Rat poison was a best-seller at the veterinary clinic, so there was plenty in stock. Zhang Yi quickly found two boxes—more than thirty bottles in total.
"This should be enough to kill three hundred people, right?" he murmured. "Even if it doesn't kill them outright, it'll still damage their organs. Without treatment, they're dead for sure."
He weighed the small bottles in his hand and smiled faintly.
They wanted him to collect food for them, didn't they? Fine. If they weren't afraid to die, he had no objections. He'd just thank them for trusting him.
Still, poisoning couldn't be rushed. The first few times, they'd be cautious and have someone taste the food first. But could they keep that up forever, especially when food was so scarce? Zhang Yi doubted it.
Rat poison took ten to thirty minutes to work. Even if they used tasters, not everyone would know that.
Find the right moment, and I'll poison them all, he thought. That'll be the perfect ending.
Zhang Yi stored all the rat poison in his space. After that, he didn't rush back immediately. He still had to put on a convincing act—one of struggling to find three hundred portions of food.
Leaving the veterinary clinic, he looked around at the nearby shops. Most of them sold cheap clothing and underwear. An idea struck him.
He didn't need the clothes.
He needed fuel.
Most of the garments were made of synthetic fiber. Burned, they would produce thick, toxic smoke—perfect for flushing out anyone hiding in the buildings.
Zhang Yi clapped his hands in delight.
He really was a genius at destruction. Every boy was born with a knack for causing trouble, and just imagining a massive fire with no one able to stop it made him almost giddy.
He started loading the clothes into his spatial storage, taking only what he needed for fuel and leaving the rest. He felt a little strange hoarding cheap women's underwear.
When the time was right, he headed to Wanda Mall in the development zone. The Yonghui Supermarket there was huge, and gathering three hundred portions of food was easy enough. It would last another month at least. He only needed to provide survival rations, not full meals.
He packed the food into snake-skin bags, tied two sheets of metal to the back of his snowmobile as a makeshift trailer, and drove back to Yuelu Complex.
By the time he returned, it was already around five in the evening. The sky was dark, and the complex was empty. People couldn't work outside all day in this cold.
Zhang Yi drew his pistol, cocked it, and scanned the surroundings. The snow had been dug into pits and piled along the sides; it must have taken everyone two or three hours of hard labor.
Good. They're exhausted from working on an empty stomach.I can't wait to see their despair and anger when they realize a whole day of work got them nothing.
His tone was cold, as if he were talking about something unrelated.
He called Uncle You, Jiang Lei, and Li Chengbin over with a few others. When they saw the huge pile of food, they were stunned. Zhang Yi usually only brought back thirty portions a day, but now he had ten times that amount. Some of them even suspected he had been hoarding food and starving them on purpose.
Zhang Yi explained casually while notifying the building leaders to send people over for collection.
"I went farther out this time. The city is huge, and the farther you go, the more dangerous it gets. I didn't want to take the risk before, but I had no choice this time."
The neighbors nodded, convinced that Zhang Yi really did take huge risks every day. Li Chengbin frowned, still not fully convinced, but he kept quiet and stood guard.
Soon, people from the other buildings arrived—but none of the leaders came. Only their subordinates showed up.
Zhang Yi sneered inwardly. They were too cautious to risk losing their leaders all at once.
"Line up. One building at a time. Come get your food," he said.
He slit open the snake-skin bags with a dagger. Inside were pre-portioned plastic bags, ten servings each. He tossed each bag onto the snow a few meters away for them to take. The people from the other buildings grabbed the food and left quickly. Soon, all the supplies were gone.
After that, Zhang Yi called the residents of Building 25 to collect their rations.
Their eyes immediately lit up.
Once the food had been handed out, Zhang Yi smiled warmly at everyone.
"From now on, you won't have to live in constant fear anymore. We can't put down our weapons yet, but we've already seen the dawn. We all have a bright future ahead of us."
The neighbors exchanged excited looks. If that was true, then they'd be willing to work every day without complaint.
Zhang Yi clapped his hands. "Alright, head home. We've got more work tomorrow."
They obediently returned to their apartments.
That night, for the first time in a long while, they were able to relax and enjoy a proper meal.