Turning Cowards into Cannon Fodder

Ethan Cross had been quietly watching the group chat unfold, every line of desperation and panic logged in his mind.

Then came a private message from Uncle Ray.

"Ethan, what now?"

Ethan's response was calm and calculated.

"They're just about ready. When the time comes, back me up. We need these people scared and obedient. Only then will this building be safe."

Whether the others ended up safe or not didn't matter to Ethan. He would be safe.

Many of these neighbors had lost family members—family Ethan had personally killed. If given the chance, they'd come for revenge.

That's why it was better to send them to die first.

After agreeing on the plan, Ethan and Uncle Ray returned to the group chat.

Uncle Ray put on his best performance, tagging Ethan in a dramatic plea.

"@Ethan Cross Ethan, we need you. If you're the only one left alive in this building, won't that be lonely?"

"Come on, show us some kindness. We'll all be forever grateful!"

The others jumped in instantly, eager to suck up.

"Yes, yes! If you save us, we'll owe you our lives!"

"From now on, you're the boss of this building!"

"Ethan, our whole family depends on you!"

Flattery poured in like sewage.

Ethan sneered.

"I'm only here because Uncle Ray asked me."

"Honestly, I don't give a damn about you people. I'm doing just fine. Why should I risk my life for you?"

"You want me to go out there, kill myself for your peace of mind? Not worth it."

The more indifferent he sounded, the more panicked they became.

"No, wait! Ethan, come on! We'll do whatever you say, okay? Just help us!"

Ethan's cold smile deepened.

"Is that so? You'll do anything?"

"Everyone agrees?"

Silence. A beat.

Then someone said nervously, > "As long as it's not suicide… anything's fine."

Ethan shot back:

"So if I told you to grab weapons and fight the Terra Gang, would you do it?"

That shut the chat down. Total silence.

No one wanted to be the first to answer. They were all waiting for someone else to take the lead.

Ethan laughed.

"So that's it. You want me to die so you don't have to. Fine. When Harold Fang comes knocking, just stretch out your necks and hope he makes it quick."

"Good luck. Bye."

Uncle Ray jumped in quickly.

"Ethan, wait! We'll do it! We'll follow your lead!"

"If we're gonna die anyway, we might as well go down swinging. I'm in!"

He turned to rally the others.

"What are you all waiting for? Would you rather be picked off one by one? If we fight together, we've got a chance!"

His speech worked. Fear mixed with survival instinct did the rest.

One by one, the neighbors agreed to follow Ethan's orders.

Just like that, Ethan and Uncle Ray had seized control of the entire building.

Ethan spoke coldly:

"Good. From now on, I'm in charge."

"We're at war. If anyone drags their feet, refuses orders, or tries to bail…"

"I'll kill them myself."

His eyes scanned the chat's member list.

"Don't think I won't notice who's hiding."

"You want to freeload while others bleed for you? Forget it."

There were only about twenty people actively talking. The rest?

Silent. Hoping to ride it out in the shadows.

Ethan wasn't having it. And neither were the newly converted "fighters."

"Hey! Lin, I saw you digging snow yesterday! Don't pretend you're dead!"

"Rainy Liang, I know you're reading these messages. Don't make us come find you."

They were red-eyed and pissed off.

They'd agreed to die if needed—and they weren't going to let anyone else weasel out of it.

One by one, the lurkers came out of hiding.

"Oh, I was napping just now…"

"Huh? We're fighting back? That's great news!"

"I'm not scared—I just missed the messages!"

Ethan ignored their pathetic excuses.

"Since you've chosen me as your leader, you follow orders. No exceptions."

"Anyone who hides or hesitates is betraying us all. And betrayal means death."

No one dared argue.

They'd seen what Ethan was capable of—over fifty people had died by his hands.

The stick had landed. Now it was time for the carrot.

Ethan paused, then added:

"Relax. I'm not heartless."

"If you do your part, I'll find food for everyone."

This wasn't some spur-of-the-moment offer. Ethan had been planning this for a while.

He knew more dangerous enemies would appear—especially if construction crews had access to explosives.

His room was on the 24th floor. Even if it was made of reinforced metal, a collapse from below could bring it down.

He needed human shields stationed below him. Guards. Meat for the grinder.

But you couldn't run a meat grinder without feeding it.

He wasn't about to hand out his own supplies from the spatial storage.

That meant going outside.

His ammo had also taken a hit—he'd used up twenty rounds in just one battle.

Time to restock.

As for transport?

The snow outside was over thirty feet deep. Cars were worthless.

But Ethan had something better—snow vehicles.

Five of them.

Two full-sized snow trucks with cockpits.

Three snowmobiles.

In this blizzard-wrecked world, most people couldn't even step outside without risking death.

But Ethan? He could glide across the city like a ghost.

When he mentioned going out for supplies, the chat exploded.

"You can go outside?!"

"In that snow? You'll freeze to death!"

Ethan replied, full of righteous fake humility:

"No matter how bad it is out there… if it's for all of you, I'll do it."

"I used to work in warehousing. I know every mall, every depot in Bayview City like the back of my hand."

"Finding supplies? That's the easy part."