Pushing Their Luck

Lee Sherman's words didn't manage to shut the complainers up.

One of them—a pudgy guy in glasses named Roland Tran—sneered and said,"Lee, you're about the same age as Ethan Cross, and you're already treating him like your dad?"

"Don't you see we're just cannon fodder to him?"

The word "cannon fodder" hit like a bomb.

Even the other neighbors who'd been silent suddenly tensed. Over the past few days, with back-to-back offensives against both the Bayview Gang and the Wildfangs, more than a dozen people had died.

And now that someone voiced what they'd all been dreading… it cut deep.

Lee pointed at Roland and barked,"Shut your damn mouth! At the very least, we're still eating thanks to Ethan!"

Roland scoffed.

"Yeah, I'll admit it. At first, I thought Ethan was a decent guy."

"But then he started forcing us into fights—pushing us straight into the fire. Why the hell are we out there dying?"

"We could've just stayed put in our own building, kept to ourselves. Let Ethan go out and bring back food. That's the smartest strategy."

"But no, he just had to stir up trouble, piss off all the other towers. What if they all decide to gang up and attack us?"

"And get this," Roland continued with venom, "from what I've seen, Ethan never eats the food he brings back."

"So what does that tell you? He's hoarding the good stuff for himself and tossing the garbage our way."

"You really think it's that hard to find supplies out there? He's just feeding us lies!"

Those words hit home for many.

When this all began, they thought life would be simple—stay alive inside 25, wait for Ethan to bring back food, rinse and repeat. But now, they were being thrown into battles like soldiers, fighting wars they never asked for.

They didn't want to die. And they sure as hell didn't sign up to be someone else's meat shield.

Someone muttered,"Ethan's being a bit much lately. We're not expendable."

And then more voices joined in:

"Every day we're out there risking our necks while he just drives around and finds food."

"He's only got that snowmobile. We're doing the real heavy lifting."

"Yeah! Give me that damn snowmobile and I'll bring food back too. It's not that hard!"

"I'm telling you, Roland's right. Ethan's whole plan is to use us as bait while he stays in control."

Lee clenched his shovel, his knuckles white.

"Enough!" he roared. "Not another word! You want Ethan to hear this and shoot you where you stand?"

That shut people up quick. A few even turned pale.

But Roland wasn't done. He stepped up to Lee, lowered his voice, and hissed,"So what now? You gonna rat us out and have Ethan kill us all?"

Every eye turned to Lee.

If he said the wrong thing, they might just decide to silence him themselves.

Lee's spine went cold. He swallowed hard and forced a nervous smile.

"No, no… of course not. We're all neighbors, right?"

"If you guys go down, I go down too. I won't say a word."

Roland gave a smug nod."That's more like it."

"We're just venting, man. Everyone's stressed. Doesn't mean anything."

Others quickly chimed in.

"Yeah, chill out. It's just like complaining about your boss at work—still gotta show up, right?"

Their faces smiled, but their eyes... they told another story.

Too many people had died recently, and when the body count piles up, so does resentment.

Later that afternoon, Ethan returned with Uncle Ray and brought back two bags of scavenged junk food.

After hearing about the battle, he put on a concerned face, offered words of comfort, and handed out two bowls of braised pork rice to reward Lee and Jesse.

The others received extra rations too—more than the standard two-day share.

But Ethan could sense the shift in the air.

Nobody said anything outright, but the look in their eyes—less awe, more suspicion—said it all.

Ethan smirked coldly to himself.

They were starting to question him.

But so what?

He knew these people inside and out. Spineless cowards, every last one of them. The moment things got tough, they folded. Just like how they'd all grovelled before Chen Zhenghao when he waved around a gun.

They didn't have the guts to rebel. And Ethan only needed a half-rotted biscuit and a loaded pistol to make them lick his boots.

Not even worth treating them like real humans.

Elsewhere, Uncle Ray was happily showing off the clothes he'd scavenged.

"Look what I got you!" he said cheerfully, handing the haul to Shelly May.

Her eyes lit up as she hugged the warm new clothes to her chest.

They were all name-brand—Ray didn't know fashion, so he'd asked Ethan to help him pick the best stuff.

Shelly had never worn anything this expensive in her life. Now she and her daughter had brand-new winter outfits, and she clung to Uncle Ray's arm with starry eyes.

"You're amazing, Ray!"

The other neighbors stared, jealousy flickering in their eyes.

One man finally spoke up."Ethan… do you think next time, you could bring back some clothes for the rest of us too?"

"Like… down jackets? Or maybe…" He glanced at Ethan's professional-grade thermal suit with open envy."Something like what you're wearing?"

They'd seen how Ethan never so much as shivered out there, while the rest of them froze. That alone told them his gear was on another level.

More voices joined in.

"Ethan, since Ray got some, maybe next time you could find some stuff for us too?"

Ethan's smile was calm, but inside, he scoffed.

These people were really pushing it.

You're eating full meals while most of the city's starving, and now you want to dress like royalty?

Still smiling, he nodded."If I get the chance, sure, I'll bring some back."

"But my snowmobile can't carry much. So I guess next time, I'll skip food runs and prioritize clothes, yeah?"

Everyone immediately panicked.

"No, no, no! We've still got clothes—even if they're not that warm, we'll survive."

"But if we don't eat, we're screwed!"

Ethan gave a gentle nod."Alright, then I'll keep prioritizing food."

"But one day," he said with a warm grin, "I'll find you the kind of coats that'll make you forget what cold even feels like."

His smile beamed like sunshine.

But his eyes?They were made of ice.