be good people

He continued layering the ice blocks until reaching the roof. Climbing up with a ladder, he poured water to fill the gaps, completely sealing the wall. The safety door opened towards the ice wall.

Would it still open now? Pushing an entire wall was no easy feat. Even if they broke the fire safety door with an axe, facing such a thick ice wall with steel bars inside, how much effort and time would it take to break through? Maybe ten days or half a month.

Starving for so long, most would probably perish.

Eugene repeated the process at another single-story building, sealing the safety door there as well. He even placed several cars in the corridor, blocking the exit for the people inside. Oh, and the elevator shaft. On the ground floor, Eugene pried open the elevator door, threw in the ice blocks, and poured water, completely rendering the elevator useless.

Now, if the people from Building 4 wanted to leave, there was only one way: jumping.

It wasn't high, just from the first floor.

Most would likely survive, and using bedsheets to descend could further reduce injuries. But in such extreme cold and with toxic hail, how many could safely escape?

Some might, but the chances were extremely low. That would suffice.

If Building 4 was weakened this way and the others in the community couldn't defeat them... well, they didn't deserve to live!

Satisfied with his work, Eugene didn't need to take any risks.

Cathy and the others were still asleep, and the sleeping pills were still in effect. On the first floor, a leopard greeted him with a wagging tail.

Eugene smiled; when it came to loyalty, only the leopard remained.

Cathy them? They followed him because of the favorable conditions he provided. If he were poor, look at their attitude! But Eugene believed the leopard would never leave him. To stand by him even in poverty was truly precious.

The night passed, and it was the 19th day of the apocalypse. Before dawn, Building 4 was in chaos. The safety door to the ground floor wouldn't open! At first, no one paid much attention, thinking it was just the cold weather freezing the door.

But one after another, unable to open the door, the entire building was alarmed. Several strong men tried to push the door open without success.

"Move aside!" Uriel came with a fire axe and started chopping at the door. Wood chips flew everywhere. After a while, tired, Uriel handed the axe to someone else to continue.

After about an hour of effort, they finally managed to chop open the security door. They thought the problem was solved, but when they saw the thick ice wall behind the security door, they were all stunned.

"What's going on? Why is there an ice wall in the stairwell of the first floor? And you can vaguely see steel bars inside. What's that? Rebars?"

"What the heck? Wasn't everything fine yesterday? Who blocked the stairwell in the middle of the night? Did everyone in the community do it together? No way, one or even a few people couldn't possibly complete such a task!"

They hadn't even seen the cars behind the ice wall yet; they would be even more baffled.

"How did the cars get up here? Even the most skilled female drivers couldn't pull this off."

"Through the elevator shaft!" Someone suddenly had an idea.

So, they went to the elevator shaft, pried open the elevator doors, and shone their flashlights inside. They were all stunned again. The ground floor was also sealed off with thick ice blocks.

What now? They were trapped in this building.

"Climb out the window!" Another smart person suggested.

Everyone's eyes lit up. It was only about 3 meters from the first floor to the ground. Even if they jumped directly, it wouldn't be fatal. Plus, they could use ropes to climb down and even throw out bedding and other items to cushion their fall.

But the problem was, there was poisonous hail outside.

Is this some kind of joke?

And what about the elderly and children? Can they jump too?

"Who's so heartless?" People from Building 4 were all grumbling.

They could risk jumping, but they weren't desperate enough to take that risk yet.

For now... let's leave it at that.

By dawn, this news had spread throughout the community. Many didn't believe it and went to Building 4 to check for themselves, and were amazed.

Who did this? Good Samaritans who didn't want credit?

People were extremely curious. Completing such a project overnight couldn't possibly be the work of one person, especially considering the cars stuck in the stairwell. It was mind-boggling.

However, this question would never be answered.

The community held another meeting.

This time, the topic was how to prevent people from Building 4 from escaping and locking them inside permanently.

Yesterday's meeting couldn't reach a consensus because everyone was unwilling to face such a dangerous group and hoped others would take the lead. So, there was no agreement.

But today was different.

What threat did people from Building 4 pose now?

None.

If they wanted to escape now, they could only climb or jump from the second floor, limiting their numbers.

So, how to block this route?

People proposed various ideas.

Some suggested digging a three-foot trench around Building 4's windows, effectively turning the second floor into the third, making it harder for people to come down and increasing casualties.

However, this would require a massive effort.

But considering everyone's safety, everyone was willing to contribute.

They divided the work by building numbers, with people from one building coming out to work each day.

In addition, someone was assigned to monitor Building 4's movements 24/7. If they dared to escape, they would sound the alarm, and everyone would act to prevent them.

It was now a matter of life and death.

Building 4 had massacred almost half of Building 3 two nights ago. Who would have sympathy for them now?

Whether you were elderly or women and children, everyone was considered an enemy.

Eugene never participated in such activities, which led to some people criticizing him, saying he could live safely only because of everyone's efforts and that he was shameless for not contributing anything.

People often say, "Those with money should contribute financially, and those without should offer their labor." If he didn't want to work, he could at least donate some supplies.

But Eugene was extremely stingy, like a penny-pincher.

People scorned him!

As if afraid Eugene wouldn't hear, some even shouted through megaphones in the underground parking lot.

Eugene heard them.

He had locked Building 4 during the night and even drugged Cathy and the others to avoid exposing himself. He wasn't surprised by some people's reactions.

But did they forget who he was?

He stepped out, shooting his compound bow wildly. The people were terrified, crying and fleeing. Some were shot or injured, and those who died did so silently, while the injured groaned on the ground and were soon frozen to death.

Eugene smirked.

He had sealed off Building 4 not out of benevolence but because he believed they might jeopardize his community's safety. After all, he would need to search for resources, and he didn't want to risk ambushes on his return.

Perhaps Building 4 would act this way, and others might too.

He trusted no one.

By around 10 in the morning, Cathy and the others began to wake up. They were surprised it was this late and never suspected the sedatives. They thought it was just too warm here, explaining their sound sleep.

It made sense.

Eugene didn't rush them to leave. After all, the trouble with Building 4 had been mostly resolved.