Li Chengbin's words didn't shut up those who were complaining. A bespectacled chubby man sneered, "Li Chengbin, you're about the same age as Zhang Yi. Do you consider him your father? Didn't you see that he treats us as cannon fodder?"
The term "cannon fodder" undoubtedly had a tremendous impact. The faces of other neighbors changed upon hearing it. After all, in these past few days of consecutive attacks on the Tianhe Gang and the Wolf Gang, they had lost over a dozen people. For many, the thought that this might be their fate sent chills down their spines.
Pointing at him, Li Chengbin scolded, "Don't talk nonsense! At the very least, we can eat now, and it's all thanks to Zhang Yi."
The chubby man, named Luan Qiang, sneered contemptuously, "Sure, he provides us with food, and I admit, I was quite moved at first."
But then, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "But what about later? He insisted on forcing us into fights, pushing us into the fire pit!"
"Why go fight others when we could just stay in our own building? We could ensure our safety and let Zhang Yi bring us food every day. That would be the best result."
"It's him who wants to stir up trouble, offend people from other buildings. If he irritates them, what will happen when they come to attack us in the future?"
At this point, Luan Qiang dropped another bombshell.
"And according to my observation, he never eats the food he brings us. So he must secretly keep the good stuff for himself and let us eat garbage!"
"With so many supermarkets and stores outside, he talks about how difficult it is to collect food every day. Do you really believe it?"
"He's just taking us all for fools!"
These words struck a chord with many. Initially, they thought they only needed to quietly defend Building 25. Then Zhang Yi would go out, bring them a lot of food, and they would be well-fed. Who would have thought that Zhang Yi would force them to go fight, which was so cruel! They didn't want to die, so why force them into a situation where they might die?
In the crowd, a woman also lowered her head and said, "What Zhang Yi is doing is somewhat wrong. There's no need to let us die for nothing, right?"
Emotions are contagious, especially when everyone is on the same front. Soon, others began to express their dissatisfaction.
"We risk our lives every day, and he just needs to go out and bring something back."
"He's just relying on having a snowmobile. What significant contribution does he make?"
"That's right, if he gives me his snowmobile, I can go out and find food. What's so difficult about that?"
"I think Luan Qiang is right. In his heart, he plans to use us as cannon fodder and let us risk our lives for him!"
Li Chengbin's grip on the shovel loosened a bit. Suddenly, he shouted angrily, "Enough! Don't say such things. If Zhang Yi hears it, he'll kill all of you!"
Everyone's spirits shuddered, and they quickly closed their mouths.
At this time, Luan Qiang walked insidiously to Li Chengbin's side, lowered his voice, and said, "We all said these things. Do you want to go inform on us and let Zhang Yi kill all of us?"
All eyes turned to Li Chengbin. If he dared to say something they didn't like, they would kill him to keep him silent.
Li Chengbin felt a chill down his spine, struggling to swallow a mouthful of saliva. "I don't mean that. We are all neighbors, and if you die, can I still live? Don't worry; I won't inform on you."
Luan Qiang then smiled, "That's more like it! We're just casually complaining, nothing else."
Others also laughed, saying, "That's right, don't take it too seriously!"
"In the past, when working, we often cursed our leaders and bosses. Did we have to obey?"
Everyone's faces wore smiles, but their eyes revealed something different. After all, too many people had died in these few days, and each person had some thoughts in their hearts.
Soon after, Zhang Yi and Uncle You returned, bringing with them two bags of inferior food. After learning about the situation, Zhang Yi pretended to comfort everyone and publicly rewarded Jiang Lei and Li Chengbin with two portions of braised pork rice.
Other neighbors also received more than two portions of food each.
However, Zhang Yi felt that something was off with everyone's emotions this time. Although they didn't say anything, there was a hint of rejection in their eyes.
Zhang Yi sneered inwardly. He knew that these people were beginning to doubt him. But so what? He knew this group of neighbors too well. They were like thieves with no courage. When faced with a pistol from Chen Zhenghao, they were frightened and let themselves be slaughtered. Now they didn't want to be cannon fodder for Zhang Yi, but with a gun and a piece of moldy bread, Zhang Yi could make them kneel and lick his boots immediately.
A group of despicable things. There was no need to treat them as human beings!
On the other side, Uncle You, with a smile, presented the clothes he had collected to Xie Limei.
Xie Limei's eyes lit up, and she happily took the clothes. Uncle You had chosen branded clothes for Xie Limei, and even though he didn't understand, he asked Zhang Yi for guidance.
Xie Limei had never worn such expensive clothes before. Seeing that both she and her child had new clothes to wear, she couldn't help but hug Uncle You's arm, affectionately saying, "Uncle You, you're so good!"
Seeing those new cotton-padded jackets, jealousy arose in the hearts of the neighbors. Luan Qiang, summoning courage, said, "Zhang Yi, next time you go out, can you also bring back some clothes for all of us?"
"It would be best if it's down jackets, or..." He greedily swallowed, looking at Zhang Yi's professional-grade cold-resistant suit and pointed, saying, "something like what you're wearing. It should be findable, right?"
The quality of the clothes could be judged by whether they shivered while outside. Whenever they saw Zhang Yi's calm and composed appearance, they knew that Zhang Yi's clothes were top-notch for keeping warm.
Eager eyes turned toward Zhang Yi.
"Zhang Yi, since Uncle You can find them, next time, help all of us find some," Luan Qiang said.
Zhang Yi frowned slightly; he sensed that the mood among these people was a bit off. Although they didn't say anything, there was a sense of rejection in their eyes.
He sneered inwardly. They were really taking advantage of a mile and seeking an inch. Did they even know how many people envied and were jealous of their ability to have a full meal? And now they wanted to wear good clothes too.
He smiled and nodded, "If there's a chance in the future, I'll definitely help you all find some. But my car is too small, and I can't carry much. Otherwise, I won't bring you food next time and instead go find clothes?"
Hearing this, everyone opposed it.
"No, wearing clothes is fine; although they might not be as warm, at least we won't starve. But without food, it's unbearable!"
Zhang Yi nodded slowly, "Then let's find food first! When there's a chance in the future, I'll definitely help you all find warm clothes."
"So you all won't feel cold again!"
Zhang Yi smiled brightly.