96.Do you want them all killed?

After some contemplation, Zhang Yi arrived at a satisfying conclusion.

That was, as long as he stayed in building #25 and utilized his firepower and the strength of the safe house, even if the people from the other 29 buildings united against him, they would not be able to harm him.

Simply put, in the current situation of extreme food scarcity and cold temperatures, it's a huge ordeal for someone to step outside and endure the biting wind.

Twenty people together couldn't do the work that one person used to do.

"My personal safety is not an issue. If worse comes to worst, I can escape on my motorcycle, use my weapons to wage guerrilla warfare against them, and gradually wear them down."

"But doing so would be too troublesome, killing people from 29 buildings, how long would that take?"

"But if I don't kill them, they will surely come to attack me."

Zhang Yi carefully weighed his options in his mind.

Should he spend time and effort to eliminate everyone in the community who posed a threat to him, or should he find another way?

For the time being, Zhang Yi hadn't made up his mind.

He glanced at his phone, deciding to chat with Li Jian as well.

He needed to see if all the building leaders thought the same way.

Zhang Yi opened the chat box with Li Jian.

He didn't initiate the conversation, but Li Jian was very proactive in introducing their situation.

"Mr. Zhang, I come with sincerity, hoping to cooperate with you in building a harmonious homeland, a utopia in this apocalypse."

"So far in building #18, only five elderly people have died, due to complications from the extreme cold."

"Everyone shares resources and lives harmoniously through rational planning and distribution."

"I believe this is the best way to survive during the apocalypse, preserving the spark of human civilization. It's also beneficial for reconstruction after the snow disaster."

"Now, we lack an effective food source. In hopes of cooperating with you, we can offer manpower, resources, and strive to meet your every demand."

"And we can coordinate relationships with other buildings to avoid conflicts."

Reading Li Jian's introduction, Zhang Yi felt much more comfortable.

As expected of a financial director of a large corporation, his emotional intelligence was far higher than that of Chen Lingyu, the micro-marketer.

Clear and concise in presenting interests and relationships, and the tone of his speech was neither humble nor arrogant.

However, what Zhang Yi cared about most was the harmonious homeland Li Jian mentioned.

More than twenty days into the apocalypse, and not a single person in their building had died due to conflicts!

Zhang Yi turned to Zhou Keer, who was carefully massaging his feet, "Keer, do you know anything about the situation in building #18?"

Zhou Keer thought for a moment and said, "I have heard some things. It's said that their building leader is a very charismatic person. After the apocalypse began, he united all the residents and adopted a unified distribution of resources, allowing most people to survive until now."

Zhang Yi remarked, "As expected of a financial director, not only does he need to know how to manage accounts, but he also needs to understand how to maximize benefits."

In fact, Li Jian's approach was the most sensible.

Other buildings, like Zhang Yi's building #25, suffered from conflicts and infighting, leading to a massive waste of resources.

Theoretically, if a person doesn't move (including mental exertion), they consume very little energy per day, and eating just one meal is enough.

"Li Jian, he's a talent."

Zhang Yi exclaimed, but then added, "But wanting to survive long-term in the apocalypse like this is still impossible."

After thorough consideration, Zhang Yi arrived at a satisfying answer.

As long as he stayed put in building #25, using his firepower and the strength of his safe house, he would be invulnerable, even if the residents of the other 29 buildings united against him.

In the current situation, where food was extremely scarce and temperatures were bitterly cold, it was a significant ordeal for anyone to step outside and endure the harsh winds.

Twenty people combined couldn't match the effort of one person from the past.

"My personal safety isn't an issue. In the worst case, I can escape on my motorcycle and engage in guerrilla warfare with my weapons, gradually exhausting them."

"But that would be too much trouble, killing people from 29 buildings, when would I finish?"

"But if I don't kill them, they will definitely come to attack me."

Zhang Yi weighed his options internally.

Should he spend time and energy eliminating everyone in the community who threatened him, or find another solution?

For now, Zhang Yi hadn't made up his mind.

He glanced at his phone, deciding to chat with other building leaders as well.

He needed to see if all building leaders shared the same thought.

Zhang Yi opened the chat with Li Jian.

He didn't engage Li Jian first, but Li Jian was very proactive in presenting their situation.

"Mr. Zhang, I come with sincerity, hoping for cooperation to build a harmonious homeland, a utopia during the apocalypse."

"In building #18 so far, only five elderly have died, due to complications from the extreme cold."

"We live harmoniously through rational planning and resource allocation."

"I believe this is the best way to survive in the apocalypse, preserving the spark of human civilization. It's also beneficial for reconstruction after the snow disaster."

"Now, we lack an effective food source. Hoping to cooperate with you, we can offer manpower, resources, and strive to meet all your demands."

"And we can coordinate relationships with other buildings to avoid conflicts."

Zhang Yi felt more at ease after reading Li Jian's message.

Unlike Chen Lingyu, Li Jian's approach was more rational and considerate.

Li Jian's skill lay in establishing order. Through his influence in building #18, he had united everyone early on.

But what if they faced an attack from the outside?

The people, accustomed to comfort, would likely be massacred facing brutal gangs like Tianhe or Chen Zhenghao.

This was akin to how the ancient Central Plains civilization often lost to nomadic tribes.

Without the protection of military force, all peace and harmony are illusory.

Zhang Yi asked, "What will you do if I refuse?"

After a long pause, Li Jian replied.

"We approach you in the spirit of friendly cooperation, proposing this collaboration."

"If you refuse, it's regrettable. But it doesn't mean your thoughts won't change in the future, and I still look forward to the next opportunity to cooperate."

Zhang Yi smiled; such an official response was comforting to read.

"So, you won't choose to attack building #25? Or join others in attacking us?"

Li Jian's reply was also very honest.

"Our military force is only for self-defense, we don't initiate attacks on others."

"It's not that we lack the strength, but useless internal strife only leads to mutual destruction."

Zhang Yi almost wanted to applaud him.

Look at him, playing the weak card while maintaining a dignified front.

Then again, the harmonious homeland of building #18 had survived half a month in the apocalypse without the courage to engage in conflicts.

Li Jian was a wise man.

He also knew that if Zhang Yi really fought others, even if they joined, they wouldn't benefit much.

Better to sit back and watch.

If Zhang Yi lost and the snowmobile fell into someone else's hands, he could still cooperate with others.

"Wait for my response," Zhang Yi messaged, then looked at other friend requests.

Previously, due to too many people wanting to add him to ask for supplies, he had ignored all friend requests.

But now, it seemed every building in the community wanted to talk to him, hoping he would help them gather supplies.

Indeed, Zhang Yi found similar requests from several other building leaders.

Their messages were almost no different from Chen Lingyu's and Li Jian's.

All hoping to cooperate with Zhang Yi and asking him to help them gather supplies for survival.

However, their offers were extremely limited.

Only labor, women, and promises not to kick him when he was down.

The only difference was their attitudes.

Lying on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling, Zhang Yi muttered, "Now I only have two choices, war or peace."

"War, then I have to kill those who threaten me. It's not impossible, but it's time-consuming and wastes ammunition."

"Killing a large number of residents from 30 buildings, my stored ammunition would be depleted. I only have a little over a thousand rounds from the police station."

"That's the best-case scenario. If

 they attack me, I can kill them, but if they hide in their buildings and I don't dare to risk going in..."

"Besides, although I don't have psychological shadows about killing, I'm not some bloodthirsty butcher."

"Most people in the community don't have a big grudge against me. Killing them all would be somewhat heart-wrenching."

"Damn, I might even end up with psychological issues."

Zhang Yi rubbed his temples, feeling that annihilating the entire community wasn't a good option.

That would be too troublesome.