"We received a report from Huang Jinghe on the 33rd floor. He said that while you were heading upstairs, someone was following behind you. We're here to ask about what happened."
Lan Jin nodded and explained seriously, "When we were going upstairs, I was the one who noticed the sound of footsteps following us. Because of the resource distribution, all the elevators had been shut down, so everyone had to use the emergency stairwell. That means we saw everyone's faces clearly on the way up.
Since we usually take the elevator, I'm familiar with the residents on the 29th and 30th floors. When we were going downstairs, all four families on the 29th floor were already heading back up. We passed each other, so I remember them clearly.
As for the 30th floor, two of the households went up around the same time as us. One was in the line ahead of us, and the other was behind us, but neither of them was far. We all moved in recently, so seeing familiar faces stands out more.
So when we reached the 31st floor, the two floors below us should have been empty. But I clearly heard footsteps getting closer behind us. It was odd, so I walked over to the gap between the stair railings to take a look. Maybe that person noticed something was wrong, because just as both of us looked down, the footsteps stopped. We also saw a black-sleeved arm quickly pull back out of sight.
The position of that arm was about halfway between the 29th and 30th floors. Based on where I was standing, there shouldn't have been anyone on that level. Because it was so close, we couldn't tell how many people there were. We didn't dare go down to check, so we just rushed home.
But one thing we're sure of: when we were queuing up for food, no one behind us was wearing black. That's why it seemed suspicious. After talking it over at home, we called the community office and waited for you to come."
Lan Jin's statement matched perfectly with what Huang Jinghe had said earlier. Clearly, the two of them really had noticed something and were reporting it seriously. But investigating this kind of case wasn't going to be easy.
First of all, there were no surveillance cameras in the stairwell. Second, even though they saw someone wearing black, that person could easily have changed clothes afterward. Black is such a common color. Who doesn't own a black shirt?
And most importantly, ever since the murder in this building, the residents here had been far more cautious than people in other buildings. To be honest, ever since people were forbidden to leave the complex, it had been exhausting for the community police just trying to keep things under control.
As for what to do next—well, there wasn't much they could do. They just filed the report, made a note of the incident, and that was it.
What else could they do? Post guards here? No one knew when the person might come back. Too few guards would be pointless, and too many would leave other matters unattended.
In the end, they could only offer a brief reminder: "Be extra careful while at home. Day or night, don't open the door casually. If necessary, defend yourself. In special circumstances, handle things accordingly. Your own safety is what matters most."
After all, if the person following Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe really was the killer, then both of them were in serious danger. In times like this, protecting yourself was the only priority.
Lan Jin nodded. "Got it. I never open the door anyway. But just in case... even if something happens to me, I'll make sure my child is safe."
And that was the end of it.
After they left, even Huang Jinghe found it hard to believe. He messaged her: Sister Lan, that's it?
Lan Jin replied: What else? They really can't do anything more in this situation.
Huang Jinghe sent another message: Sister Lan, I still have a baseball bat at home. Want to borrow it?
Lan Jin responded: …I think a knife would be more useful.
Huang Jinghe replied with a shivering emoji sticker.
But in any case, the report was filed, and that was that. Whether anyone else would report future incidents, no one could say. For now, Lan Jin simply prayed that no one would be foolish enough to mess with her again. She really didn't want to throw anything else outside.
Unfortunately, prayers are rarely answered.
That very night, Lan Jin—or rather, Nana—heard a faint rustling sound at the door. Nana jumped off his dog bed and padded over to the entrance. After listening carefully and confirming someone was outside, he barked loudly and sharply.
Nana's bark had grown increasingly fierce over time. Even though he was still just a small puppy, he barked with the ferocity of a full-grown dog, as if determined to fulfill his duty with absolute seriousness.
Outside the door, the person who had been sneaking around clearly got startled. The moment Nana started barking, they panicked. The tools they had been using to pick the lock clattered to the floor. Afraid the dog might come out, they didn't even bother picking the tools up. They just turned and fled in a hurry.
A series of quick, retreating footsteps echoed down the stairwell, followed by silence.
Lan Jin's apartment was close to Huang Jinghe's. Just a few seconds after Nana barked, her phone rang. Huang Jinghe's voice came through at once. "Sister Lan, what's going on? Was that your dog barking? It was loud. Did something happen?"
Lan Jin had also been jolted awake by Nana's barking. She was still groggy and hadn't figured out what was going on yet. "Uh… Nana's been standing at the door. I think there's something outside. I'll go check."
"Don't open the door randomly, Sister Lan. What if someone tries to rush in while it's open?"
Lan Jin answered, "Don't worry. I have two security doors. I'll just crack one open and check first."
She walked to the living room and crouched beside Nana. "Nana, was someone trying to open the door just now?"
Nana gave a single bark.
Lan Jin nodded, then asked, "Is there still someone out there? Bark twice if yes, once if no."
Nana barked once.
That was good. Lan Jin opened the inner door just a crack and looked through the peephole.
Peering cautiously through the security door, she checked the hallway. No one was there. Then she unlocked and opened the outer door to take a look. The keyhole still showed the same scratch marks as last time, but there were no new signs of tampering. The intruder must have been scared off quickly after trying just a little.
But as Lan Jin was about to close the door again, something caught her eye—a small pile of junk near the doorway.
She crouched to get a better look. Just as she was about to reach for it, she realized her call with Huang Jinghe was still ongoing.
"There's no one in the hall, but there's a bunch of stuff on the floor," she said. "Looks like some kind of metal pieces, maybe tools?"
Huang Jinghe sounded alert. "Sister Lan, that's probably lock-picking tools. There could be fingerprints on them. Don't touch anything directly. Do you have gloves? Use those and gather them up. We can report it again tomorrow."