Chapter 32: This Step is a Bit Brutal

"Please, Auntie, don't kill my mom! My mom knows she was wrong! She really does! She'll never do it again! Waaaaah!"

Song Xiaofei clung tightly to Jiang Yan's leg, tears and snot streaming down his chubby, flushed face as he wailed desperately up at her.

The boy, around five or six years old, didn't understand the complexities of adult conflicts.

But whenever he made a mistake at home and was about to get beaten with a stick, these were the exact words he used.

And every time, his mother's heart would soften, making the punishment lighter.

He believed this auntie in front of him would be just like his mom.

"I—I'll never do it again! Please spare me this once..." Zhang Qiqi stammered, her face deathly pale as she trembled and echoed her son's plea.

She no longer dared to call Jiang Yan "sister," afraid of accidentally provoking her again.

Angering a lunatic never ended well.

Just like how, even though He Chunmei had been the one to instigate everything, she herself had somehow ended up in the line of fire.

Besides, even with the sunglasses obscuring Jiang Yan's eyes, Zhang Qiqi could still sense boundless fury and hatred radiating from her tone and presence.

This puzzled her endlessly.

It was as if something was hovering just out of reach in her mind—but right now, she was too hot, too terrified, her thoughts sluggish and muddled, as if her brain were stuffed with thick glue.

Jiang Yan ignored the mother and son's pleas.

Her grip on the chainsaw was iron-tight, her gaze dark and unreadable as her thumb hovered over the power switch.

After a brief glance at the surveillance cameras installed by the property management above, she suddenly lifted the chainsaw blade from Zhang Qiqi's shoulder.

Just as both Zhang Qiqi and He Chunmei exhaled in relief—

"VROOOOM—"

The chainsaw roared back to deafening life.

Under the horrified stares of all three, Jiang Yan swung the blade upward with a fierce gust of wind—aiming straight for Zhang Qiqi's ear.

"Oh god!!" He Chunmei clapped both hands over her mouth, eyes wide with terror.

Despite her fear, she didn't turn and flee back into her apartment.

This was a society governed by law.

She believed Jiang Yan, no matter how furious or unhinged, wouldn't casually commit murder in broad daylight.

Harming others only to harm yourself—only a fool would do that.

The girl might act a little crazy, but surely she knew what was truly at stake.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!!"

Zhang Qiqi squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip hard as beads of sweat the size of peas cascaded down her forehead.

She was paralyzed with fear, her legs trembling uncontrollably.

"Mom!!" Song Xiaofei released Jiang Yan's leg and rushed toward Zhang Qiqi, his face streaked with tears and snot.

But contrary to his expectations—

His mother's head didn't go flying.

Jiang Yan's chainsaw blade stopped less than a hair's breadth from Zhang Qiqi's ear.

Yet the high-speed spinning teeth had already sheared off half of the wine-red hair on the right side of her head.

Thick strands floated in the scorching air before drifting slowly to the ground.

"Snap."

Jiang Yan turned off the chainsaw, swept a glance at Song Xiaofei, and finally fixed her murderous gaze on Zhang Qiqi's face before enunciating each word icily:

"Consider this a lesson today. Next time we meet, you won't be so lucky!!"

Then she forced out a single deafening word through gritted teeth:

"SCRAM!!"

Whether it was "settling personal scores under official pretext" or "killing the chicken to scare the monkey," today's objective had been temporarily achieved.

As for Zhang Qiqi's life, she'd let her keep it a little longer.

If she wasn't mistaken, within ten days to half a month at most, with the arrival of extreme high temperatures, social order would absolutely collapse.

When that time came, how she wanted Zhang Qiqi to die would be entirely up to her.

Hearing this, Zhang Qiqi didn't dare say a word in response.

Her legs weak and her entire body limp, she hunched over, grabbed her son Song Xiaofei's hand, and immediately bolted toward the walking staircase.

In such scorching temperatures, even a few steps of running would leave one gasping for breath, but she had no choice but to grit her teeth and endure it.

After dealing with Zhang Qiqi, Jiang Yan's gaze "snapped" toward the mastermind behind everything—He Chunmei.

He Chunmei hadn't expected everything to end so quickly.

Trembling with fear, she glanced at the pile of severed hair on the ground, her heart pounding wildly.

Just as Jiang Yan was about to raise the chainsaw, the door of unit 3203 creaked open, and Zhou Guangfu emerged with a furrowed brow and a panicked expression.

"Wife, come back quickly! Dad's not doing well!!!"

Hearing this, He Chunmei gave Jiang Yan an awkward smile and said, "Little sister, I'll make up for my apology another day," before turning on her heels and sprinting away.

The old man was the family's evergreen money tree—he couldn't just die like that.

He Chunmei slipped into the house in a flash, but Zhou Guangfu remained standing at the door without entering.

With a grave expression, he looked at Jiang Yan awkwardly and said, "Little sister, I'm sorry about my wife—"

Halfway through his words, they stuck in his throat, and he couldn't continue.

Jiang Yan gave him a calm, sidelong glance, said nothing, and returned to her own unit, 3201, chainsaw in hand.

It was obvious that Zhou Guangfu had merely provided He Chunmei with an excuse to back down.

But this excuse was rather harsh.

After all, it involved using his own father as a scapegoat.

Zhou Guangfu watched her retreating figure, shook his head, and heaved a heavy sigh before finally turning to go inside.

The moment he stepped through the door, he saw He Chunmei standing with her arms crossed, glaring at him furiously:

"Zhou Guangfu, you've got some nerve! Lying to me without batting an eye!!"

Zhou Guangfu's father was currently bent over, fetching a few bottles of freshly frozen ice water from the refrigerator for his grandson.

"Wife, you should be grateful I saved you. Do you know how heavy that girl's chainsaw is? At least eight kilograms! And she was holding it effortlessly with one hand for so long.

That chainsaw nearly hit someone earlier, but she controlled it with such ease and precision.

What does that tell you? It means we can't afford to mess with her! From now on, let's not provoke her anymore!" Zhou Guangfu declared indignantly, his expression deadly serious.

"..."

Staring at her husband, who had shed his usual timidity and submissiveness, He Chunmei couldn't help but freeze in surprise.

-

Unit 3201.

Jiang Yan entered her home and casually activated the smart home system's anti-intrusion program.

Thanks to the heat-insulating materials used in the house, the temperature inside was several degrees cooler than outside.

Though it was still stifling, the temperature difference made her exposed face feel instantly cooler.

Putting down the chainsaw, taking off her sunglasses, removing the heat-resistant suit and shoes, and turning the air conditioner to 30 degrees, she collapsed completely into the soft sofa.

Exhausted.

Not just ordinarily exhausted.

She had already spent the day rushing around like a battlefield, and upon returning, she'd performed the act of "one woman against a pack of bears."

There was no way she couldn't be exhausted.