Huang Tianfang and Wang Qiang smoking was no secret.
After all, these two weren't the type to keep things hidden. While others were working, they would be outside smoking openly, without any regard for others.
It didn't take long for the other building managers to piece it together, realizing that it was Zhang Yi who provided them with cigarettes.
Soon, several managers with smoking habits also approached Zhang Yi, requesting cigarettes for themselves.
Zhang Yi hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Providing enough for so many people might be a bit difficult."
The other building managers immediately became anxious.
"Zhang Yi, you can't favor some and not others!"
"Our demands aren't high—just one pack a day, just one!"
"This is the only thing I ask for in my life!"
Zhang Yi sighed deeply, "Alright, I'll try to provide for you all. Starting tomorrow, I'll bring cigarettes for the building managers who need them."
Those who didn't smoke couldn't help but step forward and make their own requests.
"I don't smoke, but I do enjoy chewing betel nut. Can you get me some?"
"I'd like to drink some alcohol, even the cheapest kind will do!"
Zhang Yi, looking helpless, said, "Alright, alright, I've noted all your requests. I won't favor anyone; everyone will get something!"
Satisfied, the crowd smiled and left with their supplies.
After they were gone, Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei, along with others, grumbled in frustration.
"Brother Zhang, aren't you being too generous with them?"
"Giving them food is already a huge favor, and now they're asking for more—cigarettes, betel nuts, alcohol!"
Zhang Yi, however, remained calm and said, "Their requests aren't unreasonable. I can't afford to play favorites. Don't worry, it's fine."
The others looked at Zhang Yi as if he were a stranger.
They couldn't believe that the once ruthless and merciless Zhang Yi had suddenly become so soft!
But since the supplies were things Zhang Yi had gathered on his own, they couldn't say much.
After distributing the supplies, Zhang Yi returned home.
He took a hot shower, then lounged comfortably on the sofa in his pajamas, staring at the ceiling.
"It's about time," he murmured.
The internal strife among the other buildings had already caused severe losses.
More than 400 people had died directly in the fighting.
Hundreds more were injured, most of whom were unlikely to survive. Even if they did, they wouldn't pose any threat for some time.
That morning, Zhang Yi had taken a walk around the community, observing the number of people still active.
Around 700 people were left.
He had also used cigarettes and alcohol to lure the building managers out.
In other words, the time had come to close the net!
Zhang Yi didn't plan to delay any longer.
In the short term, there wouldn't be any major conflicts between the buildings, so dragging things out was pointless.
Moreover, the food he provided would help them regain their strength. The longer he waited, the more dangerous they would become.
"Tomorrow," Zhang Yi whispered, his eyes narrowing as a flash of cold killing intent crossed his gaze.
The next day, Zhang Yi left the community as usual.
He didn't tell anyone about his plan for the day—not even Uncle You.
This operation was too important, and if he missed this opportunity, it would become much more difficult and risky later on.
So, Zhang Yi trusted no one.
He headed straight to the supermarket, gathering a large amount of food from the shelves. Most of it consisted of loose buns, steamed bread, and bagged bread tied with strings.
Today, Zhang Yi made sure to find better quality food than in previous days, and he also gathered more than usual.
"At least their last meal will be a feast. I suppose that's the least I can do for them," Zhang Yi muttered to himself.
After stacking the food in a large pile, Zhang Yi took out the rat poison he had stored in his pocket dimension.
The colorless, odorless powder was deadly with just a small amount.
The food was already slightly spoiled, with some discoloration, so sprinkling the poison would be undetectable.
Zhang Yi put on a gas mask he had found at a military base and carefully sprinkled the rat poison over the food.
The process took him half an hour to complete.
"Wang Qiang and Huang Tianfang may not trust the food and might make someone test it. But those greedy bastards won't share their cigarettes and alcohol with anyone."
"Seasoned smokers and drinkers lose all caution when faced with these vices. I'll poison the cigarettes and alcohol instead."
Zhang Yi took several packs of cigarettes, opened the outer packaging, and pondered for a moment.
When he had given Wang Qiang and the others their cigarettes earlier, they had also been unsealed—something Zhang Yi had done in preparation for today.
It was meant to dispel any suspicion. After all, just getting cigarettes in these times was lucky enough; a torn package wasn't a big deal.
Then, Zhang Yi carefully inserted small amounts of rat poison into the tobacco of each cigarette.
As for the alcohol, the process was a bit more complicated.
Zhang Yi dissolved the rat poison in alcohol, then used a syringe to inject it into the bottles through the corks.
It was a crude method, but he figured that by the time he returned in the evening, the sky would be dark enough for no one to notice the small imperfections.
Busy for two hours, Zhang Yi finally packed the food into bags and loaded them onto the sled behind his snowmobile.
Although the snow wasn't as heavy that day, the wind was still sharp.
Leaning against the mall wall, Zhang Yi managed to light a cigarette and took small, careful puffs.
Inhaling too deeply could freeze his lungs in the cold air.
"Perhaps today will be the end of it. This whole process has gone surprisingly smoothly," Zhang Yi muttered to himself.
Everything the other buildings had done so far was exactly what he had anticipated.
But it was this very cooperation that made Zhang Yi feel a sense of unease.
"It's all going too smoothly, but they aren't fools. How could they all be played so easily by me alone?"
Zhang Yi chuckled at himself, narrowing his eyes.
"This false peace is only temporary. Those guys aren't stupid. They'll make their move eventually. The only reason they're holding back now must be that they're waiting for the right opportunity."
"Building 25 has a traitor, but I still haven't found out who it is. Are they still alive, or did they die in the last round of fighting?"
These were the questions Zhang Yi asked himself, but he had no answers.
He wasn't Sherlock Holmes or Detective Conan—he didn't have such extraordinary detective skills.
But in this apocalypse, he didn't need to be. He had something better: fortresses and guns.
Zhang Yi flicked the half-smoked cigarette onto the ground and crushed it under his boot.
"No matter what plans they have, in the face of absolute power, all their schemes and tricks will be meaningless."