Chapter 134: Burning
Without ventilation, they had no way to prevent the toxic gases from entering their bodies. The only outcome for them was a painful death. Even if a few people miraculously survived, staying inside the building would eventually kill them, as the smoke wouldn\'t dissipate quickly.
Zhang Yi turned and walked towards Building 26. "Let\'s go to the next one!" he called out.
The neighbors from Building 25, their bloodlust aroused, followed eagerly. They had never experienced such an exhilarating way of killing, where they controlled others\' lives. The thrill of it excited them beyond measure.
A group of them roared, following Zhang Yi towards Building 26, the territory of the Tianhe Gang.
The residents of Building 26 watched the scene from their windows. Seeing Zhang Yi and his group approaching, they were terrified.
Someone inside shouted, "Zhang Yi, Huang Tianfang is already dead. This has nothing to do with us!"
"Injustice has a source, and debts have a master. You can\'t kill innocent people!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yi laughed heartily. "Innocent people?""Do you consider yourselves innocent?" Zhang Yi asked, his eyes filled with sarcasm.
"Everyone alive in your building has blood on their hands. Besides, even if you are innocent, what does that have to do with whether I kill you or not?"
Zhang Yi didn\'t care how many people were involved in the attack on him. As long as anyone was even slightly suspicious, he would eliminate them without mercy. In the apocalypse, there was no room for any mercy. Otherwise, it would bring disaster upon himself in the future.
"Let\'s continue!" Zhang Yi commanded, instructing his people to seal off Building 26 and setting it on fire from the ground floor.
Screams and curses echoed from the building. Several people, shouting like madmen, charged down the stairs, only to be shot in the head by Zhang Yi the moment they showed themselves.
Soon, thick smoke enveloped Building 26 as well. Zhang Yi took his time, methodically killing one building at a time to ensure no one escaped.
He quickly dealt with the people in Building 26 and continued to the other buildings previously confirmed to have been involved in the attack on him.
Five buildings burned, their flames reaching the sky, with thick smoke billowing. The entire community was illuminated, and the surrounding temperature rose, causing nearby ice and snow to melt, lowering the horizon.
The residents of other buildings were terrified, many urinating themselves in fear. Zhang Yi calculated the time and, realizing he wouldn\'t be able to kill everyone in one night, decided to rest and check on Uncle You’s condition.
To avoid trouble from the remaining people, Zhang Yi decided to appease them temporarily.
He took out a megaphone from his alternate space and shouted into the community, "Everyone, rest assured, I, Zhang Yi, never harm the innocent. This time, I\'m only targeting those who attacked me."
"For those who have been friendly to me, I will not harm you. Do not be afraid!"
Hearing this, the residents of other buildings felt like they had grasped their last hope. Even though they knew Zhang Yi might be deceiving them, they chose to believe him. People tend to deceive themselves, always hoping for the best outcome.
"Zhang Yi isn\'t going to kill us? That\'s great news!"
"Yes, we didn\'t attack him. This has nothing to do with us. Zhang Yi shouldn’t be targeting us."
"He killed so many people; he must be tired. I don\'t believe he can kill everyone in the community."
People don\'t fight when not in absolute desperation. Zhang Yi gave them hope, but they chose to be ostriches, burying their heads in the sand and pretending there was no danger around them.
After finishing his speech, Zhang Yi told his neighbors, "Alright, that\'s it for today\'s activity. Go rest!"
The neighbors, though reluctant to leave the warmth of the fires, said, "We\'ll stay here and warm up for a bit!"
The flames were so warm! Going back inside meant facing the cold, so staying by the fire was much more comfortable.
"Suit yourselves," Zhang Yi said indifferently, then turned and walked back to Building 25.
The neighbors, unwilling to leave, gathered around the fire, their eyes filled with delight. However, the flames slowly began to diminish as the fuel Zhang Yi provided ran out.
"What do we do now? The fire is getting smaller!" one person exclaimed anxiously.
Another looked around and suddenly had a bright idea. Whispering to two others nearby, they quickly grabbed a corpse and threw it into the fire.
"Crackling!" The sound of oil sizzling in the high heat was followed by the flames roaring back to life.
"Great idea! Haha, how could we forget that animal fat is excellent fuel!"
There were plenty of bodies around, enough to keep the fire going for a while. If they got hungry, they could even cook some meat.
What a wonderful barbecue feast!
...
On his way back, Zhang Yi passed by the bodies of Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei. He paused briefly, feeling a curious urge.
These two had been useful, obedient, and diligent. They had at least been well-fed while following him. So why had they suddenly turned on him?
Zhang Yi wasn’t surprised, just curious. He searched their bodies and found their phones. Using the firelight, he unlocked the phones using their faces.
Browsing through their chat histories, his expression became playful. "So that\'s what happened!"
Zhang Yi chuckled, tossing their phones into the snow.
Returning home, Zhang Yi opened the temporary hospital room door. Zhou Ke\'er stood against the wall, her long legs crossed, her blue surgical gown unable to hide her graceful figure.
Zhang Yi glanced at the hospital bed. Uncle You lay with an oxygen mask on, and the heart monitor showed stable waves.
Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Uncle You’s life was saved, sparing Zhang Yi from feeling too guilty about his fallen comrade.