Apocalyptic Rebirth

98.establish prestige

Zhang Yi had made up his mind to wait and observe the situation.

But he knew some people wouldn't be able to restrain themselves from making a move against him.

Therefore, he had to be extra vigilant about security in the coming days.

He had a police helmet for his head and a bulletproof vest for his body.

Zhang Yi looked down at his legs and frowned.

He had a bulletproof vest, but no bulletproof pants!

After some thought, Zhang Yi had an idea.

He took out a bulletproof vest from his space and handed it to Zhou Keer.

"Is this for me?" Zhou Keer asked excitedly.

"Help me open the seams; I need to use it," Zhang Yi instructed.

Zhou Keer's lips pursed in disappointment, but she obediently took the vest and began cutting open the threads on both sides with scissors.

The vest's threads were very tough, as they were made from special materials designed to withstand huge impacts.

It took Zhou Keer a lot of effort to dismantle the vest.

Now, the vest was turned into two separate pieces of fabric.

Zhang Yi took it, measured it against his legs, and nodded in satisfaction.

Wrapping them around his legs and covering them with his winter clothes, he had effectively created bulletproof pants.

The legs had major arteries; he couldn't afford to be careless!

After preparing his gear, Zhang Yi thought for a while and decided he couldn't let his neighbors in the building feel too comfortable.

He needed to instill a sense of crisis in them and coax them into taking action.

After all, he had organized them to be cannon fodder, not to be idle.

With other buildings sending signals, he had to respond in some way.

So, Zhang Yi sent a message in the residents' group chat, informing everyone about the current situation.

"@everyone in building #25, brothers, sisters, and family! We are facing a major crisis. Some people want to steal our food."

"Nearby buildings are envious that I can go out and find food for everyone, so they have threatened me. They claim if I don't share the food with them, they will attack our building."

This message set off a firestorm in the group chat.

The neighbors had just begun to see a glimmer of hope for survival, relying on Zhang Yi to bring back food to sustain their lives.

Now, other buildings, driven by envy, wanted to come and snatch it away, and they were vehemently opposed!

"They're damn bastards, why don't they go find food themselves if they're capable!"

"Let's fight them. Swear to protect our food, not a single grain for them!"

"Right, we have Zhang Yi with us! How could we be afraid of them in a fight?"

Some, however, expressed concerns.

"But, we only have thirty or forty people in our building. If other buildings attack us... can we really hold them off?"

"This is indeed a bit difficult."

"Can we negotiate with them, ask them not to attack us?"

"Ha, do you really think that's possible? Everyone is desperate for food, who would listen to reason?"

"What should we do then?"

"Just fight, we're dead without food anyway!"

The neighbors argued fiercely.

They were indignant, but most were also fearful.

Fighting against the rest of the community's buildings would mean facing over a thousand people.

Wasn't that akin to seeking death?

Zhang Yi sent a timely message.

Zhang Yi decided to wait and observe for now. However, he knew that some people might lose patience and attempt to act against him. So, in the coming days, he had to pay special attention to security. He had a police helmet for his head and a bulletproof vest for his body. But looking at his legs, he realized he lacked bulletproof pants.

After some thought, Zhang Yi had an idea. He retrieved a bulletproof vest from his space and handed it to Zhou Keer.

"Is this for me?" Zhou Keer asked excitedly.

"Help me open the seams; I need it," Zhang Yi instructed.

Disappointed but obedient, Zhou Keer took the vest and began cutting the threads on both sides with scissors. The threads, designed to withstand significant impacts, were very tough. It took considerable effort for her to dismantle the vest, turning it into two separate pieces of fabric.

Zhang Yi then wrapped them around his legs and covered them with his winter clothes, effectively creating makeshift bulletproof pants. The legs housed major arteries, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

After preparing his gear, Zhang Yi thought for a while and decided he couldn't let the neighbors in his building feel too comfortable. He needed to instill a sense of crisis and coax them into taking action. After all, he had organized them to be cannon fodder, not to be idle.

So, Zhang Yi sent a message in the residents' group chat, informing everyone about the current situation.

"@everyone in building #25, brothers, sisters, and family! We are facing a major crisis. Some people want to steal our food. Nearby buildings, envious that I can go out and find food for everyone, have threatened me. They claim if I don't share the food with them, they will attack our building."

This message set off a firestorm in the group chat. The neighbors, just beginning to see hope, were vehemently opposed to sharing their hard-earned supplies with others.

Fierce arguments ensued, but Zhang Yi intervened at the right moment, rallying the residents to defend their building. He assigned two residents, Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei, to lead a charge against building #26, which housed the remnants of the Tianhe Gang. This move was portrayed as a pre-emptive strike and a warning to other buildings.

An hour later, Zhang Yi lay on the sofa with a cigarette in his mouth, Zhou Keer exhausted but content on his chest, when a message arrived from Jiang Lei.

"Brother Zhang, those old members of the Tianhe Gang are tough to deal with!"

Zhang Yi smirked. Of course, they were tough. The Tianhe Gang members were used to physical labor, had various tools at their disposal, strong endurance, and knew how to use the terrain to their advantage. Jiang Lei and his group, being cannon fodder, were bound to suffer heavy losses in a prepared ambush.

Zhang Yi, feigning concern, inquired about their casualties. Jiang Lei reported eight deaths on their side and only three on the Tianhe Gang's, which pleased Zhang Yi. The Tianhe Gang was already low in numbers, and with three more down, their leader was nearly left alone. Zhang Yi's manipulation had resulted in turning his neighbors into expendable pawns, with little remorse for their losses.