Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 115: Let’s Go Plant Corn

From the window on the 13th floor, Zhang Yi saw the thousand-plus neighborhood residents scattering in panic, and he couldn't help but gasp. This was his first time using a grenade. To be honest, he hadn’t expected it to have such a powerful effect. Maybe it was because he had watched too many TV shows where heroes shrugged off grenades and other explosives without a scratch. But in reality, modern firearms' lethality to ordinary people was unimaginable!

With just one grenade, Zhang Yi had turned over a thousand people into terrified mice, directly and indirectly killing nearly twenty. Initially, he had planned to throw more grenades, but after the first explosion, the rest of the people scattered like birds and beasts. Continuing to throw grenades wouldn’t have been as effective. Seeing how useless they were, Zhang Yi didn’t bother wasting his grenades. After all, he only had twenty boxes of grenades and needed to use them sparingly.

He sat in his chair, waiting for Wang Qiang, Huang Tianfang, and the others to arrive. After a few minutes, the winded individuals finally reached him. In such cold weather, climbing nine floors in one go was beyond most people's stamina. Only the construction worker Huang Tianfang and Zhang Yunan, the leader of Building 5, managed slightly better. Zhang Yi knew Zhang Yunan ran a boxing gym and was skilled in martial arts, but it didn’t matter to him. After all, he had a gun. Beyond seven steps, the gun was faster; within seven steps, it was both fast and accurate!

"Is it just you guys?" Zhang Yi asked in a flat tone.

Seeing so few people, Zhang Yi felt a bit disappointed. If he couldn't capture all the building leaders in one go, he’d have to resort to his backup plan.

After catching their breath, the previous arrogance of Wang Qiang and the others had mostly vanished. Facing someone who could casually toss a grenade, what were they in comparison?

Li Jian, still catching his breath, said, "Yes, we are... the representatives!"

"Oh." Zhang Yi responded indifferently, "Then let’s talk."

Wang Qiang and the others, having caught their breath, found places to sit down but kept their distance from Zhang Yi. Everyone knew he was armed.

Li Jian, as usual, took the lead. Looking at Zhang Yi seriously, he began, "Zhang Yi, you know the situation is difficult. Everyone is short on food and clothing, and many people are starving or freezing to death."

"I’ve even heard that some buildings have started resorting to cannibalism!"

"If this continues, none of us will survive."

"So I hope you understand, we aren’t targeting you specifically. We just want to survive, which is why we have to negotiate with you in this way."

Li Jian's tone was much more polite than before. Without the grenade, his approach would have been very different.

However, Zhang Yi remained unmoved. "Don’t try to play the emotional card with me. Do you think that works now?"

"Let me hear your conditions first."

From the outset, Zhang Yi had dominated the conversation. Even though they tried to maintain a composed front, the fact that they had just climbed nine floors meant they were physically at a disadvantage. This was all part of Zhang Yi's calculation!

The leaders exchanged glances. Wang Qiang nodded at Li Jian, signaling him to speak.

Knowing that negotiation was their only option now, Li Jian frowned, thought for a moment, and slowly began, "What we want are essential supplies."

"First, we need food, and we need your help to gather it from outside."

"Second, we need materials for warmth, such as clothes and blankets."

At this point, Li Jian paused, and the others stared intently at him. Reluctantly, he continued, "If our cooperation goes well, we can even assist you in gathering supplies. If we can find more materials together, it would benefit everyone."

After finishing, Li Jian felt he had spoken well and asked Zhang Yi, "Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"

No matter what Li Jian said, it always sounded pleasant. However, Zhang Yi wasn’t naive and understood the underlying meaning of his words.

Language is an art. Even with the same demands, the way they were phrased made all the difference. Zhang Yi quickly grasped the implications and sneered.

"I get what you’re saying. You want me to help you gather food and supplies without any limit."

"And you also want to use my snowmobile, correct?"

Li Jian tried to explain further, but Zhang Yi’s expression darkened. Without another word, he pulled out his gun and slammed it on the table.

The five leaders instinctively tried to escape, but Uncle You and his men had already blocked the door.

Wang Qiang, trying to appear fierce, shouted, "What do you mean by this, Zhang Yi? I’m telling you, even if you kill us, the whole neighborhood won’t spare you!"

Li Jian tried to calm the situation, "Mr. Zhang, don’t get excited. We can talk this through!"

Zhang Yi, however, smiled faintly. "Why are you so nervous? I just find this handgun a bit cumbersome and wanted to air it out. Don’t be so jumpy! Come, let’s continue."

The five leaders, faces pale, reluctantly sat back down.

Zhang Yi continued, "First, let me tell you that I can’t agree to your demands!"

They tried to interject, but Zhang Yi raised his hand to stop them.

"Don’t rush, let me finish."

"You’re asking me to take care of the entire neighborhood? That’s a joke. No one can do that."

"Thirty buildings, over a thousand people’s supplies—it would be exhausting just to gather that much each day!"

"The key point is, as far as I know, none of you are so kind-hearted that you'd worry about your neighbors starving while you’re barely getting by yourselves."

Zhang Yi’s tone was sarcastic as he glanced at the five leaders. They looked at each other, remaining silent. Only Li Jian seemed deep in thought, weighing the pros and cons.

His building, Harmony Home, survived at the highest rate because it shared resources equally and avoided internal conflict. But if they had to divide limited supplies among so many, their harmonious setup would collapse into chaos.

Seeing no objections, Zhang Yi said, "Now, let me tell you my conditions for cooperation. Whether you accept them or not, they won't change. Otherwise, we fight!"

The leaders' expressions were mixed. Despite their fear of Zhang Yi’s strength, they knew he could easily overpower any single group or even multiple groups working together.

Zhang Yi raised one finger, "First, I can provide you with supplies, mainly food. But the quantity is limited—I’ll supply enough for ten people per building."

"Who gets the food and how it’s distributed is up to you. That’s your internal matter."

"This means I’ll be supporting over 300 people’s worth of supplies daily, which is my limit."

As Zhang Yi spoke, the five leaders fell silent, deep in thought. They hadn't expected Zhang Yi to agree to supply the entire neighborhood. Their primary concern was ensuring their own factions' survival.

"Ten people’s worth of supplies is too little," Chen Lingyu protested first. "There are 76 people in our building. I have over 20 employees under me. How do we divide such a small amount?"

Zhang Yi gave her a cold look. "So, no deal then?"

His tone carried a deadly threat, and Chen Lingyu remembered his earlier statement—if negotiations failed, they would fight.

Huang Tianfang quickly intervened, "Wait! Chen Lingyu, you’re not speaking for all of us!"

"I think the supply amount can still be negotiated."

Huang Tianfang was eager to agree, knowing that with Zhang Yi’s firepower, resisting was futile. His own gang’s numbers had dwindled significantly, so ten people's worth of supplies was more than enough for him.

Wang Qiang, calculating, also thought ten was too few but kept quiet for now, considering other options.

Zhang Yi’s expression remained cold, "Providing for 300 people daily isn’t a small task. Do you think that’s easy?"

Just this single issue had already exposed cracks in their alliance. Those with more people under them needed more supplies, while those with fewer were more willing to agree.

Li Jian, deeply troubled, knew that with only ten portions of supplies for over eighty people, his leadership would collapse into chaos and infighting.

After some thought, Li Jian said, "Let us consider this further. What are your other conditions?"

Zhang Yi smiled, "Fine. Next, regarding the supplies I’ll provide, there’s a cost."

He placed his right hand on the table, inches from his gun, tapping lightly.

"Since we need to sustain 300 people, we must develop self-sufficiency."

"Relying solely on scavenging isn’t sustainable. Who knows how long this snow will last?"

"So, we must start farming!"

With a flourish, Zhang Yi produced a bag of corn seeds and tossed it in front of them.

"While scavenging, I found a batch of seeds. I think we should plant crops to ensure a stable food supply."

Jokingly, Zhang Yi added, "Like our ancestors, food should come from hard work!"