Ch61 What, You Like Ruan Qing?
"Oh, by the way, the mother rabbit gave birth to six little bunnies this morning. Want to go see them?"
After Shen Que finished washing the dishes, Meng Ci stood up to leave when he suddenly asked.
Shen Que dried his hands, thought about having nothing else to do later, and agreed, "Sure."
To prevent the bunnies from freezing, Meng Ci had placed an electric heater right in front of their cage.
The little rabbits, likely full from feeding, were now nestled snugly against their mother's belly, sleeping soundly.
"I hear rabbits breed pretty quickly. I bet it won't be long before we can have rabbit meat."
Meng Ci thought that once these six rabbits grew a bit larger, he could determine their genders. Ideally, he'd keep two pairs to breed, and before long, they'd have a whole flock of rabbits.
Shen Que nodded and prepared to leave after checking on the rabbits.
Meng Ci called him back. Previously, Shen Que had taught him boxing, but Meng Ci had only practiced with the punching bag.
With many fierce battles ahead, he wanted to have a real-life training session with Shen Que.
"Is that okay?" Meng Ci asked.
Shen Que had no objections-sparring would help both of them improve.
But...
"If we really go at it, I won't hold back."
"No problem."
Meng Ci felt holding back was counterproductive; this way, he could truly gauge his strength.
Thud.
Thump.
For the next hour, Meng Ci found himself crashing to the ground in every conceivable position.
Even in his final moments, lying flat on the floor utterly unable to rise, Meng Ci couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Thankfully, the area they fought on was covered in thick foam mats. Otherwise, he might have been beaten to death.
"Want to go again?"
Despite fighting for an hour, Shen Que barely seemed out of breath.
Meng Ci shook his head. "No."
If they kept going, Meng Ci felt he'd be exhausted to death.
When Shen Que said no mercy-he really meant it. Impressive.
After Shen Que left, Meng Ci lay on the floor recovering. He then entered his spatial pocket, took a hot shower, changed into fresh clothes, and brought the tray Yun
Jingcen had used to serve dumplings to Ruan Qing and the others. "Thump thump thump!"
The stairwell door on the ninth floor was locked, so Meng Ci could only shake it violently.
"Click."
Hearing the security door unlock, Meng Ci stopped shaking it.
"Clack, clack."
Meng Ci recognized the footsteps as Ruan Qing's.
Sure enough, moments later, Ruan Qing approached in fluffy slippers. Spotting Meng Ci through the door crack, she flashed a sweet smile.
"Gege!" Ruan Qing opened the door.
Through the door crack, Meng Ci spotted two men in their late twenties nearby-likely one of the teachers.
After confirming it was indeed Meng Ci, the man turned and left.
But Meng Ci didn't hear footsteps inside, suggesting the other man was still lurking nearby.
It seems these teachers really do keep Ruan Qing well-protected.
"Mhm." Meng Ci acknowledged, handing the basin to Ruan Qing.
"Thanks for the dumplings."
Ruan Qing cradled the basin, shaking his head. "Gege, you're welcome."
"Did you like the dumplings?"
Meeting Ruan Qing's expectant gaze, Meng Ci nodded.
"They were delicious."
He then handed Ruan Qing a plastic bag. "I found these snacks earlier. See if there's anything you like."
Ruan Qing happily took it, spotted the Latiao and potato chips inside, and immediately thanked him.
"Thank you, Gege."
"I like everything Gege gives me."
"Glad you do." Meng Ci found Ruan Qing's sweetness a bit overwhelming, because it only made him want to give her more.
No, he absolutely couldn't let himself be charmed by cuteness.
"Gege, am I good?" Ruan Qing suddenly asked.
"Hm?" Meng Ci was puzzled-what was she talking about being good or not? But he answered anyway, "Yes."
Ruan Qing pressed on, "Am I better than that Shen Que?"
Shen Que? Meng Ci was confused. Why bring Shen Que into this now?
"I can cook, and I make really delicious food!"
"Isn't that better than that big oaf who's just all brute strength?"
Not sure what Ruan Qing meant, Meng Ci ruffled his hair.
"Why ask all this? You're both good."
"Alright, hurry up and lock the door. Don't keep those two teachers waiting."
"Fine." Ruan Qing obediently retreated, though reluctantly.
While locking the door, he asked, "Gege, can I still come find you later?"
"Of course." Meng Ci answered without hesitation.
After climbing the stairs, Meng Ci pedaled his bike for a while longer before finally sitting down to rest.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Now that Li Xiaoya and the others were dead, Meng Ci found himself at a loss for what to do with his free time.
If only Liu Jie hadn't followed Zhang Mingtian away. Then he could still pick a fight with him, adding a bit of excitement to his life.
But Liu Jie was still alive, meaning Meng Ci's revenge remained unfinished.
Seemed he'd have to find time to deal with Liu Jie.
The refugee settlement, however, was likely heavily guarded by soldiers. Taking revenge there would be fraught with difficulties.
With nothing else to do, Meng Ci pulled out a LEGO set from his storage space and began assembling it while listening to music.
By late afternoon, around five o'clock, the sky had grown dim. Suddenly, the sound of multiple engines roared outside.
Meng Ci sat up abruptly.
He rushed to the window, binoculars in hand. He could clearly see five assault boats docked in front of a nearby building. Four men disembarked from one of the boats.
Twenty men with clear objectives entered the building and began searching every corner.
Meng Ci could only see one room nearby, where a man with floral tattoos on his arms was roughly ransacking the place.
It seemed these bandits had finally arrived.
When they searched the seventh floor, they likely sensed someone was inside this forcibly opened room.
Soon, something happened inside. The balcony curtains were pulled back, revealing half the man's body being shoved over the edge.
Whatever was said, the tattooed man gripping his throat slapped him twice across the face before tossing him straight down.
Caught completely off guard, the man was swiftly swept away by the floodwaters.
The men on the balcony burst into laughter at the sight.
Now, with no one to stop them, these people began committing atrocities, treating human life as worthless.
Within just two hours, they had looted everything they could find -food, clothing. Meng Ci even spotted several boxes of condoms being stuffed directly into their pockets.
"Boom..."
Five assault boats departed in quick succession.
Through his binoculars, Meng Ci noticed curtains fluttering in several nearby buildings.
It seemed quite a few people hadn't gone to the refugee settlement.
The question was how long they could stay here after the thugs' rampage.
He retrieved a box of bullets from his storage space, chambered a round, and prepared himself.