Uncle You brought Xie Limei and the child back home.
After closing the door, he said with a displeased expression, "What were you saying just now? How could you ask someone else to take care of the child for you?"
"It's so chaotic outside right now. You can't tell if people are human or monsters. The fact that he gave us medicine for the child shows that he's a trustworthy and good person."
"But how could you ask for even more?"
Xie Limei, holding the baby, sat on the bed. While feeding him the medicine, she unbuttoned her shirt and used her breast milk to help the baby swallow the medicine.
She didn't argue with Uncle You, instead she softly said with a fragile tone, "I'm doing it all for the baby, you know that. Right now, the only reason I'm still alive is because of the child. If anything happened to her, what reason would I have to keep living?"
As she spoke, tears started falling again.
Uncle You turned his head and caught sight of her pale, delicate chest, and for a moment, his heart softened. Yet he still maintained some firmness.
His tone softened, "I understand your concerns. But as human beings, we should at least know to repay kindness."
Thinking of how Zhang Yi had helped him twice, Uncle You slapped his thigh and sighed, "If it wasn't for Zhang Yi, I wouldn't have thought to stock up on supplies early, and I definitely wouldn't have survived until now!"
"This great favor... I, You Jiguang, will definitely find a way to repay it!"
Just then, Xie Limei's soft voice echoed in his ears.
"Actually, I think you don't need to feel so grateful to Zhang Yi. After all, he's still cautious around you, isn't he?"
Uncle You froze for a moment, then said excitedly, "What are you talking about?"
Xie Limei, still looking weak, replied, "Think about it. If he really trusted you, wouldn't he have opened the door and invited us in when we went over? Instead, he threw the medicine out the window without even showing his face. Isn't that proof he's wary of you?"
Uncle You frowned, clearly displeased, "Don't talk nonsense! His intentions were kind, but the way you're talking makes it sound like something else!"
Xie Limei, unhurried, continued in her soft voice, "I'm not making things up. I'm just saying, yes, he's helped you, but he hasn't really lost anything in doing so."
"Maybe he's just giving you small favors, hoping that one day you'll be his muscle when he needs it."
"If he were really a good person, would he have used such ruthless means to kill dozens of his neighbors?"
"Unless he lets us move into his house, I won't believe he's truly a good person. His house is big enough for the three of us, after all. What harm would it—"
Before she could finish, Uncle You shouted, "Enough!"
His face flushed with anger as he glared at her, scaring Xie Limei.
The baby in her arms also started crying loudly.
Xie Limei quickly held the baby close, apologizing in a soft, weak tone, "I'm sorry, it was my mistake. I only said that for your sake. In times like these, it's better to be a little more cautious, isn't it?"
Uncle You responded coldly, "Don't say things like that again! I, You Jiguang, can tell the difference between right and wrong."
"If I start doubting even the people who've helped me, am I still a human being?"
Uncle You was straightforward and sincere, but sincerity and naivety are not the same.
Sure, maybe Zhang Yi had a motive for helping him, but so what?
In this world, there's no such thing as kindness without a reason.
He had lived for over forty years, worked as a security guard for over ten, and seen all kinds of human behavior. How could he not understand that?
Xie Limei realized Uncle You was truly angry, knowing she couldn't push him further, so she obediently fell silent.
However, this didn't mean she gave up on influencing him.
Zhang Yi's warm house was something she deeply coveted.
Looking down at the baby, only eight months old, Xie Limei made a silent vow.
"Baby, no matter the cost, I'll do whatever it takes to keep us alive."
...
That night.
The white moonlight bathed the silver earth, carrying a sense of desolation and loneliness.
Snow had been falling for almost a month, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, but never stopping.
In Yue Lu District, the snow had piled up as high as the fourth floor, leaving the ground covered in white.
Out of habit, most people were asleep at this time.
Meanwhile, the entrance door to the first floor of Building 25 was entirely blocked by tons of snow, sealed off from any airflow.
Suddenly, the snow at the entrance seemed to loosen, with a few flakes falling to the ground.
Shortly after, a large block of snow bulged out and was forcefully pushed aside.
An iron shovel emerged from the newly opened hole.
Next, the hole was widened as a group of more than ten people, dressed in heavy clothing and carrying shovels, steel rods, and axes, crawled out from within.
The man leading them was short, thin, and gaunt, with deeply sunken cheeks. But his eyes were sharp and chilling.
Upon entering the hallway, he whispered, "Go, let's move!"
The group, armed with their tools, quietly ascended the stairs in a tight formation. Some even held wooden boards and frying pans as makeshift shields.
When they reached the tenth floor, they encountered a resident sneaking down to collect snow.
Without hesitation, a burly man swung his shovel and struck the resident on the head.
"Thud!"
Blood splattered across the wall. The person collapsed without even making a sound.
The burly man looked down at the corpse and asked the thin man, "Second Uncle, what should we do?"
"Second Uncle" replied, "Leave him here for now. We'll take care of it after we finish the job."
The group obediently continued their ascent.
Their target tonight was apartment 2401 in Building 25.
At this moment, Zhang Yi was fast asleep, with Zhou Ke'er locked in the adjacent bedroom.
The intruders moved silently and efficiently, showing no signs of fatigue despite the long climb. Clearly, they were professionals, not ordinary people.
Upon reaching Zhang Yi's door, no one rushed forward to break it down.
The leader, Second Uncle, gestured for everyone to stop and called out in a low voice, "Old Donkey, come here!"
From the back of the group, a middle-aged man wearing a gray wool cap approached, carrying a gray backpack.
"Get the door open," Second Uncle ordered.
Old Donkey nodded, "Leave it to me."
He approached Zhang Yi's door, set down his backpack, and quickly pulled out various tools, including a detonator and several rectangular blocks wrapped in yellow tape.
After working for a while, everyone hurried to take cover in the hallway.
"Boom!!!"
A deafening explosion rocked the entire building!
Everyone inside the building was jolted awake from their sleep.
Zhang Yi included.
Since the blast occurred right outside his door, his ears were still ringing, his eardrums aching from the pressure.