Upon Uncle You's introduction, Zhang Yi gained some insights into those people.
The group of workers was employed under a construction company called Tianhe Group. They worked as informal laborers, hired by a contractor who managed the work. However, they presented themselves externally as employees of Tianhe Group, which gave them a more prestigious image. Thus, they now referred to their collective as the "Tianhe Gang," with their leader being the lean and short man, Huang Tianfang.
"Zhang Yi, do you have any plans regarding them? If you need assistance, just let me know," Uncle You offered.
Zhang Yi smiled faintly. It was impossible for him to launch an attack on this so-called Tianhe Gang. His greatest reliance was this fortress of steel and iron. Once he left his room and faced around twenty people, even with a gun, it would be extremely dangerous.
"Uncle You, for the sake of safety, it's better to be cautious! I currently have no plans for revenge," he said.
"Mainly because it's just me. Even with you, there's no certainty of victory," he added.
"Unless," a glint flashed in his eyes, "we can mobilize the neighbors in the building."
Uncle You understood Zhang Yi's intention.
"Are you suggesting that we, like Huang Tianfang's group, unite against external threats?" he asked.
"Yes, that's the idea," Zhang Yi replied.
Uncle You said, "Alright, I'll propose this in the group. Let's see how many are willing."
Zhang Yi chuckled, "Uncle You, there's no need for that. Urging them to join the group will make them suspicious of your intentions, and it might backfire, making them think you have ulterior motives or even rejecting your proposal."
Uncle You asked, "Then what should we do?"
Zhang Yi laughed heartily, "We're not in a hurry, are we? Our supplies at home are sufficient; let's just wait!"
"Those people from the Tianhe Gang might come the first time, but there will surely be a second time. Leaving that aside, they've killed so many of my people; they will seek revenge."
"At that time, the neighbors in this building will naturally come to us."
Uncle You couldn't help but sigh, "Zhang Yi, you are truly brilliant!"
The two reached an agreement to temporarily ignore the Tianhe Gang.
In the owners' group, neighbors wanted Zhang Yi and Uncle You to take the lead in dealing with the Tianhe Gang.
They played the moral card very skillfully, praising Zhang Yi and Uncle You as good people (though Zhang Yi felt this was an insult—'you are the good people, your whole family is good people!'). At the same time, they found various excuses, claiming they had no food, no energy to fight, or using their status as elderly or women as reasons to avoid getting involved.
Zhang Yi, familiar with these shameless neighbors, chose to ignore them directly. When the knife came down on them, they would naturally feel the pain.
...
In the following two days, Zhang Yi started gathering intelligence from the outside. Naturally, he wouldn't ask himself, considering the numerous individuals eyeing his household supplies; the information provided to him could be false. He asked Zhou Ke'er and Uncle You for help.
One being a doctor and the other a security guard, both had extensive social connections. Zhang Yi wanted to know which people in Building 30 of the Yue Lu district posed a threat to him. Gathering such information wasn't difficult; it only required knowing who had killed the most and currently had the most significant influence. Zhou Ke'er eagerly took out pen and paper, creating a statistical table for Zhang Yi.
Looking at it, Zhang Yi gained a sense of relief. After all, Yue Lu district was positioned as a mid-to-high-end area, not harboring many ruthless individuals. According to the intelligence gathered by Zhou Ke'er and Uncle You, two major forces were the main concerns.
One was the Tianhe Gang from Building 26, formed around a core group of workers from small construction teams affiliated with Tianhe Group, known for their formidable combat capabilities. Their primary weapons were shovels and steel bars; they lacked firearms. The explosive used against Zhang Yi in the past was homemade by a worker in their company, with limited power. However, since that worker had been killed by Zhang Yi, they couldn't continue making improvised bombs.
"But, we don't know if they still have any inventory. Be cautious! Find an opportunity to send a few cannon fodders over, depleting their reserves," Zhang Yi muttered to himself.
Apart from the Tianhe Gang, another force had caught his attention—Building 21, where a group of young people called themselves the "Mad Wolf Gang." The name sounded quite juvenile, but their combat strength was not to be underestimated. According to information obtained by Zhou Ke'er, this group consisted of students and some idle street roamers. Their average age was around 20, and there were over a dozen members. The leaders were two individuals named Wang Qiang and Xiao Lu. Zhang Yi knew both of them.
These two were well-known street roamers in the Yue Lu district, having graduated from third-rate universities. However, they chose to live off their parents instead of finding employment, making them part of the middle class. As they refused to work and stayed at home for a long time, they eventually formed connections with some unsavory characters in society.
Compared to the past, they were not on the same level as Chen Zhenghao. However, with no ruthless individuals like Zhang Yi in their building, they managed to grow stronger. For Zhang Yi
, only these two forces posed a certain threat.
In other units, some even had fewer than a dozen households left. Many couldn't bear the terror of the apocalypse and chose suicide. Others resorted to self-harm due to extremely scarce resources, resulting in a clean death. Zhang Yi gained confidence.
He said to Zhou Ke'er, "Continue collecting intelligence. Make sure to clarify the situation and minimize the danger! Especially, find out if they have firearms; this is crucial."
Zhou Ke'er obediently nodded and picked up her phone to continue gathering information.
...
In the following days, Zhang Yi and Uncle You reached a consensus to stay indoors and not go out. The people from the Tianhe Gang hated Zhang Yi deeply after their previous losses. They had lost more than eight brothers, and the remaining ones had suffered burns from the fire. Two of them died at night due to severe injuries.
This loss was something the Tianhe Gang had never experienced. They vowed to bloodily avenge their brothers, cleansing Building 25 of Zhang Yi.
However, a turning point occurred. The person they hated the most was Zhang Yi, and at the same time, the person they feared the most was also Zhang Yi. Having witnessed Zhang Yi's methods and felt the defensibility of Zhang Yi's home, they temporarily dared not move against him.
What to do then?
They could only resort to attacking Zhang Yi's neighbors in the same building! Huang Tianfang's idea was: Zhang Yi, if I can't kill you, can't I kill your neighbors? When you see your neighbors die tragically, won't you feel guilty? How will you face their accusations? Killing your neighbors will be the greatest revenge against you!
Huang Tianfang indeed had a strong sense of self-deception, knowing to choose the soft persimmon to pinch.
In the subsequent days, he returned with a group of people, launching sneak attacks on several households. After killing people, they would use blood to write messages in the hallway.
"Zhang Yi, if you don't come out, I'll kill all your neighbors!"