Ice Apocalypse (Season 1)

Chapter 144: Not One Less

Zhang Yi leaned in the corner of the corridor, firmly holding a blast-resistant shield in front of him. The explosion was louder than he had anticipated, causing his eardrums to ache. However, the force of the explosion didn't reach this spot; only some dust from the falling walls settled around.

Zhang Yi took a long breath, raising the blast-resistant shield with one hand and carrying a loaded assault rifle with the other. Step by step, he approached the door of room 1301. After observing the scene inside, Zhang Yi's body relaxed.

The effect of those two grenades was quite impressive. The room was in disarray, with more than a dozen people lying in various positions. Furniture had toppled, landing on some unfortunate individuals, leaving only half of their bodies visible.

In one corner of the room, a man covered in blood struggled to stand up, staring at Zhang Yi with extreme hatred. "We've helped you so much, why... why would you kill us?"

As he spoke, blood spilled from his mouth, but he continued to angrily roar. He felt betrayed, having assisted Zhang Yi for so long. How could Zhang Yi turn on them like this?

"Helped me? I don't think so," Zhang Yi said, lifting his gun and aiming at the man's head, putting an end to his life with a single shot.

The neighbors, in their foolishness, still believed that they had assisted Zhang Yi. If not for Zhang Yi's protection, they would have died long ago. Allowing them to survive until now was already Zhang Yi's greatest favor to them.

Raising the gun, Zhang Yi systematically delivered a bullet to the forehead of every person or corpse on the floor. Some who feigned death couldn't bear it any longer, screaming and attempting to get up to fight Zhang Yi. However, they were met with cold, merciless bullets.

"Bang!" ... "Bang!" ... "Bang!" ...

Bullets shot out slowly but forcefully from the carbine's barrel, each one accurately taking a life. Zhang Yi never wasted bullets, a precious commodity in the post-apocalyptic world.

Five minutes later, Zhang Yi had delivered a bullet to each person. During this time, there were curses, pleas, and desperate screams, but Zhang Yi remained impartial, treating everyone the same without firing an extra bullet.

"1, 2, 3, 4... 15, 16... Huh?"

Zhang Yi frowned slightly, carefully counting again. "The count seems off." He had previously confirmed that there were 18 survivors in the building, excluding himself and Uncle You's families. Subtracting Xuhao, there should be 17 left. However, the count now showed only 16.

"As expected, there's still someone clever. They sensed my intention to kill them and stayed away," Zhang Yi said with a faint smile, recalling the person, likely a representative from a middleman company.

"Well, why struggle so hard? As if you could survive!" Zhang Yi sighed and raised his gun.

He began searching floor by floor, knowing where that person lived, narrowing down the search area significantly. An hour later, Zhang Yi found him in a kitchen cabinet.

"Do you think you're clever?" Zhang Yi asked with a mocking tone. Under the man's desperate gaze, Zhang Yi let him experience a burst of imaginative horror.

At this point, only five people remained alive in Unit 25. The assailants who had entered Zhang Yi's room, attempting to divide and conquer, were all killed by him. Although Xuhao was an outsider, he had a worse fate than Zhang Yi in the previous life.

Following the planned route, their family was the first to be attacked and breached. Zhang Yi's revenge had finally concluded. His heart was unburdened, and the world seemed much clearer. Even his breath became exceptionally smooth.

"Comfortable!" Zhang Yi exhaled deeply.

From now on, there would be no one in Yue Lu Residential District who could threaten him. In the days to come, he planned to enjoy a peaceful life, provided that he and Xuhao could first take over the doomsday shelter claimed to be bulletproof by Wang Siming.

Then, they would leave this place, making sure everyone lost track of them completely.

Zhang Yi placed the assault rifle on his back and returned home. Before entering Uncle You's sickroom, he had already put on a mournful expression.

"Uncle You, there's some bad news. Sister Xie Li Mei... sigh!" Zhang Yi clenched his fist, sighing deeply.

Uncle You had already understood what had happened and asked incredulously, "What happened to Xie Limei?"

"Those neighbors were dissatisfied with us long ago. They secretly colluded with people from other units, intending to eliminate both of us, take our supplies, and seize my house," Zhang Yi explained. "Although I killed several people, there are still traitors among them! They feared my retaliation, so they struck first and... Xie Li Mei..."

Zhang Yi wore a sorrowful expression, not speaking further. Uncle You closed his eyes in pain, then forcefully smashed the bed!

"Bang!"

The bed, made of steel, surprisingly collapsed at the corners due to the impact!

A gleam of light flashed in Zhang Yi's eyes. It seemed his estimate was correct; Uncle You's ability was strength-based. This was excellent, as it complemented Zhang Yi's skills. Moreover, in the future, they wouldn't have to worry about physical labor.

"Uncle You, rest assured! I didn't let those scumbags off lightly. I killed them all, avenging Sister Xie!" Zhang Yi approached and said sincerely.

Uncle You slowly opened his eyes, moistening. He was an emotional person. Although he had initially been with Xie Limei for her body, as the saying goes, familiarity breeds fondness. Over time, he couldn't help but feel sad.

"Those people deserve to die. I knew their characters weren't reliable long ago. I just didn't expect that, despite contributing so much for this building, we wouldn't earn their gratitude. Instead, they held a grudge against us!" Uncle You hated them, stating firmly, "Those people deserve to die!"

He didn't doubt Zhang Yi's words. Firstly, in the past month, he had witnessed the ungrateful behavior of the neighbors and the sneak attacks by Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei against Zhang Yi.

Therefore, Zhang Yi's statement that the neighbors had long conspired with outsiders to kill them was valid.

Secondly, and most importantly, after Xie Limei left, Zhang Yi had been with him in the sickroom for a long time. This ruled out the possibility of Zhang Yi being the perpetrator.

Approaching Uncle You, Zhang Yi said with genuine concern, "Uncle You, I also bear responsibility for this. I didn't expect them to be so insane! Rest assured; from now on, I'll find you a mature and well-endowed wife!"

Uncle You fell into a momentary silence. When he finally spoke, he said, "I prefer someone a bit more mature."