Chapter 125: Deathly Silence
The building managers once again dispatched teams to retrieve their allocated food with methodical precision. After giving them their food, Steven handed out the rations to the residents of his own building, then retreated to his refuge, maintaining his routine.
The following day, an uneasy normalcy veiled the simmering tension. Save for Chase, the building managers again withheld food from their residents, sparking silent resentment. The third evening after people had started working, with their last vestige of hope extinguished, the community descended into madness.
What began as a murmur of discontent quickly surged into an uncontrollable frenzy. Shouts, screams, and the unmistakable sounds of violence rippled through the air, as curses and cries of despair reverberated through the hallways. Even the fierce north wind failed to smother the cacophony.
Under the cover of pitch-black night, the ordinary, once timid, inhabitants unleashed their pent-up fury. The rulers of each building, who had underestimated their power, were now faced with an insurgency they weren’t prepared for, lacking the fortified defenses and lethal firepower that Steven possessed.
Relying on rudimentary weapons, the frenzied masses wielded their numerical strength like a blunt instrument of retribution.
Inside, Steven sat cozily on his white velvet blanket, his gaze fixed on the chaos outside. His apartment, steeped in an unnatural calm, stood in stark contrast to the bedlam beyond his window. The juxtaposition was almost serene, underscoring the brutal reality of the streets below.
He did not need to observe the fine details of the escalating conflict to understand its import. The more lives lost tonight, the more it tipped the scales in Steven’s favor.
Before retiring for the night, he performed a meticulous check of his room’s defenses, loading his handgun and assault rifle. Only then did he allow himself the comfort of sleep.
The morning of the fourth day brought an eerie quiet. Venturing outside, Steven bore witness to a grim tableau—blood-soaked snow and the broken bodies of fifty or sixty people strewn across the courtyard.
It appeared that many had been forced to leap to their deaths; some, huddled in fetal positions, had likely succumbed to the unforgiving cold after surviving the fall.
Dried blood stained numerous windows, telling the ghastly tale of the previous night's battles. The scene was one of devastating brutality, leaving no one to clear the snow or move the corpses.
Residents of Building 25, petrified, lingered at their doorways, silently grateful for their allegiance to Steven. The alternative now lay starkly before them in the form of the lifeless bodies.
Henry approached cautiously. “Steven, do we still need to work today?”
Steven’s eyes shifted from Henry to the trembling neighbors gathered behind him. With a measured calm, he replied, “If you want food in the future, you must work.”
He gestured to the bodies littering the ground. “Unless, of course, you prefer to end up like them.”
Everyone shuddered. Compared to the dead, they were incredibly fortunate. At least they didn’t have to fight for scarce food or risk their lives. Working was a small price to pay for survival.
"Yes, we’ll get to work right away!" Stimulated by the tragic scene, the neighbors eagerly grabbed tools and started shoveling snow.
Henry, still uneasy, looked around and asked Steven, "It seems like no one from the other apartment buildings is out shoveling snow. Should I notify them?"
Steven glanced at him and suddenly smiled. "Do you think they have the time right now?"
Henry looked puzzled.
"Last night was just the beginning," Steven said, a glint in his eye. "This conflict is between the rulers and the regular residents of each apartment building. Unless they can solve the food distribution problem, one side must be completely wiped out. One night isn't enough to finish the killing."
Henry felt a chill run down his spine. This was truly a sinister plan.
"What do we do next?" He asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Steven said calmly, "This has nothing to do with us. Just let them kill each other!"
The right time hadn't come yet, so he wasn't in a hurry.
In the afternoon, Steven returned and distributed food as usual. However, he noticed that the people from a few buildings had changed; they were not the familiar faces he had come to recognize. It seemed that in the struggle for food, control of some apartment buildings had changed hands.
But it didn't matter to him. No matter who the building manager was, he would cooperate according to the previous agreement.
That night, he sent a message in the building managers' group chat: [If I don't see any labor results tomorrow, I can't guarantee there will be food or cigarettes.]
So the next day, when Steven went out, he saw everyone collectively working again. But the number of people was at least one-third less than two days ago.
In other words, due to the unfair distribution of food, at least 400 people had died in the community in two days!
Henry couldn't fathom the scene before him. "These people clearly know that the ten portions of food per building won't reach them. Why don't they resist and fight for their chance to survive?"
Steven heard this and smiled playfully. "Maybe they haven’t reached the limit of life and death yet. Or maybe, in extreme despair, they have accepted their fate and even see death as a relief. Human nature is something no one can fully understand. Not even me."
Henry shook his head in confusion, "But this isn't a long-term solution! Are we just going to watch them continue like this?"
Steven smiled and shook his head, "It won't last long. Whether due to a lack of supplies or conflicts between people, they will quickly die in this apocalypse."
Henry swallowed hard, not knowing what to say.
At that moment, a woman in fur walked over through the snowstorm. She was covered in blood, clearly having experienced a brutal fight the previous night. But she had survived. The visitor was Caitlin, the building manager of Building 9."Steven, I want to talk to you about cooperation again," Caitlin said.
Steven smiled slightly, with a hint of disdain. "You? What can you talk to me about?"
Caitlin stared into Steven's eyes, trying to use her years of social selling skills on him. "If the community continues like this, it will collapse sooner or later! The internal conflicts are too severe to manage effectively. Even if you bring back more food, there will always be someone who takes more by force. This will keep escalating the conflicts, and more people will die!"
Steven looked at her calmly. "And then?"
Of course, he knew this would be the result. Because the current situation was orchestrated by him.
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