Through just a single pane of glass, the people outside, braving the fierce wind and snow, were desperately smashing the window, their faces twisted in frustration.
On the other side, Zhang Yi lay leisurely on his recliner, enjoying delicious food.
The stark contrast drove the neighbors outside nearly mad with jealousy.
They cursed, their voices hoarse, and their eyes bloodshot.
"Zhang Yi, just you wait! I'll kill you soon!"
"When I break this glass, you're done for, you selfish bastard!"
"You don't have much time to gloat, today is your last day!"
"All that good food and hot coffee, it's all mine, all mine!!"
...
Hearing this, Zhang Yi raised his coffee cup and gestured toward them.
"Keep going, you're doing great!"
Before long, the group outside began to tire.
After all, this was the 24th floor, and the wind was fierce. Coupled with the heavy snowfall, their body temperatures dropped rapidly.
They had to switch out every few minutes.
But after half an hour, the glass had only accumulated a few small scratches.
Their despair deepened.
Yet, through the transparent glass, seeing Zhang Yi so comfortable made their jealousy keep them from giving up.
Half an hour later, they were still trying.
Zhang Yi noticed a few of Chen Zhenghao's underlings among the crowd.
Clearly, at a time like this, even Chen Zhenghao couldn't avoid lending a hand.
Zhang Yi decided it was time.
He sat up from the recliner, walked over to the coffee table, and picked up a bottle.
Frost had formed on the outside of the glass, and at first, the neighbors didn't realize what Zhang Yi was holding—they thought it was just a drink.
But the next moment, they saw him light something with a lighter.
Suddenly, a hole appeared above their heads, and a ball of fire was thrown out.
As a countermeasure, Zhang Yi had installed shooting holes around his house, not just one.
The bottle traced a yellow arc through the air and, to the crowd's astonishment, landed on the ground.
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, a blazing fire erupted!
It was a Molotov cocktail Zhang Yi had made himself. Even in extremely low temperatures, gasoline could still burn fiercely and release heat.
The gasoline splattered everywhere, igniting in a massive blaze!
The balcony wasn't large, and the down jackets and cotton pants the dozen or so people were wearing quickly caught fire from the gasoline, engulfing them in flames!
A mocking smile appeared on Zhang Yi's face as he lit another Molotov and threw it outside.
"Ahhhh!!! Fire! Fire!!!"
The dozen people were squeezed together, and since the balcony was separated from the rest of the building, jumping to the neighbor's balcony wasn't easy.
They had nowhere to run, and the flames devoured them.
Zhang Yi watched as they turned into burning, contorted fireballs.
Some tried to roll on the ground to extinguish the flames with snow, but it was no use.
Gasoline can burn even when wet.
Others tried to climb to the neighboring balcony, but in their panic, they lost their grip and plummeted from the 24th floor!
With a long, piercing scream, there was a "boom!"
From such a height, who knew if the snow below would cushion their fall?
But according to physics, even if they didn't die, they'd be crippled, their bones shattered, and organs ruptured.
In other words, they were as good as dead.
Zhang Yi chuckled, "At least falling to your death is better than burning alive!"
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a distorted face pressed against the glass, staring at Zhang Yi with a terrifying, twisted expression.
"Save me! Please save me!"
In extreme agony, the man pleaded with Zhang Yi for help.
Zhang Yi raised his coffee cup and gestured at him.
"Save you? Go to hell, you worthless piece of trash!"
The man let out a hopeless cry as the flames consumed him entirely.
On the neighboring balcony, there were still sixty or seventy people waiting for their turn.
Seeing the hellish scene before them, their faces turned pale with fear.
"Help me, please! Save me!"
"I don't want to die, I beg you!"
The people engulfed in flames tried to crawl over for help, grabbing onto the railing, ready to climb over.
At that moment, one of the men on the neighboring balcony kicked hard without hesitation, stomping on the burning man's hand.
"Get lost! Get away from me! You're beyond saving, don't drag us down with you!"
He kicked again and again, even breaking the man's fingers with one brutal stomp!
The burning man struggled for a while, then, with despair in his eyes, slowly collapsed in front of the railing.
The smell of roasted meat filled the air.
In a short time, all ten or so people had perished.
Some, who hadn't been burned badly at first and tried to escape, were blocked by their neighbors.
They were terrified that the flames would spread to them, so they chose to let the others die.
Some, in unbearable pain, jumped from the 24th floor themselves.
Human body fat also makes excellent fuel, and the blazing fire brought an unexpected warmth to the survivors.
Gradually, they moved closer, extending their hands toward the fire, with faint, guilty smiles appearing on their faces.
The fire burned for over twenty minutes before dying down.
The neighbors looked at the charred corpses on the ground, fear creeping into their hearts.
To get at Zhang Yi, they had already lost thirty or forty people!
They had tried every angle to breach the doors, but nothing worked. How could they possibly get their hands on Zhang Yi's supplies?
"Sniff sniff—"
A young man who hadn't eaten in two days sniffed the air.
Suddenly, the smell of burning fat seemed appetizing to him, reminding him of the barbecue he used to love.
As this thought crossed his mind, he couldn't help but glance at the dozen charred corpses on the ground.
Involuntarily, he swallowed his saliva.
All around, the sound of people swallowing echoed in the air.
The young man looked around in shock, noticing that on the gaunt, numb faces of those around him, many others shared the same desire to eat.
However, with so many people present, the last remnants of their moral compass kept them from acting.
But if there were fewer people here, they might actually start eating.
Suddenly, a woman burst into tears.
"I can't take it anymore!"
The group had worked all day, thinking they could easily break into Zhang Yi's home.
But the outcome was utterly hopeless!
So many had died, yet Zhang Yi's walls and glass windows hadn't even cracked.
She suddenly ran forward, climbing onto Zhang Yi's balcony.
Just when Zhang Yi thought the next group was coming to smash the glass, she suddenly dropped to her knees with a loud "thud" in front of the window.
"Zhang Yi, I'm starving to death, please, I beg you, save me! Even just a piece of bread would be enough!"
She wasn't alone. One by one, others ran over, kneeling and begging, weeping uncontrollably for Zhang Yi to give them a bite to eat.
The scene was truly heart-wrenching, enough to make anyone feel pity.
Most of those kneeling were women, trying to earn Zhang Yi's sympathy.