Can you imagine what it feels like to be doused with cold water in temperatures of minus seventy degrees Celsius? Zhang Yi grabbed a large hose and sprayed the cold water onto those thugs outside his door.
The temperature difference between indoors and outdoors was about a hundred degrees. So, while the water coming out of the hose was still steaming, as soon as it hit their bodies, it quickly froze solid.
In the freezing cold, they were all wearing down jackets and sweaters. The cold water soaked them through, making them feel as if they had been thrown into an ice cellar.
"Damn! It's freezing, I'm going to freeze to death!"
"Stop! Stop spraying us!"
At that moment, they would rather have been beaten up than endure the torment of freezing cold. Their lips turned purple, and some even collapsed from the extreme cold.
Driven by instinct, they quickly fled from Zhang Yi's doorstep. But within just a few seconds, they were already soaked through, and their clothes stiffened from the freezing temperatures before they could even reach the elevator.
Zhang Yi, seeing that they had run off, turned off the faucet. He had originally planned to use his crossbow to teach them a lesson, but reloading it took too long, and there was a risk they might retaliate through the shooting hole. Instead, this method of flooding them with water was far more effective.
After being drenched, the thugs, with their lips turning purple from the cold, scrambled back to Chen Zhenghao's house.
When Chen Zhenghao saw them return in such a sorry state, he became furious.
"Where's that little brat? Did you bring him back or not?"
But the thugs were too busy grabbing blankets and sheets to warm themselves up. Their clothes were soaked through and had turned into frozen sheets of ice.
A dozen people fought over blankets and clothing in the room, but with so many of them and not enough to go around, some of the thugs had no choice but to huddle together for warmth.
The scene was, to say the least, a bit strange.
Chen Zhenghao was livid, slamming his hand on the table and yelling, "Someone explain to me what the hell just happened!"
Once they had warmed up a bit, the shivering thugs slowly explained the situation to Chen Zhenghao.
"That Zhang Yi is too despicable! He sprayed us with a hose. It was unbearable!"
"His door is unbelievably thick. We hammered at it for ages, and all we did was scratch the paint."
Chen Zhenghao frowned deeply after hearing this. When he had tried to break down Zhang Yi's door earlier, he had noticed it was unusually sturdy. It seemed a direct assault wouldn't work.
But soon, Chen Zhenghao sneered.
"No worries. Even if his place is like a steel fortress, there will always be a weakness somewhere."
"And I refuse to believe he'll stay holed up in there forever!"
"You guys stay on watch nearby. The moment he steps outside, take him down for me!"
Chen Zhenghao spoke with venom. His underlings, who were hardened criminals, all shivered and sneered coldly, even though they were frozen to the bone. They still had to act tough.
Little did they know, Zhang Yi had no intention of ever leaving his home.
Outside was a living hell, but his apartment was paradise. Why would he ever leave paradise for hell?
...
After dealing with Chen Zhenghao's gang, Zhang Yi returned to his game.
He knew these guys wouldn't let things go easily, but he was confident they didn't have the ability to break into his place.
As for going outside?
Haha, Zhang Yi would never make that choice!
Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance of danger, he wouldn't risk it.
Why bother, when he could live comfortably holed up at home? Wasn't that a much better choice?
Later in the day, Zhang Yi walked to the large window to check out the view outside.
Sure enough, there were people shoveling snow. He thought he recognized Uncle You, the security guard, a straightforward and enthusiastic retired soldier who was always the first to act in any situation.
The group clearing the snow consisted mostly of young, easygoing residents from the community. Notably, there was no sign of Aunt Lin and the other community committee members.
They were working hard to dig through the two- to three-meter-thick snow layers.
But Zhang Yi knew it was a pointless effort.
Even if they managed to clear a path to the gate, what would it matter?
The roads beyond the gate were also buried under snow.
This thick snow could only be cleared by specialized, large-scale snowplows. But down south, such equipment didn't exist.
Going outside had already become an impossible feat.
Moreover, with temperatures at minus seventy degrees, no one could last long outside.
Without proper winter gear, and given their lack of physical endurance to withstand such cold, staying outdoors for more than thirty minutes could lead to frostbite.
Zhang Yi shook his head.
These honest people were indeed pitiful.
But it was their choice, and Zhang Yi couldn't be bothered to comment.
After all, none of this concerned him. He just wanted to live his own life in peace.
As the day wore on, Zhang Yi began to feel a bit hungry. He took out a gourmet meal from his alternate dimension: a simple meal of Australian lobster, Wellington steak, two Huangshan sesame cakes, and a bottle of cola.
He had plenty of such meals stocked up in his dimension.
Now that he was holed up at home every day, his schedule had become more flexible. He slept when he was tired, ate when he was hungry, and didn't bother distinguishing between day and night.
Outside, the snow continued to fall heavily.
Zhang Yi glanced out the window to check the courtyard below.
The people shoveling snow had all gone home.
The patch of ground they had cleared after hours of hard work had already been covered again by the relentless snowfall.
They probably realized by now that, with just their manpower, there was no fighting against nature.
Zhang Yi lay on his sofa in his long underwear. The room was a comfortable 27°C (80°F), a perfect contrast to the freezing cold outside.
He turned on the TV to watch some programs.
Many television stations nationwide had already gone off the air. Only a few provincial channels and ABC were still broadcasting.
Most of the programming consisted of official updates and encouragement to the public.
"At this moment, our attention is on Shengjing. The authorities are coordinating efforts to mount a final assault against the snow disaster!"
"Reports indicate that in the United States, due to poor snow disaster management, 200 million people have been affected, with millions of casualties."
"The snow disaster in our country is under control, and everything is moving in a positive direction."
"We urge everyone to remain calm and trust in the strength of the authorities!"
Zhang Yi shook his head.
The scale and horror of this snow disaster were beyond human imagination.
While the authorities were doing their best, human efforts were simply too weak in the face of nature.