Zhang Yi sneered.
In his last life, he had underestimated the severity of the snowstorm.
Thinking he could curry favor with his neighbors, he distributed some of the supplies he had hoarded.
But what was the result?
Not only did he fail to earn their gratitude, but it also led them to believe he still had a surplus of supplies.
The final outcome was him being killed in a break-in, turned into someone's ration.
It was safe to say that his death in the previous life couldn't exclude this old Mrs. Lin!
He smiled, sending a lazy voice message.
"That's great, we've run out of supplies too. Mrs. Lin, when you collect more, please share some with me!"
Fuming, Mrs. Lin cursed in her house on the spot.
"Ptui! Who do you think you're fooling? Your house must be full of stuff."
"Hmph, after working in that warehouse for years, I refuse to believe you're clean!"
She was so certain because Zhang Yi often helped neighbors buy discounted goods from the Walmart warehouse.
Items with broken packaging or close-to-expiration food were sold at very cheap prices.
As an inside employee, he had the right of first purchase.
Sometimes, the warehouse would even distribute these items as employee benefits.
With a face turned iron blue, Mrs. Lin clenched her teeth, still unwilling to give up.
She was convinced Zhang Yi was a big catch; if they could pry open his mouth, she and her daughter would get their hands on a mountain of supplies, enough to live on for another week!
Taking a deep breath, Mrs. Lin tried to speak in a tone that was gentle yet stern, "Young Zhang, don't joke with me. Everybody knows you manage the Walmart warehouse, how could you lack food and drinks at home?"
"This is an order from the organization; you must comply! If you contribute to the community, everyone and the organization will remember your good deeds."
"Obey, and bring your supplies to Mrs. Lin, take the lead!"
Picking up a toothpick to clean his teeth, Zhang Yi had had roast leg of lamb for lunch, which was stuck between his teeth.
He replied lazily, "I'm not lying to you, we've really run out of everything at home. In times like these, even the landlord's family doesn't have spare grain!"
"Mrs. Lin, why don't you send me some instant noodles? As a member of the residents' committee, you should set an example and show some initiative!"
Zhang Yi said, his words tinged with sarcasm.
Seeing that soft talk wouldn't work with Zhang Yi, Mrs. Lin knew she had to adopt a tougher stance, her voice growing low and heavy.
"Zhang Yi!"
"So, polite conversation doesn't work with you, huh?"
"Do you think I'm speaking to you in a personal capacity? I represent the organization!"
"Refusing to hand over your supplies is defiance against the organization. I will deal with you later!"
Zhang Yi laughed scornfully.
"Ptui!"
"Represent the organization? You think you can issue orders?"
"You're just a minor committee runner, talking as if you're some high-ranking official. You're not even on the same level as a public servant."
"You might fool the elderly folks around, but trying to act mighty with me? What a joke!"
"Do whatever you think you can, I'll be waiting at home!"
With no mercy, Zhang Yi exposed the true face of Mrs. Lin.
The residents' committee staff were just community workers without any official standing or public service designations.
And Mrs. Lin was just a lackey in their committee, not even a minor official.
Of course, even if she were some high-ranking official, in times like these, Zhang Yi wouldn't care less.
After giving Mrs. Lin a piece of his mind, Zhang Yi decisively hung up the phone and blocked her number.
Since this kind of quarrelsome old woman loved to make a scene, Zhang Yi had no time to argue with her.
His actions nearly blew Mrs. Lin's top off!
Zhang Yi, constantly opposing her, rubbing her face into the ground as though with fervent friction.
How could she, who touted herself as a community leader, tolerate this?
"Zhang Yi, you damned creature! I... I really want to kill you!"
Mrs. Lin yelled furiously.
But that was all she could do – hurl a few insults. With her own situation precarious, she wasn't actually capable of doing anything to Zhang Yi.
She wanted to kick him out of the property owners' chat group.
After a moment, she realized that probably wouldn't hurt Zhang Yi much.
She thought about rallying everyone in the group to collectively denounce Zhang Yi.
But that would let everyone know that Zhang Yi was holding onto supplies.
If everyone else followed suit, she wouldn't be able to deceive them.
Either way, there was nothing she could do to Zhang Yi at the moment.
The more Mrs. Lin thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more uncomfortable she felt.
But without any recourse, she had to swallow the bitter pill of her frustration.
Now, it was imperative for her to deceive others.
She had to swindle their supplies before they became wise to her scheme!
...
In the following two days, Mrs. Lin, through cajoling and intimidation, actually managed to con some supplies from several households.
But not everyone was gullible.
In this apocalyptic world, everyone's first thought was about their own and their family's survival.
Some people chose to ignore Mrs. Lin's pleas and coldly dismissed her.
Others, with more fiery tempers, outright chased the door-to-door beggar Mrs. Lin away.
And for tough nuts like Chen Zhenghao and Xu Hao, she didn't even dare approach.
Zhang Yi could see everything clearly through surveillance cameras.
But he continued on with his life, playing and eating as he pleased, seeing no need to meddle in others' affairs.
By now, the snowstorm had lasted for five days.
A typical household would only have three to five days' worth of food stored.
Those in the community, given their employment at the big warehouse, might have had slightly more supplies than average.
However, the severe cold required more fuel for warmth and more food, quickly depleting their stores.
In the last few days, the chat group began to seethe with resentment.
Those homeowners who were initially docile, patiently waiting for official rescue, suffered a shift in morale due to the lack of heating energy and food.
Especially those who had been duped by Mrs. Lin, their patience exhausted, they started to question her in the group about how the collected supplies were being distributed.
"@25#1 Unit 1502 – Mrs. Lin, you promised to distribute the supplies after collecting them, right?"
"Our family has run out of food. It's been two days. Please give us some!"
"Yeah, you said it would be distributed evenly, so everyone would have something to eat!"
The homeowners were clamoring, including those who hadn't contributed, now hoping to get a piece of the action.
But Mrs. Lin seemed to have vanished, with no response.
Of course, she saw the messages, but she had no intention of distributing any supplies.
Only she and Zhang Yi really knew what was happening in the building.
Outside, chaos reigned, and only those with supplies could hope to live; the rest could only await death.
Hugging her grandson and cocooned within five layers of quilts, she bitterly thought, "How could I possibly return the supplies that I worked so hard to swindle!"