Chapter 27: Fight Aunt Lin

As the bitter wails of Aunt Lin pierced the quiet corridors of the residential complex, Phoenix perched on his sofa, unfazed and content with his stash of imported snacks. The world outside was a stark contrast, gripped by a brutal snowstorm that had plunged Solstice City into a survivalist nightmare.

In the complex's chat group, the residents' despair was palpable, with each plea for warmth or help echoing into the void. Among them, Alexander, who once stood tall, now grappled with the cold, his injury, inflicted by Phoenix, now a death sentence in this merciless freeze. His followers fared no better, their fevered bodies a testament to their lack of foresight.

Phoenix, cocooned in the warmth of his abode, watched the chaos with a detached amusement. His space was a beacon of light and heat, fully stocked, and his only lament was the absence of female company—a notion he promptly dismissed, valuing solitude over the risk it entailed.

His smartphone lit up, drawing his attention to Aunt Lin's message in the group. With grandiose declarations, she sought to rally the community to pool resources, a plan Phoenix knew all too well was a facade for her own gain. He listened to her plea, a sneer curling his lips. Lin's ploy was transparent to him, a desperate grab masked as communal effort.

The community was split; some clung to Lin's promise while others, like Ming and Sun, openly challenged her. Lin's retort was steeped in authority she did not possess, yet she wielded it with the desperation of one drowning. Her words were a mix of coercion and guilt, designed to prey on the vulnerable.

Phoenix remained an observer, declining to engage even when Lin sought him out privately, attempting to bait him with the specter of civic duty. He rebuked her with biting sarcasm, his words a stark refusal to fall prey to her schemes again.

Lin's frustration mounted, her voice quivering with barely-contained anger as she pressed Phoenix, now openly threatening him with the weight of the organization she claimed to represent. Phoenix's retort was swift and merciless, stripping her of her pretenses and laying bare her impotence.

As Lin's fury reached its zenith, her power waned. She could do nothing but stew in her helpless rage, unable to compel Phoenix or sway the residents any longer.

The days that followed saw Lin's frantic attempts to secure more supplies, her manipulations yielding some success, but mostly, they revealed the true nature of the residents' hearts. Self-preservation reigned supreme, with each person hoarding what little they had left.

Phoenix watched it all unfold through his surveillance, his fortress secure against the disintegrating social order outside. Lin's failure to redistribute the promised supplies was the final nail in her coffin of credibility, leaving her and her grandson vulnerable to the very predators she had once empowered.

Alexander, seizing the opportunity, descended upon Lin's home, his intent clear and his actions ruthless. The violence was swift and brutal, leaving Lin and her grandson at the mercy of his gang. Phoenix captured the cruel display on video, sending it to the group chat where the residents, once deceived by Lin, now reveled in her downfall.

As the residents hailed Alexander as a hero, Phoenix watched with a wry amusement. They failed to see the ominous writing on the wall; the violence unleashed upon Lin could one day be visited upon them.

The community's facade of civility had shattered, and the law of the jungle was taking hold. Phoenix knew that the real struggle for survival was only just beginning. He turned away from the chat, picking up his bow and arrow, the tools of survival in this new world order. He practiced not for sport, but for survival, as the rules of the game had irrevocably changed.