Ice Apocalypse (Season 1)

Chapter 112: Deployment

Zhang Yi said to Uncle You, "You don't need to do anything special. Tomorrow's negotiation will be on our turf. Representatives from the other 29 buildings might come. Therefore, I need someone to maintain order on-site. I want you to handle it."

Uncle You nodded, "Easy. If they come, we'll search them first and make them discard their weapons."

Zhang Yi said, "Exactly. I'll handle the rest with the neighbors."

Uncle You agreed, "Alright, it's settled then."

After confirming with Uncle You, Zhang Yi opened the homeowners' group chat. At this time, the homeowners were still pleading with Zhang Yi, begging him not to abandon them and to continue providing food as he did before. Zhang Yi couldn't be bothered with their pleas. He directly stated in the group, "Tomorrow, representatives from the other 29 buildings are coming to force a decision. They are pressuring me to decide whether or not to provide them with supplies."

"If that happens, I might have to give up on you. You all know I can survive on my own. Or, you can follow my orders tomorrow and stand guard. Perhaps you can still hold on to a glimmer of hope. Of course, I'll try my best to secure supplies for you."

Upon hearing Zhang Yi's words, the neighbors couldn't help but feel nervous. Where would they dare to utter a single word of dissent? They all promised to follow Zhang Yi's orders. After all, the combat strength of the entire Building 25 now depended largely on Zhang Yi. Without his protection, they could be wiped out at any time by the neighboring Heaven Union and Wolf Gang.

After finalizing his plan, Zhang Yi patted Zhou Ke'er's hand. "Rest early today! Tomorrow, there's something important!"

Biting her lip, Zhou Ke'er leaned close to his ear and coquettishly asked, "In that case, do you want me to help you relax tonight?"

Zhang Yi chuckled, "I need to conserve energy, so let's simplify things a bit!"

Zhou Ke'er nodded and adeptly moved in front of Zhang Yi, lowering her head.

...

Because there was work to be done, Zhang Yi woke up early the next morning, around seven o'clock. Glancing at his Rolex, he found it was still early, and sleep was nowhere to be found. Swinging his legs off the bed, he began preparing the equipment needed for the negotiation.

Bulletproof vest, modified bulletproof pants, police helmet, crowbar, machete. In the outer pockets of his pants, he stashed two military-grade daggers. In close-quarters combat, these weapons could be more effective than the machete. Next were two police handguns, fully loaded with bullets, and six spare magazines, all attached to his waist.

However, that wasn't enough. Zhang Yi took out two assault rifles from his space, both fully loaded with ammunition. When revealed in a room, these could quickly eliminate a large group of people. No one would expect Zhang Yi to magically produce assault rifles.

Following that was his beloved sniper rifle. The basic weaponry was now complete. Zhang Yi then turned his gaze to the dozens of boxes of hand grenades in his space.

"If they gather in one room and I have them all, throwing a grenade over will either kill or cripple them, even if they survive."

A cold smile played on Zhang Yi's lips. He had learned the usage of grenades from online sources. Although he had never used them before, having experienced the post-apocalyptic world for so long and killed dozens of people, his mindset had become as firm as iron. He could overcome the fear of using such weaponry, and there was no need to worry about his hands shaking when throwing a grenade.

"Next, we wait for the fish to take the bait!"

An expectant smile flickered in Zhang Yi's icy eyes.

...

After noon, fully armed, Zhang Yi descended the stairs. Simultaneously, he asked everyone in the group chat to gather on the seventh floor.

On the 13th floor, there was a one-bedroom apartment with an open layout, making it convenient for a large group to gather. Additionally, being at this height would prevent attacks from below, even if someone threw stones. Even if a fight broke out, Zhang Yi could make it back to his safe house in time.

Very safe.

For the food in Zhang Yi's hands, the neighbors dared not voice any objections. They all came to the designated location. Zhang Yi glanced at them, not saying anything. Instead, he picked up two black suitcases from the ground and slammed them down in front of the crowd with a "bang."

"This is your food for today. Take it and divide it yourselves!"

He had actually collected food yesterday but hadn't distributed it to the neighbors.

The neighbors, having gone a day without food, were now excited, rushing forward like hungry wolves. They fought over the food as if in a dog-eat-dog frenzy.

Zhang Yi remained silent, calmly watching them wolf down the food. Today, there might be a fierce battle, and these cannon fodder might not survive. Don't misunderstand—Zhang Yi wasn't showing kindness by letting them eat a last meal. Rather, they needed to be well-fed to assist him in the upcoming fight.

After the people finished devouring the food, Zhang Yi began assigning tasks.

"Nothing special is happening today; it's just a negotiation with the managers of other buildings. We'll communicate peacefully, and there's a high probability there won't be any bloodshed. Therefore, all you need to do is stand your posts and maintain order."

"As long as the negotiation is successful, everyone can escape the days of living in fear and return to a normal life. So today, everyone must give it their all and not let anyone disrupt the negotiation. Understand?"

Zhang Yi painted a bright future for them.

A normal life.

These few words made the neighbors so excited that tears streamed down their faces. Some covered their mouths, squatting on the ground and weeping. In nearly a month, they had endured too much suffering, from a harmonious society to the apocalypse. They had experienced so much pain.

Sometimes, they were muddled and didn't know if they were alive or dead.

Only in their dreams could they live in the past, away from this miserable world.

A neighbor couldn't believe it and asked, "Zhang Yi, is what you're saying true? Can we... can we go back to the past?"

"Yes!"

Zhang Yi nodded affirmatively, his eyes showing no hesitation.

"As long as this negotiation concludes successfully, once we solve the food problem, there won't be any more bloody conflicts in the future."

"So, my friends, for a bright future, give it your all today!"