Zhang Yi said nothing, letting their foolishness speak for itself. He wanted to watch the shock and panic creep across their faces once they finally saw his real strength.
"Should I just kill them all now and clear out Building 25 while I'm at it?" he mused, idly stroking his chin.
With the firepower and the methods he'd developed for flushing people out of sealed buildings, wiping out the entire complex wouldn't be impossible. Once the useless neighbors in Building 25 were no longer useful, disposing of them wouldn't be difficult either.
But he shook his head. That would leave too many security gaps. If he wanted to eliminate them, it had to be done one building at a time. And what if they panicked and surged en masse? Thousands of desperate bodies could bury him—and his life mattered more than theirs. He needed a safer plan.
While Zhang Yi pondered, the other building leaders grew impatient. In their heads they'd already trapped him: how could one man stand against the entire Yue Lu Complex? To them, survival meant forcing him to bend.
Wang Qiang pressed: "Cat got your tongue? Speak up. You'll agree to our terms—whether you like it or not. Otherwise we won't be merciful."
Chen Lingyu added, soothingly: "Zhang Yi, none of us want to die. Sometimes you must yield. A wise man knows when to bend."
Li Jian chimed in: "Consider this carefully. We don't want conflict, but we have to live. If you cooperate, we can solve the complex's supply problem—maybe even rebuild something like civilization."
They played good cop, bad cop, and the message was clear: accept our terms or die.
An idea flickered in Zhang Yi's mind as he scanned the list of names: capture the kings first. Kill the leaders, and the rest would fracture into chaos. He could let them tear each other apart without lifting a finger.
So he typed slowly: "I need time to think. You've had days to plan; give me time to consider. Also, it's chaotic in a chat. Face-to-face talks are better. Let's meet in a few days—bring all the building leaders to discuss cooperation."
Wang Qiang sneered: "What, you want to gather us all together and kill us? Fine—we'll meet, but on our turf. Building 21."
Zhang Yi smiled inwardly. Of course they'd never agree to come to him. He replied firmly: "Send representatives. The negotiations will be held in Building 25."
His tone brooked no argument.
Wang Qiang scoffed: "Why should we listen to you? Do you think we're idiots?" Huang Tianfang added: "Stop playing games."
Zhang Yi shrugged. "You're too scared to send a few reps? Then there's nothing to talk about. You like fights? Fine—let's stop talking and fight."
Both sides dug in. Momentum matters in negotiation; once you lose it, you lose everything.
Li Jian tried again, diplomatic as ever. "Come on, let's talk. How do you want to proceed?"
Zhang Yi answered: "You—twenty-nine buildings—send a few representatives to Building 25. We'll discuss cooperation there. I'm not unreasonable. But you're eyeing my supplies and snowmobile. How can I trust you on your ground? My conditions are clear: take it or leave it."
He let the thin silence hang for a long moment, testing them. They'd seen what he'd done to Chen Zhenghao; they'd watched Huang Tianfang's dynamite attempt fail. They were ordinary people with no explosives, no way to tear down an armored safe house. If Zhang Yi chose to hole up, they were powerless.
Finally one leader dared ask: "You can protect yourself, but what about the others in your building? Can you protect them all?"
Zhang Yi rolled his eyes. Did he look like a saint? "I protect myself first. Don't moralize me."
Chen Lingyu grew frantic: "Even if your house is strong, your food runs out eventually. You can't hide forever. Ostrich tactics won't work."
Zhang Yi smiled. Let them try to outlast him. He knew the simple truth: none of them had more supplies than he did. In a war of endurance, he didn't care how much anyone else had—only that they had less than him.