Chapter 3 — My House Is 42 Degrees Hot, Turns Out It's A Horrifying Plot

I asked suddenly. Luu Phuong's body immediately stiffened. Pupils contract strongly. That expression was exactly like a thief who had just been caught in the act. She didn't say a word. But that reaction said it all. I continue. The voice was cold as ice.

“She connected her heating pipes to my house's piping system.”

“No, not simply hooked up.”

“She turned my house into a radiator for her house.”

"That's why her house is warm in winter and cool in summer, with four seasons like spring."

“And my house became a boiler that never turned off.”

Every sentence I said was like a strong hammer blow to Luu Phuong's face. Her face turned from pale to gray. The body staggered, almost unable to stand. When Uncle Ly and the workers heard this, they were also dumbfounded. Everyone looked at each other. His face was filled with anger mixed with disbelief.

“Oh my god!”

Uncle Ly was the first person to curse out loud.

“Is there still this kind of unethical business practice?”

“Use the house downstairs as your radiator?”

“That's so immoral!”

“No wonder this house is as hot as a sauna!”

Being scolded like that, Luu Phuong did not dare to argue a word. She just looked at me with pleading eyes. Lips moved without sound. Looking at that appearance, I didn't feel any sympathy. I just feel disgusted. Extremely disgusting. I finally understand why management and engineers failed to detect the problem. Because what they checked were all devices in my house. But the source of the problem... does not lie here. I was treated like a fool by this woman, this so-called neighbor. For two years, she was locked in a steamer that she herself created. I took out my phone. Prepare to call 110. As soon as he saw my movements, Luu Phuong immediately screamed. She rushed forward and tried to steal the phone.

“Don't call the police!”

“Don't call the police!”

Uncle Ly responded extremely quickly. He immediately stopped her.

“What are you doing?”

“Are you still going to move your arms and legs?”

Liu Phuong's arm was held tightly, completely unable to move. She could only scream madly at me.

"Khuong Ninh! I beg you!"

“You can't call the police!”

“If the police get involved, we will be dead!”

I stopped my finger on the screen. Looking at her coldly.

“Are you afraid now?”

“When you were doing this, why didn't you think about today?”

Luu Phuong burst into tears. Tears and snot smeared all over my face. It looks both messy and pitiful.

“It wasn't my intention…”

“It's my husband!”

“It was all because Vuong Cuong forced me to do it!”

“He said... said this was taking advantage of energy circulation, not illegal!”

“Besides... and there's more than just a heating system down there!”

She spoke incoherently. But I still caught the most important sentence.

“Not just heating?”

“So what else?”

Extreme fear appeared in Luu Phuong's eyes. She bit her lip, not daring to continue speaking. I shouted loudly: Luu Phuong was scared and shaking. Finally completely collapsed. She shouted:

“It's the server!”

“Many, many servers!”

“If the power goes out, the cooling system stops working or the police detect it…”

“That thing will explode!”

Those three words were like a thunderclap exploding in my head. In a blink of an eye, I understood everything. Why is the temperature in my house always maintained at a high level? such a weird way. Why does lowering the air conditioner to the lowest level have no effect? Why can't the management and engineers use all professional measures to find the heat source? Because that heat source is not a household appliance. It's an entire cluster of industrial-grade servers that need to dissipate heat non-stop. They are like a giant furnace that never goes out. Cleverly installed by the upstairs neighbor below their floor. Also above my ceiling. As for my apartment... It's their carefully selected free cooling room that operates twenty-four hours a day. A cold stream suddenly ran straight from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. Not out of fear. But out of anger. It's the feeling of being treated like an animal by others to take advantage of and deceive. An extreme indignation. I looked at the pitiful crying woman in front of me. There is no pity left in my heart.

“What will those servers look like?”

I asked coldly, interrupting her crying. Luu Phuong was stopped by the question. She sobbed and replied:

“It... it will be completely locked, the data inside will also be erased.”

"Vuong Cuong said it was all his passion. If he lost it all, he would go crazy."

“He will kill me!”

It's very pitiful to hear. But I heard another layer of meaning. One thing that made Vuong Cuong despite the risks was to renovate his neighbor's house into a radiator room. Something that could drive him crazy, even kill him if lost. Certainly not any kind of decent business. Mining virtual money? Illegal activities online? Or something else shady? I don't dare think anymore. I just knew that I was caught up in a huge problem. A problem that is many times more dangerous than "the house is too hot". Uncle Ly and the workers also understood the problem. Everyone's face changed. Uncle Ly even stepped forward to block me, unconsciously forming a protective posture.

“Sister, this is not okay.”

“This is no longer a neighborly conflict.”

“This is illegal.”

“Must report to the police.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Luu Phuong screamed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Impossible!"

“Absolutely do not report to the police!”

She struggled and wanted to rush towards me, but Uncle Ly stopped her.

“Khuong Ninh, listen to me!”

“Vuong Cuong is not a good person!”

“He knows a lot of people in the gangster world!”

“If you call the police, he won't let you go!”

“He really dares to do anything!”

This is no longer a request. It's a blatant threat. I clenched the phone in my hand. Knuckles turned white from exertion. Reporting to the police could lead to crazy revenge from Vuong Cuong. If I don't report to the police, I will have to continue to endure all of this. They even dragged him into the water, becoming an unwilling accomplice. My mind moves at breakneck speed. I can't let her lead me. I have to regain the initiative. I took a deep breath. Raise your head and look straight into Luu Phuong's eyes.