Based on Uncle You's introduction, Zhang Yi gained some understanding of those people.
The group of workers was employed under a construction company called Tianhe Group. They were not regular employees but worked as subcontractors under a labor contractor. However, they boasted themselves as employees of Tianhe Group to maintain face. So now, they referred to their group as the Heavenly Alliance, with the leader being a thin and short man named Huang Tianfang.
"Zhang Yi, do you have any plans for them? If you need help, just let me know," Uncle You offered.
Zhang Yi smiled faintly. Attacking this so-called Heavenly Alliance was impossible. His greatest reliance was this fortress of steel and iron. Once he left his room and faced those twenty-something people, even with a gun, it would be very dangerous.
"Uncle You, for safety's sake, let's not do anything for now. I don't have any plans for revenge temporarily."
"Especially since it's just me. Even if you join, we don't have a sure chance of winning."
"Unless," a glint flashed in his eyes, "we can mobilize all the neighbors in the building."
Uncle You understood Zhang Yi's intention.
"Are you suggesting that we, like Huang Tianfang's people, unite and present a unified front?"
"Yeah, that's the idea."
Uncle You asked, "So, you mean we should encourage everyone in the building to join forces against external threats?"
Zhang Yi chuckled, "Uncle You, there's no need for that. If you rush to have them join the group, they might think you have ulterior motives, or even worse, suspect your intentions."
Uncle You asked, "Then what should we do?"
Zhang Yi laughed, "We're not in a hurry. We have enough supplies at home; let's just wait!"
"That group from the Heavenly Alliance came for the first time, and there will surely be a second time. Setting aside other factors, they've lost quite a few people due to me, so they will surely come back for revenge."
"At that time, the neighbors in this building will naturally come to us for help."
Uncle You couldn't help but sigh, "Zhang Yi, you're truly clever!"
The two reached an agreement and decided to ignore the people from the Heavenly Alliance for the time being.
In the owners' group chat, neighbors wanted Zhang Yi and Uncle You to take the lead in dealing with the Heavenly Alliance.
They employed a familiar tactic of moral blackmail. While praising Zhang Yi and Uncle You as good people (which Zhang Yi felt was an insult – you are the good people, your whole family is!), they found various excuses like having no food, no strength to fight, or being old or women, refusing to take part.
Zhang Yi knew these shameless neighbors too well and chose to ignore them directly. After all, once the knife was on them, they would naturally feel the pain.
In the following days, Zhang Yi began gathering intelligence from the outside. He wouldn't ask directly as there were too many people eyeing his family's resources, and the information he received could be false.
He had Zhou Keren and Uncle You help gather information. As a doctor and a security guard, both had broad social connections.
Zhang Yi wanted to know which people in Building 30 of Yue Lu District posed a threat to him. This information wasn't hard to find – whoever killed the most people and had the most significant influence would become apparent.
Zhou Keren actively took out pen and paper and created a statistical table for Zhang Yi. The table described the opposing forces' approximate number of people and their weapon situations.
After reading it, Zhang Yi felt more reassured. Yue Lu District was still positioned as a middle to high-end community, and there weren't as many ruthless individuals.
According to the intelligence Zhou Keren and Uncle You gathered, two main forces posed a challenge.
One was the Heavenly Alliance from Building 26. They formed around a small construction team under Tianhe Group, demonstrating formidable combat strength. Their main weapons were shovels and steel bars, lacking firearms. The homemade bomb they used against Zhang Yi was created by one of their workers with knowledge of explosives, but he had already been killed by Zhang Yi.
"However, we don't know if they still have any stockpiles. We need to be cautious. Finding an opportunity to send a few cannon fodders over to deplete their reserves is necessary," Zhang Yi muttered to himself.
Apart from the Heavenly Alliance, another force drew his attention – the 21st Building, where a group of young people called themselves the Wild Wolf Gang. The name sounded very juvenile, but their combat strength was not weak.
According to Zhou Keren's information, this group included students and some idle street wanderers, with ages generally around 20. The group consisted of over a dozen people, with two leaders named Wang Qiang and Xiao Lu.
Zhang Yi knew these two; they were infamous street wanderers in Yue Lu District. After graduating from a third-rate university, they continued to live off their families, not qualifying as rich second-generation but still considered middle class. Due to their refusal to work, they stayed at home for a long time, gradually associating with some shady characters.
In the past, they couldn't compare to Chen Zhenghao, but without someone like Zhang Yi in their building, they grew larger.
For Zhang Yi, only these two forces posed a certain threat to him. Other buildings had few residents, and some even had only a dozen households. Many couldn't bear the terror of the apocalypse, leading to mental breakdowns and suicides.
Zhang Yi felt more confident. He told Zhou Keren, "Continue gathering intelligence. Make sure to find out everything and minimize the risks, especially whether they have firearms. This is crucial."
Zhou Keren obediently nodded and picked up her phone to continue collecting information.
In the following days, Zhang Yi and Uncle You reached a consensus and decided not to leave their homes.
The people from the Heavenly Alliance, having suffered losses last time, harbored deep hatred for Zhang Yi. They lost over eight brothers that night, and the remaining ones were seriously injured in the fire. Two of them died after returning home due to their severe injuries. This kind of loss was unprecedented for the Heavenly Alliance.
They swore to bloodshed Building 25, vowing to kill Zhang Yi and avenge their brothers. However, the people they hated the most, and feared the most, were also Zhang Yi.
Having witnessed Zhang Yi's methods and experienced the defensible nature of Zhang Yi's home, they didn't dare to act against him temporarily.
What could they do?
They had no choice but to go after Zhang Yi's neighbors in the same building!
Huang Tianfang's idea was clear: Zhang Yi, if I can't kill you, can't I kill your neighbors? When you see your neighbors die in misery, won't you feel guilty? How will you face their accusations? Killing your neighbors will be my greatest revenge against you!
Huang Tianfang had a bit of an "Ah Q" spirit, knowing that it's better to pick on the weak ones. So, in the next few days, he came back with a group of people and launched several sneak attacks on different households.
After killing people, they would use blood to write messages in the hallway.
"Zhang Yi, if you don't come out, I'll kill all your neighbors!"