Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 99: Rising Tension (2)

"So why is the manager looking for us?" Elena asked, her curiosity piqued. She tilted her head slightly, contemplating what the manager’s true intentions might be.

"It’s about the power generator on the rooftop; they mentioned needing to check it, but I suspect they have a different agenda," Oslo replied, annoyance evident in his voice.

The manager kept insisting on entering with a polite tone, which only served to annoy him further. Well, he was really good at hiding his facade.

"Do you know anything about them?" Ethan added, observing Oslo’s reaction intently.

"Yes, I planted some listening devices on their side yesterday and overheard their conversation. I’m afraid they’re planning to rob this building. I also noticed several unfamiliar men partying in the manager’s unit," Oslo revealed.

Elena was lost in thought. If the manager intended to execute his scheme, what was the purpose of his presence here? Suddenly, it dawned on her: he was here to evaluate them, to see if they were easily intimidated. Or perhaps he wanted to sabotage the power generator itself to set his plan in motion.

"How many people are there?" Elena inquired.

"Eight of them stood in front of the gate."

"No, what I meant was, how many people are currently in the manager’s unit?"

"Oh! There are probably about 15 people."

"Do you think they have guns?"

"I guess so. They looked like thugs."

Elena decided to meet with the manager to assess the situation. She instructed everyone to focus on their tasks, but if they wanted to follow her, they could only do so from the 27th floor.

She was concerned that the thugs might be armed and could fire randomly, which could lead to serious complications.

"Let’s go meet the manager," Elena said as they made their way downstairs.

Xander joined them along the way, so the four of them gathered on the 26th floor while the others stayed on the 27th floor, listening with concern.

Seeing the residents from the 26th floor and above, the manager felt a surge of anger at being kept waiting. He quickly masked his frustration and greeted them with a forced smile.

"Hello, I’m Mr. Knoll, the building manager. Could you please open the gate? We need to enter and brave the storm to replenish the gasoline for the power generator on the rooftop?"

Elena noted the manager’s polite tone, but his eyes revealed a calculating gaze, prompting her to raise an eyebrow. Among the residents who accompanied the manager were mostly older women, but there were also men with sinister looks—likely the thugs he had recruited.

"We can handle putting in the gasoline ourselves if you don’t mind, manager. Just leave it at the entrance," she suggested.

"What’s the meaning of this?" the manager asked, his tone shifting.

Elena smiled and replied calmly, "You don’t need to worry. We have a mechanic here who is an expert on power generators. Adding gasoline and checking the generator is a simple task."

"That’s our job. You pay us, so we need to do it ourselves. Just let us in," he insisted, his tone growing more forceful.

"It’s fine, manager. We’re not particular about it. As I said, it’s a simple task—there’s no need to exaggerate. Just leave the gasoline at the entrance, and we’ll take care of it ourselves," Elena said knowingly, her expression suggesting she could see through the manager’s facade.

’This manager was too obvious; he clearly intended to sabotage the generator, plunging the building into darkness.’

The onlookers exchanged curious glances, puzzled by why this young woman was so eager to take on someone else’s job.

"What if you don’t put all the gasoline in the generator?" an elderly woman, who had previously demanded compensation, interjected, stirring the pot.

The other residents nodded in agreement, expressing their doubts about Elena’s honesty.

’This is why I dislike mingling with these neighbors; they’re too foolish. Let’s see if they still defend this manager once they learn his true colors.’ Elena thought.

The manager observed the situation with a smirk. The residents he had recruited from downstairs were the very people who had benefited from him not long ago. Now, they were truly aiding his cause.

"We’re not as shameless as you, madam, so choose your words wisely," Elena retorted, her voice calm and steady.

She fixed her icy gaze on the manager and warned him, "We usually mind our own business, but if provoked, we won’t hesitate to retaliate."

The manager felt a surge of panic as Elena’s icy stare pierced through him, but he quickly regained his composure, reassured by the thugs behind him.

"Why won’t you allow us to enter?" he insisted.

Elena countered, "Why are you so adamant about entering?"

She aimed to make the standoff clear to everyone present, showcasing their strength and demonstrating that they were not to be trifled with.

The manager was furious but chose to back down for the time being. He decided to postpone the robbery until the gasoline ran out. His only concern was that the typhoon would soon pass, rendering his efforts futile.

However, witnessing the arrogance of the residents on the 26th floor and above, he vowed to take his revenge.

"Fine, take the gasoline, but make sure to use it all," the manager said, forcing a smile that barely concealed his anger.

"Sure," Elena replied with a smirk.

Just as the residents were about to head downstairs, Elena called out to them once more.

"What now?" the manager said, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Manager, let’s check the gasoline. It’s better to be sure. I don’t want to be doubted by these people," Elena demanded, insisting on a thorough inspection.

The manager was speechless, his face turning red from embarrassment.

’Did this woman want to tell everyone that he had embezzled the gasoline?’

Well, he did. But this time, he had actually filled the container with gasoline.

"Go ahead," the manager said confidently. That was the last batch of gasoline, and he hadn’t altered anything in it.

Ethan opened the gate and inspected the gasoline. Satisfied with its quality, he nodded to Elena.

"It’s good, manager. We’ll make sure to replenish the power generator soon," Elena said.

The manager didn’t respond and stormed downstairs, fuming with anger.

*****

Entering Unit 2501, the manager quickly relayed what had happened to the others, prompting them to pause their plans momentarily.

No one knew that a group of thugs had secretly entered Building C—except for Elena and her group. It was all thanks to Oslo.

"That woman is full of herself. I’ll make sure she regrets going against us."

"But she’s attractive, manager. Can we have some fun with her when the time comes?"

"Absolutely, let’s make her plead for mercy."

The thugs were now filled with determination, captivated by the beauty of the women inside the building.

"So, what’s the plan now, manager?"

"This will be the last batch of gasoline. Once it’s used up, the building will be plunged into darkness. For now, rotational power outages are still in effect, but we can start targeting some of the weaker residents later," the manager said with a sinister smile. He was eager to unleash his anger by bullying those who were more vulnerable.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I think, manager, that the typhoon won’t stop anytime soon. The momentum seems to be the same as it was yesterday," one member said.

"Yeah, if the typhoon doesn’t pass soon, we could hijack this building and turn it into our fortress. Hahaha, this will be fun!" another member agreed excitedly.

The thugs shared the same sentiment; they envisioned themselves ruling over the building.

"Let’s see what unfolds. For now, prepare yourselves. We’ll start our operation this evening," the manager said, considering the other thugs’ proposals.

Meanwhile, Elena and the others returned to Grandpa Caldwell’s unit to discuss the recent confrontation. Elena warned them that the manager might take action sooner than they expected.

"This manager is planning to sabotage the power generator. That’s why he was so insistent on getting inside," Elena said seriously, glancing at little Mia and little Koby as they played near the balcony.

"Should we take action then?" Grandma Ford suggested, her brow furrowed with concern.

"Not for now. Let the residents handle it. We’re not their saviors," Elena replied, sneering at the residents who continued to provoke her.

"Well, let’s mind our own business," Ethan added, nodding in agreement with his wife.

No one attempted to persuade Elena to save the residents, fully aware that they had no means to protect themselves either. They needed to harden their resolve, as situations like this were likely to become the norm in the future.

The silence was broken when little Mia exclaimed, "Look! A fwoating caw! Who’s driving the fwoating caw? There are so many of them!"

She was puzzled by the sight of a car floating on the water, unaware that it was actually a vehicle swept away by the surging flood.

Everyone quickly rushed to assess the situation.

"I think the water is starting to enter the first floor," Uncle Anthony said, his voice filled with concern.

Elena then checked the group chat, where residents panicked, hurriedly taking their belongings and searching for unoccupied units.