Zhang Yi moved the neighbors, making them wipe away their tears before returning to work.
Only Uncle You stayed behind. He walked up to Zhang Yi, looking at him with a doubtful expression, as if he had never known Zhang Yi before.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" Zhang Yi asked with a smile.
Uncle You looked a bit embarrassed and shook his head.
"No, I just think you're acting a bit strange today, not quite like the usual you."
Zhang Yi knew exactly what Uncle You was thinking.
With a slight smile on his lips, Zhang Yi lowered his gaze slightly.
"You're wondering why I agreed to such a cooperation, right?"
Uncle You nodded. "Yes, it just feels like a compromise, which doesn't seem like something you'd usually do."
After all, providing food for 300 people every day!
Just transporting it with Zhang Yi's snowmobile would be exhausting.
And with so many people, how many supermarkets would they have to dig out of the snow to feed them all?
Uncle You was puzzled.
In his mind, Zhang Yi was not a bad person, but he was definitely not someone who could be easily bullied, nor was he a saint who pitied others.
Zhang Yi didn't hurry to explain but instead glanced outside, pointing toward the door.
"Is anyone outside?"
Uncle You immediately went over to check and confirmed that there was no one around before returning.
"No one is out there."
Zhang Yi nodded.
Some things needed to be kept secret and couldn't be overheard by outsiders.
Otherwise, the performance he had just used to deceive the neighbors would have been in vain.
Zhang Yi said to Uncle You, "Cooperating with them is just a temporary measure."
"I had originally planned to call all the building leaders over and kill them all! At that time, each building would be without a leader, and the chaos would resume."
"That way, I'd have the opportunity to take them down one by one!"
"But today, they only sent five people. Although they are the five most powerful building leaders, killing them would not achieve much. After all, the others have already formed an alliance."
"So, I had to hold back my killing intent, pretend to be weak, and let them think I was too scared to confront all the people from Building 29 at once, which is why I compromised with them."
Uncle You's eyes lit up when he heard this.
He gave Zhang Yi a thumbs up. "So that's how it is! I knew it didn't seem like you to act that way before!"
Zhang Yi nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Did you understand?"
Uncle You shook his head.
"I don't fully understand, but it seems logical."
Zhang Yi: "..."
He took a deep breath, rolling his eyes in his mind.
"Alright, to put it simply, it's to make them let their guard down first. Then, once they expose a flaw, I'll deal with them!"
"And I've set two big traps for them!"
Zhang Yi smiled like a demon as he said this.
Uncle You was intrigued and immediately said, "Quick, tell me more!"
Zhang Yi glanced outside again and pointed toward the door.
"Go see if anyone is out there."
Uncle You thought Zhang Yi had spotted someone, so he hurried over.
But after searching for a while, he didn't see anyone.
He returned, confused, and said to Zhang Yi, "I didn't see anyone!"
Zhang Yi replied, "Oh, I didn't see anyone either. I just wanted to double-check! What if someone comes while we're talking?"
Uncle You: "..."
Zhang Yi cleared his throat, "Ahem, alright, let's continue."
"The first trap I've set is the limited amount of supplies. Only ten portions per building!"
"That way, in the future, the food won't be enough. As the saying goes, 'It's not the lack of food, but the inequality of its distribution that causes problems.' When I distribute food to them, everyone will see it."
"But when the building leaders take the food back, they won't distribute it to everyone. Can you guess what will happen next?"
Uncle You, now catching on, said, "They'll have internal conflicts!"
"Exactly! Internal conflicts!"
Zhang Yi nodded.
"The residents who don't get food will go from having a little hope to sinking into deeper despair. That kind of pain is worse than death!"
"Even though they didn't have food before, at least everyone was in the same boat, starving equally. At least it was fair."
"Even if they died first, the others couldn't escape the fate of freezing or starving to death."
Zhang Yi's smile grew even more wicked.
"But once they realize that only ten people in each building will get steady food and survive, do you think their mindset will stay the same?"
Uncle You thought for a moment, then his hair stood on end.
This kind of manipulation of human emotions was simply too cruel!
Giving someone hope first, then stripping it away.
Everyone would have to face death equally, but some would use others' sacrifices to gain the hope of survival!
The feeling of being trampled, discriminated against, and treated differently would drive people to madness!
Zhang Yi looked out the window, watching as the five building leaders left, with the residents of the other buildings slowly dispersing.
Soon, brutal internal strife and bloodshed would erupt within each building.
"People who are desperate will forget their fear of death. Before they die, they'll pull someone down with them!"
"After that, things will get interesting."
Zhang Yi smiled and said.
Uncle You, watching Zhang Yi's calm demeanor, felt both admiration and fear.
He was grateful that he wasn't on the opposite side of Zhang Yi.
"Zhang Yi, you're too smart, too terrifying!"
Uncle You sighed.
But Zhang Yi shook his head, his gaze as cold as the snow outside the window.
"No, although I have some intelligence, I don't consider myself an all-wise person who can manipulate others with my mind."
"The reason things have turned out this way is because I am more composed than they are."
"I have enough food, warmth, and a good night's sleep. I don't have to worry about food or the cold."
"I have strong firepower and the confidence to fight them head-on. I have a solid fortress and am not afraid of their threats."
"When all these conditions are in place, I don't fear or panic. Instead, they will be cautious and unsure, and their intelligence will falter."
At this point, Zhang Yi joked with Uncle You.
"Even a world-class boxer, after starving for thirty days, would lose to me in the ring. Don't you think so?"
Uncle You was stunned. "Starving for thirty days? That person would be dead!"
Zhang Yi responded confidently, "Exactly! A dead person can't beat me!"
Uncle You was initially taken aback, thinking it was just a playful argument, but after some thought, he realized it was a brilliant point.