Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

"Should I just kill them all now and clean up Building 25 while I’m at it?" Zhang Yi muttered, stroking his chin.

With ample firepower and a method to deal with people hiding in buildings, killing everyone in the neighborhood wouldn’t be too difficult for him. Additionally, the useless neighbors in Building 25 could also be eliminated.

"No, doing that would still leave security gaps. Even if I decided to eliminate them, I’d have to do it one building at a time."

"But what if they all decided to fight me to the death? With thousands of them, they could crush me under their sheer numbers alone."

"Although these people are cowards, the probability of this happening isn’t zero. My life is far more valuable than theirs, so I can’t take unnecessary risks."

"I need a more foolproof plan."

As Zhang Yi pondered, the building leaders in the chat group grew impatient with his silence. They believed they had the upper hand, thinking Zhang Yi had no other choice but to bow to their demands.

In their minds, it was impossible for anyone in Yue Lu Community to fight against thousands of people simultaneously. If such a person existed, it would be a myth.

Wang Qiang began to urge, "Why aren’t you speaking? Hurry up and respond! You have to agree to this whether you want to or not. Otherwise, we won’t show mercy!"

Chen Lingyu chimed in, "Zhang Yi, no one wants to die. We all just want to survive. While you might feel it’s unfair, sometimes one has to bend to circumstances. Remember, a wise man knows when to yield!"

Li Jian added, "Mr. Zhang, you should seriously consider this matter. We don’t want to resolve this through conflict, but we also want to survive."

"If you agree to cooperate, the resource issue for the entire community can be well managed. Perhaps we can even return to the civilized state we had before."

Others chimed in with various comments, some playing good cop, others bad cop. Ultimately, their message was clear: Zhang Yi had to agree to their demands, or he would die.

Zhang Yi glanced at the group messages, and an idea formed in his mind as he read through the names of the building leaders.

"Capture the ringleader first!"

If he could eliminate the leaders of each building, the remaining people would undoubtedly descend into chaos. Letting them tear each other apart would mean fewer people for him to deal with.

He then slowly responded, "I need time to consider this. You’ve had plenty of time to discuss this, but you haven’t given me any time to think."

"Moreover, I suggest we meet in person to discuss. It's difficult to communicate clearly with so many voices here."

"Why don’t we arrange a meeting of all the building leaders in a few days to discuss cooperation? What do you think?"

As soon as Zhang Yi proposed this, Wang Qiang sneered and responded, "Are you suggesting we all gather together so you can kill us all?"

"We can meet, but you must come to our territory. Let’s say Building 21."

Zhang Yi smiled, knowing they wouldn’t agree easily. After all, surviving this long meant none of them were fools.

He wasn’t in a hurry and replied calmly, "You can also send representatives to meet, but the meeting must be in Building 25."

His tone was firm, brooking no argument.

Wang Qiang laughed loudly, "Why should it be on your terms? Do you take us for idiots?"

Huang Tianfang added, "Zhang Yi, stop playing tricks. We’re not fools."

Zhang Yi snorted, "If you’re too afraid to send a few representatives, what’s the point of talking?"

"Don’t like it? Fine, let’s fight then. Forget the talks."

Both sides were incredibly stubborn, unwilling to show any weakness. Maintaining a strong stance in negotiations was crucial; otherwise, you’d end up being manipulated.

Once again, the mediator, Li Jian, stepped in. "Everyone, calm down. We can work this out."

He asked Zhang Yi, "How do you propose we talk?"

Zhang Yi replied, "I'm not unreasonable. Send representatives from the 29 buildings to meet and discuss how we can cooperate."

"Given that you all covet my resources and snowmobile, why should I risk coming to your territory?"

"My terms are clear. It’s up to you whether you come or not."

"I’m sure you’ve done your research on me. To be honest, I knew about this unprecedented cold wave long before it hit."

"That’s why my house is fortified and impregnable. You can’t breach it. If it comes to it, we can see who can outlast whom."

After sending his message, Zhang Yi stared at the screen, testing to see if anyone in the community could potentially breach his house.

Although the probability was low, the imminent battle might involve facing thousands of attackers, so he had to be thorough in his considerations.

Mathematics never lies, and indeed, the low-probability event did not occur. After some deliberation, the group seemed disheartened.

They knew Chen Zhenghao had been killed by Zhang Yi, and Huang Tianfang’s attempt to use explosives had failed, leaving Zhang Yi’s house intact.

These were ordinary people, lacking access to large quantities of explosives to demolish a building. If Zhang Yi chose to stay inside, they had no means to force him out.

After a while, a leader spoke up, "You might be able to protect yourself, but can you protect everyone in your building?"

Zhang Yi rolled his eyes.

Did they think he was a saint?

Clearly running out of ideas, they resorted to moral blackmail.

"In a situation like this, of course, I’ll prioritize my own survival. Don’t waste time with meaningless moral arguments," Zhang Yi replied.

Chen Lingyu, growing anxious, added, "Even if your house is sturdy, you’ll eventually run out of food. Do you plan to hide forever?"

"Escaping reality like an ostrich is meaningless."

Zhang Yi couldn’t stop grinning. "We’ll see who can outlast whom."

Compete with him on resources?

Zhang Yi had one response: "I’ve never cared how many resources others have because none of them have more than I do."