a stray.

The scorching sunlight beat down, making her scalp burn beneath her hat and hair.

Jiang Yan didn't dare linger. She quickened her pace toward Building A.

After noon, the Smart Home Alarm System on her phone had stopped sounding.

Jiang Yan guessed He Chunmei probably didn't dare provoke her again for the time being, so she didn't dwell on it. Carrying her things, she headed straight for the elevator.

When the elevator doors opened on the 32nd floor, Jiang Yan had only taken a few steps before witnessing an utterly bizarre scene she would never forget.

Over a dozen people—men, women, children, even a pregnant woman—packed the narrow hallway outside her door.

As if acting on a unified command, the moment her figure appeared around the corner from the elevator lobby, all eyes instantly snapped toward her.

Their gazes held expectation, flattery, hostility, disdain, resentment, wariness, and vigilance.

"..." Jiang Yan froze for a moment, but the sight of He Chunmei and Zhang Qiqi at the front of the crowd made everything click in an instant.

The two of them really were birds of a feather—equally despicable and perfectly matched!

Jiang Yan couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

No.

To be precise, it was a breath of stifling, fifty-degree air.

She inhaled not because she was shocked by the sheer number of people, but to suppress the fury that threatened to send her lunging forward to pummel Zhang Qiqi.

"Little sister, you're finally back~ We heard you have two big air conditioners in your place. Everyone was wondering if we could stay with you for a couple of days?" He Chunmei stepped forward first, all smiles.

Earlier, she had badmouthed Jiang Yan behind her back plenty, and the lingering fear from the electric shock had left her seething with hatred.

But with Jiang Yan just returning and so many neighbors watching, she couldn't start off with outright hostility.

If Jiang Yan, intimidated by the crowd, agreed to let everyone inside to enjoy the air conditioning, and He Chunmei foolishly offended her, wouldn't that just hand the advantage to others?

And if Jiang Yan refused, then He Chunmei could play the "courtesy before force" card, giving her justification to rally everyone against her.

Jiang Yan ignored her words. Instead, she stopped in her tracks and swept a cold gaze over the crowd before demanding,

"I'm going back to my own home. Are you all really planning to keep blocking the way?!"

Her sunglasses hid her expression, but her voice carried an icy, commanding pressure.

The crowd faltered, their eyes shifting almost in unison toward He Chunmei and Zhang Qiqi, their apparent leaders.

The moment Zhang Qiqi heard Jiang Yan's voice, her heart lurched—why did it sound so familiar?!

And that figure, the nose and chin... it was all too much like that wretched Jiang Yan!

Before Mother Jiang was murdered, Zhang Qiqi had secretly observed Jiang Yan up close several times under Song Deming's arrangements.

But Jiang Yan and her mother had been completely in the dark. Even if they had passed each other face-to-face, they would never have known Zhang Qiqi existed.

Besides, Jiang Yan had been something of a public figure—a minor internet celebrity.

To thoroughly investigate Mother Jiang and her, Zhang Qiqi had followed her on a burner account, becoming an unapologetic anti-fan.

But she quickly convinced herself otherwise.

A billionaire heiress on the run from the law—how could she possibly be living in this rundown old neighborhood?!

Thinking this, Zhang Qiqi put on a friendly smile and made her offer:

"Little sister, how about this—we'll set a price. Each person staying temporarily in your home will pay you a fixed rate, okay? With hotels with air conditioning raising their prices now, we'll match that. How about 500 per person per day?"

The moment she finished speaking, everyone was stunned: 500?! That's daylight robbery!

Had Zhang Qiqi suddenly lost her mind?

This wasn't what they'd all agreed on earlier!

Even He Chunmei couldn't help but glance at her: Who would've thought this girl had eight hundred tricks up her sleeve.

What they didn't know was that this was Zhang Qiqi's little scheme to stir up resentment among the crowd.

Besides, she had no intention of squeezing into a room with all those elderly folks.

By setting the bar higher, fewer people would enter, ensuring more comfort for her and her son.

"Xiaofei, go persuade the pretty sister," Zhang Qiqi added, lightly patting her son Song Xiaofei's shoulder.

Song Xiaofei looked at Jiang Yan and was about to step forward when she abruptly turned and walked toward the elevator, quickly pressing the call button.

In their high-rise building, the elevator would remain parked on the top floor if no one used it.

Jiang Yan entered the elevator and pressed the door-close and ground-floor buttons.

Everyone stared at her retreating back in disbelief for a second: "She's just leaving like that???"

He Chunmei sneered, "Don't worry, she'll be back sooner or later!"

With that, she pulled Zhang Qiqi to the window, their eyes locked onto the garden below.

"Call us when you see the elevator indicator light up on your side!"

"Got it!"

Meanwhile, Jiang Yan soon reached the ground floor.

But instead of exiting the building, she swiftly slipped into the walking staircase.

In those few seconds, she had already devised a plan.

Calling the police in that situation was clearly unrealistic—the stations were overloaded and unreachable.

Forcing her way back home wasn't feasible either.

Her dimension was stocked with all kinds of weapons, but since this wasn't the full-blown Apocalypse yet, she couldn't exactly whip out a machine gun and go "biubiubiu."

Additionally, while the dimension had enhanced her physical abilities, the others currently had strength in numbers.

Even the best fighter couldn't take on a mob, and she couldn't guarantee victory.

There was, however, the jetpack flight suit she'd just acquired today in her dimension.

She'd seen it on Bear Grylls' survival show.

Fully fueled, it could fly for eight to ten minutes, reaching altitudes of up to 1,800 meters.

She could easily find a place to rest and then sneak back home through the window at night when no one was watching.

After all, she could open the window remotely via her smart home system.

But fleeing now would be the worst move.

The kind get bullied, the tame get ridden.

If she let them think she was scared or backing down, these incidents would never end—only escalate.

She had to teach them a lesson they wouldn't forget!

And as for that Zhang Qiqi, who'd practically served herself up for humiliation—she'd be the first to face the consequences.

Jiang Yan glanced around, confirming no one was nearby, then with a thought, retrieved a German-made "V-Max" lithium chainsaw from her dimension.

Its blade stretched a full 1.5 meters, and its power was formidable.

Of course, it was also quite heavy—nearly eight kilograms.

With a gentle press of the switch, the gleaming saw blade began spinning at high speed, accompanied by the piercing, buzzing roar of the motor.

Jiang Yan was quite pleased with the intimidating effect.

A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she carried the "mighty" tool upstairs with one hand.

Seeing the elevator slowly ascending from the first floor toward the thirty-second floor again, Song Xiaofei shouted excitedly:

"Mom, that older sister seems to be coming back up!"

(End of Chapter)