Chapter Twenty-Three: When the Snipe and the Clam Grapple

"Xiaoxiao, who are those two?"

Chen Si tugged at her best friend's sleeve, her legs feeling weak as she instinctively tried to shrink back. Chen Xiaoxiao, however, stood her ground, squinting as she studied them for a moment.

"They must be Pan Guang's men. He said he would send people to pick us up."

She raised her voice and shouted down toward the building, "Hey! Who are you guys?"

The two men downstairs looked up at the sound. A brawny man with a thick, bushy beard grinned, showing his teeth. "Beautiful, why don't you come down and chat?"

"See! I told you so!" Chen Xiaoxiao slapped Chen Si's arm in excitement and grabbed her suitcase, ready to head down.

Chen Si’s heart was pounding. The way those two men were smiling was unsettling, radiating a sinister, wicked energy.

"Xiaoxiao, let's wait a bit longer. I just feel like something isn't right..."

"What could possibly be wrong?" Chen Xiaoxiao shot her a glare. "You’re always so full of worries! We’re in this situation now, why are you still being so delicate?"

As she spoke, Chen Si's phone buzzed. She hurriedly pulled it out; the residents' group chat was exploding.

Brother Wang: "Everyone! Incredible news! Pan Guang is distributing supplies under Building Nine! Hurry! First come, first served!"

Messages began to roll in one after another:
"Is this for real? What kind of supplies?"
"Damn! I'm heading over right now!"
"Building Nine? Isn't that place a ghost den?"

Brother Wang: "Pan Guang brought over a dozen men; the monsters were cleared out ages ago! It's perfectly safe! A few of us have already set off!"

Chen Xiaoxiao snatched the phone away, her eyes scanning the screen rapidly, her face lighting up. "Sisi! The plan has changed! We're going to Building Nine!"

"Huh?" Chen Si was stunned. "Weren't we supposed to go to Building Six to find work?"

"Are you stupid?" Chen Xiaoxiao stomped her foot. "You're going to turn down free supplies just to go be a servant for someone at Building Six? Listen to me, we're going to Building Nine!"

She turned to head back, but the bearded man downstairs called out to them, "Beautiful, changed your minds? Where are you going?"

"Building Nine!" Chen Xiaoxiao didn't even hesitate. "Pan Guang is giving out good stuff over there!"

The two men exchanged a look. The smile on the bearded man's face grew indescribably wicked. "Oh? That’s great. You’d better be careful, though; Building Nine... is very lively right now."

Chen Si’s sense of foreboding deepened, feeling as though her heart might leap out of her chest. "Xiaoxiao, let's..."

"Let's what!" Chen Xiaoxiao interrupted impatiently. "Only an idiot passes up a bargain! Brother Wang and the others have already rushed over; if we dawdle, we won't even get to drink the broth while it's hot!"

She dragged her heavy suitcase, huffing and puffing as she climbed the stairs. "Keep up! Stop dragging your feet!"

Chen Si had no choice but to grit her teeth and follow. The two of them struggled back up to the 17th floor and circled out through another exit of Building Eight. Building Nine wasn't far; it was just across a small plaza. From a distance, Chen Si could hear a commotion—the sounds of voices, footsteps, and something else mixed in, something that sounded bizarre.

"Hear that? There are plenty of people there!" Chen Xiaoxiao grew more invigorated, her pace quickening, the wheels of her suitcase rattling loudly against the pavement.

The closer they got to Building Nine, the clearer the sounds became. Chen Si’s heart was in her throat. It didn't sound like people collecting supplies at all; it sounded more like...

"Ah—!"

A woman’s scream tore through the air, sharp and shrill, piercing across the plaza and echoing in the open space. Chen Si shuddered, her hair standing on end, her face turning pale. "Xiaoxiao, let's... let's go back!"

"Stop being so dramatic!" Chen Xiaoxiao stiffened her neck. "It must be them finishing off the last of the little monsters! We're already at the doorstep, there's no reason to turn back now!"

She ignored everything, dragging her suitcase as she pushed blindly ahead. Chen Si had no choice but to steel herself and shuffle forward, step by step.

Underneath Building Nine, there were indeed seven or eight men, but the scene before them was a far cry from what they had imagined!

Pan Guang!

That man was viciously grinding his heel into the chest of a middle-aged man. Blood was trickling from the man's mouth, his breathing shallow, clearly on the verge of death.

"I'll ask you one last time!" Pan Guang’s facial muscles twitched, his voice sounding as if it were laced with poison. "What other treasures are you hiding in your home? Speak!"

"I... I really don't have any more..." the man’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. "Please... I beg you, show some mercy..."

"None left?" Pan Guang curled his lips into a cruel arc. "Then what use are you?"

He stomped down with sudden force. *Crack!*

With a crisp snap, the man's breastbone shattered. The man’s body jerked violently a few times before it went completely limp and still. The men standing around Pan Guang watched with cold eyes, their faces devoid of emotion; it was clear they had seen this many times before.

Chen Si and Chen Xiaoxiao huddled in the corner of the building, seeing everything clearly. They were terrified out of their wits, their throats tight, unable to utter a single sound.

"What... what is actually going on here?" Chen Si’s teeth were chattering, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "Brother Wang... where are they?"

Chen Xiaoxiao’s face was as white as paper. Even she realized the truth now: "We... we were tricked! The message was a lie!"

"Who’s lurking over there?" Pan Guang looked up sharply, his gaze sweeping toward their hiding spot like a blade.

Chen Si’s heart hammered against her ribs, her legs turning to jelly. She instinctively wanted to run, but Chen Xiaoxiao gripped her arm tightly.

"Don't move!" Chen Xiaoxiao whispered, not daring to even breathe deeply. "If we run now, we're dead!"

But it was already too late. Pan Guang grinned—a smile that looked profoundly malicious—and strode toward them.

"Oh, two fresh little beauties..." Pan Guang scanned them up and down, his expression exactly like a hungry wolf spotting a fat lamb. "Came all this way just to watch the show?"

"W-we... we got lost, we took a wrong turn..." Chen Si’s tongue was tied, unable to speak clearly.

"A wrong turn?" Pan Guang laughed toward the sky. "Well, that’s just perfect! Since you’ve delivered yourselves to my doorstep, there’s no need to leave!"

He tilted his head toward his men. "Go on, 'invite' these two beauties up, and give them a proper welcome!"

"Don't come over!" Chen Si screamed, twisted around, and bolted!

Chen Xiaoxiao tried to run too, but the heavy suitcase at her feet became a death sentence, tripping her up and causing her to lag behind.

"Xiaoxiao!" Chen Si shrieked, looking back.

"Sisi! Run! Don't worry about me!" Chen Xiaoxiao screamed, trying desperately to drag the suitcase, but it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, anchoring her to the spot.

Pan Guang’s men grinned cruelly and surrounded her in a few strides, cutting off all her paths of escape. A bald man chuckled coldly, "Little lady, still trying to run? You think this is your backyard?"

Chen Xiaoxiao watched as Chen Si’s figure grew smaller and smaller, turning into a tiny dot before disappearing around the corner. Her heart froze, plummeting into a bottomless abyss. A bone-chilling despair engulfed her, making her body tremble.

*Live!*

That thought screamed in her mind. To survive, she made a decision that would defy all conscience.