21 A Threat from the Neighbor

Two sturdy middle-aged men emerged from the tenth-floor fire door. One held a long, pitch-black staff of indeterminate material, while the other brandished a sword with an intricately patterned scabbard, engraved with four characters in small seal script that read, "Ward off evil and protect the home." It looked like a mere prop, and it was unclear if it had ever been sharpened.

The two men looked at us, momentarily at a loss for words.

Wang Qirui grew impatient. "Do you need something?"

"I saw you when you came here half a month ago, and I just saw you send a car away. Since you’re the security guards, shouldn’t you be protecting us, too?" the one with the sword said.

"Since you saw us when we arrived, why didn’t you make a sound when we were being chased by monsters, desperately pounding on your door?" That day, two people had died, Jiang Jie had been bitten, and Cui Lie had been cornered. Wang Qirui and the others had run all the way to the seventeenth floor, hammering on every fire door along the way, yet not a single one had opened.

"We have the elderly and the young at home. If we’d opened the door and let the monsters in, we would have been dead for sure," the man with the staff said righteously.

"Hmm, that makes sense. Very true. So, why on earth should we protect you?" Wang Qirui asked with a grin.

"What do you mean 'why'? You’re the building’s security. You can’t just protect one household; you have to protect us all. We’ve all paid our property management fees," the man with the "protective" sword argued.

"Damn, I’m just a temp; do I even have that obligation? Hey, Captain Wang, I haven’t even been paid for last month yet. Did you get paid?" Wang Qirui shouted to Wang Lin.

"No," Wang Lin said, shrugging and shaking his head.

"You hear that? The boss is withholding wages. I’m done. I’m going back to write my resignation letter right now." Having no interest in further conversation, Wang Qirui stood on the stairs, looking down at the man with contempt.

The man with the sword turned bright red with rage, unable to utter a single word.

Rong Xianxian turned, ready to continue on her way.

"Auntie..." A young girl’s voice made me stop.

"Auntie Rong, I’m Duoduo. Can I go play with Xuanxuan?" Duoduo was a year older than Xuanxuan and they attended the same kindergarten. We would occasionally bump into each other during pickups, but the children weren’t very close; this must have been prompted by the adults.

Rong Xianxian walked down the stairs to the fire door. "The child is very cute, but even if I wanted to take her home, your parents wouldn't be at ease. What do you really want?"

"On the very first day, a giant bird fell dead to the ground, and something glowing was floating above it. You were the one who dragged the bird away and took the object, weren't you?" the man with the staff said with certainty.

"That's right, it was me. You tried to test them at first, and when you saw they weren't buying it, you used the child to play on their emotions—all for that object, right?" Rong Xianxian looked at the two with amusement.

"I know you were just an ordinary person before, not some expert. Now that you dare to go out during these times, I’m sure that object must be the reason," the man said, ignoring the mocking tone in Rong Xianxian’s voice, his excitement growing.

"Exactly, you guessed right. As long as you kill monsters, treasures will drop, and you can improve your strength. So, if you want to get stronger, go out and kill some monsters," Rong Xianxian said, clenching her fist and shaking it in front of him in encouragement.

The two men were flushed with anger. The man with the sword hardened his heart and blurted out, "We know you’re all powerful. He who strikes first gains the advantage. The commotion on the roof must have been your doing. You must have plenty of treasures after killing so many monsters. Neighbors should help each other in times of need; why don't you share one or two with us?" Although they weren't close, the man with the sword knew Rong Xianxian lived on the seventeenth floor. It was a duplex, and the rooftop belonged to her.

Xia Kai and Wang Lin exchanged a glance, and Wang Qirui took an exaggerated breath. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Did I hear that right? I’ve fought so many times and only managed to get one weapon, and you’re just asking for one for free? That’s a hell of a deal, tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Rong Xianxian turned to leave. "If you don't give them to us, I’ll notify every household in this unit and we’ll all go pay you a visit. Once everyone knows you have treasures, if you ever try to leave the house like you did today..." The man with the staff made his threat clear.

"What kind of treasure do you want?" Rong Xianxian stopped.

"Sister Rong," Wang Lin said, gently pulling on her sleeve.

Rong Xianxian gestured for him to relax.

"Just give us a sword and a spear." The man with the staff thought Rong Xianxian was afraid, and he triumphantly pointed at the large machete in Wang Lin’s hand and the spear in Jiang Jie’s. They believed these people were only able to fight the monsters because of their superior weapons, and they had already decided to demand two.

"There are still human bones on the first and second floors that the monsters didn't finish eating. If you aren't afraid of monsters, you're welcome to come and rob us," Rong Xianxian said with a wry smile.

*Clap, clap, clap.* They arrived at the seventeenth floor, and Wang Lin knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Cui Lie’s voice was clipped and full of caution.

"It’s us, we’re back," Rong Xianxian replied.

Back inside, everyone gathered in Rong Xianxian’s apartment.

"About half an hour after you left, someone came to knock. I asked who it was, but no one answered, so I didn't open it. Later, a little girl named Duoduo wanted to come play with Xuanxuan, but I didn't open the door then, either." Cui Lie handed everyone a can of soda. Wang Lin looked at the soda with a hint of resentment; he didn't know when Brother Cui had become so close to Sister Rong.

"What? They already came by? Damn, thank goodness Brother Cui stayed behind. If it had just been Xuanxuan and Xiao Luo at home..." Wang Qirui, with his hot temper, jumped up from the sofa.

"Coming to knock while we were all out—what were they thinking?" Xia Kai said indignantly.

"Brother Cui didn't open the door, they didn't get what they wanted, and yet they still dared to come intercept us. They’ve got such thick skin, and they actually dared to make that request. Are they betting that we won't do anything to them?" Wang Lin asked.

"The desperate have nothing to lose. Now that we have treasures, we're afraid of being targeted. Their supplies are dwindling, and they’re too scared to go out and face the monsters. Rather than sit and wait for death, they’d rather blackmail us. I knew this day would come sooner or later, and this is just the beginning. The further we go, the more terrifying the collapse of human morality will be."

"Don't they fear pushing us too far? We could just..." Wang Qirui trailed off.

Rong Xianxian burst into laughter. He was a silly kid who couldn't even manage a proper threat.

Wang Qirui lowered his head, his face turning red.

"Ah Rui, I’m not laughing at you. I just think you're quite cute like this," Rong Xianxian said with a smile.

"Sister Rong, you say you aren't laughing at me, but I don't think I even know what I could do to them anyway," Wang Qirui said, his face flushing even deeper.

"You are all veterans who have served in the military; you have upright characters. Even after taking off your uniforms, you have your bottom lines. You can't treat humans the way you treat monsters. Putting aside potential repercussions, you wouldn't be able to live with yourselves. The reason they dare to threaten us now is likely because they saw Ren Tian and his group leave in the car, and they know our numbers have dwindled." When it came to ruthlessness, Ren Tian was number one. When he was quiet, he was so inconspicuous he seemed to vanish. When Rong Xianxian had first set her sights on the Phoenix Umbrella, the flicker of violent intent Ren Tian had released had made her skin crawl. That was why, at the time, she hadn't just given him the cultivation technique, but had also thrown in two weapons. Today, seeing Ren Tian leave, she felt as if a weight had been lifted.

"Sister Rong, the hallway has been safe for a while, but what if they really join forces?" Xia Kai asked worriedly. "The commotion we made on the roof hasn't gone unnoticed by the other residents. If someone leads the charge, they could really stir up some people’s emotions."

"So what do you suggest we do? We can't hit them, we can't kill them. Do you expect us to lock the door and hide like cowards?" Wang Qirui said, his temper flaring again.

"Maybe I could copy the Spirit Induction Technique for them," Wang Lin sighed, offering a compromise.

"If they had been after the cultivation technique from the start, I might have copied it for them. But it’s clear they have their eyes on our weapons, and weapons can't be replicated," Rong Xianxian said helplessly.

"Maybe they don't know about the techniques. I'll go talk to them," Wang Lin said, standing up.

"The more you concede, the more they’ll think we’re afraid of them, and they’ll only push further. Even if they get the techniques, they won't be satisfied." In her previous life, she hadn't caused such a stir, so she hadn't encountered these sorts of troubles.

"If they really do band together, we’ll be fine as long as we stay inside, but what if we need to go out? Not to mention anything else, if they block the stairs and obstruct our path, we’ll be in deep trouble. With monsters in front and wolves behind... My god, why must humans make things difficult for humans? Wouldn't it be better if you all joined forces to fight the monsters?" Xia Kai said, lying back on the sofa with a comical expression.

"Monsters kill people, but we don't. Picking the softest persimmon to squeeze is a standard rule of human society," Rong Xianxian said with a relatively relaxed tone.

She had encountered far more disgusting things in her past life; this really was nothing.