Tang Xiaoman led Lu Jingming to the second-floor living room, then mysteriously pulled a short-barreled gun from her waist, along with two magazines and fifty rounds of ammunition.

“We’re often out collecting supplies. It’s not safe for you and Shanshan to stay behind alone. I’ll try to keep Fubao here with you, but you still need these firearms for protection.”

Lu Jingming took the gun, magazines, and the heavy stack of spare bullets, visibly startled.

“Where did you even get these weapons?”

“I ran into them by chance while I was out last night looking for supplies,” Tang Xiaoman said with a blink and an innocent expression.

Lu Jingming’s face turned serious as he immediately tried to push them back.

“It’s not like we’re in danger staying at home. You’re the one constantly going out—you need this more than we do…”

“I’ve got more,” Tang Xiaoman insisted, firmly pressing them back into his hands. “Come on, don’t be polite with me.”

After studying her for a moment, Lu Jingming finally accepted them.

A gentle smile appeared on his face.

“Alright. With these, I feel a lot more confident about guarding the house.”

Satisfied, he left in high spirits.

And then—Zhou Yichen walked in right after him.

Tang Xiaoman: “……”

Did she… invite him?

Zhou Yichen’s gaze landed on her, calm and unreadable. No anger, no approval—just a quiet pressure that made her inexplicably uneasy.

Tang Xiaoman felt her scalp tingle.

To keep her top combat asset from getting upset, she reluctantly “sacrificed” another set from her space: a short gun, two magazines, and fifty rounds.

“I actually planned to give this to you anyway. Perfect timing—you’re here.”

Zhou Yichen’s tightly pressed lips curved slightly as he accepted it.

Right in front of her, he demonstrated a one-handed magazine swap.

Fast. Clean. Smooth.

So smooth it made Tang Xiaoman’s fingers itch.

“Single-handed reload?” she said, genuinely impressed. “You’ve got some serious skill.”

Without a word, Zhou Yichen ejected the magazine, disassembled the weapon, and reassembled it in seconds.

His hands moved so fast they were almost impossible to track.

A chill, for no clear reason, crept up Tang Xiaoman’s spine.

This guy was terrifyingly good with guns. If he ever pointed one at her…

She wasn’t entirely sure she could dodge it.

“My muzzle will never point at my teammates,” Zhou Yichen said evenly, as if reading her thoughts. “Only enemies.”

Then, after a brief pause, he added, “As long as you’re not thinking about silencing me, we won’t be enemies.”

Tang Xiaoman rubbed her hands together awkwardly and laughed.

“I’ve never had that idea. I trust you. You know what to say—and what not to say.”

Zhou Yichen stored the weapon and glanced at her.

“Thanks. I won’t let down your trust… or your guns.”

Finally getting rid of him, Tang Xiaoman let out a breath of relief.

Then—

01 pushed the door open.

Tang Xiaoman: “……”

Seriously, was this going to be an all-day lineup?

01 stared at her directly for a long moment, then spoke with a hint of grievance.

“They all got firearms.”

Tang Xiaoman swallowed the urge to swear under her breath and reached into her bag again, pretending to retrieve something from her space.

Wrong item.

She pulled out the assassin’s phone instead.

She tossed it onto the table and tried again.

This time, she finally pulled out the correct set: a short gun, two magazines, and fifty rounds.

“I was just about to give this to you. Perfect timing.”

She leaned in slightly.

“Last set of firearms. Keep them hidden. Don’t talk about it.”

“If word gets out and everyone starts asking for them, then I’ll just confiscate yours and hand it out instead.”

Her tone carried unmistakable warning.

01 accepted it with visible joy and immediately started fiddling with it—magazine in, magazine out, assembly and disassembly—like a kid who had just gotten a new toy.

Tang Xiaoman raised a brow.

“You seem pretty familiar with guns.”

“I used to work for a guy who dealt in these,” 01 said with a grin. “He’d reward his subordinates with new weapons when they did well. But his business was too big—it felt dangerous. So I left when I got the chance.”

Not bad. At least he knew when to quit.

Tang Xiaoman patted his shoulder with a meaningful smile.

“Now that you’ve taken my guns, don’t even think about running off again. If you do… I’ll catch you and break your legs.”

01’s ears instantly turned red. He looked away.

“I wasn’t planning to run…”

She had patted him on the shoulder again.

And this time… she hadn’t patted Zhou Yichen.

He cleared his throat quietly.

So she still worried about him running away?

01’s ears grew even redder.

Tang Xiaoman, oblivious to his inner turmoil, assumed he was just intimidated.

“As long as you behave, I won’t mistreat you. Follow me, and you’ll have food, drinks, and maybe even some fun.”

01 glanced at her seriously, suddenly deep in thought.

So… was she the “sister”… or the “pretty girl”?

*

After sending off all three men, Tang Xiaoman had distributed three short guns, six magazines, and one hundred and fifty rounds of ammunition.

Looking at what remained in her space, she suddenly developed a mild case of “firepower anxiety.”

She decided she would go out again tonight to restock. Maybe she could refill her empty ammunition reserves.

Her eyes landed on the phone on the table.

Right—she had taken it by mistake earlier.

It belonged to the assassin she had killed. After shutting it off, she had tossed it into her space and forgotten about it.

A thought flashed through her mind.

Maybe she could check on Gu Heng’s reaction—and adjust accordingly.

She powered it on.

Almost instantly, messages flooded in from the bounty network, asking why there had been no update and whether the mission was complete.

Tang Xiaoman typed casually:

“I’ve captured Tang Xiaoman. She’s alive. But if you want her, add another ten million.”

After sending the message, she tossed the phone back into her space.

*

Meanwhile, Gu Heng was organizing emergency operations at the company headquarters, ordering employees to gather all usable supplies and airlift them back to Tianlai Manor.

He already suspected this disaster was far worse than expected.

On top of that, Huo Kai had interfered with his plans, blocking his control over major assets. Even his hidden vault had been completely cleaned out.

The pressure pushed him into frantic action—stockpiling everything he could get his hands on.

Tianlai Manor, being on higher ground, was currently the safest location in Lincheng’s terrain.

He planned to consolidate resources there before making his next move.

At that moment, his phone rang.

The bounty hunter.

“I’ve got news. The assassin has successfully captured Tang Xiaoman. But he’s demanding an additional payment to hand her over.”