Zhang Yi looked at the neighbors in front of him and nodded in satisfaction.
After killing someone, these neighbors could now become qualified frontline soldiers or cannon fodder. In the future, it would be much easier to use them to fend off attacks from other buildings.
And all he had to give in return was a bit of trash food and empty promises.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Zhang Yi smiled and clapped his hands.
"Well done! You see that? As long as we stick together, what's there to be afraid of from these people?"
Zhang Yi waved at two of the most hardworking young men. "You two, come here!"
The two young men, faces beaming with excitement, rushed over without even bothering to wipe the blood off their faces.
Zhang Yi grabbed a handful of food from the ground and stuffed it into one of their arms.
One handful wasn't enough, so he grabbed another!
Bloated bread, moldy biscuits, dehydrated vegetable leaves, and even a large piece of zombie meat!
These were all genuine goodies!
The other neighbors watched, envious, swallowing their saliva, wishing those things were theirs!
Zhang Yi piled the food into the arms of the two young men and patted their shoulders.
"Keep working hard, and if you maintain this energy, I won't treat you poorly!"
The two young men were overjoyed, their bodies trembling with excitement.
This food would be enough to last them several days!
Tears welled up in their eyes. It had been far too long since they had eaten normal food.
"Brother Zhang Yi, we'll definitely follow you and work hard from now on!"
"We'll listen to you like you're our own brother!"
The two young men, Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei, shouted at the top of their lungs, looking at Zhang Yi with eyes full of gratitude.
The other neighbors, seeing this glimmer of hope, secretly regretted not putting in more effort earlier.
This was exactly what Zhang Yi wanted to see.
After rewarding the two who had worked the hardest, Zhang Yi turned to the others and said, "Now it's time to distribute the food. One by one!"
He had been watching everyone's performance closely.
Those who worked hard would get more, while those who didn't would get less.
However, most people only received a piece of bread or a couple of small packets of biscuits barely the size of a child's palm.
Zhang Yi had experience raising dogs, and he understood one thing.
If you feed a dog too well every day, it will become lazy and less obedient.
The best way is to keep it from starving, but always keep it a little hungry. That way, the dog will always stay obedient.
The same goes for people.
The neighbors looked at the meager amount of food in their hands, feeling disappointed but not daring to complain.
Because Zhang Yi had already set an example with the two young men.
If you think your portion is small, it's only because you didn't try hard enough!
Look at Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei. Why did they get so much more food?
Instead of blaming others, they should reflect on themselves.
"Xu Hao."
Zhang Yi pointed at Xu Hao, the rich second-generation kid, who hurriedly came over, holding out both hands. "Where's my food?"
Zhang Yi gave him a disdainful look, kicked around in the dirt with his foot, and casually handed him a single piece of candy.
"That's your food."
The surrounding neighbors burst into mocking laughter.
Even those who had received little food felt somewhat better.
See? Even though I got a small amount, at least there's someone worse off than me!
Haha, Xu Hao's really unlucky!
Xu Hao's eyes widened, and a deep sense of humiliation washed over him.
He shouted angrily, "Are you kidding me? Why do I only get a piece of candy?"
Zhang Yi sneered, "And you have the nerve to ask? When everyone else was fighting, you were just loitering in the back. You didn't even touch those guys. Giving you this candy is me being generous!"
Xu Hao had been very sly.
When things started, he shouted loudly and even held a stick, yelling, "Kill them, kill them all!"
But despite his loud voice, his feet had stayed firmly planted in the back, unwilling to step forward and fight.
Trying to slack off in front of Zhang Yi, he really thought everyone else was an idiot.
Xu Hao, still glaring, argued, "How's that my fault? There were only four of them, and the crowd was packed. I didn't even have a chance to get close."
Zhang Yi responded, "That's not my problem. I don't care about the process; I only care about results."
Frustrated, Xu Hao shouted indignantly, "It's not fair! You're clearly targeting me."
Zhang Yi chuckled dismissively.
"Fair? Are you confused about something?"
"Who do you think you are, talking to me about fairness? Did you really think I was having a debate with you?"
"I'm giving you an order—to follow my demands! Understand, you useless waste?"
Zhang Yi glanced at Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei beside him.
"What do we do with people who don't follow orders, who have no discipline or respect?"
Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei, now Zhang Yi's loyal lackeys, immediately sprang into action.
At Zhang Yi's command, they carefully set their food on the ground, walked over, and started beating Xu Hao mercilessly.
At first, Xu Hao tried to argue back.
But after a heavy punch landed in his stomach, his whole body convulsed.
In a post-apocalyptic world, anyone still thinking they could reason their way out of situations was a complete fool.
The only way to teach him was through punches, not words.
After Xu Hao was beaten half to death, Zhang Yi finally told Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei to stop.
Although Xu Hao was useless, he could still pick up a weapon and serve as cannon fodder.
Zhang Yi pointed at Xu Hao and said to the crowd, "This is what happens when you disobey the building leader's orders!"
"Don't say I'm being unreasonable. I'm actually quite fair. If anyone here thinks I'm being unfair, you can put down your food and leave right now. I won't cause you any trouble."
The neighbors looked at each other, but no one stepped forward.
It was a joke, really. Food was their lifeline—how could they let it go?
Zhang Yi nodded. "Good, then we've reached an understanding."
He walked up to Xu Hao, who was curled up like a shrimp, his body convulsing from the beating.
But even so, Xu Hao's hand remained tightly clenched.
That piece of candy might just be what saved his life.
Zhang Yi's eyes turned cold as he stomped hard on Xu Hao's hand!
He was wearing snow boots with thick, rough soles.
The stomp scraped a layer of skin off Xu Hao's hand, causing blood to gush out.
"Ahhhhh!"
Xu Hao screamed in agony, involuntarily releasing his grip on the candy.
Zhang Yi kicked the candy away and, looking at Xu Hao's despair-filled eyes, said coldly, "Next time, learn your lesson. I, Zhang Yi, don't support useless people!"
After this demonstration, everyone became much more obedient.
They quietly waited for Zhang Yi to distribute the food, not daring to raise any complaints.
Before long, Zhang Yi finished distributing the food. Only a few people were left empty-handed.