Chapter 16: Aunt Lin's Revenge, Zhang Yi Strikes Back Directly

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Zhang Yi sat on the sofa, yawning out of sheer boredom. While others endured hunger and cold, he was living more comfortably than in paradise. His home was equipped with the most perfect insulation system and an inexhaustible supply of fuel, enough to keep his safe house at a perfectly constant and cozy temperature all year round.

From now on, he had nothing to do but enjoy each day happily. The TV offered nothing interesting at the moment. Various live streams had been shut down due to the extreme cold. After all, the beautiful streamers he usually admired wouldn’t dare dress in tank tops to dance in temperatures plunging seventy, even over a hundred degrees below zero. If any did, Zhang Yi would have to tip his hat and call them truly hardcore.

He opened his personal dimensional space, where numerous electronic devices, game consoles, and top-tier AAA games were stored. Several hundred brand-new, unopened units of PS5s, Switches, and Xboxes lay there. As for game cartridges, there were tens of thousands.

Zhang Yi took out the latest PS5, hooked it up to his massive 100-inch Sony TV, and began playing the newest AAA action game of the year, Bayonetta 3. He also had Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice at hand. For passing the time, these were excellent choices. If he found these games too short, he could indulge in marathon titles like Civilization or Cities: Skylines to his heart’s content.

With no need to worry about work or social obligations, this life was even better than before the apocalypse!

Since he was home alone, Zhang Yi wore only his pajamas, snacking as he played, thoroughly enjoying himself. After a while, his phone rang.

He casually picked it up to find it was that annoying neighborhood committee lady, Mrs. Lin, tagging him in the group chat.

“Zhang Yi, the roads outside are blocked by heavy snow. Bring your tools and come help shovel!”

Her tone was commanding. He saw she had called on everyone to help clear the snow, but only a few had responded.

Unexpectedly, she had singled him out.

Zhang Yi glanced outside—three meters of snow had almost buried the entire first floor. Clearing that by hand was practically impossible. He also knew this snowstorm would last at least another three months.

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Going out now to shovel was useless; the snow would fall faster than it could be cleared.

Zhang Yi immediately refused. “It’s so cold out, you’d freeze solid in minutes. We might as well wait until the snow stops.”

Others echoed his sentiment.

“Yeah, it’s over seventy degrees below zero out there. You’d get frostbite in no time.”

“We’re not in the Northeast; we don’t have proper cold-weather gear here. How could we even go out?”

Mrs. Lin grew agitated.

“What kind of attitude is this? We’re not shoveling for myself but for everyone!”

“You’re all young and strong men. In times of disaster, how can you avoid stepping up to serve the people?”

She directly targeted Zhang Yi, the main dissenter.

“Zhang Yi, I order you in the name of the neighborhood committee to go shovel now!”

“This is a critical moment; we must unite and obey the organization’s commands!”

“Anyone who dares oppose me is opposing the committee leadership! After the snow disaster, they will be dealt with by the organization!”

She once again wielded her committee status as a weapon.

The residents dared not voice their anger. The snow disaster had just begun, and social order remained intact; no one wanted to defy authority. Though the committee wielded limited power, it touched everyone’s lives daily, so no one wanted to provoke them.

Everyone fell silent, unwilling to be the first to speak out. Yet many hoped Zhang Yi would stand up and give Mrs. Lin a sharp rebuke, becoming the spokesperson for them all.

Zhang Yi was well aware of these ostriches’ thoughts, and a cold sneer curled at the corner of his lips as he looked down on them.

But swallowing his pride was out of the question.

He decided to confront Mrs. Lin head-on.

He scanned the chat history: the people Mrs. Lin tagged were the few young, easy-going residents. She had conveniently ignored the troublemakers and the influential.

Zhang Yi mocked, “Mrs. Lin is right; since it’s for everyone, shouldn’t your committee members lead by example and go shovel first?”

“And if we’re supposed to be young and strong, why did you only tag a few of us?”

“Do you think we’re pushovers? You didn’t tag those social heavyweights or the rich second-generation at all.”

“Why? Are you tongue-tied around them?”

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The other residents nodded in approval.

“Zhang Yi is really our internet spokesperson!”

“Exactly! She only picks on the obedient ones. Why not call on Chen Zhenghao or Xu Hao?”

Everyone knew who Zhang Yi meant. Living in the same complex, they were well aware of the local power players.

For example, Chen Zhenghao on the sixth floor, apartment 601, was a notorious local gangster running earthworks projects with hundreds under him.

Then there was Xu Hao on the eighth floor, apartment 802, whose father was a famous developer in Tianhai City and whose family had official connections.

Mrs. Lin hadn’t mentioned these two once.

Zhang Yi exposed Mrs. Lin’s nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, leaving her utterly humiliated.

She had no courage to face the big players and knew they wouldn’t pay her any mind.

People like her always picked on the easy targets.

Had Zhang Yi been that kind of person before, she wouldn’t have dared send him out to shovel snow now.

Feeling her face flushed with shame, Mrs. Lin angrily sent several lengthy voice messages in the group chat.

“Shoveling snow is a public service, for everyone’s benefit. Some people are so petty and lack any spirit of contribution!”

“Such people are the black sheep of our owner’s group!”

“If you don’t want to do it, fine — there are plenty willing! Most people have much higher awareness than you.”

“Also, I’m not giving special treatment; I just don’t tag everyone individually. Please understand, don’t misjudge!”

“If anyone continues to slander me, I will report them to the police!”

Mrs. Lin’s explanations only made things worse.

Her final threat to call the police sent Zhang Yi into peals of laughter.

The more timid residents, hearing her words, took their tools and went out to shovel.

Yet Zhang Yi felt no fear.

Her unreasonable behavior wouldn’t be supported by the police anyway.

Besides, did she really think social order was still functioning normally?