Ice Apocalypse (Season 1)

Chapter 40: Gunshots

Zhang Yiru lit the stink bomb and quickly threw it out through the shooting hole above the door. As soon as the stink bomb hit the ground, a large cloud of black smoke quickly billowed, carrying a pungent odor that filled the corridor.

Fang Yuqing and Lin Cainong, upon smelling the disgusting stench, felt as if someone had opened a can of sealed excrement from ten years ago, and they began to vomit uncontrollably.

"Ugh... What is this? Ugh..."

"Zhang Yiru, ugh... You're shameless!"

The stench in the corridor increased, prompting the two women to flee, struggling to escape the foul smell. Zhang Yiru, not concerned about the stench returning to his room, closed the shooting hole, placing the entire room in a semi-sealed state. Although air could still circulate, the building was equipped with an air filtration system during construction to prevent any unpleasant odors or harmful air from entering.

Watching the two women flee while vomiting, Zhang Yiru burst into laughter, thoroughly enjoying the situation.

However, he soon received a complaint from a neighbor next door.

"Zhang Yiru, what did you throw at your door? It smells terrible! Please consider the feelings of your neighbors!"

Zhang Yiru's neighbors were a young couple who had moved in two years ago. However, Zhang Yiru had little interaction with them on regular days, at most exchanging nods in the elevator.

In the current post-apocalyptic world, he didn't bother maintaining neighborly relationships. Everything he did was solely for his own safety, and he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate others if it ensured his survival.

"Come and hit me if you don't like it!"

After saying this, Zhang Yiru simply blocked the neighbor's messages. He wasn't interested in arguing or wasting words.

Soon, Zhang Yiru found out that the neighbors were badmouthing him in the larger group. Unfortunately for them, no one cared about their petty issues. Zhang Yiru grinned, finding pleasure in his lack of moral obligations.

...

One afternoon, Zhang Yiru was abruptly awakened from his sleep.

"Bang!"

A loud noise echoed through the corridor, quickly spreading throughout the entire building.

Zhang Yiru's expression turned serious; the sound resembled gunshots. Did someone in their community actually have a gun?

Zhang Yiru wasn't sure if it was a gun or fireworks, so he quickly went to the living room to check the surveillance.

The scene before him made his pupils contract involuntarily.

In front of the door of the third-floor unit, Chen Zhenghao, with a broken leg, held a black gun in his hand. The cold, pitch-black gleam of the gun was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.

The door of the unit was open, and from the surveillance angle, two pairs of legs could be vaguely seen. Meanwhile, the little followers under Chen Zhenghao were happily coming out, holding some food and candles.

Clearly, the resident of the third floor was either dead or, even if alive, couldn't resist after being shot and losing all their supplies, so they wouldn't last long.

It was 10 a.m., the usual time for every household to go out, dig snow, and melt it for drinking water. By doing this together, they could temporarily raise the temperature in the corridor to avoid extreme cold.

Chen Zhenghao chose this timing to start killing people and robbing supplies.

"Ding dong!"

His phone rang.

Zhang Yiru took a look at his phone; it was a message in the big group. Chen Zhenghao had sent a voice message.

"Now the city is sealed off by heavy snow. We can't rely on anyone; we must rely on ourselves."

"I, Chen Zhenghao, will take on the responsibility of the leader of Building 25. From now on, everything here is under my command!"

"Obey me, and I can let you live. Whoever dares to stand out, hehe!"

Immediately after, Chen Zhenghao sent two pictures. One showed him holding the gun, and the other depicted the third-floor resident lying in a pool of blood.

The once lively group fell silent at the sight of the gruesome images.

In peaceful times, how many of them had witnessed such a scene?

They couldn't even imagine it.

However, the bloody reality was now in front of them.

In this building, sealed off in the blizzard, the place turned into a hell for everyone.

No one dared to refute Chen Zhenghao; everyone was afraid of death.

Lying on the sofa, Zhang Yiru couldn't help but comment, "Chen Zhenghao is quite clever! Truly a successful person who thrived in society."

Chen Zhenghao used both soft and hard tactics, not simply intimidating the owners in this building. Since he only had one gun, and the exact number of bullets was unknown, Zhang Yiru knew that he couldn't withstand the pressure of all the residents. So, Chen used a combination of persuasion and intimidation, offering promises and threats, to keep the owners obedient.

Human nature always feared death.

Even though they knew that Chen Zhenghao might kill the third-floor resident today and possibly come for them tomorrow, some still held a glimmer of hope. Those living on higher floors believed that even if Chen Zhenghao killed the third-floor resident today, he would go to the fourth floor tomorrow. So, there was no need to fight back; others would do it.

And so forth.

People on the fourth floor believed that Chen Zhenghao wouldn't necessarily follow a sequence in killing. If they resisted, they would surely be killed, and they might as well stay quietly at home. Perhaps others would die first.

Shrugging his shoulders, Zhang Yiru didn't care about these matters.

He was not afraid of Chen Zhenghao. As long as Chen dared to appear at his doorstep, Zhang Yiru had complete control over life and death.

As for the life or death of other neighbors, Zhang Yiru had no connection whatsoever.

They chose to be ostriches, unwilling to resist.

Zhang Yiru had no intention of being a savior or sacrificing himself for others.

At this moment, his phone suddenly emitted a series of urgent "ding dong" sounds.

Zhang Yiru picked up his phone and saw hundreds of new messages!

He found that he had been added to a new group.

Curious, Zhang Yiru entered and took a look.

It turned out that the owners of the building had formed a new group, excluding Chen Zhenghao and his followers.

Apparently, the death threats brought by Chen Zhenghao had prompted some people to think about sticking together for warmth.

Without saying a word, Zhang Yiru knew that his own safety was not in question.

He just wanted to see what these people could do.