BXBX NOVEL Chapter 118: Zhang Yi's Kindness Can Never Be Repaid
"Have you ever played that game where you smash tadpoles?" he asked.
In spring, there are many tadpoles in small streams, swimming in groups. When you throw a stone into the water, the tadpoles scatter instantly. It\'s quite interesting.
When Zhang Yi killed people, it felt similar to smashing tadpoles. Seeing people clustered together, he would pick off the most conspicuous ones. The rest would be scared out of their wits and flee in panic.
The remaining residents watched in horror as the people beside them died. Blood and brain matter from their neighbors splattered onto them. This kind of deterrent was enormous, leaving them with no courage to resist for the foreseeable future.
Seeing them so terrified, Zhang Yi slowly put away his sniper rifle. He turned back to face the five stunned leaders.
"Have you made up your minds?" he asked calmly.
Even the usually vicious Wang Qiang and Huang Tianfang felt their legs trembling at this moment. It was human nature to fear firearms.
Wang Qiang gulped and raised his hand. "I agree to your two conditions."Huang Tianfang followed suit, "I have no objections either!"
Zhang Yunan and Chen Lingyu, too stunned to speak, simply raised their hands to indicate their agreement.
Seeing the others capitulate, Li Jian bitterly raised his right hand. "I agree too."
A slight smile played on Zhang Yi’s lips.
"Good. Starting today, you’ll begin working. Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll notify you to collect supplies."
"And be diligent! I’ll be watching you. Don’t try any tricks."
They all nodded in agreement.
Zhang Yi waved them off. "You may leave."
Li Jian, disheartened, was the first to leave the negotiation room, followed by Zhang Yunan. Chen Lingyu, trembling and almost unable to stand, walked out with an odd gait.
Wang Qiang and Huang Tianfang lingered, hesitant to leave. "Zhang... Zhang Yi, could you give me that pack of cigarettes? After all, we’re comrades now!" Wang Qiang pointed at the pack in Zhang Yi\'s hand, eyes full of longing.
Huang Tianfang, afraid of missing out, quickly added, "Wang Qiang, don’t think you can hog it all! Zhang Yi, I haven’t had a cigarette in ages. Could you give it to me?"
Zhang Yi glanced at them, picked up the half-empty pack, and tossed it to the floor. "Split it yourselves."
The two men lunged at the pack like wild dogs, wrestling each other on the ground.
"Little brat, how dare you grab from me!"
"Old man, let go! Give it here!"
In the end, the pack was torn apart, each managing to grab a few cigarettes before glaring at each other and leaving.
The crisis at Building 25 was temporarily resolved. Zhang Yi put away his sniper rifle and sat back in his chair, his expression serene. Today\'s outcome wasn’t the best he had hoped for, which was to kill all 29 building leaders in one fell swoop. However, this outcome wasn’t bad either. Outwardly, he had reached an agreement with them, but he planned to incite them to destroy each other and then strike at the opportune moment.
Zhang Yi wasn’t in a hurry. With ample supplies and a well-protected living environment, he held the advantage of time.
After the five building leaders left, the residents of Building 25 breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to ask Zhang Yi about the meeting\'s outcome.
Under his armed deterrence, Zhang Yi explained that they had compromised and agreed to provide food for 300 people in exchange for peace. Moreover, everyone needed to participate in labor to develop land for sustainable agriculture.
The neighbors were stunned.
"Food for 300 people? Can we manage that?"
"And if we give them all the food, what about us?"
No one understood why Zhang Yi proposed such conditions without consulting them first.
Zhang Yi calmly explained, "If we don’t reach this agreement, what do you suggest? Fight the entire neighborhood’s thousand-odd people?"
He scoffed, "I don’t mind. They can have the numbers, but I’m not afraid. Can you hold up?"
The neighbors exchanged awkward glances, unable to respond. Ninety-nine percent of Building 25’s firepower was concentrated in Zhang Yi. With his superior firepower and almost impregnable fortress, he could survive well alone. But what about them? They’d be killed and cooked as kebabs by the enraged community members.
Zhang Yi softened his tone, "Don’t worry, I’ll try my best to find food. I won’t let you starve."
The neighbors looked up, their eyes filled with gratitude and disbelief, tears welling up.
"Zhang Yi, you..."
A woman choked, "You’re truly... making me cry."
"Zhang Yi, you’re taking the burden of all of Building 25 on your shoulders! We’re so grateful!"
"Zhang Yi, we were right to trust you. You’re a leader worthy of our respect!"
Moved to tears, the neighbors realized the pressure of finding food was solely on Zhang Yi.
Zhang Yi sighed softly, his tone gentle and sincere. "Stop crying. I know some of you had opinions about me and thought I was a bad person."
"But no matter what you think, I genuinely want everyone to live well. Not just me, but each and every one of you!"
Jiang Lei, wiping his tears, shouted, "Brother Zhang, we won’t disappoint you! We’ll always remember your kindness!"
The neighbors nodded and whispered among themselves.
"Looking back, Zhang Yi only killed those who deserved it. He never attacked anyone unprovoked."
"He was just defending himself. He’s actually been good to us. Maybe we misunderstood him. He’s truly a good person!"
"From now on, I’ll fully support Zhang Yi and all his decisions!"
"Zhang Yi’s kindness can never be repaid!"