As soon as the new group chat was created, the residents and tenants of the building began to anxiously talk.
"Chen Zhenghao is practically a devil! He broke into three homes, all of them by force."
"The two young men in 301 on the third floor tried to resist, but he shot them dead right there."
"The other two were 302 and 401. After seeing that, they handed over all their food and drinks without a fight."
"Without food or water in times like this, it's basically waiting for death, isn't it?"
Someone indignantly declared, "We must unite and fight against this tyrant Chen Zhenghao!"
Immediately, someone chimed in, "Exactly! There are so many of us. How can we be afraid of his five or six men?"
"As long as we stand together, he's no threat!"
But another raised a point: "But he's got a gun!"
"Hmph, so what if he has a gun? How many bullets could he possibly have?"
"Yeah, if we all rush at him at once, he wouldn't stand a chance!"
"I'll give him a left front kick, then a right roundhouse, and I guarantee he'll be down!"
"He's already got a lame leg; he's no big deal. Without that gun, ha, I could take him on alone!"
The more people talked about dealing with Chen Zhenghao, the more fired up they became, as if they couldn't wait to storm his place and execute him right then and there!
However, someone interjected, "So, when are we actually going to act?"
That question brought a brief silence.
Talking big was easy, but when it came to risking their lives, people weren't so eager. Everyone understood the logic, but no one wanted to be the one to lead the charge and take the first bullet.
All the brave talk was really just trying to push someone else into harm's way.
"Well, that's not the issue. We'll definitely take care of him!" someone tried to rally again.
"But after all, he's a desperate criminal with a few thugs. We need to strategize carefully."
"Right, charging in recklessly is for fools. We need to win with smarts!"
Zhang Yi smirked. Just a moment ago, they were all shouting about how Chen Zhenghao was no big deal, with people bragging about their martial arts moves.
Now that it was time to act, they were all talking about using their "wisdom" to win?
He couldn't help but find it laughable.
At that moment, Uncle You, the building's security guard, suddenly spoke up in the chat.
"We can't let Chen Zhenghao and his men keep doing this. If this goes on, he'll kill us all."
"Even if he doesn't shoot us, if he robs us of all our food and water, we'll still die."
"I'm willing to lead. Who's with me to teach these bastards a lesson?"
Uncle You was usually a man of few words.
A retired soldier with a straightforward nature and a strong sense of justice, he was well-respected in the community. Faced with someone like Chen Zhenghao, a shameless, murderous scoundrel, Uncle You was filled with righteous anger.
"Whoa, Uncle You is awesome! No wonder he's a former soldier!"
"Uncle You, I support you! Do you need weapons? I've got a kitchen knife you can use."
"I have a Longquan sword I bought last year on vacation. You can borrow it!"
"Chen Zhenghao's just a cripple. Uncle You, find a chance to sneak up on him from behind and don't give him any opportunities."
…
Everyone praised Uncle You and enthusiastically offered suggestions. But none of them said they would go with him to confront Chen Zhenghao.
Uncle You was a bit speechless.
"Chen Zhenghao has five or six people, and they have a gun. I can't go alone."
"At the very least, we need a dozen young men to come with me. That would give us a fighting chance."
"I've been in the military and have some skills. I can take the lead."
The male residents in the group chat went silent.
But female residents like Fang Yuqing, whose households didn't have adult men, suddenly became energized.
"Right, we women are weak and can't deal with such scum. It's time for the men of Building 25 to show your masculine strength!"
"The men in our building are real men. I'm sure you'll succeed!"
"Now's the time to show your gentlemanly spirit. We hope you win quickly and protect us weak women."
The men in the group were naturally unhappy with this.
Some of them were unmarried and living alone, or sharing apartments with friends. They weren't entirely unwilling to fight, but seeing the attitude of the female residents—acting as if it was their duty to risk their lives—made them unwilling.
"Whoa, hold on a minute! You always talk about 'ladies first,' but now that there's danger, you want us to go first? Why should we?"
"We're all for equal treatment. If we're going, everyone goes."
"You're always so tough online, beating up your 'oppressors' with your words. How about you use that same energy on Chen Zhenghao?"
"I'm not against risking my life, but I'll only protect my own wife and kids."
…
The female residents, seeing that the men weren't willing to confront Chen Zhenghao, started hurling insults.
"Are you even men? This is exactly the time for you to step up!"
"Letting women face danger—how can you say that out loud?"
"You're all cowards! Disgusting! I'd never marry a man like any of you!"
…
The group chat, originally meant for discussing how to deal with the threat of Chen Zhenghao, had somehow devolved into a heated argument about who should take responsibility, eventually turning into a battle of the sexes.
Zhang Yi watched all of this unfold, utterly speechless.
This was exactly how it had played out in his previous life.
This was also why, in his previous life, after Chen Zhenghao killed half the people in the building, he was still able to maintain control over everyone else with just one gun.
Even when they were about to die, they would just shut their eyes and not even dare to resist.
Seeing the argument escalate, Uncle You anxiously tried to steer the conversation back on track.
"Everyone, please stop arguing! The real issue is how we're going to deal with Chen Zhenghao."
One of the most vocal participants in the argument was a female resident from the 7th floor named Liu Tiantian, a 22-year-old who had just graduated.
Caught up in the heated exchange, Liu Tiantian would attack any man who spoke, including well-intentioned Uncle You. She quickly typed out her response.
"Uncle You, stop pretending to be a hero! You're a former soldier, so you should be the first one charging in!"
"There are plenty of men in this building. If we take one of them for each of Chen Zhenghao's men, the rest of us would be safe!"
"In today's world, women are clearly more important. The only purpose you men serve is to protect and provide for us women."
"I hope all the cowardly men in this chat remember that. I won't say it again!"