Chapter 100: The Knife Is Ready
Chapter 100: The Knife Is Ready
An Ran brings the knife down from the attic and first returns to the baby's room to check on her child. After that, she turns on the water purifier in the kitchen to check the water quality. Despite the community's claims of having the most advanced purification system in the world, the water is still yellow and undrinkable.
Boiling the water to drink distilled water will have to suffice.
An Ran feels a bit whimsical as she checks the electricity in the house, only to find that there is none. However, the natural gas can still be ignited, indicating that the underground pipeline has not been damaged.
But relying on natural gas for the long term and boiling water to drink is not a sustainable solution; no one knows when the natural gas supply will cease. Fortunately, the baby is still young and has breast milk to drink, so she doesn’t have to worry about water for now.
Yet An Ran needs to survive. She initially thinks she can go out to find supplies, but all her food and drink have been taken by Wang Xin. She tries to get it back—what is wrong with that?
But she hasn’t figured out how to reclaim her things. Maybe she can set up a surprise attack or something. Didn’t Wang Xin say he would come to find her? If she can lock Wang Xin in a room, she will have a way to deal with him—especially if he comes alone!
As she contemplates her plan, the readiness of the knife gives her a sense of purpose.
With that thought, An Ran’s restless heart suddenly calms. She takes a deep breath, turns off the natural gas in the kitchen, and returns to her and Zhan Lian's bedroom. She takes out a set of yoga clothes from the closet, ties Zhan Lian's belt around her waist, and secures the scabbard to it.
She combs her long hair, but it is difficult to manage, so she uses a rubber band to tie her messy locks into a bun at the back of her head. Practicing in front of the mirror, she examines her reflection, noting how to smoothly draw the saber from her waist; it isn’t very convenient.
She also changes the baby’s diaper to a fresh one. Everything is ready; now she just has to wait for Wang Xin to arrive!
"Ding Dong! Ding Dong!!"
The doorbell rings just then, startling An Ran. She remembers Wang Xin saying he would come to see her after she cleaned herself up, and she hasn’t done that yet!
Hurrying to the door, she looks through the peephole and sees it isn’t Wang Xin, but her neighbor across the street, Liu Yuan.
An Ran opens the door and immediately notices the panic in Liu Yuan's eyes. “Sister Yuan, what’s wrong?” she asks.
“Before you got back, Wang Xin and his people came to my door with an apple and asked me to let them in. I—I told them I’d go to the security room to find them later,” Liu Yuan stammers, tears streaming down her face. She pushes An Ran’s door open with both hands and shoves a five-year-old boy into the apartment. “Help me take care of Heng Heng. I don’t want him to see it.”
See what? See her being taken advantage of by Wang Xin’s men?
Liu Yuan has locked Heng Heng in their home earlier, planning to get the apple from the security room, but upon seeing An Ran come out of the elevator, she quickly turns back, overwhelmed by fear.
Heng Heng, Liu Yuan's son, typically close to An Ran, now clings tightly to his mother’s hand, desperately backing away and refusing to enter An Ran's house.
Translator’s Notes:
We’re getting to the part of the story that I really, really don’t like.