Chapter 25: Scolding the Old Hag

Zhang Yi let out a cold laugh.

In his previous life, he had misjudged the severity of the blizzard. Thinking he could earn a great favor from his neighbors, he had handed over some of his hoarded supplies. But what was the result? Instead of gratitude, the neighbors simply assumed he still had an abundance of resources. Ultimately, they broke down his door, killed him, and used his body as food. It could be said that this old woman, Lin, was also partly responsible for his death in that past life.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he lazily sent a voice message.

"That’s great, because my supplies have run out too. Auntie Lin, once you collect some, could you spare a little for me?"

Back in her room, Auntie Lin was so furious she began cursing on the spot. "Bah! Who are you trying to fool? You definitely have plenty of stuff hoarded at home. Hmph, you worked at the warehouse for so many years; I don't believe for a second that your hands are clean!"

Her certainty stemmed from the fact that Zhang Yi used to help neighbors buy discounted goods from the Walmart warehouse. Items with damaged packaging or those nearing their expiration dates were often sold at very low prices, and as an internal employee, he had priority purchasing rights. Sometimes, the warehouse even distributed these items as employee benefits.

Auntie Lin’s face turned ghastly, but she gritted her teeth, refusing to give up. She had pegged Zhang Yi as a "big fish." If she could just pry his door open, she and her daughter could secure enough supplies to survive for at least another week.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to adopt a tone that was both gentle and stern. "Xiao Zhang, don't joke with your Auntie. Everyone knows you're a supervisor at the Walmart warehouse; how could you possibly be short on food and drink? This is an order from the organization—you must comply! You’ve contributed to the community, and both the people and the organization will remember your kindness. Be obedient, bring your supplies over to me, and set an example for everyone else!"

Zhang Yi picked up a toothpick to clean his teeth; he’d had roast lamb for lunch, and some had gotten stuck. He replied with a sluggish, indifferent tone: "I’m not lying to you, I’m completely out of food. In this day and age, even a landlord has no spare grain! Auntie Lin, why don't you send me a few packs of instant noodles? As a member of the Neighborhood Committee, you should be the one setting an example and showing some spirit!" he retorted sarcastically.

Seeing that Zhang Yi was completely unmoved, Auntie Lin realized that playing nice wasn't working. Her voice deepened, growing heavy with menace. "Zhang Yi! Are we done playing nice? Do you think I’m speaking to you as an individual? I am representing the organization! If you refuse to hand over your supplies, you are resisting the organization, and I will definitely deal with you later!"

Zhang Yi scoffed. "Bah! Representing the organization? You really think a chicken feather is a token of command? You’re just a low-level worker for the Neighborhood Committee. You aren't a civil servant, you don't even have a formal staff position. You might be able to fool the elderly, but don't try to act like a big shot with me. Are you out of your mind? Do whatever you want—I’ll be waiting for you at home!"

Zhang Yi ruthlessly exposed her true status. Neighborhood Committee staff were merely social workers with no official government rank, and Auntie Lin was nothing more than an errand runner—not even a minor leader. Even if she were a high-ranking official, Zhang Yi wouldn't care at a time like this.

After berating her, he hung up and blocked her. He didn't have the patience to bicker with a shrew who loved to scream in the streets.

This interaction left Auntie Lin absolutely livid. Zhang Yi had defied her time and again, dragging her pride through the dirt. How could she, a self-appointed leader of the residential compound, tolerate this? "Zhang Yi, you damn wretch! I... I really want you dead!" she roared in frustration.

But she could only yell; in reality, she could barely save herself, let alone do anything to him. She considered kicking him out of the residents' group chat, but realized that wouldn't hurt him. She thought about inciting the group to collectively condemn him, but then everyone would know he had refused to hand over supplies. If they all followed suit, she wouldn't be able to scam them anymore.

She was helpless, fuming with suppressed rage, forced to swallow her anger. For now, her priority was to deceive others. She had to trick as many people as possible out of their supplies before they realized the truth.

Over the next two days, Auntie Lin used a mix of coaxing and intimidation to swindle supplies from several households. However, not everyone was a fool. In the apocalypse, everyone’s primary concern was their own survival and that of their family. Some chose to ignore her, while others with shorter tempers simply cursed her away when she came knocking. As for people who were genuinely dangerous, like Chen Zheng-hao and Xu Hao, she didn't even have the courage to approach them.

Zhang Yi watched it all clearly through his security cameras. He went about his business, eating and playing as usual, having no interest in meddling in other people's affairs.

Five days had passed since the blizzard began. Most families only stocked three to five days' worth of food. While those working at the warehouse had slightly more, the extreme cold meant they needed extra fuel and food to stay warm, causing their supplies to deplete faster.

A sense of hostility began to fester in the group chat. Even the homeowners who had initially been obedient and waited for official rescue began to change as their food and heat ran out. Those who had been swindled by Auntie Lin finally began to question her about the distribution of the supplies.

"@Unit1-1502 Lin Chunxia, Auntie Lin, didn't you say the supplies would be distributed uniformly? Our food is gone, it’s been two days, give us some!"
"Yeah, you said it would be shared so everyone would have something to eat!"

The residents clamored, even those who hadn't handed over anything hoping for a handout. Auntie Lin acted as if she had vanished, offering no reply. She saw the messages, of course, but she had no intention of handing anything over. She and Zhang Yi were the only ones in the building who truly understood the reality: the outside world had collapsed into chaos; only those with supplies would survive—everyone else was just waiting to die.

Clutching her grandson, she curled up under five layers of blankets and gritted her teeth. "I worked so hard to swindle these supplies," she whispered, "there is no way I'm giving them back to you lot!"