Looking out of the window on the 13th floor, Zhang Yi couldn't help but inhale sharply at the sight of over a thousand residents scattering in panic. It was his first time using a hand grenade.
To be honest, he hadn't expected it to have such a massive impact initially. Perhaps watching too many martial arts dramas had given him the impression that heroes could withstand all sorts of grenades and hand grenades without harm. However, the reality was that modern firearms had unimaginable lethality for ordinary people!
With just one grenade, Zhang Yi scared over a thousand people like rats, directly or indirectly causing the deaths of nearly twenty individuals. Initially, he had planned to throw more grenades, but after the first one exploded, the others scattered like frightened birds and animals. The subsequent throws were not as effective.
Seeing their ineffectiveness, Zhang Yi decided not to waste more of his grenades. After all, he only had twenty boxes, and he needed to use them sparingly. He sat on a chair, waiting for Wang Qiang, Huang Tianfang, and others to arrive.
After a few minutes, several breathless individuals gradually made their way to the scene. Climbing nine floors in such cold weather was a challenge for most people, except for Huang Tianfang, a construction worker, and Zhang Yunfei, the head of Building 5.
Zhang Yi knew a bit about Zhang Yunfei; he used to run a boxing gym and was somewhat skilled. However, this was irrelevant to Zhang Yi because he had a gun.
"Everyone's here. Is it just you guys?" Zhang Yi said in a calm tone, feeling somewhat disappointed by the small number of people. If he couldn't eliminate all the building heads, he would have to proceed with the second plan.
After catching their breath, the previously arrogant group had lost much of its bravado. Faced with a ruthless figure who could throw grenades at any moment, what were they?
Li Jian, trying to regain composure, said, "Yes, we are... representatives!"
"Oh." Zhang Yi responded indifferently. "Let's talk then."
Wang Qiang and the others found a place to sit after catching their breath, but no one dared to approach Zhang Yi. Everyone knew he was armed.
Li Jian took the lead in speaking. His tone was more polite this time, "Zhang Yi, you know the current situation is difficult. We are all short of food and clothing. Many people have frozen or starved to death."
"I also heard that some buildings have started resorting to cannibalism!"
"If this continues, none of us will survive."
"So, I hope you can understand. We are not against you. We just want to survive, which is why we have to talk to you in this way."
Li Jian's tone was more courteous, but Zhang Yi remained unmoved.
"Don't play the sympathy card with me. Do you think saying these things now will make a difference? Just state your conditions."
From a dominating standpoint, Zhang Yi had the upper hand over the five individuals. Even if they wanted to pretend to be calm, climbing nine floors had visibly exhausted them. Yes, all of this was within Zhang Yi's calculations!
After exchanging glances, Wang Qiang nodded to Li Jian, indicating that he should continue.
Li Jian took a deep breath, "What we want is some essential living supplies. First, food; we need your assistance in collecting it from the outside world."
"Second, materials for heating, such as clothes and blankets."
Li Jian paused for a moment, and the others stared at him intently.
Without waiting for objections, Li Jian continued, "If our cooperation goes well in the future, we can also assist you in collecting supplies. If everyone can bring in more materials, everyone will benefit!"
After finishing his statement, Li Jian felt he had spoken well. He then asked Zhang Yi, "Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"
Regardless of what Li Jian said, it always sounded pleasant. However, Zhang Yi wasn't foolish and detected an undertone in his words.
Language was an art. Saying the same thing in different words could yield completely different results.
Zhang Yi understood after a little thought and sneered.
"I understand your meaning. In other words, you want me to help you collect food and supplies. No specified quantity; the sky's the limit. Also, helping me collect supplies means handing over the snowmobile for your use. Is that correct?"
Li Jian wanted to explain, but Zhang Yi's expression changed suddenly. Without further ado, he pulled out his gun and slammed it on the table with a loud "bang!"
The five individuals' faces changed drastically, and they instinctively tried to escape. However, Uncle You and his men had already blocked the exit.
Wang Qiang, with a stern expression, said, "Zhang Yi, what do you mean! Let me tell you, even if you kill us, it won't help. The entire community won't spare you!"
Li Jian also tried to calm the situation, "Mr. Zhang, don't get agitated. We can talk slowly!"
Zhang Yi, however, just smiled faintly. "Why are you all so nervous? I just felt that this pistol was in the way, so I took it out to air it. Don't be nervous! Come, sit down, and let's continue."
The five people's faces didn't look good, but they still sat down. Zhang Yi continued, "Firstly, let me tell you, I cannot agree to the conditions you proposed!"
Several people seemed anxious and were about to speak, but Zhang Yi raised his hand to stop them.
"Don't rush; let me finish!"
"Your intention is for me to be responsible for the life and death of the entire community? Don't joke. No matter who comes, it's impossible to achieve that."
"Thirty buildings, over a thousand people's supplies, searching for them every day would be exhausting! Most importantly, from what I know, none of you are kind enough to be concerned about your neighbors when you can't even feed yourselves properly."
Zhang Yi said sarcastically, sweeping his gaze over the five people.
The five individuals exchanged glances, and Wang Qiang nodded to Li Jian, indicating that he should continue.
Li Jian, with a troubled expression, said, "Let us reconsider this. Let's talk about other conditions first."
Zhang Yi casually said, "Okay! Next, I will provide you with supplies, mainly food. However, the quantity is limited, and I will only provide enough for ten people per building."
"As for who gets this food and how it's distributed, I don't care. You decide within your own building."
"This means I'll have to provide supplies for over three hundred people every day, which is already my limit."
As Zhang Yi spoke, the five people lowered their heads in contemplation.
They hadn't expected Zhang Yi to agree to support the entire community's living supplies. But at least, they wanted to ensure their own faction's survival.
"Ten people's supplies are too few," Chen Lingyu expressed her dissatisfaction first. "There are 76 living people in our building. Just the employees in my company amount to more than twenty. If you only provide for ten, how will we distribute it?"
Zhang Yi glanced at her coldly. "So, there's nothing to talk about?"
His tone carried a chilling killing intent, and Chen Lingyu remembered Zhang Yi's words: if the negotiation failed, they would fight.
Huang Tianfang wasn't pleased and quickly raised his hand, saying, "Wait, Chen Lingyu, don't represent everyone in a hurry! I think we can discuss the quantity of supplies."
Of course, Huang Tianfang was willing to accept it! With most of the Heavenly Unity gang members killed by Zhang Yi, the main faction now had only seven people. Including himself, they had eight people, so the supplies for ten people were more than enough! As for the other neighbors, they could all be dealt with later!
Wang Qiang observed Zhang Yi and hesitated. He had sixteen people under him, and supplies for ten wouldn't be sufficient. However, there were ways to optimize it.
"Ten people's supplies are a bit too few. We won't be able to explain it to other building heads later."
Wang Qiang intentionally said this, attempting to negotiate for more benefits.
Zhang Yi remained expressionless. "Providing food for over three hundred people every day, do you think it's too little?"
Just the allocation of supplies had caused cracks to appear in this loose alliance. People had different numbers of subordinates, leading to differences in interests.
Li Jian wore a troubled expression. His position as the building head relied on the equal distribution of benefits. Once more than eighty people in the entire building were limited to ten portions of supplies, his leadership position would be instantly lost.
Zhang Yi looked around and continued, "Let's reconsider this. We'll talk about other conditions first."
Casually placing his right hand on the table, only two centimeters away from the gun, Zhang Yi lightly tapped the tabletop.
"Since we want to keep three hundred fire sources, we need to consider sustainable development in the future."
"Relying solely on scavenging for supplies is not sustainable, and no one knows how long this snow will last."
"Therefore, we must be self-sufficient and start working!"
As Zhang Yi spoke, he magically took out a packet of corn seeds from behind and threw it in front of the group.
"When I went out, I found a batch of grain seeds. I think we can plant crops to obtain a stable source of food."
Zhang Yi joked, "Just like our ancestors did. Food should be obtained through the labor of our hands!"