Chapter 39: Brother Is the Best
Because of her palpitations, Zhang Qiqi's legs were trembling, forcing her to grip the stair railing with both hands as she descended step by step.
It took what felt like an eternity before she sleepwalked her way back to her apartment 701.
The moment she entered, Zhang Qiming's message arrived as if perfectly timed.
Zhang Qiming: "Dearest Qiqi, the owner of unit 3201 is named Jiang Yan—the daughter from that viral 'Missing Her' case in Anming City a while back. She's worth billions! Keep this between us! When the heatwave passes, there'll be benefits!"
"Jiang—Yan???!?!!"
Zhang Qiqi's pupils contracted at the name, her mind exploding with realization.
So the woman she encountered really was that little bitch born to Li Meizhen!
No wonder she had publicly humiliated her like that yesterday!
Damn her own stupidity for not connecting the dots sooner—she should've realized the connection immediately!!
Leaning against the door, Zhang Qiqi took several deep breaths, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.
The humiliation she'd suffered earlier, the death of her son's biological father Song Deming, and her long-standing jealousy toward Jiang Yan and Mother Jiang—
All these old and new grievances combined made Zhang Qiqi's blood boil with the urge to storm up to the 32nd floor right then.
But confronting Jiang Yan directly would be suicidal—she was clearly outmatched.
Fortunately, by tomorrow night at the latest, all residents of Repulse Bay would be relocated to the underground parking garage.
Once everyone was asleep in the communal sleeping area, taking that little bitch's life would be as easy as turning her hand.
A day ago, she might have hesitated, fearing the police or legal consequences.
But now, after just one night, neighbors had already begun throwing corpses from high-rises.
Chaos and lawlessness, the collapse of morality—it had all begun quietly at some point.
They say if you cut the grass without removing the roots, the weeds will grow back when the spring winds blow.
This time, she would eliminate the problem permanently.
With this in mind, she opened the chat window and messaged Zhang Qiming.
Her request was simple: when assigning sleeping spaces in the underground garage, place hers as close to Jiang Yan's as possible.
Zhang Qiming: "Why? I thought you two had that incident yesterday..."
Zhang Qiqi: "Brother Zhang, to be honest, I'm actually her fan. cough Better to make friends than enemies—I didn't recognize her before, otherwise I'd never have dared provoke her. Being neighbors might help improve her impression of me."
Upstairs, Zhang Qiming was still basking in the afterglow of their earlier "quality time."
At this point, if Zhang Qiqi told him to go east, he wouldn't dare say west.
Zhang Qiming: "Okay, the property management handles sleeping arrangements. Should I ask the manager?"
Zhang Qiqi: "You're the best, brother! Love you, mwah~"
The moment she hit send, she covered her mouth, gagging.
Just then, Song Xiaofei emerged sleepily from the bedroom.
Witnessing this scene, he asked timidly, "Mom... am I getting a little brother?"
Zhang Qiqi: "..."
-
Unit 3201.
After completing her strength training in the gym, Jiang Yan spent another half-hour on the elliptical machine.
By the time she finished her workout and stretching routine, she was drenched in sweat.
A quick shower later, an hour and a half had passed.
After changing into a comfortable tracksuit and tying her hair into a high ponytail, she headed straight to the adjacent multimedia hall.
Once she set up the holographic shooting range on-site, she willed a set of 4D Auxiliary Suits provided by the arms dealer—designed to complement the holographic training—from the Inventory Zone.
Wearing this suit simulated the smell of gunpowder, the 1:1 recoil after firing, and even the sensation of being hit during combat scenarios.
In short, this simple outfit was packed with cutting-edge black technology.
Jiang Yan started her practice with the smallest and simplest pistol.
Having prior experience with real firearms, she found the tutorial easy to follow.
However, knowing how to shoot and being able to aim accurately were two different things.
She stubbornly drilled for the entire morning.
She postponed the afternoon yacht training and excavator lessons.
Priorities mattered—both in tasks and in training.
Besides, firearms were life-saving tools in critical moments, so mastering them came first.
She practiced until 4:30 PM, stopping only when her right index finger ached.
She had only spent about half an hour on combat scenarios.
A pang of regret hit her—she should've played PUBG or CS instead of wasting time on Honor of Kings.
Combining gaming with real-world practice would've accelerated her progress.
But there was no use crying over spilled milk.
Jiang Yan turned off the holographic equipment, grabbed a white towel to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and went downstairs to the living room.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze stirred.
She took an NFC orange juice from the fridge and drank it leisurely before finally turning her phone back on.
The Anti-intrusion System on her tablet hadn't triggered any alarms all day.
This was expected.
So, checking the Homeowners group, browsing the news, and staying updated on external developments were now essential.
The news app, however, only displayed old headlines.
Assuming it was a bug, Jiang Yan refreshed several times—but nothing changed.
She opened her account and tried posting a status.
"Duang! Server malfunction—please try again later!" A red error message popped up.
Her brows furrowed as a sense of foreboding crept in.
She opened the Homeowners group.
The property management had sent multiple urgent notices.
A quick scan revealed the key points about the Repulse Bay underground temporary shelter arrangements:
1.
Priority for those who purchased underground parking spots. These homeowners could stay directly in their own spots. Those who bought multiple spots (e.g., four or five spots for a one- or two-person household) would follow the same rule.
While shelter management would follow property guidelines, owners with extra spots could voluntarily offer them—for free or for compensation—to others in need.
2.
Tenants with active underground parking leases would receive the same treatment.
3.
Homeowners without purchased or leased spots would be temporarily assigned shared spaces, including but not limited to: cohabitation arrangements, temporary parking spots, or civil defense shelter zones.
4.
Non-owners (renters only) would be accommodated after homeowners were prioritized.
5.
According to the weather forecast, temperatures will remain between 65 and 80 degrees for the next week. If you insist on staying in your own home, you will bear all consequences.
6.
Those who wish to seek refuge in the nearby official Air-raid Shelter must register with the property management before going. Otherwise, individuals will be responsible if denied entry.
Photos of the site were also shared in the group chat.
Within a single day, the underground garage had been completely cleared out and cleaned, with a red-striped plastic sheet laid down for moisture protection.
As for bedding and other daily necessities, residents must bring their own.
It could be described as extremely rudimentary.
(End of Chapter)