Around a hundred people had gathered outside Jiaxing Residential Complex.
"Everyone inside, come out! Stop hiding in your homes like cowards!"
"Share your well with us! What's the meaning of keeping the water all to yourselves?"
"Today we're still willing to discuss this nicely. Tomorrow we'll just take it by force."
"I say we go straight in and take it. Why bother discussing anything with them?"
"Exactly! What's there to discuss? Get more people over here. Why should we be afraid of them?"
The crowd outside the complex all talked over one another, saying all sorts of things and making an endless racket.
The residents were no pushovers either. Who could put up with that kind of humiliation?
The able-bodied members of every household came out with knives, shovels, brooms, and other tools to confront the people outside.
They had worked so hard to dig that well, yet these people wanted to get it for free without lifting a finger. They certainly knew how to dream.
Everyone sent the same representatives from each building as last time forward to talk.
The representative from Building 1 spoke first. "Our complex isn't to be messed with either. Don't push us too far. If you speak politely, we might still have room for discussion. But with that attitude, you think you can get your hands on our well? Dream on."
The other representatives refused to back down either.
"Let us make this clear: there's no way you're getting our well. That's not negotiable. If you want water, dig your own well."
"You have perfectly good hands and feet. Why are you so fond of stealing from others? A bunch of bandits!"
The particularly vocal people outside the gate began stirring up the crowd again:
"They're just selfish. Let's stop talking to them. If they won't listen when we ask nicely, we'll go straight in and take it."
"I'm going back to get people right now. Tell everyone to bring weapons. We'll teach this complex a lesson today!"
"They've got a well and drinking water. They must have plenty of food too. Take a gamble and trade your bicycle for a motorcycle!"
More and more people outside went back to fetch weapons and reinforcements, and everyone inside the complex grew very nervous.
If a fight really broke out, neither side would come out well.
People were most likely to get hurt by accident in a brawl. Both sides would suffer, leaving a third party to reap the rewards.
But the people outside had clearly been stirred up and were being used as pawns. There was no stopping them.
Things really were going to go wrong now. Their complex might well fall.
The clamor outside continued, and more and more people gathered on both sides.
Si Beichen, Dad Si, and Mom Wen were keeping a constant eye on the situation outside, but Jiang Ci was holed up in her room doing who knew what.
Si Beichen thought that was unusual. When had Jiang Ci ever missed any excitement?
She was always the most enthusiastic spectator when there was drama to watch.
Curious, he knocked on Jiang Ci's door.
"Come in."
Hearing Jiang Ci's voice, Si Beichen pushed the door open and entered.
The young woman, wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt and black shorts, her hair in a neat bun and night-vision goggles over her eyes, was sitting on the balcony's bay window, fiddling with a sniper rifle!
Two desk lamps were on in the room. Si Beichen walked over and stopped in front of the bay window, getting a clearer look.
It was an M200 sniper rifle, code-named "Reaper," with a very long range of up to 2,286 meters, making it highly suitable for long-distance sniping.
Si Beichen was genuinely stunned this time. He hadn't expected her to have even a sniper rifle. Was there anything she didn't have?
He was willing to call her "Jiang Doraemon Ci."
Seeing Si Beichen come in, Jiang Ci swiftly packed the sniper rifle into a black carrying bag, then tossed it into his arms.
"This one's for you."
As she spoke, she took off her night-vision goggles and tossed them to Si Beichen too. "These too."
"Wait for me at the door. I'll be right there."
Si Beichen had known it. How could she possibly sit still?
He was already used to running errands for the young miss like a bodyguard. Without another word, he took the carrying bag and night-vision goggles and went to wait by the door.
Soon, Jiang Ci emerged from her room wearing a black baseball cap and night-vision goggles, carrying an identical black bag.
The two of them clattered up to the rooftop. After making sure no one else was there, they found an excellent concealed sniping position and lay down.
Jiang Ci set up her sniper rifle and aimed toward the complex's entrance through her night-vision goggles.
After that round of arguing, more than three hundred people had been summoned outside the complex, each carrying something to hit people with.
A disagreement had already set the two sides fighting with their weapons.
One slapped, the other punched back; one swung a shovel, the other kicked; one slashed with a knife, the other chased them down to slash back.
Curses and the howls of those cut by blades rose one after another.
The whole brawl was utter chaos.
Jiang Ci swept her sights across the crowd outside the complex and finally spotted a furtive figure at the rear.
She lined up her target. With a bang, the person collapsed into a pool of blood.
Another bang followed immediately, and Si Beichen shot a man in a red top through the head.
Not to be outdone, Jiang Ci quickly found another target taking advantage of the chaos at the rear after killing that furtive figure. Another bang, another headshot.
After landing the headshot, she even looked smugly at Si Beichen beside her, gave a little huff, and cocked her eyebrows with haughty pride.
Si Beichen smiled indulgently, then landed another headshot, as though answering Jiang Ci's challenge.
The two began competing, taking one shot after another. Every time she went into action with Si Beichen, he always brought out her competitive streak.
Under cover of darkness, the crowd had no idea where the bullets were coming from.
At first, no one even noticed that people had been shot dead by snipers.
Only when more and more people beside them were shot through the head did someone finally realize something was wrong.
They immediately dropped their weapons, crouched with their hands over their heads, and shouted:
"Guns! Guns! There are snipers!"
"Stop fighting! They have guns!"
More and more people heard the shouts, and more and more realized something was wrong and began fleeing in all directions.
Although the residents of Jiaxing Residential Complex were bewildered, the moment they heard there were guns, they all fled into the buildings in fright too.
Soon, the entrance where hundreds had just been brawling was completely deserted, leaving only a few bodies of those shot dead lying alone on the ground.
Jiang Ci and Si Beichen waited a while longer. Only after making sure no one would return did they feel safe enough to pack their sniper rifles back into the black carrying bags.
Once the stairwell fell quiet, the two avoided the others and returned home.
Si Beichen carried the bag into Jiang Ci's room and set it on her bay window, praising it. "Nice gun."
As he turned to leave, he caught Jiang Ci pouting and rolling her eyes at him out of the corner of his eye. His lips curved slightly, and he added, "Nice shooting."
Jiang Ci immediately broke into a happy smile.
Hmph, at least he knew what to say. She'd been secretly grinding, after all!
Feigning indifference, she tried to suppress the corners of her mouth that kept rising and waved a hand. "Oh, that was nothing. Just standard stuff."
Si Beichen didn't expose her little show of pride. He only thought how likable she was. So adorable.
He closed her door for her and went back to rest himself.
Jiang Ci put both sniper rifles into her space, lay down on her bed, and rolled over happily a couple of times.
Si Beichen was a professional. If he praised her, her marksmanship really must be pretty good.
She really was amazing. Haha, another day of being dazzled by her own awesomeness!
She would keep working hard!
All evil forces that threatened the peace of their home ought to be defeated.
She was serious about doing her best to survive the natural disasters and protecting her family.