Zhang Ye let out a cold sneer.
In his previous life, he had underestimated the severity of the snow disaster.
Thinking he could gain favor with the neighbors, he gave out some of the supplies he had stockpiled.
And what was the result?
Not only did he fail to receive any gratitude, but people assumed he still had a large stash of supplies at home.
In the end, they broke into his house and killed him, treating him as food.
It could be said that his death in the previous life had a lot to do with that old hag surnamed Lin!
The corners of his mouth curled up as he lazily sent a voice message.
"That's great. We're out of food too. Auntie Lin, when you collect some supplies, do share a bit with me, okay?"
Auntie Lin was so angry that she cursed aloud in her apartment.
"Pah! Who are you trying to fool? Your family must have a stockpile!"
"Hmph, you've worked in the warehouse for so many years—no way your hands are clean!"
The reason she was so sure was that Zhang Ye often helped neighbors buy discounted goods from the Walmart warehouse.
For example, damaged packaging or near-expiry food would be sold at extremely low prices.
As an internal employee, he had priority in purchasing.
Sometimes, the warehouse would even give those items out as staff benefits.
Auntie Lin's face darkened. She gritted her teeth, still unwilling to give up.
She was convinced Zhang Ye was a big fish. If she could pry open his mouth, she and her daughter could get a big stash—enough to live for at least another week!
Taking a deep breath, she tried to sound firm but gentle.
"Xiao Zhang, don't joke with me now. Everyone knows you're a supervisor at the Walmart warehouse—how could your home be out of food?"
"This is an order from the organization. You must comply! If you contribute to everyone, both the residents and the organization will remember your kindness."
"Be good, send the stuff over to Auntie, set an example for everyone!"
Zhang Ye picked up a toothpick and cleaned his teeth. He'd had roasted lamb leg for lunch, and something had gotten stuck.
He said lazily, "I'm not lying to you. We're really out of food. Even the landlord's got no surplus grain these days!"
"Auntie Lin, why don't you send me a few packs of instant noodles instead? As a member of the neighborhood committee, you should take the lead and show some spirit!"
He said sarcastically.
Seeing Zhang Ye being completely uncooperative, Auntie Lin knew that the soft approach wouldn't work.
She hardened her tone, voice turning cold.
"Zhang Ye!"
"You're not listening to me when I'm being nice, huh?"
"Do you think I'm talking to you in a personal capacity? I'm speaking on behalf of the organization!"
"If you refuse to hand over your supplies, that's defying the organization. I will make sure you are dealt with!"
Zhang Ye sneered.
"Pah!"
"On behalf of the organization? You're just waving a chicken feather like it's a command flag!"
"You're nothing but a committee worker—not even a civil servant, let alone someone with an official post."
"You're used to fooling around with old folks in the neighborhood, now you wanna act like a big shot with me? Are you stupid or what?"
"If you've got the guts, come at me. I'll be waiting right here!"
Zhang Ye mercilessly tore off Auntie Lin's facade.
Neighborhood committee workers were just social workers—they had no official rank and weren't government employees.
And Auntie Lin wasn't even a small leader; she was just a low-level errand runner.
Of course, even if she were a high-ranking official, in times like these, Zhang Ye still wouldn't give a damn.
After scolding Auntie Lin thoroughly, Zhang Ye decisively ended the call and blocked her number.
He didn't have the time or energy to argue with a shrew like her, who was just itching to start a shouting match.
This move nearly made Auntie Lin's lungs explode with rage!
This Zhang Ye had gone against her time and again, rubbing her face in the dirt over and over again.
How could someone who fancied herself as the neighborhood's leader possibly tolerate that?
"Zhang Ye, you damned bastard! I... I really want to kill you!"
Auntie Lin roared in anger.
But in truth, she could only curse—there was nothing she could actually do to Zhang Ye now, when she herself was barely hanging on.
She thought about kicking Zhang Ye out of the residents' group chat.
But then again, that wouldn't really hurt him.
She considered rallying everyone in the group to publicly denounce him.
But if she did that, everyone would find out that Zhang Ye had refused to hand over his supplies.
If others followed his example, she'd lose her ability to deceive them.
No matter what, she couldn't do anything to Zhang Ye for now.
The more she thought about it, the angrier and more frustrated she got.
But there was nothing she could do—she had to swallow the bitterness.
At this point, the most important thing for her was to trick other people.
She had to snatch up as much of their supplies as possible before they came to their senses!
…
Over the next two days, Auntie Lin managed to scam a few households out of their supplies through a mix of sweet talk and scare tactics.
But not everyone was a fool.
In the apocalypse, people naturally prioritized their own survival and that of their families.
Some chose to ignore her completely.
Some who were more hot-tempered simply cursed her out when she came to ask for food.
As for people like Chen Zhenghao and Xu Hao—who weren't to be messed with—she didn't even dare knock on their doors.
Zhang Ye saw everything clearly through the surveillance cameras.
But he went on with his life—eating, playing, and minding his own business. It wasn't his job to meddle in others' affairs.
It had now been five days since the snowstorm began.
Normally, households only had enough supplies to last three to five days.
In their community, some people had a little more since they worked at the big warehouse.
But due to the extreme cold, heating required both fuel and food—supplies were depleting rapidly.
In recent days, a gloomy tension began to emerge in the group chat.
Those who were originally honest and waiting for government rescue began to crack mentally due to the lack of heat and food.
Especially those who had been tricked by Auntie Lin into handing over their supplies—they finally couldn't hold it in and started questioning her in the group chat:
"@25#1 Unit 1502 – Lin Chunxia, Auntie Lin, didn't you say the supplies would be distributed equally?"
"Our food's all gone. It's been two days. Can you give us some?"
"Yeah, you promised a fair distribution so everyone would have something to eat!"
The residents all began shouting, including those who hadn't handed over anything—they too hoped to grab a share.
But Auntie Lin seemed to have vanished—no response at all.
Of course, she saw the messages, but at this point she had no intention of handing anything out.
In the whole building, only she and Zhang Ye truly understood what was going on.
Outside, everything had already descended into chaos. Only those with supplies could survive. Without them, death was certain.
Clutching her grandson tightly and curled up under five layers of blankets, Auntie Lin gritted her teeth and muttered:
"There's no way I'm giving back the supplies I worked so hard to swindle!"