Chapter 79 Turning the Neighbors into Pawns
Steven was fully aware of the conversations in the group.
Henry immediately sent Steven a private message, saying, "Steven, what do we do now?"
Steven replied, "The time is almost right. Then, I need you to help me make these people listen to me."
"Use both carrot and stick, so they'll obey. Only then will our building be safe."
Whether they would be safe or not, Steven didn't know. But he was sure he would be safer.
Moreover, many of these neighbors would be used by Steven as cannon fodder on the front lines.
Most of them had family members killed by Steven, and given the chance, they would surely seek revenge.
So it was best to kill them now.
After finishing their discussion, Henry and Steven returned to the homeowners group chat.
Henry pretended to mention Steven, saying, "Steven, everyone here really needs you now. If you were the only one left in this building, you'd feel lonely too, right?"
"So please, show some kindness and help everyone out! Everyone will be genuinely grateful to you!"
The neighbors quickly chimed in.
"Yes, yes, as long as you can save us, we will be very grateful to you!"
"From now on, the building will be under your command."
"Steven, our whole family's lives are in your hands!"
Flattering words came pouring in.
Steven sneered, "I'm only here because of Mr. Garcia."
"But honestly, I couldn't care less about you all. I'm doing fine, why should I bother with you?"
"I have to go out and risk my life doing the toughest jobs. I don't think it's worth it!"
The more Steven said this, the more anxious the neighbors became.
"Steven, don't be like that! From now on, we'll do whatever you say, okay?"
Even in desperate situations, people would cling to any sliver of hope to stay alive.
Steven sneered and asked, "Really? You'll do whatever I say?"
"Do all of you agree?"
The neighbors hesitated for a moment.
Someone said, "As long as you don't ask us to die, we can agree to anything else!"
Steven countered, "If I ask you to take up arms and fight the Rapids gang, will you do it?"
"Humm..."
The group fell silent.
No one spoke, all waiting for someone else to respond first.
Steven laughed mockingly, "So you just want me to risk my life, right? Fine, then I won't bother with you."
"When Owen and his men come to kill, just stick your necks out and let them chop away!"
"Goodbye!"
Henry panicked, "Steven, no! We'll definitely listen to you."
"After all, it's a matter of life and death. If we fight, we have a chance to survive. I'll follow your lead!"
Saying this, he began to rally everyone.
"What are you all hesitating for? If we fight together, we have a chance to live. Do you really want to wait and be picked off one by one?"
Henry's encouragement had an effect.
Thinking that fighting gave them a chance, everyone agreed to follow Steven's orders.
With Henry's cooperation, Steven gained control of the entire building.
He said calmly, "Alright, from now on, you all have to follow my orders."
"The situation is dire, and the enemy could attack at any moment. Any act of laziness or negativity will be seen as a betrayal of all the owners in this building!"
"When that happens, don't blame me for killing that person on the spot!"
Steven scanned the list of group members.
He declared, "Don't let me find out that some of you are hiding and refusing to help."
"If I find one, I'll kill one! It's impossible to just hide and enjoy the final outcome without doing anything!"
Steven said this because he noticed that only about twenty people were speaking in the group.
Clearly, some were planning to hide and let Steven and others risk their lives.
His words angered those who had agreed to fight.
"Patrick, come out! I saw you shoveling snow yesterday, so I know you're alive!"
"Keith, stop hiding and pretending you didn't see the messages. We'll come find you!"
The neighbors began calling out those who were hiding.
People were selfish; if they had decided to risk their lives, they would not want others to stay safe in the background.
Reluctantly, those people spoke up.
"I just fell asleep and missed the messages."
"What's going on? Are we fighting back? Great!"
"I'm not afraid of dying; I just didn't see the messages."
A group of people responded guiltily.
Steven ignored them. "In any case, since you've chosen me as the leader, you have to follow my orders. Anyone who hides is betraying everyone and deserves to die!"
The owners didn't dare speak; they knew Steven would really kill them. Those fifty-plus souls were bloody evidence.
After the warning, Steven thought for a moment and decided to offer them some benefits.
"Don't worry. I'm a kind person and don't want to see you starve. As long as you obey, I'll go out and find supplies for you."
Steven had been planning this for a while.
Since there were engineering teams using blasting techniques, he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be stronger enemies in the future.
He lived on the 24th floor, and although his house was made entirely of metal, a collapse below would still affect his home.
That was why he wanted to keep a bunch of pawns to guard below, keep watch, and die for him if necessary.
Feeding them was essential, and Steven didn't want to use his own supplies, so he needed to go out and find more.
Moreover, his weapons and ammunition were depleting quickly.
He had used up twenty rounds in a recent battle and needed to find more weapons and ammo.
As for how to get around, it was simple.
The snow outside was 50 feet deep, making vehicles useless.
However, there were vehicles designed for snow—snowmobiles.
Steven had five in his storage space, two with cabins and three small snowmobiles.
In this snowbound era, others would struggle to leave their homes, but Steven could move freely around the city.
The homeowners group became excited!
"Steven, you can go out and find supplies, right?"
"The snow is so deep, and you can't drive. Are you planning to walk? Wouldn't you freeze to death?"
Steven said, "No matter how harsh the environment, I have to try for everyone's sake!"
"Don't worry. I worked in warehousing for many years, so I know where the warehouses, large malls, and supermarkets are in Starlight City."
"Finding supplies won't be difficult for me."
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