After Chen Zhenghao killed the resident of Unit 301, the atmosphere in the entire building became extremely tense.
The previously active group chat had now fallen silent, with no one daring to speak.
Chen Zhenghao seemed to have realized that everyone had secretly created a new chat group without him.
But there was nothing he could do to stop it.
All he could do was threaten and try to win people over in the main chat group.
"The situation is tough now. We're all just trying to survive, and no one really wants to kill anyone."
"If that kid from 301 hadn't attacked one of my men first, I wouldn't have killed him by accident. After all, I'm not a demon!"
"I hope that moving forward, we can all get along. If we need help, maybe you can lend us some food."
"As long as you cooperate, I guarantee that everyone can live peacefully."
After hearing this, some people indeed lowered their guard.
Some even began to believe that maybe, just as Chen Zhenghao said, the death of the resident in Unit 301 was due to him striking first.
This type of response is typical of Stockholm Syndrome.
In the face of death and despair, as long as the abuser shows even a slight kindness, the victims feel grateful.
Zhang Yi, however, remained a passive observer, watching coldly without commenting or getting involved.
But inwardly, he became even more cautious of Chen Zhenghao.
Although Zhang Yi's home was heavily fortified, and with the few people Chen Zhenghao had along with their single gun, they wouldn't stand a chance of breaking in, it was still wise to stay cautious in the apocalypse.
"If he really provokes me, I'll just find an opportunity to kill him," Zhang Yi said calmly.
...
This brief period of calm was shattered the very next day.
Though no one dared to go out for fear of Chen Zhenghao, they couldn't survive without going downstairs to break the ice and fetch water.
So, someone secretly opened their door, intending to go unnoticed while collecting snow.
Unfortunately, they were caught red-handed by one of Chen Zhenghao's men who had been sent to keep watch.
The supplies they had robbed on the first day had already been eaten by the starving thugs.
Now, with hunger driving them mad, they saw the residents of the building as their prey.
Whenever they caught someone, they showed no mercy, robbing them of everything.
In the new group chat, a voice calling for help suddenly came through.
Zhang Yi opened the chat and couldn't help but chuckle.
The person crying for help was none other than Liu Tiantian, who lived on the seventh floor.
Chen Zhenghao lived just below her, on the sixth floor.
That morning, she had planned to sneak downstairs in the dark to collect snow, only to be caught.
Living alone, it didn't take much effort for them to target her.
She had been one of the people Chen Zhenghao's gang had their eyes on for a while.
On top of that, after nearly half a month of being trapped, Chen Zhenghao and his men were restless, looking for someone to vent their frustration on.
Liu Tiantian wasn't particularly beautiful, but she was young and had a decent figure.
Given the limited choices, they weren't being picky anymore.
So, a group of thugs, grinning, approached her door with wrenches and metal rods.
Liu Tiantian quickly shut her door and, in desperation, started pleading with her neighbors for help.
"Sobbing… Please, someone come save me! They're breaking down my door. I'm going to be killed! Please!"
"@Uncle You, Uncle You, help me! Weren't you a soldier? You can definitely take them down."
"These people are monsters! We need to stick together!"
"If something happens to me, it'll be one of you next!"
Her voice messages, filled with sobbing and panic, flooded the chat.
But just yesterday, she had been arrogantly berating the other male residents in the group.
Uncle You replied, "Girl, this came out of nowhere, and I can't take on so many of them alone!"
Though Uncle You was kind, he wasn't about to risk his life for nothing.
Chen Zhenghao had five or six men and a gun; even with his military background, Uncle You couldn't stand a chance.
If they had formed a security team the day before, perhaps they could have scared them off.
Seeing Uncle You's response, Liu Tiantian's heart went cold.
She sobbed, "You can't just leave me like this! Can't you men protect a weak woman like me? What kind of men are you?!"
"If I die, I'll haunt all of you!"
At first, some people had felt sympathy for her, but when they saw her trying to guilt-trip them, they became angry.
Adding to this was her behavior from the previous day, when she insulted the men in the building. Now, they were combining old grudges with new anger.
"Oh, yeah, we're all useless. Little fairy, you're so strong, you must not need our help!"
"Haha, the little fairy can fight! Beat them to death!"
"Weren't you shouting loudly yesterday? Thought you were tough, but now you're begging for us 'pathetic men' to save you."
"You might as well die! One less of you means more peace for everyone else!"
The chat was filled with mocking laughter.
No one showed any sympathy for Liu Tiantian's predicament; in fact, they seemed to enjoy her misfortune.
After all, with Liu Tiantian's home being ransacked, at least they themselves would be safe for a while.
Seeing the cold and mocking responses, Liu Tiantian's heart plunged into despair.
She turned to the women in the building for help.
But their replies were just as indifferent.
"We're all sisters here, but there's nothing we can do in this situation."
"Hang in there, sister! We're rooting for you spiritually."
"Stay strong! If they break in, they might… you know."
"Yeah, with that many of them, you could end up being… ruined."
Some were giving half-hearted encouragement, while others were deliberately scaring her for fun.
Human suffering doesn't always connect. The prolonged isolation and constant threat of death had twisted many people's minds.
More and more people joined the group chat, but the conversation had taken on a dark tone.
"Hahaha, maybe you should just try to take one of them down with you!"
"Yeah, if you're going down, make sure to take one out, for the greater good."
Liu Tiantian, trembling with rage, was about to say something more when suddenly, there was a loud "bang!" as her door was kicked open.
In Zhang Yi's apartment, he watched the surveillance footage as Liu Tiantian let out a sharp scream and was dragged out by several thugs.
"In this freezing cold, they still manage to keep up their energy for some exercise—quite impressive," Zhang Yi remarked with a sigh.
But it made sense. In times like this, when no one knew when they might die, the instinct to pass on their genes was stronger than ever.
Taking a bite of his chocolate bar, Zhang Yi watched the screen and said, "At this temperature, even a little exposure of bare skin could be fatal, you know!"