Chapter 24: Aunt Lin's Threat
While playing his game and enjoying snacks, Zhang Yi was living comfortably despite the harsh conditions outside.
Tianhai City, or the entire world, was experiencing widespread power and water outages.
The water issue was somewhat manageable.
Those who couldn't stand it anymore could venture out to collect snow for water.
But the power outage—that was the absolute nightmare!
Modern people, accustomed to comfort, couldn't survive in sub-zero temperatures without electricity.
It wasn’t entirely the government’s fault, as most power plants could not operate simply because engineers and workers couldn't get to work.
Zhang Yi recalled that in the following days, there would still be a brief period of limited power supply each day.
However, the power generated by the 21st-century nuclear and renewable energy plants was quite limited.
At most, it would allow people to charge their phones or heat some water.
As for high-power appliances like air conditioners and heaters, those were out of the question.
Meanwhile, the community chat group was filled with cries of despair. Fear had driven them to band together, hoping someone could bring them some hope.
Chen Zhenghao, who had been crippled by Zhang Yi, was nearly frozen to death in his own home.
Already injured, the extreme cold only worsened his condition.
His henchmen were in even worse shape.
Although Zhang Yi had only drenched them with a hose, the extreme cold left them with no means of warming up.
Indoor temperatures had dropped to minus fifty or sixty degrees.
Many of them had developed high fevers, with temperatures reaching 39° or even 40°.
They hadn't thought to stock up on medicine like ibuprofen, and going out to buy it was impossible.
Thus, they could only endure the hardship.
This was why Zhang Yi hadn't killed them outright.
Watching them slowly freeze to death in despair was far more satisfying than killing them swiftly.
Sitting on the carpet, Zhang Yi was engrossed in his game.
Outside, the cold wind howled, and snowflakes swirled, but inside, the temperature was a comfortable 27°C.
The lights were bright, food and entertainment were plentiful, and he lacked nothing.
If there was one thing missing, it was a female companion.
However, Zhang Yi wasn’t foolishly driven by lust.
Having suffered because of women in his previous life, he now prioritized his safety and quality of life above all else.
Unless he was sure it was safe, he wouldn't let anyone into his safe house.
In the apocalypse, human nature was unpredictable.
He had witnessed a woman kill her husband for a packet of instant noodles.
Just then, his phone lit up again.
With interest, Zhang Yi saw that Aunt Lin had tagged everyone in the owners' group chat.
"Due to the severe snowstorm impacting everyone's lives, we have received official notification that the snow will continue for a short while."
"To help everyone get through these tough times with dignity, the community committee will collect supplies from each household for redistribution."
"This is an official directive, so everyone must cooperate! Anyone who is selfish and refuses to follow the organization’s arrangements will face consequences later!"
"Remember, you all have your own weaknesses!"
This was the same tactic she used in his previous life.
As a community committee member, Aunt Lin had access to more information than the average person.
She knew that the apocalypse had already paralyzed the authorities in Tianhai City.
She was trying to use deception and intimidation to collect supplies from others.
However, Aunt Lin's tactics were relatively crude.
After all, she was just an old woman with a middle school education.
Any intelligent person could see through her lies.
Even if the authorities were to coordinate resources, they wouldn't issue such an order.
However, in a building with over fifty households, there would always be some who were scared and would listen to Aunt Lin out of fear.
Zhang Yi had no intention of intervening. He just wanted to watch the drama unfold.
Sure enough, Aunt Lin's forceful demand for supplies finally pushed some people too far.
Wang Min, who lived on the 15th floor and was also Zhang Yi's colleague, often brought things home from the warehouse.
Aunt Lin's order to collect supplies meant their household couldn’t escape.
Wang Min argued, "We can't go out with the snow blocking our doors, and each household barely has enough to eat. Now you want to collect and redistribute everything? That's ridiculous!"
Another resident, Sun Zhichao, added, "It's hard enough for everyone to have some food stored up. Collecting it all is too much!"
Aunt Lin, gritting her teeth, pressed the voice message button hard.
"I’ve already said this is an extraordinary time, requiring extraordinary measures!"
"The snowstorm will soon pass. Don’t worry. We just need to redistribute supplies for now."
"Many families don’t have enough to eat. Are you all so selfish?"
"Think about your neighbors too!"
Some families had stored up supplies, while others lacked them.
So, those lacking supplies naturally supported Aunt Lin.
"That's right, we're all neighbors. What's wrong with helping each other?"
"It's just some food and drink. Normally, we can afford these things, but now the situation is special!"
"This is an official decision. If you don’t comply, the consequences won’t be something everyone can handle."
The group chat quickly turned into a debate.
Zhang Yi remained silent, and so did Fang Yuqing and Lin Cainin.
They had plenty of supplies at home but would never hand them over.
Zhang Yi’s hope to just watch the drama soon faded.
Even though he stayed silent, Aunt Lin messaged him directly.
"Zhang, you work at the warehouse, so you must have plenty of food and drink at home, right?"
"I remember you bought three cartloads of stuff last time!"
"Now, with everyone in trouble, it's time for you to step up and help out."
"Don’t worry; once the snowstorm is over, we’ll return everything to you, and everyone will remember your kindness."
Aunt Lin had incited fear and then began targeting households one by one.
If she could trick even one household, it would provide enough supplies to keep her and her grandson alive for a few more days.
Naturally, as the Walmart warehouse supervisor, Zhang Yi was her prime target.