Zhang Yi stood on the balcony, his body leaning against the window. He was ready to retreat into the room at any moment if things went wrong.
Chen Zhenghao and his men lay unconscious on the neighboring balcony, seemingly passed out.
But Zhang Yi wasn't sure if they were truly unconscious.
What if this was a trap they had set up with Zhou Ke'er to lure him in?
It was possible that as soon as he went over, they would get up and kill him!
Moreover, there was a gap of several centimeters between the two balconies.
The stainless steel railings were especially slippery in the snow.
If he tried to climb over, all Zhou Ke'er had to do was give him a push, and he could easily fall from the 24th floor.
So—
Zhang Yi pointed his gun at Chen Zhenghao and his men lying on the ground.
"Tie their hands behind their backs with these ropes!"
"And I remember Chen Zhenghao has a gun on him—hand that over too."
Zhou Ke'er wore an expression of utter disbelief.
She hadn't eaten in two days and had only drunk a little water. After dragging ten people to the balcony, she was completely drained of energy.
Seeing how cautious Zhang Yi was, refusing to even help, she bit her cracked lips and said angrily, "You're being way too careful!"
"Better safe than sorry. I won't take even the slightest risk."
Zhang Yi replied calmly.
Zhou Ke'er had no choice but to follow Zhang Yi's orders, with his gun pointed at her.
She picked up the ropes and tightly bound the hands of the unconscious men behind their backs.
When she took the gun from Chen Zhenghao's pocket, Zhang Yi immediately pointed his gun at her head.
"Remove the magazine from the gun and throw it to me."
Zhou Ke'er looked at Zhang Yi and suddenly bit her lip, asking, "How can I trust you? What if after I do all this, you turn on me?"
Zhang Yi said, "You have no other choice but to trust me. Only by trusting me can you survive in this harsh environment."
Zhou Ke'er thought for a moment. She realized she had no other options but to trust Zhang Yi.
She couldn't bring herself to break her moral boundaries and resort to cannibalism, which meant she was bound to starve to death.
Following Zhang Yi's instructions, Zhou Ke'er removed the magazine from the gun and threw it at Zhang Yi's feet.
Zhang Yi glanced at it, confirming it was indeed Chen Zhenghao's gun, and then said to Zhou Ke'er, "Go back inside the house first."
Zhou Ke'er cautiously returned to the room.
She was extremely nervous at that moment.
Because if Chen Zhenghao and the others woke up, Zhang Yi could retreat to his room, but she would be left to die for sure.
However, as Zhang Yi had said, she had no other choice.
After Zhou Ke'er returned to the room, Zhang Yi didn't immediately cross over to the balcony.
He picked up Chen Zhenghao's gun from the ground.
Looking at the magazine, he saw that there were still three bullets inside.
Zhang Yi threw the gun into his alternate space and then returned to the room, retrieving a water hose from the bathroom.
He then aimed it at the group of people on the balcony.
The reason he didn't use his gun was, first, to save ammunition, and second, to avoid making noise and attracting unnecessary trouble.
"Whoosh!"
Water gushed out from the hose, spraying onto Chen Zhenghao and his men from three to four meters away.
The temperature difference between the 20-plus-degree room and the -70-degree outdoor environment was nearly 100 degrees!
The warm water steamed as it sprayed out, but the moment it hit them, it began to freeze instantly!
Zhou Ke'er, watching from inside the room, hugged her arms tightly.
To freeze to death in this way was indeed an extremely cruel fate.
The icy water woke them up gradually, seeping through their bodies and causing them to freeze solid.
"Ah!!!"
One of Chen Zhenghao's underlings, his lips turning purple from the cold, let out a terrified scream.
He tried to get up but found his hands were tied tightly behind his back.
Moreover, the ground had become covered in a thick layer of ice, causing him to slip and making it impossible for him to stand.
Chen Zhenghao was also awakened by the cold water splashing on his face.
He was in a state of confusion, then suddenly realized he had been drugged!
But now, he had no time to figure out who had drugged him.
The freezing water pouring over him made him feel like he was in an icy abyss, with sharp, painful cold stabbing him like a thousand needles into every pore of his body!
Everyone woke up, screaming in terror.
But no matter how hard they struggled, they couldn't get up. With ten people crowded on the balcony, they were getting in each other's way.
"Zhang Yi!!"
Chen Zhenghao spotted Zhang Yi spraying them with the hose from the neighboring balcony and let out a furious roar.
Zhang Yi finally stepped out of the room, opening a small gap in the previously unbreachable window.
Unfortunately, Chen Zhenghao's hands were tied, and with his life slipping away, there was nothing he could do.
"You've caused enough chaos. It's time to die."
Zhang Yi said coldly.
Chen Zhenghao and his gang had killed nearly half the residents of the building, almost catching up to Zhang Yi's own body count.
Keeping them alive would eventually lead to a life-or-death fight with Zhang Yi.
Though Zhang Yi wasn't afraid, to be safe, killing them was the best option.
Zhang Yi wouldn't gamble with his life.
What could be safer than dead people?
Chen Zhenghao and the others used the last of their strength to struggle and shout in anger.
But they couldn't get up no matter how hard they tried.
The cold water drenched their faces, entered their mouths, and soaked through their collars.
Their clothes were soaked, turning into stiff blocks of ice.
Two minutes later, they lay on the ground, silent, their bodies turning blue and purple, convulsing.
Three minutes later, they couldn't move at all. They had become ten large ice blocks.
Five minutes later, those ice blocks fused into one massive block of solid ice.
Zhang Yi, wanting to conserve water, stopped spraying.
Frozen to this extent, without modern medical intervention, there was no chance of survival.
Zhang Yi returned to the room and securely locked the floor-to-ceiling window.
He then changed out of his thick winter clothing and called Zhou Ke'er.
"You've passed the test. You can come over now."
In the neighboring room, Zhou Ke'er finally let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Zhang Yi's voice.
She trembled as she responded, "Okay, I'll come right over."
She grabbed her medical kit and hurriedly opened the door, fleeing from the hellish room.
Zhang Yi unlocked the four heavy locks on his secure door and then took two steps back, raising his gun to point at the entrance.
He glanced at the surveillance monitor to confirm Zhou Ke'er's condition was fine, then used his phone app to unlock the final electronic door lock.
"You can come in now!"
Hearing his voice, Zhou Ke'er lifted her cold, pale hand and pushed the door open.
The door was heavy, and she struggled to open it.
But the moment a small gap appeared, a wave of warmth flowed out, enveloping her.
A glimmer of excitement lit up in Zhou Ke'er's eyes.
She hadn't felt such warmth in a long time!
With renewed strength, she pushed the door wider and stepped inside.
As soon as she entered, she felt as if she had stepped into paradise!
The freezing cold that had enveloped her body rapidly dissipated.
The comforting warmth made her feel as though she were soaking in a hot bath.
Gradually, she even began to feel an unbearable heat.
After all, she was wearing six layers of clothing, including two down jackets.
In the 27-degree temperature of Zhang Yi's home, she felt like she was roasting.
Without even minding Zhang Yi's gun pointed at her, she hurriedly began shedding her layers of clothing.