Chapter 122: We All Have a Bright Future
The rat poison in the veterinary shop was a hot commodity, so the store had quite a bit in stock.
Soon, Zhang Yi found two boxes, totaling over thirty bottles of rat poison.
"This amount should be enough to poison three hundred people, right?" Zhang Yi mused. "Even if it doesn't kill them outright, it'll cause organ failure, and without treatment, they’ll die for sure."
Looking at the small bottles in his hands, Zhang Yi's lips curled into a smile. They had asked him to help collect food, so he had no reason to refuse. If they weren’t afraid of death, he had nothing to say. He could only thank them for their trust.
However, poisoning them couldn't be rushed. Especially in the first few instances, they’d be cautious and have others eat first. But they couldn't always be that careful, especially with the current food shortages.
He had researched that rat poison takes ten to thirty minutes to take effect. Even if they tested for poison, not everyone would know about this.
"Finding the right opportunity to poison all of them would be the best outcome!" Zhang Yi smiled, putting all the rat poison into his alternate space.
Having secured the poison, Zhang Yi wasn’t in a hurry to return. He needed to make it look like he had gone to great lengths to find food for 300 people.
An idea suddenly struck him.
"I don't need clothes, but I do need fuel. These clothes are mostly made of synthetic fibers, which are harmful when burned, producing thick black smoke."
"Hehe, this will be perfect for dealing with those hiding in buildings who refuse to come out!" Zhang Yi's eyes lit up with excitement at the thought.
He felt like a destructive genius. Every boy is a natural-born troublemaker from a young age. The thought of setting a big fire with no one to stop him filled him with anticipation.
"Who isn't a little rascal at heart, hehe!" Zhang Yi chuckled and immediately began using his alternate space to collect random clothes.
In no time, dozens of store’s worth of clothes were in his space. He didn’t take more than needed, just enough for fuel. What would he do with so many cheap women’s underwear? Keeping them would be perverted.
Once he deemed the timing right, Zhang Yi headed to the Wanda Mall in the development zone.
The large Yonghui Supermarket below the mall had plenty of supplies. Gathering food for 300 people was easy. Maintaining this for another month wouldn’t be a problem, as he was only providing basic survival rations, not enough to fill them up.
He packed the food in large burlap bags, then removed two iron sheets and tied them to his snowmobile, creating a simple sled.
With everything ready, Zhang Yi rode back to Yue Lu Community. By around five in the afternoon, the sky was getting darker, and the community was deserted.
They couldn’t work outside all day. Zhang Yi cautiously pulled out his handgun, chambered a round, and went to observe. The snow had been dug into numerous pits, piled around the perimeter.
Estimating the labor involved, he figured they had worked for at least two or three hours. "Given their lack of food and clothing, they must be exhausted after such work."
"I’m eager to see their despair and madness when they realize they’ve worked all day and haven’t received the promised food." Zhang Yi's tone was cold, as if discussing something irrelevant to himself.
He took out his phone and contacted Uncle You, Jiang Lei, and Li Chengbin, asking them to bring weapons.
Soon, they arrived armed, shocked to see the large amount of food Zhang Yi had brought back.
"Zhang Yi, where did you get so much food?" Their eyes were filled with suspicion.
Previously, Zhang Yi had only brought back about thirty portions of food each day. Now, he had ten times that amount! This imbalance made them think Zhang Yi was deliberately rationing their food.
As he notified the building leaders to send people to collect the food, Zhang Yi casually explained, "I had to go further away to find it. The city is big, and the farther you go, the more dangerous it gets. I didn't want to go before, but now I had no choice."
In such cold weather, the farther you went from home, the more dangerous it became. A neighbor nodded, "That’s true. Zhang Yi risks a lot every day to find food."
"I agree. If his snowmobile broke down, that would be disastrous!"
Li Chengbin frowned slightly, clearly not convinced by Zhang Yi's explanation, but he said nothing and stood aside with his weapon.
Soon, people from the other buildings arrived, but none of the building leaders came, only their subordinates. Zhang Yi smirked at their caution, worried he’d capture them all at once.
He didn't waste time, calling out, "Start from Building 1, come get your food!"
He took out a knife and slit open a burlap bag, revealing large plastic bags of food. Each bag contained ten portions of food. Zhang Yi tossed a bag a few meters away, letting them pick it up themselves.
They said nothing, collected the food, and left quickly.
After distributing all the supplies, Zhang Yi called the residents of Building 25 to the hallway to distribute their share. Their faces finally showed joy.
With everyone fed, Zhang Yi’s expression became warmer. He smiled and said, "From now on, there's no need to be so tense. Although we can’t abandon our weapons, we can see the dawn of hope."
"We all have a bright future."
Neighbors looked at each other, their excitement unspoken. If this continued, they wouldn't mind working daily.
Zhang Yi clapped his hands, "Alright, everyone, head back! We have work to do tomorrow."
They obediently returned to their homes. That night, for the first time, they could relax a little and enjoy a good meal.