Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 283: Not Playing by the Rules

This was Zhang Yi's first encounter with Chen Xinian.

However, Zhang Yi's personal information had already been delivered to Chen Xinian's desk.

So, Chen Xinian knew quite a bit about Zhang Yi—at least all the intel from before the apocalypse.

After reading Zhang Yi’s profile, Chen Xinian was confident he could recruit him.

From Chen Xinian’s perspective, Zhang Yi was nothing more than an ordinary, somewhat daring young man from the city.

He had no political experience, had never held a senior position in any company, and wasn’t even considered a white-collar worker.

Such a person wouldn’t have even qualified to meet Chen Xinian in the old world.

Chen Xinian’s confidence was evident in the calm, assured smile on his face.

"Hello, you must be Zhang Yi?"

Zhang Yi, however, didn’t have a favorable impression of Chen Xinian.

Even though the middle-aged man appeared kind and approachable, after hearing Liang Yue’s revelations about the inner workings of West Hill Base, Zhang Yi knew just how ruthless the man before him could be.

"So, you’re the leader of West Hill Base? How should I address you?"

Zhang Yi’s tone was calm, his smile just as cold.

"My name is Chen Xinian."

"Mr. Chen Xinian, nice to meet you. What brings you here today?" Zhang Yi asked with a smiling but sharp tone.

Chen Xinian’s smile widened.

Suddenly, his previously gentle face showed a flash of sternness. With just one look, Zhang Yi felt a chill.

"Not long ago, two of our West Hill Base soldiers went out on a mission. They later disappeared near your shelter.

According to the information they sent before vanishing, the last person they interacted with was you."

"Zhang Yi, did you kill our men from the base?"

Chen Xinian’s opening question was an attempt to assert dominance.

But Zhang Yi wasn’t one to be intimidated.

Chen Xinian might be a master of political maneuvering, but Zhang Yi wasn’t about to play by his rules.

Without saying a word, Zhang Yi pulled a military knife out of his spatial dimension and slammed it onto the table!

The sudden action made Chen Xinian frown.

Such a crude move wasn’t part of the negotiation tactics he was familiar with.

Zhang Yi pointed to the knife, "Do you recognize this? Your men left it in my house!"

"Even in peaceful times, trespassing and leaving a weapon behind would be considered illegal invasion, justifying lethal self-defense!"

"Now, in this apocalyptic world, everyone’s on edge. If your people dare threaten me, so what if I killed them?"

Zhang Yi's tactic was simple—refuse to play by the rules!

He was young and had no patience for the word games and backstabbing that older, politically savvy men like Chen Xinian thrived on.

If he tried to play it cool and deep, Chen Xinian would likely outmaneuver him.

So Zhang Yi simply went for broke.

"Yeah, I killed them. What are you going to do about it?"

Everyone already knew what had happened, so why not just lay all the cards on the table?

Chen Xinian looked at Zhang Yi’s reckless behavior with disdain.

He thought to himself: *This is no different from dealing with an uneducated thug. How crude!*

Chen Xinian tried to reason with Zhang Yi.

"They didn’t harm you. They were simply greeting you, letting you know that other survivors were nearby.

In fact, West Hill Base often helps survivors we encounter. Leaving a mark was our way of ensuring you felt safe.

We intended to help you later. How could you repay kindness with murder? Sigh!"

Zhang Yi couldn’t help but smirk inwardly at Chen Xinian's act.

Liang Yue and the students' experiences had already shown how vile West Hill Base truly was.

*What a great actor you are, Chen Xinian!*

Zhang Yi waved his hand dismissively, "I don’t care what you think. I know what I think! I say they were intruders, so they were intruders. What’s the problem with me killing them?"

Zhang Yi’s blatant disregard for decorum left Chen Xinian momentarily speechless.

Chen Xinian had intended to reason with Zhang Yi, skillfully leading him into a trap using his political savvy.

But Zhang Yi?

He outright admitted to the killings and acted like it was no big deal.

He wasn’t interested in moral debates or verbal tricks.

Seeing this, Chen Xinian's face darkened. "So, you refuse to admit you were wrong?"

Zhang Yi scoffed, "Wrong about what?"

"You’ve had your troops camping at my doorstep, bombing my house day and night. Now you say I’m the one at fault?

Honestly, how shameless can you be?"

Zhang Yi had no intention of making peace with West Hill Base.

He knew that Chen Xinian held all the cards in any peace talks.

Zhang Yi was on the defensive.

If West Hill Base called off their attacks, then peace would follow.

And from what Liang Yue had told him, Zhang Yi knew Chen Xinian was a smiling tiger, a ruthless man in disguise.

There was no way he’d let himself be swayed by sweet words.

The only reason Zhang Yi had accepted the call was to probe Chen Xinian and see what cards he had left to play.

Chen Xinian’s false smile faded as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands and staring coldly at Zhang Yi.

It was a look that Zhang Yi found deeply repulsive.

It reminded him of the condescending gaze of the high-ranking executives from his previous job, back when they used to look down on him.

*What’s with the arrogance? It’s the apocalypse, and you’re still acting like a big shot?*

Without a word, Zhang Yi propped his feet up on the table, his black socks practically in Chen Xinian’s face.

"You—"

Chen Xinian was livid!

When had he ever been insulted like this?

Zhang Yi casually remarked, "You’d better take your people and get out of here. Otherwise, none of the people from West Hill Base will leave here alive!"

"Also, I’ll contact the other forces in Tianhai City and let them know West Hill Base is defenseless."

"What do you think they’ll do with that information?"

Zhang Yi was bluffing. He didn’t actually know anyone from other forces in Tianhai City.

But he was certain that a city with over two million people still had some surviving factions.

And Chen Xinian knew this too, which made him uneasy.

Still, Chen Xinian maintained a calm facade.

"Sigh, Zhang Yi, you’re too young."

Chen Xinian pointed at Zhang Yi and sighed. "You’re too quick to resort to violence. I was hoping we could negotiate."

"I know the supplies from the Walmart warehouse are in your hands.

There’s more there than you could use in ten lifetimes. Why hoard it all?"

Zhang Yi instantly denied it, "I didn’t do it. Don’t go making baseless accusations!"

Even if the evidence was irrefutable, Zhang Yi would never admit it.

Enjoying his spoils in secret was much better than flaunting them.

Chen Xinian chuckled, "I already know. There’s no point in hiding it."

"I just hope you’ll consider the bigger picture. We have thousands of survivors at West Hill Base.

If you were to share those supplies, it could keep them alive for years!"

Zhang Yi inwardly sneered. *So, you think I’m an idiot?*

Liang Yue had already told him that West Hill Base’s hierarchy was split into different tiers.

The higher up you were, the better your life.

In the lowest level, The Fourth Life Pod, people were surviving on protein liquid made from cockroaches and corpses.

It wasn’t that West Hill Base lacked resources—it was that they were distributed unequally.

If everyone drank that protein liquid, the base could easily support double its current population!

And yet, the leadership lived in luxury, while preaching sacrifice?

How ridiculous!

But Zhang Yi didn’t say this out loud.

If he did, Chen Xinian would realize someone from the base was feeding him information.

Zhang Yi simply replied, "What does that have to do with me? I’m not a saint, and I don’t care about anyone else’s survival."

"In this apocalypse, countless people have already died. This is survival of the fittest."

Chen Xinian frowned, "Sigh, such a selfish and shallow mindset! All those years of education—did it all go to waste?"

Author's Note

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