Inside Building, Tony Chen and his crew had already raided several apartments, directly or indirectly killing at least five people.Fear and panic were spreading like wildfire.Some of the remaining residents decided to band together. Their plan was simple: don't stay scattered.Group up in a few select apartments, barricade the doors with heavy furniture, and avoid going outside at all costs.
As for water?They'd collect snow through the balconies of the few apartments that had them.
Claire and Natalie had moved into Wendy Wang's place on the 18th floor.Wendy was Peter's older cousin. She owned a cosmetics business in Bayview City and was a well-off, independent woman.Her apartment was spacious—three bedrooms and two living rooms—same layout as Ethan's.
Most of the people here were her coworkers or trusted friends.Even in the apocalypse, trust was everything.The only reason Claire and Natalie had been allowed in was because Peter vouched for them.
And their "entrance fee"?Information about Ethan Cross's house.
Right now, everyone was huddled in the living room, wrapped in thick down coats and scarves, trying to seal every inch of skin against the cold.After Ethan's firm rejection to their "shared living" plan, everyone's mood was sour.
Wendy looked coldly at Claire and Natalie.
"We let you two move in because of my cousin Peter. You also promised to convince Ethan to let us move into his place.Now he's clearly said no—what are you going to do about that?"
Peter was a simp, but Wendy?She was sharp. One look, and she could see these two weren't easy to deal with.If they hadn't dangled Ethan as bait, she never would've let them in.
Claire immediately tried to salvage the situation:
"Wendy, I swear—Ethan's got loads of supplies. And he even has a working fireplace!"
"If we can move into his apartment, life will be so much better."
After multiple rejections, both Claire and Natalie had given up on winning Ethan over.So now they sold him out completely—sharing every photo and video Ethan had ever sent them.
Natalie added:
"You've all seen the footage. You know how cozy that place is.If we can get inside, not only can we defend ourselves from Tony Chen, but we'll be living in luxury."
Everyone around the room pulled out their phones again, rewatching the videos Claire had shared.The inside of Ethan's apartment looked like paradise.Their eyes practically glowed with envy.
Wendy frowned.
"Yeah, but he's already made it clear—he's not letting anyone in."
At that moment, Simon Sun, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, spoke up with a sinister tone.
"That guy's too selfish. Doesn't care if the rest of us die.We don't owe him anything. Maybe it's time we used... stronger methods."
Everyone turned to look at him.They knew exactly what he meant: break in and force Ethan out.
Simon's buddy Leo Lu was quick to support the idea:
"Exactly! That selfish bastard only cares about himself.Why does he get to live like a king while we freeze and starve?"
Wendy looked hesitant.
"But Peter said his front door is heavily reinforced. We're not like Tony Chen's thugs. None of us are trained for that."
Peter nodded.
"And Ethan's nasty. Last time we knocked, he dumped a bottle of piss on us."
Just the memory made Claire and Natalie visibly gag.They could still smell it in their hair and on their skin.If it weren't for their stuffy noses, the stench would've driven them insane by now.
Simon pushed his glasses up again and sneered:
"There's an easy fix. We bundle up, wear masks, bring umbrellas—then he can't use any of his little tricks."
"As for the lock..."
He turned to look at Leo.
Leo cleared his throat.
"I used to work for a locksmith company. I can pick almost any common residential lock.This kind of thing? Child's play."
Claire and the others were ecstatic.
"Awesome! Once we're in, he won't be able to stop us no matter what."
Claire gritted her teeth, her voice full of hate.
"After everything he's done to humiliate me...Once I'm inside, I'm going to shove his head in the toilet and make him eat!"
Peter chimed in with a disgusting grin:
"I'll help! I'll be the one pulling the lever."
Claire found Peter repulsive—but she needed him for now, so she forced a smile.
"Sure, Peter. Just make sure to eat more beans and onions."
Everyone laughed.
They were confident.With their numbers and tools, what could Ethan possibly do?
The group gathered umbrellas and bundled themselves up, then headed for Ethan's floor, armed with makeshift tools and weapons.
But what they didn't know...Ethan had installed motion alarms in his hallway.The moment they started climbing the stairs, his system alerted him.
He was already watching them on his monitor.
"Here we go again..."
He narrowed his eyes.With how covered up they were, he assumed it was Tony Chen making another move.
"Coming back for more? You didn't learn your lesson last time, huh?"
Ethan smirked coldly.
He wasn't planning to kill Tony just yet.Why ruin the fun?
Tony was useful.He kept the rest of the building in check like a rabid dog.If Tony died, Ethan wouldn't have anyone to help "clean up" the other parasites.
As the group of intruders approached Ethan's door, they opened umbrellas to shield themselves.Clearly, they'd been briefed.
Claire had provided intel, thinking that Ethan's defenses were limited—urine, stink bombs, maybe a hose.She believed that was all he had in his arsenal.
"Keep dreaming," Ethan muttered, pulling out something far worse.