Chapter 73: Engage and Finish Quickly

Chapter 73: Engage and Finish Quickly

"Potato shreds can be soaked in water beforehand. This makes them crispier and prevents them from sticking to the pan."

"The potato shreds you fried this morning were a bit sticky."

Shen Que nodded as he listened to Meng Ci's words.

Seeing that the oil was almost hot enough, Meng Ci had a sudden idea and did not remind Shen Que to add the vegetables.

Instead, he grabbed Shen Que's wrist and guided him to pour the potato shreds into the pan.

"If the oil gets too hot, it might catch fire."

"Hurry up and stir them, or they'll burn."

Without much thought, Shen Que began to stir-fry the potato shreds.

Meng Ci stood slightly behind Shen Que, taking advantage of his inability to see his face, and felt quite pleased.

Then, Meng Ci started using the excuse of guiding Shen Que to cook as an opportunity to hold his hand while stirring and flipping the pan...

If Shen Que were not a guy, he might have reported Meng Ci for harassment.

After eating, Meng Ci could not find an excuse to keep Shen Que around and could only watch him leave with regret.

Then, Meng Ci pulled back the curtains a bit and began to loosen the soil in the flower pots.

A couple of days ago, Mao Xinyu taught them to cut potatoes into pieces, coat them with wood ash, and plant them in the flower pots, which might lead to successful growth.

Since there was nothing else to do, Meng Ci decided to give it a try.

Just after planting the potatoes, he saw two speedboats approaching in the distance, each with a flag at the front.

Meng Ci wiped his hands and picked up the nearby binoculars to take a closer look.

He could barely make out the words "White Tiger Hall" on the flags, along with a crudely drawn tiger head in one corner.

Seriously, couldn't these bandits who come out to rob people come up with more meaningful names?

Their names are always so generic, either Green Dragon Gang or White Tiger Hall.

The two speedboats moved slowly, stopping occasionally, and were about to dock in front of their building. Meng Ci quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie and informed Shen Que about it.

There were only seven people on the speedboats, not seeming very strong. Meng Ci wanted to practice his skills, so he did not inform Yun Jingcen.

"Shen Que, we have visitors!"

Hearing this, Shen Que rushed to the window with the walkie-talkie and indeed saw the two speedboats.

"Okay, I see them."

"Let's handle this ourselves without telling the teachers. What do you think?" Meng Ci suggested.

Yun Jingcen and the others were on the south side, hidden from view by the buildings on the east and west sides.

"Alright."

Without delay, the two of them took their long knives, put their guns in their pockets, and went down to the ninth floor.

Those people would take some time to search up floor by floor, so Meng Ci and Shen Que waited outside a room on the east side.

Shen Que leaned against the wall, head lowered, holding a butcher knife in his right hand, and closed his eyes to rest.

Taking advantage of Shen Que's lowered head, Meng Ci looked at him unabashedly.

Tsk, even wearing a bulky military coat with a matching hat, Shen Que still looked incredibly handsome.

Indeed, being handsome means you can get away with anything.

"What are you looking at?"

Meng Ci was lost in Shen Que's beauty when he suddenly heard Shen Que speak, catching him in the act.

Feeling awkward for a moment, Meng Ci then smiled and said, "I'm just admiring your good looks!"

Caught off guard by Meng Ci's bold teasing, Shen Que's mind went blank for a second. Just as he was about to respond, Meng Ci made a hushing gesture.

"Shh! They're here!"

Meng Ci and Shen Que quickly straightened up and prepared themselves.

"Damn, these people run to the refugee camp and don't even leave anything behind."

"Well, I'm still hungry. If we don't find anything, we won't have anything to eat when we go back."

"They enjoy food and comfort inside the houses while we have to go out and search for supplies."

"I think this building is pretty good. Why don't we stay here and not go back?"

...

Of course, they were just complaining casually.

They wouldn't dare actually stay here.

With many gangs outside, staying here would likely mean they wouldn't survive for more than two days.

As their complaints grew louder, they reached the ninth floor and began searching the south side.

These houses have been searched countless times, and there's nothing useful to be found.

The families who had moved back from the refugee settlement all took up residence on the sixteenth and fifteenth floors, hoping to find safety in numbers.

So they could only grumble and head towards where Meng Ci and the others were staying.

"Damn it, there's nothing here. We're not going to waste another trip, are we?"

"Hey, there's something over here..."

"Ouch!"

A man came forward first, excited when he saw Shen Que and Meng Ci. But before he could finish his sentence, Meng Ci slit his throat.

"Bang!"

Having killed so many people, Meng Ci knew exactly how to end someone's life with one strike.

The remaining six people ran over at the sound, knives in hand.

Seeing their bleeding comrade on the ground, they were enraged.

"How dare you kill our brother! You must want to die!"

The best strategy was quick action. Without giving the six men a chance to talk, Meng Ci and Shen Que charged forward silently like grim reapers.

The six men had killed before, so they shouted and charged forward as well.

But they were no match for Meng Ci and Shen Que, who worked together seamlessly. Soon, two of them lay dead on the ground.

The remaining four, seeing they couldn't win, fled in panic.

Shen Que picked up a dropped knife and threw it, hitting one of the fleeing men in the shoulder. Then, with two large strides, he ended the man's life.

Meng Ci, running fast, caught up with another and killed him as he pleaded for mercy.

Two more managed to escape faster, heading downstairs.

Meng Ci and Shen Que chased after them one after the other.

Driven by survival instinct, one of the men scrambled away at breakneck speed. By the time Shen Que and Meng Ci caught up, he had already escaped in a motorboat.

This man was meticulous; he even slashed another nearby motorboat, preventing any chance of pursuit.

Shen Que still held a man who was constantly pleading for mercy.

"Spare me, big brothers, spare me!"

"We just wanted to see if there was any food, we didn't mean to harm anyone!"

"Spare me!"

...

"Shut up!"

Meng Ci and Shen Que ignored him, their expressions grave as they watched the escaping man.

Even if they reached the seventeenth floor and got a motorboat, it would be too late to catch up.

If this man reported back to White Tiger Hall, all of them would come, and they wouldn't be able to handle it.

It might even endanger everyone in this building.

Now, the most important thing was to minimize the damage.

"Let me go quickly, or you'll be in trouble when Brother Hu arrives!"

The man, seeing his companion escape, immediately gained confidence.