Faced with the terrifying prospect of death, the homeowners began to reminisce about the good things Zhang Yi had done. Someone took the lead, and in these chaotic times, it was easy to sway others. Especially now that they were hungry, thoughts of the delicious food Zhang Yi provided easily came to mind.
"Upon careful consideration, have we been too demanding of Zhang Yi?" "He braved such a heavy snowstorm, going out alone to find food. And he has to bring back enough for dozens of people." "Yes, he didn't find anything today, but we won't starve to death. We can endure for a bit!" "The ones who got killed were just asking for it. They brought it upon themselves!" "Exactly, who does he think he is, daring to scheme for the snowmobile? Well, they deserved to die!" "Oh, speaking of that, I remember now. That Luan Qiang is really despicable. He used to walk his dog without a leash and almost got me bitten!" "Really? Oh, that guy deserves to die! Before dying, he even harmed us."
"Let's not talk about that. Anyway, we must convince Zhang Yi to help us find food again!" "Yes, that's the only way for us to survive now." "You're right. Their houses are made of alloy; we can't break in. We can only beg him to pity us!"
...
Just as Zhang Yi anticipated, these neighbors were like a seesaw – a little kindness from him, and they'd get arrogant; treat them like animals, and they'd come crawling. As Confucius said, "It is difficult to raise women and small-minded people; draw near to them and they do not show reverence, keep them at a distance and they resent it."
Not long after Zhang Yi returned home, he was mentioned in the group chat of Building 25. The neighbors were apologizing.
"Zhang Yi, what happened today was our fault. We sincerely apologize to you." "We hope that, considering our years of being neighbors, you won't treat us like enemies." "Zhang Yi, it was all Luan Qiang's instigation! We, the others, had no such intentions. Please understand!"
"Everyone will listen to you in the future; whatever you say goes." "Oh, by the way, could you go out and find some food for us tomorrow? We're really starving."
Zhang Yi, seeing these messages, smirked, not bothering to reply. He let them twist and turn in their internal conflicts.
"Should I let them release some built-up steam and act as a suicide squad later?"
Zhang Yi pondered, rubbing his chin.
"As long as I throw a couple of moldy loaves over there, they'll probably fight each other for them!"
At that moment, a series of "ding dong!" notification sounds echoed. Zhang Yi was curious since he had blocked most group chat notifications. He looked and understood what was happening.
Chen Lingyu, the building manager of Building 9, had added him to a new group. He took a closer look and realized the significance of this group. In it were exactly 30 people, including familiar names from other buildings – Li Jian from Building 18, Huang Tianfang from Building 26, Wang Qiang from Building 21, Zhang Yunian from Building 5.
These were all the current leaders of the 30-unit buildings.
A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Yi's eyes, murmuring to himself, "It seems they want to settle things with me."
Zhang Yi knew this day would come sooner or later, so he wasn't surprised. Not everyone had an abundance of resources like him. For other buildings, life was a day-to-day struggle, and waiting even a single day was not an option.
Seeing Zhang Yi entering, Chen Lingyu said, "I've added Zhang Yi. Let's discuss this matter!"
Zhang Yi remained silent, wanting to see how these people would negotiate.
As the enemy of Zhang Yi, Wang Qiang, the leader of the Wolf Gang from Building 21, was the first to speak, his tone carrying a hint of aggression.
"Zhang Yi, we heard that you're living quite well these days in Building 25! You have food every day. You've become comfortable and forgot about us poor neighbors!"
Zhang Yi chuckled, not bothering to argue. In an online conversation, one against twenty-nine was not a battle he could win.
"If you brought me here just to listen to your nonsense, I'll leave now."
Huang Tianfang hurriedly said, "Zhang Yi, don't be hasty. If you leave now, who knows what might happen!"
Zhang Yi sneered, "Are you threatening me? Huang Tianfang, your dog from the Tianhe Gang was killed by me. How dare you speak here?"
"Even if you're formidable, can you beat so many of us?"
Zhang Yi's eyes flickered.
Indeed, these people had united, forming a unified front. Li Jian, the peacemaker, stepped forward.
"Alright, everyone, calm down. We created this group to negotiate through discussion, not for mutual slaughter."
Wang Qiang snorted and lazily said, "Old Li, your mouth is slick. Just tell him what we discussed!"
Li Jian said, "Fine, Zhang Yi, let me explain the current situation. We, the leaders of the 30-unit buildings, have agreed on a unified front. If any one of us is attacked by you, the others must come to their aid."
"Secondly, we request you to provide us with resources to ensure our basic survival. In exchange, we won't attack Building 25."
"Thirdly, to ensure you fulfill your promises, we request that the use of your snowmobile be rotated among us. It cannot be monopolized by one person."
"Lastly, you need to disclose the resource points you have control over. With the city snowbound, even with transportation, not everyone can find resources."
Li Jian continued, "Zhang Yi, that's the situation. Have you heard it all?"
A contemptuous smile played on Zhang Yi's lips. These people were truly audacious – they wanted to seize his snowmobile, have him guide them for free, and ensure the livelihoods of the entire community. And their contribution was merely a promise not to attack Building 25?
Did they even qualify?
Zhang Yi didn't erupt in anger. Although these conditions were laughable and even ridiculous in his eyes, from their perspective, it made some sense. Negotiations were about incrementally gaining benefits from each other, and they were making a big opening move to pave the way for better bargaining.
However, Zhang Yi could still mock them because their proposed conditions were built on a severe misjudgment of Building 25's combat strength. They thought that by uniting, wiping out everyone in Building 25 would be an easy task. Little did they know that Zhang Yi now had a considerable arsenal of weapons and ammunition. If a fight were to break out, the difference between the two sides was insurmountable. Quantity didn't always ensure victory; a single drop of the Three-Body's water could wipe out the entire Earth's fleet.