Everyone could guess what had happened to Sweetie Liu, even if they hadn't witnessed it firsthand.A young woman falling into the hands of a group of depraved men—what kind of ending could that possibly lead to?Even if Tony Chen had decided to spare her life, the moment she lost all access to food, water, and warmth, she was already as good as dead.
But no one in the building felt sad.In fact, they were relieved.At least Sweetie Liu would keep those monsters satisfied for a while.
Still, her fate served as a wake-up call for the rest of the residents.If things kept going like this, they wouldn't last much longer either.
That afternoon, Ethan Cross suddenly got pulled into a new group chat.He chuckled.
"Another one?"
In times of crisis, paranoia always ran high.People huddled into little cliques, convinced that somehow, together, they'd be stronger.
He glanced at the member list—just six or seven people.Peter, Claire, Natalie, and a few other neighbors.
Ethan frowned slightly.What were they up to this time?
Then, Claire tagged him directly.
"@EthanCross Ethan, it's too dangerous outside. Tony Chen's gang is going to come for us eventually. We need to stick together."
Ethan replied flatly:
"No worries. I'm pretty comfortable on my own right now."
Natalie chimed in:
"Come on, don't say that! You're alone, and Tony's got five or six people plus a gun. That's not safe at all!"
Ethan smirked.
"Why don't you go ask Tony who shattered his kneecap?"
Tony had never dared to come for him again, and that spoke volumes.
Ethan asked:
"So what do you want?"
Claire quickly responded:
"We're thinking of living together in one place. That way, we can defend ourselves if Tony attacks. We're stronger as a group!"
Ethan laughed out loud.
"Oh yeah? You think just being in a group makes you immune to bullets?"
If numbers actually mattered, the entire building—50+ households, 100+ people—could've stomped Tony to death by now.But they didn't, because they were cowards.
Then another message came in—from Simon Sun, a finance guy Ethan vaguely remembered.
"With more people, at least we'd give them pause. We could barricade the door and hold out together."
Claire jumped back in:
"Your apartment has a balcony, and your door's reinforced. It's the perfect stronghold, Ethan. That's why we're hoping you'll let us join you."
Ah.
Now it all made sense.
Claire had clearly spilled the beans.These people must've heard that Ethan had power, heat, and an endless stockpile of food.
Ethan sneered.
"I can hear the sound of your little scheme rattling through the pipes. Give it a rest."
He didn't even try to be polite:
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm living just fine. If you all want to live together, go find someone else's place."
Let seven or eight desperate people into his fortress?Hell no.
He didn't owe them anything—and he wasn't going to jeopardize himself for a bunch of leeches.
The group chat went sour quickly.
Simon Sun:
"Ethan, everyone's life is on the line here. Don't be so short-sighted. We need each other to survive!"
Wendy Wang chimed in:
"We're only picking your place because of the balcony. It's easier to collect snow. Honestly, we're doing you a favor."
Ethan typed out a single message:
"You're PROTECTING me??????"
A string of question marks followed, practically dripping with sarcasm.
"Do you have any idea what kind of life I'm living right now?"
Claire, curled up under her blankets, gritted her teeth and went on the offensive.She knew Ethan would never forgive her, but maybe public pressure would do the trick.
"Ethan, I admit it—we need your help. But if you let us in, you could be saving seven or eight lives!"
"Can you really just watch us die? We've been friends and neighbors for years!"
The others chimed in too.Some had worked with him, others used to have decent relationships with him.They all begged him, hoping he'd show mercy for old time's sake.
But Ethan?
He wasn't the same man they used to know.
He'd died once, betrayed and devoured by the people now begging him for scraps.
"Compassion is a luxury I can't afford," Ethan muttered.
Then he typed:
"Let's be real. Whether any of us survives now comes down to individual strength. You bring nothing to the table. Why the hell should I risk everything to protect you?"
With that, he quit the group.
"You want to milk me like a cow? In your dreams."
Because Ethan had no morals, no one could guilt-trip him.It was that simple.
He grabbed a bag of potato chips from his dimensional storage, leaned back in his imported recliner, and began to snack.The snowstorm raged on outside—but the view was beautiful.
The world beyond his window was a blanket of pure white.Peaceful, serene, and silent.
Then, something moved.
Ethan squinted.
A black shape tumbled down from the 18th floor across the way—Followed by a bloodcurdling scream.
He realized it was a person.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished into a snowbank nearly twenty feet deep.
At –70°F, once you're buried like that, it's game over.
Clearly, chaos had broken out in other units too.Food was gone, tempers were flaring—and violence was erupting.
Every building, every apartment… was becoming its own personal hell.
Ethan chewed on his chips, staring at the drifting snow.
"Looks like I've got more than just my neighbors to watch out for now…"
"In this apocalypse, anything can happen."