Chapter 119: An Open Strategy
Zhang Yi's emotional speech moved the neighbors to tears, sending them back to work with renewed determination.
Only Uncle You remained behind. He approached Zhang Yi, scrutinizing him as if seeing him for the first time.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" Zhang Yi asked with a smile.
Uncle You shook his head, embarrassed. "No, it's just that you seem different today, not quite like your usual self."
Zhang Yi knew what Uncle You was thinking. With a smile on his lips and half-closed eyes, he asked, "Are you wondering why I made that cooperation agreement with them?"
Uncle You nodded. "Yes, it doesn’t seem like your usual style to compromise. Providing food for 300 people daily is a lot of work! With just your snowmobile, how many supermarkets would you need to raid to feed that many mouths?"
Zhang Yi took his time answering. He glanced outside, then pointed. "Is there anyone out there?"
Uncle You immediately went to check, returning after confirming no one was around. "No, no one’s there."
He explained, "Cooperating with them is just a temporary measure. I initially planned to gather all the building leaders here and kill them all. Without leaders, the buildings would fall into chaos, giving me a chance to destroy them one by one."
"But today, they only sent five people. Even though they are the most powerful leaders, killing them wouldn't solve the problem. The others have already formed an alliance."
"So, I had to hold back my urge to kill, appearing weak and making them think I was too scared to take on all 29 buildings. That’s why I seemed to compromise."
Uncle You’s eyes lit up. "That makes sense! I knew your behavior earlier wasn’t like you!"
Zhang Yi felt relieved that Uncle You understood. "Did you get all that?"
Uncle You shook his head, confused. "Not really, but it sounds very reasonable."
Zhang Yi sighed deeply. "Alright, to put it simply, I’m lulling them into a false sense of security. Once they show a weakness, I’ll take them down."
"And I’ve also set two big traps for them!" Zhang Yi’s lips curled into a devilish smile.
Uncle You, intrigued, urged, "Tell me about these traps!"
Zhang Yi looked outside again. "Go check if there’s anyone there."
Uncle You, thinking he saw someone, rushed out to check again, finding no one. Confused, he returned. "I didn’t see anyone!"
Zhang Yi shrugged. "Neither did I. Just double-checking. What if someone approached while we were talking?"
Uncle You was speechless.
Clearing his throat, Zhang Yi continued, "First, the limited supply of resources—each building gets only ten portions."
"That won’t be enough, and as the saying goes, it's not the scarcity that’s the problem, but the uneven distribution. When I distribute food, everyone will see it."
"But once the building leaders take the food back, they won’t distribute it to everyone. What do you think will happen?"
Uncle You quickly responded, "They’ll have internal strife!"
"Exactly! Internal strife!" Zhang Yi nodded. "Those who don’t get food will fall from hope back into deep despair, which is worse than death!"
"Before, everyone was starving, so it was fair. Even if they died first, others wouldn’t escape freezing or starving to death."
"But now, knowing that ten people per building can get stable food, how will their mentality change?"
After a moment of thought, Uncle You felt a chill. This manipulation was too cruel! Giving hope only to snatch it away, forcing everyone to face death equally but making some survive at the expense of others. This feeling of being trampled on, discriminated against, and treated unfairly would drive people mad.
Looking out the window as the five leaders left, Zhang Yi saw the other building residents gradually dispersing.
Soon, each building would face brutal internal conflict and fighting.
"Those in utter despair forget their fear of death and will drag someone down with them before dying!"
"Things will get interesting then," Zhang Yi said with a smile.
Uncle You admired Zhang Yi’s calm demeanor, both respecting and fearing him. He felt fortunate not to be on Zhang Yi’s bad side.
"Zhang Yi, you’re incredibly smart and terrifying!" Uncle You remarked.
Zhang Yi shook his head, maintaining his calm gaze. "No, I have some intelligence, but I don’t see myself as a genius manipulator."
"The current situation is because I’m more composed than them."
"I have enough food and warm clothes, I sleep well, and I don’t worry about food or temperature."
"I have strong firepower, giving me confidence to face them head-on. My fortress is strong, and I’m not afraid of their threats."
"When you have these conditions, you don’t fear or panic. They, on the other hand, are constantly cautious, their intelligence clouded."
Zhang Yi then joked, "Even a world champion boxer, after starving for thirty days, would lose to me in the ring. Don’t you think?"
Uncle You was puzzled. "Starve for thirty days? That person would be dead!"
Zhang Yi replied confidently, "Exactly! A dead person can’t beat me!"
Initially thinking it was a clever retort, Uncle You reconsidered and found it to be a profound truth.