Chapter 98: Asserting Authority

Zhang Ye made up his mind, choosing to observe the situation quietly for now. However, he was well aware that those individuals would not endure patiently; they would attempt to take action against him. Consequently, he had been particularly vigilant regarding security issues recently. He equipped himself with a police helmet for his head and a bulletproof vest for protection. Zhang Ye glanced at his legs and couldn't help but furrow his brow. While he had a bulletproof vest, there was no bulletproof pants! After some contemplation, Zhang Ye came up with an idea. He retrieved a bulletproof vest from his dimensional space and handed it to Zhou Keren.

"Is this for me?" Zhou Keren asked happily.

"Help me untangle its threads; I need to use it," Zhang Ye said.

Zhou Keren pouted, a bit disappointed, but obediently accepted the bulletproof vest and used scissors to cut the threads on both sides. The threads of the bulletproof vest were tough, as they were made from special materials designed to withstand significant impacts. Zhou Keren exerted a lot of effort to untangle the threads and finally separated the bulletproof vest into two pieces. Zhang Ye took it, gesturing on his legs, and nodded in satisfaction. Wrapped around the legs and covered with a winter jacket—wasn't this equivalent to bulletproof pants? Carelessness in the legs could lead to severe consequences!

After preparing the equipment, Zhang Ye contemplated for a while. He felt it was necessary to keep the neighbors inside the building from getting too comfortable. They needed to feel a sense of crisis, and he could instigate them to take the initiative to go out and pick a fight. After all, initially, Zhang Ye organized them as cannon fodder rather than pampered individuals. Other buildings released signals to him, and he had to respond somehow. Consequently, Zhang Ye sent a message to the community group, informing everyone of the current situation.

"@Everyone, brothers and sisters in Building 25, and all family members! We are currently facing a significant crisis; someone is attempting to seize our food. Some neighboring units are jealous that I can go out to find food for everyone, so they are threatening me. They claim that if I don't share food with them, they will attack our building."

The group exploded with chatter upon hearing this news. The neighbors had just seen a glimmer of hope for survival, and now they relied on Zhang Ye to go out every day to bring back some food to sustain them. Now, other buildings were envious and wanted to come over and snatch it away. They naturally refused!

"What the hell are these bastards thinking? If they have the guts, they should go out and find food themselves!"

"Let's fight them and defend our food; not a single grain should be given to them!"

"Yes, we have Zhang Ye! If a fight breaks out, we can't possibly be afraid of them."

However, there were also concerns raised.

"But, we only have about thirty to forty people in our building. If other buildings come to attack us... Can we really hold our ground?"

"Well... this is indeed a bit difficult."

"Can we negotiate with them and ask them not to bother us?"

"Hehe, do you think that's possible? Everyone is desperately fighting for food now; who would reason with you?"

"Ah? What should we do then?"

"Just fight; without food, we're as good as dead!"

The neighbors were in a heated debate. While they were indignant, most of them were also fearful. Going against all the other units in the entire neighborhood meant facing over a thousand people? That was no different from seeking death.

Zhang Ye timely sent another message.

"Everyone is aware of the current situation outside. The heavy snow has submerged various low-rise buildings, including most supermarkets. So finding supplies is also an extremely challenging task and depends on luck."

"There are over a thousand people outside. If we give them the food, none of you will have anything to eat."

"I, Zhang Ye, also don't want to offend them. After all, my own supplies are enough to last for a few days. So, what to do is entirely up to you."

"Keep the food for yourselves or give it to them in exchange for peace. The decision is yours."

Zhang Ye presented them with a multiple-choice question, much like pointing a gun at someone's head, asking whether they wanted to live or die. In reality, there was no real choice.

Upon hearing Zhang Ye's words, the neighbors knew they had no way out. Without food, they would undoubtedly perish. Fighting might offer a chance at survival.

"I understand. Let's confront them!"

"All this food belongs to us; why should we give it to them?"

"They can go to hell!"

"Exactly, they can't find food themselves and think about robbing others. How shameless!"

"The most disgusting people I've ever encountered in my life are these kinds of individuals!"

Having heard the neighbors' emotional responses, Zhang Ye spoke, "Okay, we can't let them look down on us! They must know our strength. Tonight, Li Chengbin and Jiang Lei, you lead a group and charge into Building 26. The Tianhe Gang has very few people left; eliminate them!"

"Firstly, it's to avenge our deceased family members, and secondly, it's to send a warning to other units!"

Li Chengbin: "Okay, Zhang Ge!"

Jiang Lei: "Yes, Zhang Ge!"

Zhang Ye: "As for me, I've been busy outside all day, and I'm a bit exhausted. I won't go with you this time. Next time, for sure."

Li Chengbin: "Zhang Ge,

 we understand. You've worked hard today!"

Jiang Lei: "Zhang Ge has the greatest merit. We can't let Zhang Ge handle everything; everyone, don't you agree?"

Neighbors: "Ah, yes, yes!"

Zhang Ye: "Good brothers, you can go now!"

After sorting out the neighbors, Zhang Ye comfortably tossed aside his phone, then picked up Zhou Keren and embraced her.

"Ah!" Zhou Keren let out a scream with a smile.

...

An hour later, Zhang Ye lay on the sofa, cigarette in his mouth, while Zhou Keren, fatigued, lay on his chest, but her lips carried a satisfied smile.

"Ding dong!"

A WeChat message sounded.

Zhang Ye picked up his phone and found it was from Jiang Lei.

"Zhang Ge, dealing with the old members of the Tianhe Gang is a bit challenging!"

Zhang Ye smirked. Of course, it was tough! If it were easy, I would have stormed in with my gun and finished them off already. The people from the Tianhe Gang were laborers on construction sites, wielding numerous tools, possessing great strength, and enduring long hours of work. Moreover, they were familiar with using the terrain. Jiang Lei and the others would undoubtedly suffer significant casualties when attacking the Tianhe Gang, given their preparedness.

But anyway, they were just cannon fodder. If they died, Zhang Ye wouldn't feel distressed. He might even find it somewhat amusing. After all, most of these scumbag neighbors had once shared a bowl of meat soup with him.

Pretending to be concerned, Zhang Ye asked, "How are our casualties?"

Jiang Lei said, "We lost eight people, but we only killed three of them."

Zhang Ye was quite satisfied with this outcome. There weren't many members left in the Tianhe Gang, and they were all tough fighters. Losing three of them meant that Huang Tianfang was almost a solitary figure now.