Zhang Yi reacted swiftly. Dressed only in pajamas, he climbed out of bed and immediately retrieved a handgun from his spatial storage, unlocking the safety and holding it ready.
He turned on his phone and checked the surveillance cameras outside.
The living room appeared undisturbed.
In Zhou Ke'er's room, she sat in terror, huddled under her blanket, clutching her head in the corner of the room.
Seeing that the interior was safe, Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
He then checked the surveillance feed outside.
At first glance, he spotted a group of about ten or so people moving stealthily. They were armed mostly with shovels, steel rods, and wooden boards, along with a few axes.
On closer inspection, Zhang Yi recognized those red planks as the three-layer composite boards commonly used on construction sites.
Zhang Yi clearly remembered there were no construction workers living in his building.
However, in the neighboring Building 26, there were indeed around twenty workers who lived in a shared rental unit provided by their company.
As the dust settled, the group rushed to the door to see if the explosion had succeeded.
Judging by their actions, it was clear they were well-prepared, and their target was directly Zhang Yi!
Zhang Yi's eyes turned icy. It seemed news about his stockpiles of supplies had spread.
Outside, Second Uncle and the others were dumbfounded as they saw the heavy metal door intact.
"Old Lu, what kind of work was that? You couldn't even blow open a door with that junk!" one of the workers angrily questioned Old Lu.
Old Lu was equally baffled by the result.
"This doesn't make sense! The explosives I made should have worked," he said.
"Maybe… they got damp."
Old Lu was an expert at makeshift demolition, but his methods were crude. The explosion had made a lot of noise, but compared to professionally crafted explosives, its power was lacking.
Otherwise, even if it didn't blow open Zhang Yi's door, it would have at least damaged the surrounding walls.
In simple terms, it was more bark than bite.
After confirming his home had not been damaged via the app on his phone, Zhang Yi finally relaxed.
At the same time, a burning rage welled up inside him.
These people wanted him dead!
So, he would make sure they died first!
Outside, the group continued to bicker, with some already trying to smash the door with their shovels.
They didn't notice a small window had opened in the iron door above their heads.
Zhang Yi lit a Molotov cocktail and tossed it outside.
In an instant, roaring flames erupted.
Still unsatisfied, Zhang Yi retrieved several small white bottles from his spatial storage. Inside them was a nearly transparent liquid—white phosphorus dissolved in sulfur dioxide, a rudimentary version of a white phosphorus bomb.
White phosphorus bombs, known as "Hellfire," burn at temperatures exceeding 1000°C, capable of wiping out all biological life within a certain range.
When they explode, they emit intense light and spew burning fragments that cling to skin, making them nearly impossible to remove. The injuries they cause are horrifying, both physically and psychologically.
Internationally, the use of white phosphorus bombs is banned.
But Zhang Yi didn't care about such things. As long as it could effectively kill the enemy, he'd use any means necessary!
The flames from the Molotov spread, but the initial damage wasn't significant.
The intruders' clothes were damp from wading through the snow, making it harder for the flames to catch.
However, the burning liquid quickly evaporated the sulfur dioxide, igniting the white phosphorus within!
In an instant, the temperature in the air soared to over a thousand degrees!
Flames splattered onto their clothes, and no matter how they tried to extinguish them, the fire wouldn't go out.
In mere moments, the hallway outside became a sea of fire.
Zhang Yi's response had completely caught the group off guard, and they couldn't react in the mere ten seconds they had.
Many were already engulfed in the white phosphorus flames.
Their down jackets and cotton clothes made for perfect fuel.
"Ahhh!!!"
"Help me! Help me!!"
The agonizing screams sounded like they came straight from hell. Being burned alive is one of the most excruciating ways to die.
Even a small burn from a match can cause unbearable pain.
Let alone having every inch of your body consumed by fire!
Still unsatisfied, Zhang Yi took out his pistol and began firing at the intruders outside!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He no longer cared about conserving bullets, firing as if he were setting off firecrackers.
One by one, bodies dropped.
Out of the dozen or so attackers, eight corpses lay on the ground, while only five or six managed to flee.
Zhang Yi didn't bother opening the door to chase them; safety was still his priority.
After confirming that the intruders were dead, he shut the gun's shooting port and activated the air filtration system to prevent the smoke from entering his home.
Zhang Yi glanced at his gun. All the bullets were spent.
He shook his head and muttered, "This thing is really not efficient. Good thing I didn't buy a machine gun, or I'd have blown through hundreds of rounds in one burst!"
It seemed he would have to find a way to acquire more advanced weapons in the future.
Until today, his sense of danger hadn't been as heightened.
But the workers from the neighboring building using explosives to break in had served as a harsh wake-up call.
In the apocalypse, the survivors were no ordinary people.
The people he'd face from now on would all be ruthless.
If a day came when someone showed up with a large amount of explosives, they could very well blow up his entire building!
Of course, that was an exaggeration. Such a large quantity of explosives was not something ordinary people could obtain.
But still, it reminded Zhang Yi to always be prepared.
"I'll kill every last one of those bastards," Zhang Yi muttered through clenched teeth.
He walked to Zhou Ke'er's room and opened the door.
She was curled up in the corner, with her head buried tightly between her pale legs.
"It's over," Zhang Yi said.
Hearing his voice, Zhou Ke'er felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
Though this man was overly cautious and often seemed cold, right now, he was the greatest source of comfort for her.
She looked up at him and, trying to act tough, said, "I wasn't scared at all. I just thought it was an earthquake, so I hid in the corner where it's safer."
Zhang Yi chuckled.
"On the 24th floor? If it really were an earthquake, no corner would save you."
Zhou Ke'er stood up and asked, "What just happened?"
Zhang Yi sat on her bed.
Before she moved in, the room had been plain, with not even a quilt on the bed.
But since she arrived, the place had taken on a cozier feel.
There was now a pink velvet blanket and yellow bed sheets.
On the windowsill hung her washed black lace underwear and stockings.
It was clear she was a meticulous woman.
And not just in her own room—she cleaned the entire apartment, including Zhang Yi's bedroom, keeping everything spotless.
Zhang Yi thought to himself: It's really nice to have a thoughtful woman around.
In normal times, a woman like her would require a bride price of at least 18.88 million yuan!