Zhang Yi stood on the balcony, leaning against the window, ready to retreat to his room at any moment if things turned unfavorable. Chen Zhenghao and his henchmen were on the adjacent balcony, appearing as if they had passed out. However, Zhang Yi couldn't ascertain if they were genuinely unconscious. What if this was a trap orchestrated by them in collaboration with Zhou Ke'er, luring him into a dangerous situation? There was a possibility that once he approached, the thugs on the other side might rise and eliminate him. Moreover, there was a gap of over ten centimeters between the two balconies, and the stainless steel railing, especially slippery in heavy snow, posed an additional challenge. Climbing over could be risky; Zhou Ke'er could easily push him off the 24th floor.
Hence—
Zhang Yi pointed his gun at Chen Zhenghao and the others on the ground. "Use these ropes to tie their hands behind their backs," he commanded. "Additionally, I recall Chen Zhenghao having a gun on him; hand it over to me." Zhou Ke'er, wearing an expression of utter bewilderment, had not eaten for two days, only consuming a minimal amount of water. Exhausted from dragging ten people onto the balcony, she had little strength left. Seeing Zhang Yi's cautious demeanor and his reluctance to help, she bit her chapped lips and exclaimed, "You are overly cautious!" "Caution is the ship that sails for a thousand years; I won't expose myself to the slightest risk," Zhang Yi replied calmly. Following Zhang Yi's orders, Zhou Ke'er picked up the ropes and securely bound the hands of those individuals. When she retrieved the gun from Chen Zhenghao's pocket, Zhang Yi's gun was pointed directly at her head. "Remove the magazine from the gun and toss it to me," he instructed. Zhou Ke'er, looking at Zhang Yi, suddenly bit her lip and asked, "How can I trust you? What if, after I do all this, you turn against me?" Zhang Yi responded, "At this moment, you have no other option but to trust me. Only by trusting me do you stand a chance of surviving in this harsh environment." After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Ke'er realized she had no other choice but to trust Zhang Yi. Unable to compromise her moral principles by resorting to cannibalism, starvation was the inevitable outcome. Following Zhang Yi's instructions, she removed the gun magazine and tossed it at his feet. Giving it a quick glance, Zhang Yi confirmed that it was indeed Chen Zhenghao's gun and spoke to Zhou Ke'er, "Go back inside the room." Zhou Ke'er cautiously returned to the room. At this moment, her heart was tense because if Chen Zhenghao and the others woke up, Zhang Yi could retreat to his room, but she would be facing certain death. However, as Zhang Yi had stated, she had no other choice.
After returning to the room, Zhang Yi didn't hastily step onto the balcony. He picked up Chen Zhenghao's gun from the ground, checked the magazine, which still contained three bullets, and threw the gun into a spatial rift. Then, he went back into the room, took out a water pipe from the bathroom, and sprayed water towards the group on the other balcony. The decision not to use a gun was to conserve bullets and avoid attracting unnecessary attention. "Splash!" Water gushed from the pipe, reaching the frozen figures on the other balcony. With a temperature difference of nearly one hundred degrees, the warm water, initially emitting steam, turned instantly into ice upon contact with their bodies. In the room, Zhou Ke'er, witnessing this scene, involuntarily hugged herself. Freezing to death in such a manner was undeniably cruel. Due to the continuous onslaught of icy water, the group gradually regained consciousness. The frozen water had penetrated their entire bodies, turning them into ice sculptures. "Ah!!!" One of them, with lips turning purple from the freezing cold, let out a terrified scream. Trying to get up, he realized his hands were tightly bound behind his back. Additionally, the ground was covered in a thick layer of ice, making it impossible to stand. Chen Zhenghao, too, awoke with a face of disbelief, suddenly realizing they had been drugged. However, they had no time to investigate the culprit now, as the cold water continuously washing over them plunged them into an icy abyss, causing a tingling sensation as if thousands of needles were piercing through every pore. Everyone awakened, emitting terrified screams, but their struggles proved futile. Due to the cramped space on the balcony, they hindered each other's movements.
"Zhang Yi!!!" Chen Zhenghao, seeing Zhang Yi on the adjacent balcony operating the water pipe, roared in anger. Finally emerging from the room, Zhang Yi opened a narrow slit in the impregnable window. Unfortunately, with his hands bound, his life was hanging by a thread. "You've caused enough commotion; it's time for you to die," Zhang Yi coldly declared. Chen Zhenghao and his group had killed almost half of the residents in the entire building, nearing Zhang Yi's record. Although Zhang Yi wasn't afraid, killing them was the safer option. Zhang Yi wouldn't play games with his own life and fortune. What was safer than dead men? Chen Zhenghao and the others, struggling and howling with their last bit of strength, were helpless. However, no matter how much they struggled, they couldn't get up. The cold water, now ice, covered their faces, entered their mouths, and seeped into their collars. Their clothes were soaked, transforming into rigid blocks of ice. Two minutes later, they lay on the ground, unable to make a sound, their bodies twitching with shades of blue and purple. Three minutes later, they couldn't move at all, turned into ten large blocks of ice. Five minutes later, this conglomeration of ice blocks grew even larger, merging into a solid mass of ice. To conserve water, Zhang Yi ceased spraying. In such conditions, without modern medical facilities, survival was impossible. Zhang Yi returned to the room, securing the sliding door tightly. Removing the thick winter coat, he called Zhou Ke'er. "You've passed the test; you can come over now."
In the neighboring room, Zhou Ke'er, upon hearing Zhang Yi's voice, finally released the suspended breath. Trembling, she replied, "Alright, I'm coming over immediately." She grabbed her medical kit and hastily opened the door, escaping from this hellish room. Zhang Yi opened the four layers of locks on the heavy safety door, then took two steps back, raising his gun aimed at the doorway. Glancing at the surveillance camera to confirm Zhou Ke'er's status, he used a smartphone app to unlock the final electronic door lock. "You can come in now!" Outside the door, Zhou Ke'er heard the voice, lifted her ice-cold pale hand, and pushed hard. The door was heavy, and she exerted great effort. However, as the door revealed a small gap, a warm stream immediately enveloped her. Zhou Ke'er's eyes sparkled with excitement. She hadn't felt this warm in a long time! She increased the strength in her hands, pushing the door open, and took a step inside. The moment she entered, she felt as if