Zhang Yi glanced at her, smiling, "Yes." He slurped a mouthful of noodles; Zhou Ke'er's culinary skills were average, but luckily, noodles were an uncomplicated dish.
"I found it when I went out. It's a sniper rifle," Zhang Yi's tone remained casual. Zhou Ke'er's beautiful eyes sparkled with excitement.
"A sniper rifle? Can you use it?" she inquired.
"Not only can I use it, but I'm also quite proficient with it," Zhang Yi pointed outside, "Last night, I took down seven people with seven shots."
Proudly, Zhang Yi relished the chance to showcase his "prey" to a woman. Zhou Ke'er's gaze held a hint of admiration.
"Zhang Yi, you're amazing!" She held her chin in her hands, looking at Zhang Yi with admiration.
"Why, aren't you curious about how I can use a sniper rifle?" Zhang Yi asked with a smile.
Zhou Ke'er shook her head. "What does it have to do with me? Even if you were a murderer or a maniac in the past, I've already chosen to be with you. Better than dying out there, right?"
Zhang Yi nodded, "You're indeed clever, unlike some foolish women who always ask too many questions."
...
26#, on the side of the Tianhe Gang.
It wasn't until morning that Huang Tianfang discovered the bodies of Huang Wei and others. Last night, he felt uneasy upon hearing the gunshots, but out of caution, he didn't dare to investigate. Now he had a grim understanding that Huang Wei and the others wouldn't return.
In the morning, they saw the ten corpses piled outside. Huang Tianfang's pupils constricted, a profound anger surged, but his fear surpassed the anger. Now, only nine members remained in the Tianhe Gang, a significant reduction in combat power.
Even if they forcibly recruited the surviving homeowners, it wouldn't fill the void left by the loss of their workers' combat capabilities. If, at this moment, a conflict erupted with another building, they would find themselves at a considerable disadvantage.
"They have guns, and not just ordinary ones. I suspect they have rifles or sniper rifles," Huang Tianfang assessed, his expression grave.
His subordinates shared the same apprehensive look. "Their firepower is formidable, and they have plenty of ammunition, judging by the dense gunfire last night. This opponent is not easy to deal with!"
Huang Tianfang's face was somber; his subordinates wore expressions of fear.
"Boss, what do we do? Da Wei and the others are all dead, and we've lost more than half of our people. Should we continue?" one of his men asked.
Huang Tianfang glared at Building 25# next door, gritting his teeth, "Continue? They have guns. What can we do against them?"
His men grew anxious, "But if we don't seize their tools and supplies, the homeowners in our building won't have enough to eat in a few days!"
After a moment of silence, Huang Tianfang said in a low voice, "Go over tonight and secretly retrieve Da Wei and the others' bodies."
The group exchanged glances, revealing a struggle in their eyes. They were brothers who had lived and died together for many years. Now, they were about to...
It was uncomfortable, but no one spoke. They understood that compared to survival, everything else was secondary.
...
After finishing their meal, Zhang Yi stood up, "I'm going out."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke'er quickly stuffed a bag of potato chips into her pocket. This time, Zhang Yi didn't bother hiding the two boxes of groceries in the kitchen.
After living together for a long time, he had complete trust in Zhou Ke'er's intelligence. Unless a better "tree" appeared for her to attach herself to, she wouldn't do anything foolish to betray him.
Zhang Yi went downstairs, and the duty personnel straightened up upon seeing him. "Big Brother Zhang, are you going out?"
Zhang Yi gave them a glance; from their eyes, he could see genuine respect.
"Take care," he nodded. He climbed out of the window on the fourth floor, and after a brief contemplation, he ostentatiously circled around to the rear garage.
Not long after, he mounted the motorcycle and left the residential area.
Many figures appeared by the windows of houses, watching Zhang Yi depart. Their eyes carried complex emotions—excitement, envy, and some, a touch of malice.
21#, currently managed by an organization calling themselves the Heavenly Wolf Gang. The members were a group of young men around twenty years old.
Wang Qiang, the gang leader, stood by the window with a bloodstained machete showing signs of rust. He watched Zhang Yi leave the community and furrowed his brow.
"Where the hell is he hiding his motorcycle?" It was Wang
Qiang who ordered someone to steal Zhang Yi's vehicle last night.
Beside him, his second in command, Xiao Lu, said, "Our community is quite large, and he's hidden it well. It's not easy to find."
Wang Qiang snorted, cradling his arms, "Regardless, we must get that motorcycle under the control of our Heavenly Wolf Gang!"
"With a snowmobile, we can go out and look for supplies. By then, we can expand our team and form a big gang. It's no problem at all!" Xiao Lu agreed, "In chaotic times, heroes emerge. This era is an opportunity for us brothers!"
He stared at the direction where Zhang Yi left, eyes filled with bloodshot veins. "Now, let's find a way to get some cigarettes! I haven't smoked for half a month; I'm about to go crazy!"
In other units, discussions about Zhang Yi were also taking place among the decision-makers.
Zhang Yi's appearance was a crisis for them. The danger lay in the fact that he possessed guns, and not just any, but large-caliber firearms. Yet, it was also an opportunity because Zhang Yi had a snowmobile, allowing them to search for supplies outside.
Some wanted to fight, some wanted cooperation, but one thing was certain—they would soon come into contact with Zhang Yi. It was inevitable.
...
Zhang Yi, this time, went to a nearby supermarket to check. Unfortunately, the construction of several nearby supermarkets was not tall enough. Some smaller ones were only one floor and had been buried by the heavy snow.
"It seems that the whole city, except for those few independent large supermarkets, can be used to obtain food only if the snow melts. And... the warehouse."
Zhang Yi suddenly remembered his previous workplace. In the southwest direction of the Economic Development Zone, a large area of wasteland had been developed, providing space for various enterprises to build factories and warehouses due to the cheap land prices.
He had already cleared out the Walmart warehouse, but there were other companies' goods there.
Medical supplies, food, automobiles, toys... everything should be there.
"Let's take a look. Maybe there's something we can use!" Determined, Zhang Yi turned the motorcycle and headed towards the warehouse district.
The warehouse was only about ten kilometers away from his current location, and in less than twenty minutes, Zhang Yi arrived at the site.
This area was quite spacious, and the factories and warehouses were constructed at a considerable height. There wasn't as much snow piled up as in the city.
Zhang Yi, with a purpose in mind, began to explore.