Chapter 22: Don't Say Things That Undermine Unity
The moment Zhang Mingyuan finished speaking, the crowd began to stir.
"What? Why should we hand over our food?"
"Yeah, and even if we do, why should we give it to you?"
Zhang Mingyuan snorted coldly, his tone arrogant.
"This was Manager Dang's suggestion. Do you have a problem with that?"
Manager Dang stepped forward, forcing a smile as he chimed in:
"Young Master Zhang is the future heir of the Mingyuan Group. In terms of prestige and capability, he's the most suitable person to lead us through this crisis."
At the same time, Ah Biao and several of his men loomed threateningly nearby, cracking their knuckles loudly.
Most people were timid and risk-averse.
Seeing this, they had no choice but to comply and handed over their food to Ah Biao's men.
However, not everyone was willing to give in so easily.
When Ah Biao's men approached a bespectacled young man, he clutched his backpack tightly, his face flushed red.
"No, I... I won't hand it over! How do we know you're really going to distribute it fairly and not just keep it for yourselves?!"
"Young man, don't say things that undermine unity," Zhang Mingyuan said with a fake smile.
Seeing the young man still refusing to surrender his backpack, Zhang Mingyuan shot a look at Ah Biao and the others, signaling them to make an example of him.
Ah Biao understood and stepped forward, staring coldly at the young man.
Faced with the imposing glare of this towering brute, the bespectacled youth couldn't help but feel a surge of fear.
But he stubbornly stood his ground and refused to let go of his backpack.
"What, you planning to hit me—"
Before he could finish, Ah Biao slapped him hard across the face.
Smack!
The young man was instantly knocked to the ground, his glasses flying off.
Before he could get up, several of Ah Biao's lackeys rushed forward and began beating him mercilessly.
Seeing that things were escalating, Zhang Mingyuan put on a show of concern and called out:
"Brother Biao, that's enough! Look at you, getting all worked up and beating someone like that! So, kid—are you going to hand over the bag now or not?"
Bloodied and bruised, the young man dared not resist any further. He quietly handed over his backpack.
"That's more like it," Zhang Mingyuan said smugly, then turned his gaze to the rest of the crowd.
Startled, the onlookers quickly handed over all their food and supplies without another word.
This entire scene had been witnessed by Su Chen, who was comfortably seated inside his luxury RV.
He couldn't help but smirk coldly.
Just like in his previous life.
At the very onset of the apocalypse, some people quickly realized what was happening.
Using their authority and status, they forcibly seized food from others under the guise of "centralized distribution," when in reality, they were hoarding it for themselves.
And these people, naturally, were the ones who survived the longest in the apocalypse.
As he watched the others hand over their food like lambs to the slaughter, Su Chen's eyes showed a trace of pity.
But that was all.
Having experienced the darkness of human nature during the apocalypse, he wasn't about to show any mercy now.
With one leg crossed over the other, Su Chen sipped a cold Coca-Cola and booted up Elden Ring.
Today, he was determined to take down the first boss.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the underground parking garage—
After witnessing the brutal beating of the bespectacled youth, the rest of the food collection went much more smoothly for Zhang Mingyuan and his crew.
In less than half an hour, almost everyone's food and water had been handed over.
Ah Biao ordered his men to store everything in another utility room and posted two guards outside to keep watch around the clock.
No one else was allowed near—not even Zhang Mingyuan.
After completing these tasks, Zhang Mingyuan, Ah Biao, Manager Dang, and the others returned to their spots to rest, satisfied.
"Young Master Zhang, you're basically our boss now. You have to take good care of me and Ling'er," Xiao Mei said sweetly, sidling up to him.
Now that Zhang Mingyuan's group controlled nearly all the supplies, the only way to survive comfortably was to cling tightly to him.
Xiao Mei was sharp and understood this very well.
"Yes, we hope Young Master Zhang can look after us," even Liu Ling'er, who still held on to some pride, had no choice but to lower her head to Zhang Mingyuan.
"We'll see," Zhang Mingyuan replied lazily.
Under normal circumstances, he would have eagerly taken Xiao Mei and Liu Ling'er to bed.
But with the unbearable heat, he couldn't be bothered to move.
Besides, their survival was far from guaranteed.
As a result, his attitude toward the two women had grown cold.
...
After Zhang Mingyuan and Ah Biao collected all the food, a rare calm settled over the underground parking lot.
Fearing that the heatwave might end soon, Zhang Mingyuan and his group refrained from overplaying their hand.
Over the next few days, they did distribute food fairly based on headcount.
But to conserve supplies, each person only received barely enough to stay alive—certainly not enough to feel full.
Unfortunately, the situation did not improve.
Compared to the first two days, the temperature in the following days rose even higher.
And considering how terrifying the heat had already been, even a one- or two-degree increase was devastating for human beings.
In addition to Zhang Hang and the burly man, another four or five people had died over the past two days.
They were mostly elderly or children—too frail to withstand the extreme heat and perished as a result.
The remaining people, weakened from both hunger and heat, lay sprawled on the ground, too feeble to move.
"Young Master Zhang… do you have any food left…" Xiao Mei and Liu Ling'er huddled next to Zhang Mingyuan and asked in hushed voices.
After just a few days, both women had lost their radiance.
Unable to bathe, their once fair skin was now caked with dust.
The two once-beautiful city girls now looked like beggars.
"No," Zhang Mingyuan replied bluntly as he opened his eyes.
Thanks to his status as the young heir of the Mingyuan Group, he hadn't gone hungry, but Ah Biao had grown increasingly cold toward him.
In that case, how could he possibly still have food?
"Young Master Zhang, we're really starving. Could you please ask Brother Biao for some food on our behalf?" Xiao Mei pleaded.
"When this heatwave ends, I'll repay you however you want."
Zhang Mingyuan had been about to refuse, but Xiao Mei's final line made him hesitate.
It had been seven days since the heatwave began.
According to official reports, it should last about a week.
Maybe the temperature would drop in the next couple of days. Why not take this opportunity to earn some gratitude?
Thinking this, Zhang Mingyuan smiled slightly.
"Alright. I'll talk to Brother Biao for you."