After much hesitation, Zhou Ke'er finally agreed. Her morals and conscience did not allow her to be despicable. However, she found the neighbors' act of robbing Zhang Yi out of jealousy even more vile. So, she chose to help Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi said, "Alright, I need to see some useful information from you first, and then I'll give you what you want. Now, it's all up to your performance!" Zhou Ke'er replied, "Yes, I understand." She was a kind-hearted woman but not naive; she wouldn't foolishly demand unconditional help from Zhang Yi.
The conversation between the two ended here. Zhang Yi glanced at the large group, with 99+ messages still flooding in, continuing to tag him, attempting moral blackmail and threats. "Zhang Yi, where are you? Give us an answer quickly! Do you or do you not share the supplies you have!" Someone was growing impatient. Zhang Yi smirked; it seemed they were planning to forcefully attack his home. "Go to hell!" he replied with a mocking tone. Immediately, the group erupted in furious insults and obscenities. Zhang Yi paid no attention; if they had the guts, they could come over. He had tried killing with his own hands, and there was no guilt. He didn't mind killing a few more.
"Alright, Zhang Yi, you asked for this!" "Don't say we didn't give you a chance; you selfish and despicable person!" "From now on, you'll bear all the consequences of what happens!" The insults gradually subsided. It was clear they had formed a separate group, just like when dealing with Chen Zhenghao, to discuss how to attack Zhang Yi's home. Zhang Yi took a deep breath, a mix of nervousness and excitement evident in his eyes. Even though he knew his home was an impregnable steel fortress, facing an attack from over a hundred people was undoubtedly nerve-wracking. Yet, that excited feeling ignited the fervor in Zhang Yi's bones. He had long wanted to teach those bastards who had betrayed him a lesson!
A glint of white light flashed in Zhang Yi's eyes, and his weapons appeared in the living room. Five high-quality steel crossbows, three professional-grade advanced compound bows, over two hundred crossbow bolts, three hundred arrows, two large iron boxes, machetes, a 1.2-meter-long crowbar, baseball bats, hunting knives — all neatly arranged on the table, lethal tools for killing. In addition to these physical weapons, there were wolf repellent sprays, stun guns, gasoline, numerous chemical reagents, and dozens of Molotov cocktails made with bottles, cloth strips, and gasoline. Zhang Yi's eyes sparkled with a cold glint. "Let as many people come as they want!"
As Zhang Yi expected, once the neighbors realized he wouldn't hand over his supplies, they were furious! Sun Zhichao created a new group chat and invited all the surviving homeowners except Zhang Yi, even pulling in Chen Zhenghao. Seeing Chen Zhenghao, some felt a chill down their spines. However, Chen Zhenghao took the initiative to say, "Everyone, our top priority now is dealing with Zhang Yi. The supplies in his house are probably more than the sum of what all of us have! As long as we bring him down, we can get a large amount of supplies. So, don't worry, I won't harm anyone else for now. But for this operation, I want half of the loot!" Chen Zhenghao had suffered losses at the hands of Zhang Yi and knew the strong defenses at Zhang Yi's home, including the crossbows. Therefore, he didn't dare attack alone and planned to lead the cannon fodder in the building together.
He thought that with over a hundred people, they could surely break into Zhang Yi's home. How many weapons could Zhang Yi have? How many people could he shoot? Over a hundred people against a single house, and he dared to ask for half of the loot! But no one found it unfair; instead, they thought Chen Zhenghao was a good person. Clearly, he had guns, yet he was willing to share half with everyone. What a kind person! Sun Zhichao said, "Yes, for now, let's put aside our previous grievances. Our top priority is to break into Zhang Yi's home and retrieve the supplies that belong to the community!" These two took the lead in yelling, and others naturally followed. After seeing the living conditions at Zhang Yi's home, everyone's eyes turned red with jealousy, wishing they could immediately eliminate Zhang Yi and enjoy his life. "With knives in hand, follow me! Kill Zhang Yi and seize the supplies!" "Kill that shameless and selfish scumbag!"
In the midst of the fervent roars, only a handful of people remained silent, such as Uncle You and Zhou Ke'er. The others, even those who had relatively good relationships with Zhang Yi or had benefited from his kindness, had put those matters aside. Nothing mattered more than staying alive, and for that, they were willing to discard all ethical and moral principles!
...
Zhang Yi was at home, meticulously cleaning his gun. It was a tool he was familiar with, having often used it at the shooting club before. Moreover, in the month leading up to the onset of the new mode, he had intensified his training. There was no pressure in shooting someone at close range. Just at that moment, Zhou Ke'er sent a message.
"They're planning to go to your house."
After seeing the message, Zhang Yi responded with a simple "Oh, got it." Zhou Ke'er sat on her sofa, observing Zhang Yi's calm reply, and couldn't help but furrow her brow. She tightened the two layers of blankets around her and pulled her snow-white feet closer.
"It seems like everyone from each household is going over. They've seen your video and gone crazy."
"Don't you want to think of a solution?"
Zhou Ke'er felt that, at this moment, the most sensible thing to do would be to surrender some supplies, appeasing the collective anger. Otherwise, even a formidable person wouldn't be able to withstand such a large group. Over a hundred people dismantling a house wasn't a difficult task at all!
Zhang Yi smiled without offering too much explanation. He simply said, "Remember, this time, don't come over. I'm only reminding you once."
"Then, just wait and enjoy the show!"
Zhou Ke'er furrowed her brow, her eyes filled with curiosity. She didn't understand where Zhang Yi's confidence came from to confront over a hundred people alone in the entire building. This wasn't a game; once the door was breached, the frenzied crowd would undoubtedly take his life!
"Could he be a lunatic?" Zhou Ke'er murmured to herself. However, this was Zhang Yi's choice, and she had no way to change it. Nevertheless, she did follow Zhang Yi's instructions, not joining the group attacking Zhang Yi's home. She had a moral bottom line and wouldn't indulge in bloodshed, whether it was Zhang Yi's or the other neighbors'.