Zhou Ke'er raised the baseball bat in her hand, looking at the massive block of ice formed by ten intertwined corpses in front of her. Gritting her teeth, she resolutely swung the bat down with force!
After all, she was a medical professional, so her aversion to corpses wasn't as intense as one might expect.
With a loud crack, the block of ice shattered.
The impact sent a jolt of pain through Zhou Ke'er's hands, causing her to exclaim and drop the bat.
She frowned slightly, rubbing her palms. "That's really hard!"
Without waiting for Zhang Yi to say anything, she went inside and returned with a large sledgehammer in her hand.
"This will work much better!" she said with a determined look.
Zhang Yi was silent for a moment, realizing that he had perhaps underestimated the woman in front of him.
Zhou Ke'er lifted the hammer and slammed it down hard.
Since the ice covering the corpses wasn't too thick, it quickly cracked under the blow.
As the ice broke apart, so did the corpses within.
Zhang Yi held his phone, recording the entire process.
After Zhou Ke'er delivered the first blow, her courage grew, and she no longer felt any fear.
With a series of loud cracks, the ice block was soon shattered into pieces.
The bodies inside were also broken apart, with more fragile limbs like arms snapping cleanly in two. The torsos were a bit more resilient, only partially smashed.
The exposed flesh didn't even look like flesh anymore—it resembled red and white clay, fully frozen solid.
After completing Zhang Yi's task, Zhou Ke'er climbed back to his side.
"What's the point of recording this?" Zhou Ke'er asked curiously as she took off her jacket.
Zhang Yi smirked and mischievously sent the video to the residents' group chat.
Zhou Ke'er suddenly realized, "You're trying to establish your authority in the group, so they won't dare bother you anymore, right?"
Zhang Yi smiled faintly. "Not just that. I want to take over the position that Chen Zhenghao held in their minds."
The neighbors feared Chen Zhenghao far more than they feared Zhang Yi.
That was because Chen Zhenghao had guns and would barge in to kill them, seizing their supplies.
Even though Zhang Yi had killed many people, the impression people had of him was still that of a sneaky guy who killed by ambush from the safety of his home.
Zhang Yi wanted to take control and prepare for the day when he would inevitably have to leave his home.
Zhou Ke'er nodded, supporting Zhang Yi's approach.
The two of them, now wearing only their underclothes, sat together on the sofa.
Zhou Ke'er nestled next to Zhang Yi, her long, smooth legs resting beside his. Her head leaned close to his shoulder as they both watched the reactions in the group chat.
They looked very much like a couple in love.
Zhou Ke'er's feelings for Zhang Yi came from her dependence on him, a manifestation of the instinctive admiration women often have for powerful men.
As for Zhang Yi, Zhou Ke'er was still more of a tool to him at this stage.
As for emotions, well, that could be dealt with later. If feelings ever did develop, he wouldn't mind. But even if they did, they wouldn't be deep.
The network seemed to have slowed down lately. It took a full minute for Zhang Yi to upload the video.
It appeared that the snowstorm had affected nearby communication towers.
However, as a global leader in infrastructure, China's communication standards were world-class.
So, while long-distance communication might have suffered some interference, it wasn't yet at the point of complete failure.
The neighbors saw the video and eagerly clicked to watch.
When they saw how horribly Chen Zhenghao and his gang had died, many people burst into hysterical laughter, some even shedding tears.
"Chen Zhenghao, that demon, is finally dead!"
"Xiaocui, you can rest in peace now!"
"He's finally… finally dead! We can go outside now!"
"That scumbag got what he deserved! Hahaha! Haha… ha… sob…"
The neighbors hated Chen Zhenghao with every fiber of their being.
If it weren't for him stirring up violence, many people in the building wouldn't have died.
Their relatives, friends, and loved ones had been ruthlessly murdered by Chen Zhenghao and his gang—some even eaten by them!
This hatred was beyond words.
Zhang Yi sent a message to the group chat.
"Chen Zhenghao is dead. I, Zhang Yi, killed him."
Zhou Ke'er cast a somewhat resentful glance at him, thinking to herself: Wasn't it me who did it?
Zhang Yi continued, "From now on, this building is under my control."
Only then did the neighbors realize that the video had been posted by Zhang Yi and that Zhou Ke'er appeared in the footage.
"Zhang Yi… you killed Chen Zhenghao?"
"You're amazing! Thank you for ridding us of that monster!"
"Zhang Yi, do you have any food? I'm starving. My son is dead. My daughter is dead too. But… I want to live!"
"Zhang Yi, do you have food? Give me some, and I'll do anything you ask!"
…
As soon as they saw Zhang Yi, the neighbors immediately began pleading with him.
To them, the name Zhang Yi was synonymous with a vast amount of resources, especially food!
Zhang Yi found it a bit perplexing. Judging by their behavior, it seemed they weren't particularly afraid of him.
He turned to Zhou Ke'er and asked, "I killed Chen Zhenghao, so why aren't they afraid of me?"
Zhou Ke'er replied without hesitation, "Because compared to that lunatic Chen Zhenghao, you're a good person!"
Zhang Yi chuckled and pointed at himself, "A good person? Don't flatter me."
But Zhou Ke'er was serious. "In my eyes, you are a good person! Because you've never gone out of your way to kill anyone."
"As for Chen Zhenghao, he deserved to die!"
Zhang Yi didn't say anything further. He didn't see himself as a good person, but at least he believed he wasn't a bad one—yet.
That was because he hadn't been pushed to the brink, so he could still hold onto the basic moral bottom line of humanity.
At that moment, someone sent a voice message.
"Zhang Yi, is Zhou Ke'er living with you now? Why do you let her stay in your home, but not me? Why can't I come in?"
This person had noticed a critical detail—Zhou Ke'er was helping Zhang Yi in the video.
It was clear that the two were living together!
This realization made many of them burn with jealousy.
They dreamed of entering Zhang Yi's home!
Rumor had it there was a fireplace inside, turning the place into a cozy space with temperatures around 20 to 30 degrees Celsius.
It was said to be incredibly comfortable, with supplies piled high enough to last for ten years!
In the past, they had tried to storm his home but failed.
Zhou Ke'er's presence, however, gave them a glimmer of hope.
"Zhang Yi, I can do everything Zhou Ke'er does, and my skills are definitely better than hers. Let me into your house too!"
"Zhang Yi, I've never told you, but I work part-time at a bar. Don't you need a skilled woman?"
"Zhang Yi, even though I'm a man, I'm willing to do anything for you..."
Zhang Yi couldn't help but feel uncomfortable reading the messages.
Zhou Ke'er was equally shocked, and at the same time, she felt a sense of unease.
As a doctor and a woman, she wasn't irreplaceable. To be honest, her skills in that particular area weren't very advanced. What if Zhang Yi found someone better and started to neglect her?
Biting her lip, Zhou Ke'er made a silent decision to work on improving those skills in the future.
The neighbors were all envious, jealous, and resentful of Zhou Ke'er, begging Zhang Yi to include them as well.
Fang Yuqing, in particular, was on the verge of losing it when she saw the messages!
Fang Yuqing: "Zhang Yi... are you with Zhou Ke'er now?"
Zhang Yi didn't bother to respond.
But Fang Yuqing grew desperate.
At that moment, she was huddled in a filthy, stinking room, looking like a madwoman.
Sun Zhichao, Zhou Peng, and Ge Jialiang had all been dead for days.
They had no food left, and the only reason she was still alive was by using the bodies of the dead.
But despite everything, Fang Yuqing still clung to the belief that one day, she'd make it to Zhang Yi's house and enjoy that life of comfort.
Her cracked hands trembled as she typed: "Brother Zhang Yi, now that Chen Zhenghao is dead, can Qing'er come live with you?"
"Didn't you say we'd live a good life together?"
"Didn't you promise to keep Qing'er fed and warm, to live happily together?"
"You promised me, you have to take me in!"
"You're not allowed to be with other women, you belong to me, and everything you have is mine!"
Zhang Yi hadn't expected Fang Yuqing to still be alive.
He sneered and asked, "You're not dead yet?"
Fang Yuqing's eyes lit up.
"So, Brother Zhang Yi thought I was dead, that's why he let that slut Zhou Ke'er into his house?"
"Yes, that must be it! Now that he knows I'm alive, he'll definitely want me and get rid of her."
Her lips trembled with excitement, and she messaged Zhang Yi: "Brother Zhang Yi, Qing'er is doing well! My body is still in perfect condition, please, enjoy Qing'er as much as you want!"
"Don't want Zhou Ke'er, take me, I'm the one who truly loves you! Kick her out of my house!"
At that moment, Wang Min and Lin Caining, both disheveled and haggard, noticed Fang Yuqing's behavior.
Realizing that she was chatting with Zhang Yi, they rushed over with crazed expressions.
"You're not leaving us behind to live the good life on your own!" they snarled, fighting for the phone and frantically messaging Zhang Yi.
Lin Caining: "Zhang Yi, I'm just as good as Fang Yuqing. Whatever she can do, I can too. I've got endurance, and I'm up for anything, even if it's a little... extreme."
Wang Min: "Zhang Yi, I might be a little older, but I know how to take care of someone. These young girls don't know what real skill is. Give Wang Jie a chance!"
Zhang Yi, treating the whole thing like a show, chuckled at the messages and the frantic voice notes filled with bickering.
Meanwhile, Zhou Ke'er felt even more threatened. She clung tightly to Zhang Yi's arm, pressing her 36D chest against him, molding it into various shapes.