Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

"Ugh, so cold!"

Seeing Zhang Yi in front of him, Xu Hao was momentarily stunned, then filled with joy.

"Brother Zhang, did you... did you succeed?"

He looked around for Wang Siming but saw nothing. Zhang Yi didn't speak; he just untied the ropes around Xu Hao. Xu Hao never expected that this time he would wake up to find they had taken over Wang Siming’s luxurious shelter without any effort on his part. This made him incredibly happy.

He was curious, though. Both of them had been hit by the sleeping gas in the trap, so how had Zhang Yi woken up so quickly and taken control of the shelter?

"Brother Zhang, where is Wang Siming? How did you deal with him?" Xu Hao asked curiously.

Zhang Yi replied calmly, "Did you forget? I'm a city soldier king, an expert from the mountains, a mercenary returned from the battlefield. Taking down someone like Wang Siming is nothing."

Xu Hao burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Brother, you’re amazing. I knew I was right to trust you."

"From now on, I'll follow you without any reservations! With you protecting me, I’ll never have to worry about survival again."

Zhang Yi picked up a heavy backpack from the sofa and placed it in front of Xu Hao.

"These are your rewards. Take a look."

Xu Hao's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together, "This... how can I accept this?"

"No need to be polite; it's what you deserve," Zhang Yi said flatly.

Xu Hao, no longer holding back, opened the backpack in front of Zhang Yi.

"Wow—"

Inside was a pile of food: biscuits, bread, chocolate bars, chicken legs, cream cakes, rice cakes... The entire backpack was packed full, easily weighing twenty or thirty kilograms! Xu Hao's smile stretched from ear to ear.

"Brother Zhang, you’re truly like a brother to me! Just say the word if you need anything, and I won’t hesitate!"

As Xu Hao tore open a bag of chicken legs and expressed his loyalty to Zhang Yi, Zhang Yi finally smiled slightly.

"Oh? You said it yourself! I didn’t force you."

He pointed outside with his chin. "Take these things and leave."

Zhang Yi couldn’t let Xu Hao stay, but his conscience wouldn’t let him be ungrateful either. Xu Hao, though troublesome, had indeed helped him a lot in this matter. So, Zhang Yi decided to give him enough food to survive on his own.

Xu Hao, halfway through tearing the packaging, froze upon hearing this. Time seemed to stand still as he stared at Zhang Yi, his body stiffening.

Zhang Yi looked down at him calmly, his gaze containing an unyielding will.

After a long pause, Xu Hao came to his senses, his heartbeat accelerating wildly, causing a ringing in his ears as if electricity was coursing through them. He couldn’t accept this reality. He had thought he had successfully joined Zhang Yi's team and helped him secure this luxurious and safe shelter. Why wouldn’t Zhang Yi let him stay?

Xu Hao’s eyes reddened as he looked at Zhang Yi with pleading eyes. "Brother Zhang, what did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly."

He hoped he had misheard.

But Zhang Yi, word by word, said clearly, "You can’t stay here. Take your reward and leave."

Tears instantly streamed down Xu Hao’s face. Clutching the backpack, he retreated a few steps, curling into a corner for security.

"You promised to keep me! You said so yourself!"

Zhang Yi shook his head with a bit of helplessness.

"I did promise you. But I can always go back on my word. We're adults; we should know that verbal agreements are the easiest to break. It’s always been this way, especially now."

Zhang Yi’s bluntness was shocking. To ensure his own safety, he was willing to discard any moral principles. This behavior made Xu Hao cry even harder. He curled up like a helpless child, shouting angrily at Zhang Yi, "You can’t do this to me! You can’t go back on your word!"

"I helped you so much, and I don’t want anything else from you, just your protection so I can survive. Can’t you even accept that?"

"If you keep acting like this, you’ll die alone, with no one to trust or stand by you!"

Zhang Yi just smiled indifferently, his expression showing disdain.

"Oh, so what? At least I’ll still be alive."

"But if I let my soft heart get me killed, I’ll have nothing!"

He didn’t bother arguing with Xu Hao because it was pointless. They weren’t on the same level of strength. Whatever Zhang Yi wanted Xu Hao to do, Xu Hao had to comply.

Zhang Yi waved outside. "Go! These foods will last you a month if you ration them. In that month, find a way to survive. I've already been as kind as I can to you."

Xu Hao shook his head desperately. "No, I won’t go!"

It was too cold outside. From Yue Lu Community to here, it was a world of snow and ice. Leaving here meant certain death sooner or later. After experiencing the warmth and comfort of the shelter, how could he leave?

Zhang Yi smiled.

Then he raised his gun.

"Do you really want to force me to do this? I hoped we could part peacefully without me having to point a gun at your head."

Seeing Zhang Yi raise the gun, Xu Hao’s face showed even more fear.

"I can’t leave! I still have your poison in me!"

Zhang Yi’s tone grew colder. "There’s no poison. It was just a colored common drug; you won’t die."

Xu Hao's face turned pale. He realized he had been tricked by Zhang Yi.

"Even so, you can’t kick me out! How can you be so ungrateful?"

He raised the backpack. "I helped you take over a shelter, and this is all I get? It’s far from enough!"

Zhang Yi took a deep breath. His patience was wearing thin. He stared at Xu Hao, his tone becoming emotionless.

"Don’t forget, you owe me your life too!"

"What? When?"

"Of course. Back in the community, I should have killed you! But I didn’t. So, you owe me your life."

Zhang Yi continued, "Now, I use your life and this bag of food as payment. You’ve made a huge profit!"

He pointed the gun at the door and used a remote to open it.

"Go quickly! If you delay, I might change my mind."