Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 147: Xu Hao's True Colors

That night, Zhang Yi stayed up very late. With the community's issues finally resolved, he felt an immense sense of relaxation. He had been holding back, but this time he indulged without reservation. Zhou Ke'er, having accumulated her own desires, also released everything that night. However, there was still a disparity between them. Zhang Yi’s stamina and energy were robust, and he was still full of vigor the next morning. Zhou Ke'er, on the other hand, was exhausted and could barely get out of bed to make breakfast.

Zhang Yi, in a good mood, took some food from his alternate space and ate. Next, he had to see how Xu Hao’s contact efforts had gone. Once he received word from Xu Hao and felt confident about their chances, he would go check out the situation with him. Zhang Yi wasn’t in a hurry, but Xu Hao was very anxious. After being injected with what he believed to be poison, Xu Hao hadn’t slept well all night, convinced he was on the verge of death.

In the morning, Xu Hao messaged Zhang Yi. "Brother Zhang, I’ve already communicated with the other side. When are we going over?"

Zhang Yi smiled slightly and quickly typed back, "Come over to my place; let's discuss this in detail."

Soon, Xu Hao arrived at Zhang Yi’s door. When Zhang Yi opened the door and let him in, Xu Hao's expression mirrored the shock and delight previously seen on Zhou Ke'er and Xie Limei. He looked around, his face lighting up with a foolish smile, as if a beggar had entered a paradise filled with gold and jewels.

"It's so warm here; is this heaven?" Xu Hao said foolishly.

Zhang Yi rolled his eyes. "This is my home."

Xu Hao snapped out of it, immediately feeling unbearably hot. Wrapped in six or seven layers of clothing, the 26-degree temperature inside made him feel like he was in an oven. He quickly stripped off several layers of down and cotton clothes, then approached Zhang Yi somewhat awkwardly.

"Brother Zhang, I’ve talked with Wang Siming. I’ll pretend to cooperate with him and then bring you over. When he opens the door, we’ll take the opportunity to take him down!" Xu Hao said eagerly.

Zhang Yi, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, pointed to the sofa opposite and said, "Sit! No rush, let's talk this through."

Xu Hao looked at the high-end, pristine white sofa but didn’t dare sit on it, fearing he’d dirty it after not having bathed for a month. Instead, he sat on the carpet, still feeling immensely satisfied.

"An entire month, a whole month! I finally feel warmth again!" Xu Hao thought, filled with gratitude.

From his seated position, Zhang Yi looked down at Xu Hao. The once arrogant wealthy heir, now resembled a humbled stray dog. No, he was indeed a stray dog. Xu Hao looked up at Zhang Yi, trying to curry favor.

"Brother Zhang, let me tell you how the conversation went," Xu Hao began.

Zhang Yi smiled slightly and extended his hand. "No need for that trouble; I’ll see for myself."

Xu Hao’s face froze. "Wh-what? See for yourself?"

"Give me your phone. I want to read the chat history between you two!" Zhang Yi’s smile was bright, but to Xu Hao, it looked terrifying.

There were things in his conversation with Wang Siming that he couldn’t let Zhang Yi see. Just as he had disparaged Wang Siming in front of Zhang Yi, he couldn’t let Wang Siming know either.

"Hurry up and give me the phone. You’re not hiding anything from me, are you?" Zhang Yi’s narrowed eyes revealed a slit of murderous intent.

"No, I... I..." Xu Hao’s forehead started to sweat, his eyes darting, his right hand instinctively covering his pocket.

Zhang Yi, losing patience, pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at Xu Hao's head. "Can’t you behave when I talk nicely?"

Xu Hao quickly pleaded, "Brother Zhang, don't shoot! I did say some bad things about you to him, but it was only to mislead him. I didn’t mean any of it!"

Zhang Yi, growing impatient, barked, "Give it to me now!"

Terrified, Xu Hao shakily handed over his phone, unlocking it first. "The battery... it’s dead," Xu Hao whispered, trying one last time to resist.

Zhang Yi took the phone and saw that the battery was indeed almost dead. Given the limited daily power supply for ordinary residents, it wasn’t surprising. Xu Hao and Wang Siming must have talked for a long time. Zhang Yi grabbed a power bank from under the coffee table and plugged it in.

Xu Hao’s face turned deathly pale, his body deflating like a punctured balloon. Zhang Yi flipped through the chat history with Wang Siming, scrolling back.

"Oh, you’ve been in contact for half a month already?" Zhang Yi noted with a smile.

Xu Hao stayed silent, unable to utter a word.

Zhang Yi scrolled further, his lips curling into a disdainful smile.

No wonder Xu Hao hadn’t wanted him to see the chat history. The content was quite rich. Initially, Xu Hao had planned to have Wang Siming deal with Zhang Yi and then take over Zhang Yi’s safe house and supplies. At that time, Xu Hao had referred to Zhang Yi as "that damned dog, strutting around just because he has a gun. Why does he get to live in such a nice place?"

"Hmph!" Zhang Yi’s cold laugh made Xu Hao tremble with fear.

As Zhang Yi continued reading, he saw how Xu Hao’s evaluation of him changed over time. When Zhang Yi had subdued the entire building and defeated the Tianhe Gang and Crazy Wolf Gang, Xu Hao’s comments turned to, "This guy is ruthless, killed dozens of people in one go. Not easy to deal with."

After Zhang Yi wiped out nearly all the building leaders and burned down twelve buildings, Xu Hao's tone shifted again, "Zhang Yi is tough, really capable. Brother Ming, I can’t handle him alone, but the two of us together can definitely take him down."

Xu Hao had used numerous insulting terms to describe Zhang Yi in the early conversations, filled with disdain. He had indeed planned to lure Zhang Yi to Wang Siming’s place, hoping Wang Siming’s trap would eliminate him.

Zhang Yi, sneering, shook the phone in front of Xu Hao. "How do you explain this?"

Xu Hao swallowed hard, hastily explaining, "Brother Zhang, let me explain! I said those things to mislead him, to make him think I was on his side. Only by doing that could I deceive him!"

Raising his right hand to the light, Xu Hao swore, "If I have any ill intentions towards Brother Zhang, let me die a horrible death!"

Zhang Yi scoffed, "Swearing doesn’t mean anything now. Be practical."