The moment Nana heard that Lan Jin was going into a fight and bringing him along, he barked excitedly. "Woof! Woof!"
But while Nana was thrilled, little Qiao Qiao was not having it. She clung to Lan Jin's sleeve, pouting. "Mama, me too. Want go."
"No. You're too little." Lan Jin refused without even thinking. If she took her along and something happened… Ling Jiang was here, after all. How would she explain it?
Qiao Qiao shook her head. "But Mama too soft. I protect Mama."
"Haha!"
Ling Jiang burst out laughing at her words, but bringing her along was out of the question."You're a soft little girl too. Your mama has me to protect her. You be good and stay home."
No matter how Qiao Qiao argued, it was no use. In the end, she was firmly placed in Grandma Ling's care before Lan Jin finally felt at ease going downstairs with Ling Jiang.
While they were talking things over, the intruders had already entered Building 12.
By the time the two women reached the safety door on the 31st floor, they could hear the people outside discussing how to break in.
"I say we just smash it. There's so many of us. No way we can't break a door."
"Alright. Smash it."
At the signal, everyone near the door threw their full weight against the heavy safety door.
BANG!
The noise was so loud it startled the two women and one dog inside, who had been eavesdropping without expecting the blow.
Yet despite the force, the safety door didn't budge.
"Boss, this door's too solid," someone muttered, puzzled that it still stood after such an impact.
"It is solid. That's why I brought you here. There's plenty of food in the four apartments upstairs. And on the 32nd floor, there's a dog—big and tall. Roasted, it'll smell amazing."
At the mention of dog meat, some were already salivating. Nana, hearing that, couldn't hold back anymore.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
If dogs could curse, Lan Jin was sure Nana would be swearing up a storm right now.
No one expected the instant they mentioned a dog, one would bark back—loud enough to tell it was no small animal.
The bark was intimidating, but the promise of meat was more tempting.
"Boss, there's really a dog. Listen to that! It's big enough for us to share."
Nana barked again, even more furiously.
The men outside sneered. "Fierce little mutt. Keep barking. The fiercer you bark now, the tastier you'll be later. I love that flavor."
"Brothers, don't be afraid. The more it barks, the better the meat. Hit it again!"
Another unified slam shook the door.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
After three hard hits, the solid door finally began to loosen.
Lan Jin couldn't help remarking, "All these people, hitting it this many times, and it's still not down? People really are weak these days."
It was like they hadn't eaten in weeks.
Ling Jiang gave her a look. "What, you want them to actually break it down?"
"If they don't, they won't leave."
Almost as if on cue, one more blow made the door wobble dangerously. Lan Jin knew she couldn't let it fall inward toward them. She glanced at Nana. "Nana. Deal with the ones who want to eat you. Go!"
Nana had been waiting for that. He backed up toward the upward staircase, then sprinted forward. His front paws hit the door, followed by his hind paws. Using his full strength, he shoved down hard. The entire door toppled outward.
With the strength Nana already possessed—and the boost from drinking the spirit spring water—pushing over the loosened door was perfectly normal.
Screams erupted at once.
"Ahhh!"
Nana wasn't done. He jumped on the fallen door, using his weight to stomp on the people pinned underneath. Their cries grew louder and more desperate.
"Ahhh—stop! Stop! Somebody—help!"
Help?
That was rich. Weren't they just talking about eating him?
After a few more jumps, Nana's attention shifted to the people still standing. His body tensed like a predator ready to strike, eyes locking on his next target.
Ling Jiang frowned. "What's Nana doing?"
Lan Jin whispered, "Looking for the one who said they wanted dog meat."
Ling Jiang could hardly believe it. This dog was something else.
Sure enough, once the man spoke, Nana lunged straight at him, bit his leg, and yanked hard—dragging him toward the stairwell and tossing him down.
He didn't hesitate, just like Lan Jin herself never did. In fact, it was exactly like the time Lan Jin had dealt with the women on the 7th and 14th floors.
One after another, anyone who had talked about eating him ended up the same way.
When Nana finally left the door, Lan Jin immediately stepped in to block it, making sure no one pinned could get up and help. The whole 31st floor was filled with groans and pleas for mercy.
The pleas all came from small fry. The man called Qian Jun, along with the one he called "boss," stayed in the back, watching from a distance without lifting a finger to help their fallen men.
Ling Jiang moved closer to Lan Jin and murmured, "The men with Qian Jun might be trouble."
"How much trouble can they be? Kill them and be done with it."
To Lan Jin, it was that simple. Whether hard or easy to deal with, the solution was the same.
Ling Jiang truly didn't know whether to call her brave or reckless.
Once Nana had finished dealing with his would-be butchers, he stood proudly in front of Lan Jin again, ready to obey her next command.
The others, shaken by his ferocity, hesitated to move.
The man Qian Jun had called "boss" pushed through the group. As he walked forward, he pulled a gun from his pocket and leveled it at them.
"Come down," he ordered.