Even from far away, the sound made everyone a little afraid.
"No way, that dog is way too fierce. Are you sure you can eat it?"
"That voice, that aura, I feel like it's not dog meat they want. It's like I'm the one feeding the dog."
"No, no. It's like they're feeding me to the dog."
"Exactly. This is terrifying. Whose dog is that? Maybe it understands what we're saying and is protesting."
But...
Isn't it protesting?
Even more, it was a little provocative. After all, Nana, who had drunk the Spirit Spring water, was really strong.
Lan Jin didn't let him bark wildly outside. It was late, and they should be sleeping. After he vented for a while, she called him inside. "Nana, enough. Come inside quickly. Don't hurt your throat."
Nana looked back at her and let out a whimper, as if agreeing. After one last loud bark, he turned and went inside, closing the living room screen door behind him.
For a dog, this was really very polite.
Lan Jin hugged Nana's head and praised him fiercely. "You're really amazing. Raising you is worth it. Look at your aura. Who would dare bully us mother and daughter? You are the best guard dog in the world. Nana, you're awesome."
Lan Jin's praise was sincere. Nana's heart felt like it was floating.
After Nana stopped barking for a moment, the walkie-talkie in the living room suddenly rang.
Lao Gao said, "Sister Lan, your dog has so much presence. Why didn't I feel this before? I'm actually a little scared of him."
Ling Jiang said, "You missed the time we used the dog's presence before. Next time, you have to try it. It really feels great."
Huang Jinghe said, "Don't be like this. Nana isn't an adult yet. He's still a baby."
Lao Gao said in disbelief, "What? Not an adult? But he looks big, and his bark is so loud."
Ling Jiang said, "Medium and large dogs only become adults at 12 months. Nana is only 10 months old."
Lan Jin said, "I guess it's because the weather is unusual. To adapt to the environment, he feels different from before—bigger and fiercer."
After Lan Jin finished speaking, Nana cooperated with a soft bark, and the walkie-talkie was muted.
...
Because of Nana, this night was unusually calm. Even Su Han, who had said he wanted to borrow the kayak, had gone quiet.
But if they survived last night, they might not survive today. Without food, there is no hope. And when hope is near, they must trouble Building 12's floor leader Su Han again.
Even with Nana guarding ahead, among the four people, Su Han still looked for Lan Jin first.
Why he was so obsessed with Lan Jin really confused her.
Lan Jin looked at Su Han outside the door, not sure whether to be angry or laugh. She asked, "I really don't know why you always come to me first. But you can ask the people opposite. The kayak isn't mine. Since it's not mine, do you think I have any say? Go ask someone else."
Lan Jin then closed the door.
She thought that if Su Han didn't come to her, he might ask Ling Jiang, but it turned out he had no such plan. He just turned and went downstairs.
Lan Jin was speechless. She picked up the walkie-talkie and reported what just happened. "I'm really speechless. Why does this person always ask me first? Do I look so easy to bully?"
Ling Jiang said, "Maybe he doesn't mean that. I think… he might like you? He just wants to get closer, make a good impression or something."
Lan Jin said, "???"
She was very surprised. They were out of food and yet she still had time to think about this. She didn't consider that possibility at all.
Lan Jin said, "You're overthinking it."
Ling Jiang said, "If not, there's no other explanation. No one really thinks you're weak. With your dog, even without yesterday's show, people would be scared."
Lan Jin said, "..."
"I'm not planning to remarry anytime soon."
Ling Jiang laughed, "You're not working in that department now anyway."
Everyone laughed.
In the end, the four of them didn't come to any conclusion but talked a lot of nonsense. But it was true that the kayak wasn't at Lan Jin's house. Asking her was useless.
After failing with Lan Jin, Su Han asked 3204 about the kayak's location and confirmed it was at Lao Gao's house in 3301. But once they heard it was Lao Gao's, everyone looked troubled.
"That guy looks hard to deal with. Would he lend it?"
"If we can't borrow it, we'll just break down his door and take it."
"No way. Look at his muscles. Can we take it by force?"
"One person can't, but all of us together can."
With enough people, they could take it. If they couldn't borrow the kayak, next they'd not only take the kayak but also the supplies. If they couldn't survive, then neither could the four of them.
Then Su Han led a crowd to block Lao Gao's door. The crowd was so packed that there was no way through. If anything really happened, even Lan Jin and Sister Ling Jiang couldn't help because they couldn't get in.
But Lao Gao was not afraid. While the people outside were knocking, he powered up the electric lock. If someone wanted to force their way in, he could electrocute them.
However, the drama never happened. Outside, Su Han politely and patiently asked, "Can we borrow the kayak? We really have no other way. If we don't see the kayak, that's one thing. But since we know it's here, we can't just watch ourselves starve."
Lao Gao looked at him meaningfully and pointed at the crowd. He said, "With all these people, if I don't lend it, are you going to kill me?"
Su Han said, "No, no. I told everyone not to follow me. I'm just anxious. How about this: I'll have everyone go away first, and then you and I can talk."
Seeing Lao Gao didn't oppose, Su Han quickly said, "You all go down first. I'll talk to this big brother here."
Su Han was only in his thirties. Seeing Lao Gao's look, he naturally called him "big brother." Lao Gao, used to being called that, accepted it without complaint.
The crowd who had gathered really listened and left the 33rd floor, moving down to the 32nd and below. But they still blocked Lan Jin and Sister Ling Jiang's way.
Upstairs.
Lao Gao still did not open the door. Through the door, he began to talk with Su Han, "We live in the same building. I can't just watch you all die. But I'm not generous either. Why should I lend it to you?"