Zhang Ye sat on the sofa, yawning out of boredom.
While others were suffering from hunger and cold, he was living a life more comfortable than paradise.
His home was equipped with the perfect insulation system and an endless supply of fuel, enough to keep his safehouse at the most comfortable constant temperature throughout the winter.
From now on, he didn't need to do anything except enjoy every day to the fullest.
There was nothing good on TV at the moment either.
All premieres had been suspended due to the extreme cold.
After all, the beautiful female streamers he liked watching wouldn't dare wear spaghetti straps and dance in temperatures of minus sixty or even over a hundred degrees below zero.
If any of them did, Zhang Ye would only be able to give them a thumbs-up and praise, "Now that's one tough woman!"
He opened his alternate space, where the electronics section stored tons of gaming consoles and AAA games.
PS5, Switch, Xbox—he had hundreds of brand-new, unopened units.
As for game cartridges, there were tens of thousands.
Zhang Ye pulled out the latest PS5, hooked it up to his 100-inch Sony TV, and started playing.
He was playing this year's new AAA action game, Bayonetta 3.
Nearby, he also had Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice ready to go.
If he wanted to kill time, those were all great choices.
If he found those too short, he even had massive time sinks like Civilization and Cities: Skylines that could keep him entertained for ages.
With no need to worry about work or social obligations, this lifestyle was even better than what he had before the apocalypse.
Since he was home alone, Zhang Ye wore only pajamas, munching on snacks while gaming happily.
After a while, his phone suddenly rang.
Zhang Ye picked it up casually and saw that annoying Lin Dama from the residents' committee had tagged him in the group chat.
"Zhang Ye, the roads outside are completely buried in snow. Grab your tools and come help shovel snow!"
Her message had a commanding tone.
Zhang Ye also saw that she had been rallying everyone to come out and shovel, but very few had responded.
Unexpectedly, she had come after him directly.
Zhang Ye glanced at the heavy snow outside—entire floors were almost buried.
Three meters of snow was nearly impossible to clear by hand.
And Zhang Ye knew this blizzard would last at least another three months.
Shoveling snow now was pointless; it'd be buried again before they even made a dent.
So he immediately refused: "It's so cold out there, you'd freeze into an icicle in minutes. If we're going to shovel, let's wait until the snow stops."
Others chimed in to agree.
"Yeah, it's over minus seventy outside. You'd probably get frostbite just stepping out."
"We're not in the northeast here. We don't have the proper winter gear. How are we supposed to go out?"
Lin Dama got angry right away.
"What kind of attitude is this? Shoveling isn't just for me, it's for everyone!"
"You're all young and strong. In times of crisis, if you won't step up and serve the people, what kind of citizens are you?"
Then she directly targeted Zhang Ye.
"Zhang Ye, as a representative of the committee, I order you to go out and shovel snow!"
"This is a critical moment. We must unite and follow the organization's instructions!"
"Anyone who dares oppose me is opposing the leadership of the residents' committee! When the snowstorm is over, the organization will definitely hold them accountable!"
She once again played the residents' committee card.
The residents were immediately filled with anger but didn't dare speak up.
The blizzard had just begun, and social order still existed, so people were wary of breaking rules.
Though the committee might seem powerless, their authority affected daily life, so no one wanted to provoke them.
Everyone remained silent—no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.
But many hoped Zhang Ye would speak up and stand up to Lin Dama on their behalf.
Zhang Ye knew exactly what these cowards were thinking and sneered inwardly, full of contempt.
But there was no way he'd swallow his pride.
So, he decided to confront Lin Dama head-on.
He looked through the chat history and saw that the people Lin Dama had tagged were all the mild-mannered young folks in the community.
Those troublemakers or people with power—she had completely avoided them.
So Zhang Ye mocked her directly: "You're right, Auntie Lin. If this is for everyone, then the committee should be the first to step outside and shovel."
"And if we're talking about strong young people, there are plenty in this community. Why only call on us?"
"Is it because we're easier to bully? What about the tough guys and rich kids? I don't see you tagging them."
"What, are you too scared to even fart in their presence?"
The other residents nodded in satisfaction when they saw Zhang Ye's response.
"Zhang Ye is really speaking for us!"
"Exactly! She only calls on the obedient ones. Why not call out Chen Zhenghao or Xu Hao?"
Everyone knew who Zhang Ye was talking about.
In a community like this, everyone knew who the big shots were.
For example, Chen Zhenghao from 601 on the sixth floor was a well-known local boss with hundreds of men under him in earthwork projects.
And Xu Hao from 802 on the eighth floor—his father was a famous real estate developer in Tianhai, and his family had officials too.
Lin Dama never mentioned them, simply because she didn't have the guts—and they wouldn't listen to her anyway.
People like her only picked on the weak.
If Zhang Ye had always been this assertive, Lin Dama wouldn't have dared try to order him around now.
Feeling humiliated, she furiously sent several long voice messages to the group.
"Shoveling snow is a public service for everyone's benefit. Some people are just petty over trivial matters and have no spirit of sacrifice!"
"Such people are a disgrace to our community!"
"If you don't want to help, fine. Others will! Everyone else has more awareness than you!"
"And I'm not showing favoritism. I just didn't tag everyone individually. I hope you understand and don't bring this on yourselves!"
"If I see more slanderous comments about me, I'll call the police!"
Her explanation only made things worse.
Especially the last part—threatening to call the police made Zhang Ye burst out laughing.
Some timid residents got scared and went out with tools to shovel snow.
But Zhang Ye wasn't afraid of her one bit.
First of all, her unreasonable behavior wouldn't be backed by the police.
And more importantly—did she seriously think the whole social system was still functioning like before?