In front of the iron-gated guard booth in B14's residential area stood a large metal sign labeled in Chinese, Japanese, and English.
Through its dense traces of rust and weathering, one could just make out the words [Shiliu Fan Zhitiesuo · Ganbu Jiasu Loufang].
Jiang Xueming took out his phone and snapped a series of photos of the apartment buildings, guard booth, mail depot, sports grounds, communal dining hall, recreation room, and bathhouse.
Then he turned around and photographed the water tower on the hill in B15 and the distant cityscape.
The labels on the other facilities in the steelworks residential complex were all in Chinese, Japanese, and English. Just like the sign at the entrance, and just like the languages Nanami used, it seemed that the residents of B14 used those three languages too. They were probably of a similar ethnic background as well.
"You two." Nanami pulled three yellow plastic dust capes from her weapon bag. "Put these on, hide your guns, and don't let the residents see them. They'll associate guns with [death]—understand?"
Nanami spoke Japanese. Jiang Xueming didn't understand, but he could grasp the gist from her body language. He readily took one of the capes and hid his weapons beneath it.
As A Xing pulled on his cape, he pointed at a large shop in the residential complex. "Jessica, I saw a McDonald's sign! Can I go buy a Spicy Chicken?"
"No." Nanami rummaged in her weapon bag and pulled out a switchblade. "You have to listen to me here! If I haven't said you can go inside, then you absolutely can't go inside."
She pressed the switchblade's button, and its gleaming blade snapped out. She put on a fierce, menacing expression, but somehow didn't look intimidating at all.
"Understand?!"
Jiang Xueming didn't understand a