Zhang Yi killed more than a dozen people in one go.
Have you ever played that game of smashing tadpoles?
In spring, streams are filled with them—clusters upon clusters, wriggling through the water. Toss a stone in, and they scatter in an instant.
To Zhang Yi, killing people felt much the same.
Find the densest crowd. Pick out the most obvious targets. Take them down one by one.
The rest?
They'd panic and scatter.
Below, the surviving residents watched their neighbors die right in front of them—blood and brain matter splashing across their clothes.
Terror crushed any thought of resistance.
For now, no one dared move.
Satisfied, Zhang Yi slowly lowered his sniper rifle.
He turned back to the five stunned leaders and spoke calmly:
"Have you made your decision?"
Even Wang Qiang and Huang Tianfang—usually fearless—felt their legs trembling.
This was the instinctive fear of firearms.
Wang Qiang swallowed hard and raised his hand."I… I agree to both conditions."
"I have no objections either," Huang Tianfang followed quickly.
Zhang Yunian and Chen Lingyu said nothing. Still shaken, they simply raised their hands.
Seeing the others give in, Li Jian closed his eyes briefly—then raised his hand as well.
"I agree."
A faint smile appeared on Zhang Yi's lips.
"Good."
"Start working today. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll call you over to collect your supplies."
He paused, his gaze turning cold.
"And don't slack off. I'll be watching."
The five nodded in unison.
Zhang Yi waved his hand.
"You can leave."
Li Jian walked out first, shoulders slumped in defeat. Zhang Yunian followed.
Chen Lingyu staggered behind them, her body trembling, barely able to walk.
But Wang Qiang and Huang Tianfang lingered.
"Zh… Zhang Yi," Wang Qiang stammered, pointing at the cigarettes in his hand, eyes burning with craving."Can I have that pack? We're allies now, right?"
Huang Tianfang immediately grew anxious."Don't you dare take it all for yourself!"
He turned to Zhang Yi with a fawning smile."Zhang Yi, I haven't had a smoke in ages either. How about giving it to me?"
Zhang Yi glanced at them, then casually tossed the half-empty pack onto the floor.
"Split it yourselves."
The two men lunged like rabid dogs.
Two grown men—rolling on the ground, fighting over half a pack of cigarettes, all dignity gone.
"Wang Qiang, you brat! You dare fight your elder?!"
"Old man Huang, you're asking for death! Let go!"
In the end, the pack was torn apart. Each grabbed a few cigarettes, glaring at each other as they stormed out.
The crisis at Building 25 was, for now, resolved.
Zhang Yi put away his sniper rifle and sat down, expression calm.
This wasn't the outcome he'd hoped for.
Originally, he wanted to eliminate all 29 building leaders in one move.
But that had always been wishful thinking.
Still—this result was acceptable.
He'd reached an agreement on the surface, while planting seeds of division beneath it.
Now, they would turn on each other.
And he?
He would wait.
With abundant supplies and an impregnable fortress, time was on his side.
After the five leaders left, the residents of Building 25 crowded around him.
"What happened?""Did they agree?"
Zhang Yi spoke evenly:
"Under pressure, they gave in."
"From now on, we'll provide 300 rations a day to maintain peace."
"And everyone will work. We'll start farming and build a sustainable system."
The residents were stunned.
"300 rations a day? Can we even afford that?""If we give all that food away, what will we eat?"
They couldn't understand his decision—especially since he hadn't consulted them at all.
Zhang Yi glanced at them and said calmly:
"If we don't make this deal, what's your alternative?"
"Fight the entire complex? Over a thousand people?"
He let out a cold laugh.
"I don't care. I can handle them."
"But can you?"
Silence fell instantly.
They all knew the truth.
Ninety-nine percent of Building 25's combat strength came from Zhang Yi alone.
Without him—
they'd be slaughtered like livestock.
Zhang Yi's tone softened slightly.
"Don't worry."
"I'll keep going out to find food."
"No matter what happens, I won't let any of you starve."
The residents looked at him, stunned.
Then their eyes began to glisten.
"Zhang Yi… I…" a woman choked, tears streaming down her face."I'm… I'm crying…"
"You're carrying all of Building 25 on your shoulders!""We'll never be able to repay you!""We were right to trust you—you're a true leader!"
Emotion surged through the crowd.
Tears flowed freely.
The burden of feeding everyone rested entirely on Zhang Yi—and yet he still chose to protect them.
Zhang Yi let out a soft sigh.
"Stop crying."
"I know some of you used to think I was a bad person."
"But no matter what you think…"
"I genuinely want all of us to survive."
"Not just me—every single one of you."
Jiang Lei wiped his tears and shouted:
"Brother Zhang! We'll never forget your kindness! We won't let you down!"
The others echoed him.
"Now that I think about it, the people Zhang Yi killed all deserved it!""He never harmed innocent people!""He was just defending himself!""We misunderstood him—he's actually a good man!""From now on, I'll support Zhang Yi completely!"
Voices overlapped, filled with conviction.
"Zhang Yi's kindness…"
"…can never be repaid in a lifetime."