Zhang Yi observed the conversations within the group. Uncle You turned to send a private message to Zhang Yi.
"Zhang Yi, what should we do now?"
Zhang Yi replied, "The timing is nearly right. When the moment comes, lend me your support. Make sure this group of people obediently follows my lead."
"With a judicious mix of rewards and punishments, ensuring their compliance will secure the safety of our building."
Whether they would be safe or not, Zhang Yi wasn't certain, but he, undoubtedly, would become safer. Moreover, among these neighbors, many would be designated as cannon fodder by Zhang Yi and sent to the front lines. Most of them had family members killed by Zhang Yi, and given an opportunity, they would undoubtedly seek revenge. Thus, eliminating them now would be the best course of action.
After concluding their discussion, Uncle You and Zhang Yi returned to the homeowners' group. Uncle You, feigning an air of courtesy, tagged Zhang Yi, "@Zhang Yi, everyone currently needs you. If there's only your household left in this building, wouldn't you feel lonely?"
"So, please, out of the goodness of your heart, assist everyone! The gratitude from all of us will be heartfelt!"
The neighbors quickly joined in.
"Yes, yes, as long as you can save us, everyone will be truly thankful to you!"
"In the future, our building will defer to your judgment."
"Zhang Yi, the fate of our entire family is entrusted to you!"
Flowery words streamed in, and Zhang Yi sneered.
"I'm here to talk to you all out of consideration for Uncle You's face."
"But frankly, I don't care about you. I'm living well on my own; why should I bother with all of you?"
"Going out, risking my life, and facing danger. I find it utterly unworthy!"
The more Zhang Yi spoke this way, the more uncertain the neighbors became.
"Zhang Yi, please! We will obey your commands. It's just death anyway, taking a chance at survival is worth it, count me in!"
With survival instincts kicking in, even in the depths of despair, they clung to the slightest hope of living. Zhang Yi coldly questioned, "Oh? Is that so? Whatever I ask you to do, you'll do it?"
"Everyone in agreement?"
The neighbors hesitated for a moment. Someone said, "As long as you don't ask us to die, everything else is negotiable!"
Zhang Yi retorted, "If I ask you to take up arms and fight the Tianhe Gang, will you go?"
The group fell into silence.
No one spoke; they waited for someone else to take the lead.
Zhang Yi laughed, "So, you want me to risk my life? Fine, then I won't bother with you."
"When Huang Tianfang and his gang come to kill, just stick your necks out, let them chop it off! Farewell!"
Uncle You grew anxious. "Zhang Yi, please! We will all follow your lead."
"Since it's death anyway, taking a chance at survival is better than nothing. I'm with you!"
He began rallying everyone again.
"Why hesitate? Fighting together gives us a chance at survival. Do you want to wait until they single us out, one by one?"
Uncle You's encouragement indeed had an effect. Thinking of fighting for a chance at survival, many began to speak up, agreeing to follow Zhang Yi's orders.
In harmony, Zhang Yi and Uncle You gained control of the entire building. Zhang Yi spoke lightly, "Very well, from now on, all actions must follow my orders."
"The situation is dire, the enemy may attack at any time. Any passive or slack behavior will be seen as a betrayal to all the building's owners!"
"At that time, don't blame me for directly dealing with the person!"
Zhang Yi's gaze scanned through the group member list.
"Don't let me discover anyone sneaking away, refusing to come out and fight. Discover one, eliminate them! No room for evasion!"
Zhang Yi said this because he roughly estimated that there were only about twenty people speaking in the group. Obviously, some had not spoken, intending to turtle up and let Zhang Yi and others fight for them.
After Zhang Yi's statement, those neighbors who had agreed to face the enemy with Zhang Yi were displeased.
"Mr. Fang, come out! I know you didn't die. I saw you shoveling snow yesterday!"
"Liang Yulu, where are you? Stop hiding, and don't pretend you haven't seen the group messages. We'll come find you when the time comes!"
The neighbors, red-eyed, tagged those ostriches. People are inherently selfish, and even in desperate situations, as long as there is a glimmer of hope to survive, they would avoid death if possible. Forced to do so, those people reluctantly came forward.
"Ah, I just fell asleep and only saw the message."
"Huh, what's going on? Are we going to counterattack? That's great!"
"I'm not afraid of death, I just didn't see the messages."
A group of people spoke evasively. Zhang Yi ignored them.
"In any case, since you've chosen me as the building leader, you must follow my orders. Anyone hesitating in the background is a betrayal to all the homeowners and deserves to die!"
The owners dared not speak; they knew Zhang Yi would truly kill them. The more than fifty lost souls were bloody evidence.
After swinging the big stick, Zhang Yi pondered for a moment and prepared to give them a carrot.
"Rest assured, I, Zhang Yi, am a kind-hearted person. I can't bear to see you all starve. As long as you listen, I will go out and search for supplies for you."
He had considered this matter a while ago. Since there were engineering teams using explosive techniques
, it was difficult to guarantee that more formidable enemies wouldn't appear in the future. Residing on the 24th floor, even though the entire building was constructed of metal, a collapse below could have a significant impact on his residence. Hence, he had considered raising a group of cannon fodder to stay below, act as sentinels, and assist him when necessary.
Raising them wouldn't work without resources. Zhang Yi wasn't willing to use the resources in his space for them, so he needed to go out and find supplies. Also, his weapons and ammunition consumption rate was relatively high. In the previous battle, he had used up twenty rounds of ammunition and needed to consider searching for more weapons and equipment.
As for transportation, it was a simple matter. The thick snow outside rendered vehicles useless, but there were specialized vehicles for snow travel—snowmobiles. Zhang Yi had five in his space, two were snowmobiles with cabins, and the other three were small snowmobiles.
In this era of heavy snowfall and city lockdowns, others would have to expend immense effort to leave their homes. Meanwhile, he could freely traverse the entire city. In the homeowners' group, chaos ensued.
"Zhang Yi, can you go out and find supplies?"
"With such heavy snow and no way to drive, do you plan to walk through the snow? Won't you freeze to death?"
Zhang Yi said, "No matter how harsh the conditions outside, I have to try for everyone's sake!"
"Don't worry, I've worked in warehousing for many years. I know every warehouse in Tianhai City, as well as large shopping malls and supermarkets."
"Finding supplies won't be difficult for me."