Chapter 55: The Neighbors Want Zhang Yi Dead
After much hesitation, Zhou Ke’er finally agreed. Her morals and conscience would not allow her to become a despicable person. However, in her eyes, the neighbors’ decision to rob Zhang Yi out of jealousy was even more reprehensible. Thus, she chose to help Zhang Yi.
Zhang Yi said, “Alright, I want to see some useful information from you first, then I’ll give you what you want. From now on, it depends on your performance!”
Zhou Ke’er replied, “Understood.”
She was a kind-hearted woman, but certainly not foolish; she wouldn’t blindly ask Zhang Yi for unconditional help. Their conversation ended there.
Zhang Yi glanced at the large group chat — over 99 unread messages, still tagging him relentlessly, trying to guilt-trip and intimidate him.
“Zhang Yi, where the hell are you? Give us an answer now: will you hand over the supplies or not?”
Some were already growing impatient.
A cold sneer curled at Zhang Yi’s lips. It seemed they were planning to storm his home.
“Eat shit!” Zhang Yi replied with a smile.
Immediately, the group chat exploded with a torrent of curses and vile language.
Zhang Yi paid no mind. If they had the guts, they could come over and try.
He had already attempted to kill before, feeling no guilt, so he didn’t mind killing a few more.
“Alright, alright, Zhang Yi, you asked for this!”
“Don’t say we didn’t give you a chance, you selfish, despicable bastard!”
“From now on, you’re responsible for whatever happens!”
The insults gradually quieted.
It was obvious—they would avoid confronting Zhang Yi directly. Instead, like they had done with Chen Zhenghao, they formed a separate group chat to plan their assault on Zhang Yi’s home.
Taking a deep breath, a mix of tension and excitement flickered across Zhang Yi’s eyes, his body trembling slightly with adrenaline.
Though he knew his home was an impregnable steel fortress, facing an attack by over a hundred people was nerve-wracking.
But that thrill ignited a fiery spirit deep within him.
He had long wanted to personally teach those bastards who had betrayed him a lesson.
A flash of white light gleamed in Zhang Yi’s eyes, and soon his weapons appeared in the living room.
Five steel crossbows, three professional-grade advanced compound bows, nearly three hundred crossbow bolts, and three hundred arrows.
Also, two large iron boxes filled with steel pillars.
A machete, a 1.2-meter crowbar, baseball bats, and hunting knives.
All the weapons neatly displayed on the table were perfect tools for killing.
Beyond these physical weapons, there were also pepper spray, stun batons, gasoline, various chemical reagents, and dozens of Molotov cocktails he’d made using glass bottles, cloth strips, and gasoline.
Zhang Yi’s gaze was icy and resolute.
“Come at me with as many as you have!” he declared.
...
Just as Zhang Yi had predicted, once the neighbors realized he wouldn’t hand over the supplies, they all became enraged.
Sun Zhichao created a new group chat, pulling in all the surviving residents except Zhang Yi.
They even dragged Chen Zhenghao into it.
Seeing Chen Zhenghao sent chills down many spines.
But Chen Zhenghao spoke up first: “Everyone, our primary goal now is to deal with Zhang Yi. His supplies probably exceed all of ours combined!”
“If we take him down, we’ll gain a massive haul.”
“So don’t worry, I won’t harm anyone else for now.”
“But for this operation, I want half the supplies!”
Having suffered losses at Zhang Yi’s hands, and knowing Zhang Yi’s home was well-defended with crossbows, Chen Zhenghao dared not attack alone.
He planned to lead the building’s cannon fodder in the assault.
He believed that with over a hundred people, they could break through Zhang Yi’s defenses.
“How many weapons can Zhang Yi have? How many can he kill?”
There were over a hundred people in the building, yet Chen Zhenghao and his five others demanded half the loot.
No one found this unfair—in fact, they thought Chen Zhenghao was reasonable.
He had guns, but was willing to share half with everyone. What a good guy!
Sun Zhichao said, “Now is the time to put aside old grudges. Our primary objective is to storm Zhang Yi’s house and reclaim the supplies that belong to all of us!”
With these two leading the charge, the others eagerly responded.
Seeing Zhang Yi’s lifestyle stirred their envy, their eyes reddened with jealousy, itching to take him down and enjoy his life.
“Grab your knives, follow me! Kill Zhang Yi, seize the supplies!”
“Beat that shameless selfish bastard to death!”
The crowd roared fiercely.
Only a few remained silent, like Uncle You and Zhou Ke’er.
Even those who had once been friendly with Zhang Yi or benefited from his kindness pushed those memories aside.
Nothing was more important than survival; to live, they’d abandon all ethics and morals!
...
Zhang Yi cleaned his gun at home.
He was familiar with it, having used it often at the shooting range.
A month before the apocalypse, he had intensified his training.
He had no trouble hitting targets at close range.
At that moment, Zhou Ke’er sent him a message.
“They’re planning to come to your house.”
Zhang Yi replied calmly, “Oh, got it.”
Sitting on her sofa, Zhou Ke’er frowned at Zhang Yi’s composed response.
She pulled her two blankets tighter around herself and tucked her pale feet inside.
“They’re probably going door to door now. They’ve seen your video and gone mad.”
“Aren’t you going to do something?”
Zhou Ke’er thought the most reasonable approach was to hand over some supplies to calm their fury.
After all, no one could fight off so many alone.
Over a hundred people could tear down a house without much trouble!
Zhang Yi smiled without elaborating.
He only said, “Remember, don’t come over this time. I’m warning you once.”
“Now, sit back and enjoy the show.”
Zhou Ke’er frowned, filled with curiosity.
She couldn’t understand where Zhang Yi’s confidence came from, to face over a hundred people alone.
This was no joke—if his defenses fell, the enraged crowd would surely kill him.
“Is he crazy?” she whispered.
But this was Zhang Yi’s choice; she could do nothing.
Still, she obeyed his words and did not join the mob in attacking his home.
She had a moral bottom line and would not feast on the blood of others—whether Zhang Yi’s or that of other neighbors.