Wang Qiang didn't dare to eat the food directly, fearing Zhang Yi might have poisoned it.
Xu Yi, thinking Wang Qiang was being kind, excitedly accepted the food and stuffed it into his mouth, devouring it hungrily.
Wang Qiang and Xiao Lu patiently waited for Xu Yi to finish eating and then, after a while, seeing that nothing happened to him, they finally relaxed.
"Everyone, come on over, there's enough for everyone!"
...
The same scene unfolded in other buildings.
Zhang Yi's reputation preceded him—he was known as a ruthless figure who single-handedly wiped out most of an entire building.
He had also dealt heavy blows to the fiercest gangs in the community, the Kuang Lang Gang and Tian He Gang.
People were very wary of him.
However, since the food was delivered right to their doors, they couldn't refuse to eat it. Most of the building leaders followed the same procedure—they had someone test the food for poison first.
Zhang Yi, well-versed in human nature, made sure that the food provided on the first day was completely safe.
He had thought it through—he wanted to slowly chip away at their suspicions, making them eventually turn on each other.
Then, when the time was right, he would make his move and solve everything in one go!
That night, all the leaders and those in power across the neighborhood managed to eat their fill.
Meanwhile, the ordinary residents were still at home, anxiously waiting for the building leaders to distribute the food.
They foolishly thought that there was enough for everyone and that they could keep living for a while longer.
"Honey, we won't have to live in fear anymore. Someone will bring us food, and we'll just keep working hard."
"Yes, dear. We'll make it through the snow disaster! When it's over, I'll have three children with you—one like you, one like me, and one that's a mix of both of us!"
...
"Mom, Dad, it must be your blessing from heaven that's helped me survive this long. Don't worry, everything's getting better. There will be no more hunger or killing. I will live on well!"
...
That night, the building leaders and their underlings ravenously devoured the food meant for ten people, while the ordinary residents clutched their hungry stomachs and drifted into uneasy sleep, still dreaming of a better tomorrow.
...
The next morning.
Zhang Yi woke up around seven.
The reason he didn't sleep in was because the temperature in his room remained between a constant 25 to 27 degrees Celsius.
The warm, comfortable environment made it easier to get out of bed.
As he was brushing his teeth, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.
Raising his eyebrows with a mischievous grin, Zhang Yi, bare-chested and muscular, walked over to the window to check.
The noise was coming from several directions—at least five or six buildings were in the middle of intense arguments.
"Ge Damin, didn't you say yesterday that if we worked, you would give us food? Where's the food?"
"I told you already, this is how things are. The situation is what it is, everyone can see that."
"As for food distribution, we need to hold a meeting and discuss it further to come up with a plan that satisfies everyone."
...
"Brother Huang, we followed your orders and worked hard. But... you didn't give us anything to eat!"
"Hey, old man, how dare you come to question me? What kind of work was that? You call that working? You still have the nerve to ask for food?"
"But..."
"But nothing! You better work harder today. If you do a good job, you'll get to eat!"
"If we don't eat, we'll have no strength left!"
"Hmph, well don't blame me then! Everyone's having a hard time now, no one's going to feed a bunch of freeloaders!"
...
"Master Wang... you promised us food yesterday..."
"Ha!"
"Heh, is there anyone else here who still wants food? Step forward and let me see! No? Good. Remember, letting you live is the greatest favor I'm doing for you!"
"Anyone who dares to get out of line, I'll chop them up myself!"
...
Zhang Yi watched silently, smiling to himself. He knew the purge had begun.
That morning, Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er ate a simple breakfast—spicy soup, fried dough sticks, and steamed dumplings.
The spicy soup was made from a pre-packaged mix, the dough sticks were frozen half-finished products, and the dumplings were handmade by Zhou Ke'er.
Although his space contained plenty of ready-to-eat gourmet food, Zhang Yi particularly enjoyed Zhou Ke'er's homemade dishes.
He felt that having a woman in the house, walking around in the kitchen with nothing but an apron, gave life a special warmth.
After finishing breakfast, it was already past ten. Zhang Yi left Zhou Ke'er lunch and locked her in the room.
He then left the building, planning to go out and pretend to gather supplies.
Meanwhile, in the center of the neighborhood, people were still hard at work.
Uncle You, Jiang Lei, and Li Chengbin, who had Zhang Yi's special permission, didn't have to work. They were on the side overseeing the others.
The residents of the other buildings, under the supervision of their building leaders, were still shoveling snow.
However, compared to yesterday, their spirits had clearly changed.
Their expressions were numb, anxious, and filled with a deep sense of unease.
Before leaving, Zhang Yi whispered to Uncle You, "Be extra cautious. The other buildings don't have enough food to go around, and things will soon get chaotic. Just make sure we're protected, and don't stir up any trouble."
Uncle You, already aware of Zhang Yi's plan, nodded and replied quietly, "Don't worry, I've got it under control."
With that assurance, Zhang Yi left the neighborhood.
After wandering outside for half a day, he arrived at a library.
This was a city library, with a sturdy structure and tall floors, so it wasn't buried under snow. Most of the books inside remained dry.
Zhang Yi hadn't been much of a reader before.
In the information age, reading had become a time-consuming task, gradually falling out of favor.
Why read when you could scroll through pictures of girls in black stockings on your phone?
But now, with the internet nearly collapsed, Zhang Yi's entertainment options had dwindled. He rarely checked his phone anymore.
So, he decided to find some books to pass the time.
He also hoped that the words in the books might help soothe his increasingly cold heart in the post-apocalyptic world.
After spending more than half a day in the library, Zhang Yi took a copy of Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood and stuffed it into his large pocket.
The thick book, filled with the richness of human civilization, gave him a sense of cultural weight as he carried it.
He left the rest of the books there, planning to come back and read more later.
After all, if he took them all now, he might not actually have the mood to read when he got home.
By the time he returned to the neighborhood, the sky was already darkening.
As usual, Zhang Yi called Uncle You and the others to maintain order, then notified each building to come down and collect their food.
This time, Zhang Yi noticed dark figures in the windows of every building.
They were faces, full of longing, staring at Zhang Yi as he distributed the food.