Ch56-What? Who Said I Was Leaving?
"Impossible!"
Deng Yang refused to believe it. A gun that big couldn't possibly be missed.
"Right here! Right over there! He fired it right here yesterday!"
He then led Lu Chen and the others to search for bullet holes, only to find nothing.
Suddenly, Deng Yang remembered: yesterday, the gun had only made noise-not even the sound of a shell casing hitting the ground.
It must have been a fake gun.
"You!"
Deng Yang pointed at Meng Ci but dared not continue. After all, what followed was Meng Ci threatening him over a murder!
If he continued, he'd surely be held accountable.
Deng Yang seethed with rage. Meng Ci's threats had cost him Li Ping.
It wasn't that Deng Yang was deeply attached to Li Ping, but because a resettlement site had suddenly been established nearby. Most of his people had left, and no amount of threats could make them stay.
Deng Yang also feared that threatening them too harshly might cause a commotion, attracting the military. That would expose all his past misdeeds.
Thus, he could only watch as his men and his cash cow walked away.
Li Ping had once been utterly dependent on him, making her a valuable tool for securing food.
Now, because of Meng Ci's deception, he'd lost his cash cow.
This thought filled Deng Yang with bitter resentment toward Meng Ci.
Meng Ci raised an eyebrow, deliberately saying, "My thanks, Lieutenant Lu."
"No need for thanks. Just remember-no more scaring people with replica guns."
"If I hear of such incidents again, watch your head!"
Lu Chen warned sternly.
Meng Ci nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, Lieutenant Lu. I'll remember your words."
Only then did Lu Chen leave with peace of mind.
After Lu Chen and his group departed, Zhang Mingtian approached with concern.
"Brother, Deng Yang won't let this
go."
"Why don't you come with us to the refugee settlement?"
"Stay there for a few days. If you really can't adjust, you can always leave."
He knew Zhang Mingtian meant well, but the items in the house had already been discovered by Lu Chen and his men. Some things couldn't be moved by human strength alone, and they were essential supplies.
If they went and had to use them later, it would be problematic if Lu Chen and his group discovered them.
Besides, Meng Ci didn't take Deng Yang seriously.
"No, thank you. Besides, many people have already left Deng Yang's side. He definitely can't defeat me." Meng Ci declined Zhang Mingtian's offer and saw him off.
After returning, Meng Ci began planning. With so many residents leaving, military personnel patrolled the roads constantly. Deng Yang wouldn't dare make a move during the day.
If he intended to find someone, it would definitely be under cover of night.
Meng Ci promptly decided to stake out the tenth floor. Should Deng Yang show any signs of coming out, he'd charge up, grab the man, and with two sharp clicks, take care of him.
"Knock knock!"
Hearing the knock, Meng Ci knew it must be Shen Que and went to open the door.
Seeing what Shen Que was carrying, Meng Ci realized the guy had come bearing farewell gifts too.
"This is firewood I gathered outside. Here's half for you."
"No!" Meng Ci refused. "Keep it for yourself."
"After all, conditions at the refugee settlement are unknown. You should take as much as you can."
"Besides, I'm free here. I can go out for firewood whenever I want."
Shen Que asked, "Who told you I'm going to the refugee settlement?"
"Huh?"
Meng Ci blinked, feeling incredibly awkward.
The guy really hadn't mentioned going anywhere-it was all his own speculation.
"Um, I was just guessing. Don't mind me."
"Haha, well then... wanna come in for a sit?" Meng Ci stepped aside, inviting Shen Que inside.
Shen Que held the bundle of firewood in his hands and persisted, "So... Do you still want this?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Meng Ci snatched the firewood and hurriedly ushered Shen Que inside.
Seeing the food on the table, Meng Ci felt a surge of irritation.
"Didn't I say yesterday that I'd cook for you until your arm wound heals? Where did you run off to this morning?"
"And with the rain pouring outside like that, weren't you afraid your wound would get wet and get infected?"
Meng Ci had prepared breakfast and gone to call Shen Que, but after shouting for ages, he hadn't seen him come out.
Recalling the refugee settlement mentioned outside, Meng Ci assumed he was planning to leave.
Shen Que said, "No need for you to cook. I have instant noodles. They're easy to prepare and don't take much effort."
"As for going out, I saw the weather getting colder and thought I should gather some firewood to stock up."
Meng Ci frowned. "But you can't risk your injury just to gather supplies."
"What if your arm gets infected from water exposure and ends up needing amputation?"
"As for firewood, there's no rush."
The rain outside was too heavy now. Bringing anything back required careful handling, or there was a real risk of capsizing.
So Meng Ci planned to wait until the rain stopped before heading out.
Shen Que shrugged indifferently. "I'm perfectly healthy. There's no danger."
Meng Ci knew it wasn't that dangerous, but he said it deliberately to scare Shen Que.
"Of course there is. Don't you know how many people have died from high fevers that wouldn't break?"
"And how could one packet of instant noodles be enough for you?"
As he spoke, Meng Ci reheated the porridge and dishes on the table and placed them before Shen Que.
"Eat up."
Shen Que's left hand was forcibly rebandaged by Meng Ci. After the meal, Meng Ci felt that since this man had no intention of leaving, he bore some responsibility for dealing with Deng Yang and the others. He thus brought up the matter.
Shen Que naturally agreed.
The two descended together to the eleventh floor.
The tenth floor was where Deng Yang and his group were staying. The main door near the stairwell was chained shut, making entry Impossible.
That left only the eleventh floor.
Meng Ci stepped outside briefly to affix the fly camera monitor high up. This would allow them to spot anyone entering or exiting promptly.
He then returned to the eleventh floor.
The windows on the tenth floor
were tightly shut, offering no way In.
When Zhang Mingtian left, he mentioned that only seven of Deng Yang's men remained.
The two planned that if Deng Yang didn't go out during the day, they would break a window on the tenth floor and descend.
Shen Que brought a rope. Everything was ready; they just had to wait for nightfall.
"Oh, Shen Que, I haven't had a chance to tell you about my background!"
Shen Que looked puzzled.
Meng Ci said, "My mother is Meng Wan. Do you know Meng Wan? She's the head of the Meng Group."
Shen Que nodded. The Meng surname was uncommon in M City, so he'd guessed as much when Meng Ci mentioned his name.
"So it shouldn't be strange that we have some... dangerous
equipment at home," Meng Ci said casually.
Shen Que frowned. Dangerous equipment? What kind of dangerous equipment?
Then it hit him. Shen Que's eyes snapped to Meng Ci.
It couldn't be what he was thinking, could it?