Chapter 430: Gathering

Chapter 430: Gathering

The man was clever, dressed head-to-toe in black with a black hat, and the lower half of his face covered by a black mask.

Meeting the black-clad figure’s gaze, Su He felt her hair stand on end.

Su He had an excellent memory, and for some reason, the eyes before her seemed strangely familiar—she must have seen them before.

Just as Su He hesitated whether to fight the intruder or scream to wake the neighbors, the black-clad man, as if sensing her intention, suddenly turned and jumped down from the building.

It all happened in mere seconds. Before Su He could even react, the man was gone.

He possessed sharp observational skills and moved with quick, precise movements—clearly trained.

Su He wasn’t sure if she could defeat him in a fight.

They were on the second floor, and the weather was freezing. If he landed wrong and twisted his ankle...

Su He quickly turned on the light and rushed to the window, only to see the man moving swiftly, effortlessly scaling the courtyard wall.

Clenching her jaw, Su He ignored the risk of frightening the children and shouted outside, "There’s a murderer outside! The murderer is out! Everyone, be careful!"

The houses were closely packed, and in the dead silence of the night, her voice rang out loudly.

Soon, lights snapped on in the surrounding buildings.

She shouted again, "Everyone, wake up! The murderer is here! Hurry!"

Just then, the door swung open. Su Shiming and Wen Qing, too panicked to even grab their coats, stared at her, alarmed.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Wen Qing hurried over, her voice frantic.

Niu Niu, startled awake, burst into tears.

Su He immediately rushed to the bed, swept her daughter up into her arms to soothe her.

"It’s okay, baby. Mommy’s here. Don’t be scared," she murmured, kissing the girl’s forehead.

Footsteps thudded up the stairs as Fu Yanju arrived last with Chen Waner in tow.

No one was sleeping tonight—this was too terrifying.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Su Shiming asked urgently.

Su He shook her head at the older couple. "Mom, Dad, I’ll tell you everything soon. We’re all fine, but let’s all stay awake tonight. Let’s stay together."

"Su He." Fu Yanju, arriving last, looked confused.

"Sis, let’s all go downstairs to the kitchen. We’ll keep the stove going and stay there. No one sleeps tonight—we’ll catch some sleep in the kitchen if we have to."

As she spoke, Su He helped Niu Niu into her coat.

Zai Zai had woken up too, sitting quietly, unlike his sister, who was wailing.

Wen Qing quickly helped him into his coat.

"Mom, I’m scared," Chen Waner, who rarely spoke up, suddenly whispered, her voice trembling.

"It's okay, don't be scared. Your little brother and sister are here too. You're the big sister, you need to protect them. Mom, Aunt, Grandpa and Grandma will also protect you all, okay?" Fu Yanju quickly comforted her daughter.

Chen Waner, hearing her mission to protect her younger siblings, instantly felt filled with determination and became much less afraid.

So she walked up to Niu Niu and reassured her, "Niu Niu, don’t be scared. Big sis isn't scared either."

Niu Niu, already soothed by Su He, had calmed down by now. She nodded at Chen Waner and replied, "I’m not scared anymore, Sis Wan Er."

Just then, the gate to Su He’s yard was knocked on.

"Let’s go downstairs," Su He said, holding her daughter and just throwing on her coat before heading down.

The others followed her lead and went downstairs together.

Standing behind the courtyard gate, Su He called out, "Who is it?"

"Miss Su, it’s me, Sister Qin. I’m here with a few neighbors," Qin Fenghua’s voice came through, and Su He immediately opened the gate.

Sure enough, about seven or eight people were standing outside, with Qin Fenghua and her husband among them.

There were also a few others—neighbors Su He had brought vegetables to before.

"Miss Su, was that you calling out earlier? It sounded like your voice," Qin Fenghua asked.

"Yes, it was me," Su He replied, handing Niu Niu to Fu Yanju, intending for her to take the children to the kitchen and keep them from hearing what came next.

But within seconds, she pulled her hand back.

"No, this isn't right." Staying together was the safest option now.

Even though she had seen the black-clad man climb over the courtyard wall and leave, for all we know he could still be nearby. She couldn’t let the children stay alone in one room.

"Miss Su, what’s going on? You’re worrying us," someone couldn’t help but ask.

Just then, a few more people appeared at Su He’s doorstep.

Seeing this, Su He simply flipped on the streetlight installed at her front gate.

"Earlier, I was sleeping with my son and daughter when I heard sounds at the window. At first, I thought it was the wind, but then I knew something was wrong and opened my eyes. I saw a person dressed entirely in black crouching on my windowsill—I don’t know what he wanted. Just as I was about to scream, he suddenly jumped down and ran off. And he was incredibly agile—he cleared our yard wall in an instant. I was afraid he’d go to other houses, so I shouted."

The moment Su He finished speaking, the atmosphere instantly grew tense. Several people gasped.

"Miss Su, are you telling the truth?" someone asked.

"It’s true. I wouldn’t lie to everyone. My whole family was woken up. Tonight, we’re planning to stay together and not sleep," Su He sighed.

"Oh God, I... I've got to get home. My kids are there alone."

"Me too, I’m heading back. Hurry, husband, the kids are still at home!"

"What the hell does that bastard want? The walls here are so high, yet he climbed over them so easily. Lord help us, how are we supposed to live like this?"

"What about the police? Aren’t they supposed to be patrolling? Why haven’t they come around here yet?"

"Right, right—maybe a couple of us should go to the police station?" someone suggested.

"Who dares to go now? It’s safer for everyone to stay together. Anyone who can get over that wall that easy must know some serious moves. Even if we all jumped him at once, we might not win."

"What are we gonna do? Oh my god! Why did he come to your house? What did he want?" someone asked Su He.

Su He’s face was tense as she answered, "I don’t know. My husband got called to the hospital for an emergency surgery after eleven, so I went to sleep with the kids. Who’d have thought tonight, in their room, I’d find..."

"Oh my god, he was after the kids!"

"That goddamn bastard! They ought to shoot him if they catch him!"