Chapter 20: Wu Hua's Strategy
"Brother Long, what should we do now?"
On the 28th floor, a group of men gathered in the living room, led by Liu Erlong.
The question came from Mao Xiaoqiang, Liu Erlong's trusted subordinate.
Mao Xiaoqiang had previously worked as a property security guard. In his early twenties, he had taken up the job much earlier than most, saving himself decades of effort.
Even before the Great Flood, he had always followed Liu Erlong's lead.
After the Great Flood, when Liu Erlong demonstrated formidable personal combat power, Mao Xiaoqiang naturally became one of his first followers.
In truth, these security guards were Liu Erlong's most loyal men.
Since none of them were homeowners, they had no choice but to stick with Liu Erlong.
Liu Erlong's face was dark with anger as he glanced around the room, his eyes flickering. "I didn't expect Lin Dong to have gasoline and gas cylinders. I underestimated him this time, and our brothers paid the price."
"But it doesn't matter. If that kid refuses to come out, we have plenty of ways to force him. For now, let's continue consolidating the other floors."
"Brother Long, what about Old Zhou's wife and kids?" Mao Xiaoqiang asked.
Old Zhou was Zhou Jiaqiang, the security guard who had ambushed Lin Dong in the stairwell earlier.
He had been responsible for supervising the elderly, weak, and sick on the upper floors, forcing them to transport water.
He was also the one who had been keeping an eye on Li Zhiqiang's household and had kicked down Li Zhiqiang's door that morning.
Zhou Jiaqiang was also a security guard, but he was older than Mao Xiaoqiang and had married early, renting an apartment in Blossom Garden.
His wife and children lived in this building. If not for the fact that he was also a property security guard—naturally aligned with Liu Erlong—Liu Erlong wouldn't have taken in a subordinate with a family in tow.
But earlier that morning, while lying in ambush in the stairwell to attack Lin Dong, Zhou Jiaqiang had been stabbed through the neck by Lin Dong's spear.
Liu Erlong looked at Mao Xiaoqiang, noticing the flicker in his eyes, and immediately understood.
"Old Zhou was one of our longtime brothers. Now that he's gone, his wife and kids still need someone to take care of them. His room will be assigned to you, Xiaoqiang."
"Xiaoqiang, take good care of Old Zhou's family, understand?"
Mao Xiaoqiang's face lit up with delight, and he quickly assured, "Don't worry, Brother Long. I'll definitely take good care of Old Zhou's wife and kids. Heh heh."
Another subordinate nearby chimed in, "Brother Long, I heard there are two women in the 31st-floor hallway—they were also Old Zhou's. What should we do with them?"
Liu Erlong raised an eyebrow and waved his hand dismissively. "Divide them among yourselves."
"Got it, got it!" The subordinate rubbed his hands together excitedly, grinning.
The other men also broke into smiles.
Old Zhou's death was, of course, unfortunate.
But it also meant his share of rations would now be distributed among the rest.
So his death didn't sadden them.
None of them had been particularly close to begin with—their unity was solely due to Liu Erlong's personal combat power.
Even Mao Xiaoqiang, who had worked alongside Zhou Jiaqiang as a fellow security guard, had no real bond with him.
They weren't even on the same shift—they'd only occasionally cross paths during shift changes, exchanging nothing more than a nod.
Moreover, Zhou Jiaqiang, relying on his large build, had always taken more than his fair share of food since joining Liu Erlong and had monopolized several female neighbors.
Fan Meiqin and Ding Yan had both been under his control, much to Mao Xiaoqiang's resentment.
Now that he was dead, Mao Xiaoqiang couldn't stop thinking about Zhou's wife and the two women in the hallway.
"By the way, where are Wu Hua and Zhang Li?"
Liu Erlong seemed to remember something and suddenly scanned the people around him before asking.
Mao Xiaoqiang also turned his head to look around, muttering, "They were just with us when we came back. Strange, where did they go?"
Liu Erlong recalled that when Lin Dong had been sowing discord earlier, Wu Hua and Zhang Li seemed to have exchanged some words. A bad feeling crept into his heart.
"Chen Hu, A Wei, have you seen them?"
The two who were called snapped out of their thoughts, as if they had been preoccupied with something.
The man named Chen Hu quickly replied, "Brother Long, I saw them go outside just now."
A Wei immediately added, "Should I call them over?"
Liu Erlong said at once, "Get them here." A Wei hurriedly opened the door and saw Wu Hua and Zhang Li whispering to each other.
Hearing the noise, the two immediately fell silent and turned their heads warily.
Recognizing A Wei, Wu Hua smiled. "Oh, A Wei, what brings you here?"
A Wei eyed them suspiciously. "Brother Long is looking for you. Why are you outside?"
Wu Hua replied casually, "Just getting some fresh air. It's crowded inside. What does Brother Long want with us?"
"Don't know. Come in."
Wu Hua and Zhang Li exchanged a glance before stepping inside.
As soon as they entered, they saw Liu Erlong and the others staring at them intently.
Wu Hua's eyes flickered slightly as he smiled. "Brother Long, you wanted to see us?"
"What were you two doing out there?" Liu Erlong asked expressionlessly.
Wu Hua chuckled. "Just getting some air."
"I wasn't asking you. Zhang Li, you answer."
Liu Erlong cut him off. He knew Wu Hua had once been a business owner with strong nerves, capable of lying without batting an eye.
Hearing this, Zhang Li grew visibly nervous and forced a smile. "Brother Long, Boss Wu and I just stepped out for some air. After losing a few brothers today, we weren't feeling too good."
Liu Erlong narrowed his eyes. "Oh? So my place makes you feel suffocated? Or did that guy's words get to you, and now you've got other ideas?"
"No, absolutely not! Brother Long, if it weren't for you, I, Zhang Li, would've starved to death long ago. Don't worry—that guy was clearly trying to stir trouble between us. There's no way I'd fall for it." Zhang Li hastily swore.
Liu Erlong sneered and turned to Wu Hua. "Old Wu, I know you used to be a small-time entrepreneur—full of ideas, daring and ambitious. But if you try to use that drive against me... well, don't blame me for what happens next."
Wu Hua paled and quickly said, "Brother Long, what are you saying? My life belongs to you. How could I ever betray you?"
Liu Erlong suddenly slammed the table and grinned. "Good! In that case, you two will come with me this afternoon. While that kid isn't paying attention, we'll smash that door down again!"
The moment these words were spoken, Wu Hua and Zhang Li's faces turned ashen.
The screams of the two underlings who had been burned alive that morning still seemed to echo in the hallway.
This wasn't just about breaking down a door—it was practically a death sentence.
Wu Hua hurriedly protested, "Brother Long, that kid has gasoline and a gas cylinder. If we push him too far, he might take us all down with him!"
Zhang Li also grew anxious. "Yeah, Brother Long, we need to think this through carefully!"
Liu Erlong sneered, "You don't want to? Old Wu, Zhang Li, I only have so much food here. You follow me but refuse to do anything—you can't just freeload, can you?"
Wu Hua grew anxious, his mind racing until a sudden idea struck him. "Brother Long, I have another plan. We don't need to break down the door—we can still kill that bastard."
Liu Erlong raised an eyebrow. "What's the plan?"
Wu Hua said, "We can just tear down the wall. I remember his place is right across from Li Zhiqiang's. We can take Li Zhiqiang's place first. Didn't you say you were interested in Yang Mei? From Li Zhiqiang's place, we can dig a hole straight into that bastard's home—two birds with one stone."
His words made Liu Erlong pause in thought.
Seeing Liu Erlong waver, Wu Hua pressed his advantage. "Brother Long, the reason we can't deal with that bastard now is because of the security door at his entrance. With that door in the way, he can spray gasoline or ignite gas cylinders, and we can't stop him. But if we tear down the wall, once it's breached, we can all rush in. What can he do then? Besides, Li Zhiqiang's place might still have food. Since we're clearing the building anyway, why not take his place first? What do you think?"
His reasoning was sound, and Liu Erlong was genuinely tempted. Compared to Lin Dong, that tough nut to crack, Li Zhiqiang, that coward, would be much easier to handle. The key was that sending Wu Hua and Zhang Li to smash the door would likely just get them killed. And if that bastard stirred up trouble again, Liu Erlong worried he might lose control over the others.
At this thought, he suddenly burst into laughter and said to those around him, "Hahaha, look at this! No wonder he was a boss—this brain of his works better than all of ours combined! Alright, we'll do as Old Wu says. First, we take Li Zhiqiang's place."
The crowd cheered, fists clenched in excitement, and they immediately headed upstairs again.
(End of chapter)