Ch73 Let the Battle Begin-Quick and Decisive is Best
"When stir-frying shredded potatoes, soak them in water beforehand. This makes them crispier and prevents sticking to the pan."
"The potatoes you stir-fried this morning were a bit sticky."
Shen Que nodded as he listened to Meng Ci's advice.
Seeing the oil in the wok was nearly hot enough, Meng Ci had a sudden idea. Instead of telling Shen Que to add the vegetables,
he grabbed Shen Que's wrist and guided him to pour the shredded potatoes into the wok.
"If the oil gets too hot, it could catch fire."
"Stir quickly, or it'll flare up."
Without hesitation, Shen Que began tossing the potatoes.
Standing slightly behind Shen Que, Meng Ci grinned gleefully, confident his face remained hidden.
Then, under the pretense of guiding Shen Que's cooking, Meng Ci took hold of his hand to stir, toss, and flip the pan....
Only because Shen Que was a guy did he overlook Meng Ci's behavior; otherwise, he'd have called the police for harassment.
After dinner, Meng Ci couldn't find an excuse to keep him, and could only watch regretfully as he left.
Later, Meng Ci pulled the curtains open slightly and began loosening the soil in the flower pots.
A couple days ago, Mao Xinyu had taught them that they could cut potatoes into chunks, coat them with wood ash, and plant them in flower pots-maybe they could successfully grow potatoes.
With nothing else to do now, Meng Ci decided to give it a try.
No sooner had he planted the potatoes than he spotted two assault boats approaching in the distance, each flying a flag at the bow. Meng Ci wiped his hands and grabbed the binoculars nearby to look.
He could barely make out the words "Bai Hu Hall" on the flag, with a crooked tiger head sketched in one corner.
Seriously, couldn't these bandits who manage to get by and rob people come up with names with a bit more substance?
Why are their names always so generic? It's either the Qinglong Gang or the Bai Hu Hall.
The two assault boats moved along, stopping and starting, clearly heading toward their building. Meng Ci quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie and informed Shen Que of the situation.
There were only seven people on this boat, and they didn't look particularly strong. Meng Ci wanted to test his skills, so he hadn't told Yun Jingcen and the others.
"Shen Que, they're here!"
Shen Que rushed to the window with the walkie-talkie and confirmed the sight of two assault boats.
"Got it."
"Let's handle this just the two of us without alerting the others. Sound good?" Meng Ci suggested.
Yun Jingcen and the others were positioned on the south side, their view blocked by buildings on both the east and west sides, leaving them unaware of the situation here.
"Alright."
Without hesitation, the two grabbed their long knives, tucked their guns into their pockets, and descended to the ninth floor.
Those individuals were still working their way up floor by floor, so it would take a little more time. Meng Ci and Shen Que positioned themselves outside the eastern room.
Shen Que leaned against the wall, head bowed, his right hand gripping the butcher's knife. He closed his eyes to rest.
Meng Ci, taking advantage of Shen Que's lowered gaze and unaware of his lecherous behavior, stared at Shen Que unabashedly.
Tsk tsk. Even bundled in a bulky military coat with a matching hat pulled low over his head, Shen Que's handsomeness couldn't be concealed.
Indeed, being handsome meant you could get away with anything.
"What are you looking at?"
Meng Ci was lost in Shen Que's stunning beauty when Shen Que's sudden words snapped him out of it, caught red-handed.
Meng Ci flushed with embarrassment before laughing it off. "Just admiring how handsome you are!"
Shen Que froze momentarily at Meng Ci's blatant flirtation. By the time he regained his composure to respond, Meng Ci had already made a shushing gesture.
"Shh! People are coming!"
Meng Ci and Shen Que immediately stood at attention, ready for action.
"Damn it, they all ran off to the refugee settlement. They left without leaving a single thing."
"Man, I'm still starving. If we don't find anything, we'll have nothing to eat back home."
"They're feasting inside while making us scavenge outside."
"This building looks decent enough. Maybe we should just stay here and not go back."
Of course, they were just venting their frustrations.
Truthfully, they didn't dare to actually stay here.
With so many gangs out there now, the few of them staying here probably wouldn't last two days.
As the grumbling voices trailed off, they reached the ninth floor and began searching the southern section.
These rooms had been ransacked countless times; there was nothing useful to be found.
Meanwhile, the families who had moved back from the refugee settlement had all taken up. residence on the sixteenth and fifteenth floors, hoping to stick together for warmth.
So they could only grumble and curse as they made their way toward where Meng Ci and the others were staying.
"Damn it, nothing here. Hope we didn't come all this way for nothing."
"Hey, there's something here..."
"Stab!"
A man stepped forward first. Seeing Shen Que and Meng Ci, he was overcome with excitement. Before he could finish his sentence, Meng Ci slit his throat cleanly.
"Thud!"
Having killed too many, Meng Ci now knew exactly how to deliver a fatal blow.
The remaining six heard the sound and rushed over in unison, knives clenched in their hands.
Seeing their comrade bleeding on the ground, their eyes bulged with rage.
"You dare kill our brother? Looks like you're out for a good death!"
Speed and decisiveness were the way to go. Without giving the six a chance to talk, Meng Ci and Shen Que charged forward silently, blades in hand, like grim reapers.
The six had killed before, so they roared as they charged.
But they were no match for Meng Ci and Shen Que. The pair moved in perfect sync, and soon two bodies lay silent on the ground.
Seeing defeat, the remaining four fled in panic.
Shen Que picked up a knife dropped by one of the fleeing men and hurled it, slicing into the man's shoulder. Shen Que then took two long strides forward, ending the man's life.
Meng Ci, faster on his feet, caught up to another man. Amidst his pleas for mercy, a single stroke ended his life.
Two others fled faster still, already heading downstairs.
Meng Ci and Shen Que pursued, one ahead, one behind.
Driven by survival instinct, one man scrambled and crawled, fleeing at breakneck speed. By the time Shen Que and Meng Ci caught up, he had already boarded a speedboat and escaped.
This man was cunning-he slashed another nearby speedboat with a knife, eliminating any chance of pursuit.
Shen Que still held one man in his grasp, who kept begging for mercy.
"Spare my life, sirs! Spare my life!"
"We only came to see if there was any food! We never meant to harm anyone!"
"Please spare me!"
"Shut up!"
Meng Ci and Shen Que ignored the man, their expressions grave as they watched the fleeing figure.
Even if he made it to the seventeenth floor and grabbed a speedboat, there was no way they could catch him now.
And if this guy ran back to report them, the entire Bai Hu Hall would come after them-they wouldn't stand a chance.
They might even endanger everyone in this building.
Right now, the priority was minimizing the damage.
"Let me go now, or when Brother Hu arrives, you'll be finished!"
Seeing his companion escape, the man suddenly found his nerve.