Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 141: Poison

Xu Hao waited outside for a few minutes before he heard the door open. He quickly peeked out to see Zhang Yi walking over with a silver briefcase. Xu Hao's eyes were drawn to the mysterious case, wondering what was inside.

Zhang Yi approached Xu Hao and spoke in a calm tone, "Do you know what I did before all this?"

Xu Hao shook his head, confused. In the past, Xu Hao had been a wealthy heir, and Zhang Yi was just an ordinary young man in the community. Xu Hao had never cared about Zhang Yi's background.

Zhang Yi continued, "I was a fighter. In 2041, I won my first Southeast Asian free combat championship. In 2042, I defeated Japanese Heavy Artillery Raylong and then went on to sweep through Japan's karate masters for three consecutive years."

"Later, I joined the French mercenaries and fought in the Middle East for years. They called me the Half Fox."

"Growing tired of the constant fighting, I returned to China and became a simple warehouse manager and part-time hitman."

Xu Hao was taken aback. He had never imagined that the man before him, besides being handsome, had such a hidden past. It made sense now why Zhang Yi’s marksmanship was so precise and why he was so ruthless in killing.

Xu Hao thought to himself, "No wonder. No wonder his marksmanship is so accurate, and he’s so merciless when killing."

"This is a real boss. Following him in the apocalypse is the only way to survive!"

As Zhang Yi spoke, he opened the silver briefcase. Inside, he took out a syringe filled with a blue liquid. The deep blue color made Xu Hao instantly think of poison.

Movies often depicted scenes like this, and the sight filled Xu Hao with dread. He took several steps back, fear gripping him. "Brother Zhang, what are you doing?"

Zhang Yi smiled slightly and approached with the syringe. "This is a slow-acting poison we commonly used. It takes a week to take effect, and without the antidote, it's fatal."

"If you want me to believe you, let me inject this. Don't worry; once we take Wang Siming’s shelter, I'll give you the antidote."

Xu Hao’s eyes widened in terror. "Poison? No, please don’t come near me!"

Zhang Yi, losing patience, replied, "You don’t have a choice now. Whether you want it or not, you’re getting the injection."

With that, he pinned Xu Hao against the wall, pulled down his pants, and slowly injected the needle into his buttock. Xu Hao felt humiliated and began to cry.

Zhang Yi quickly finished, put away the syringe, and smiled, "From now on, you’re one of mine."

Xu Hao, shaking, pulled up his pants, but suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed to the floor. "Ugh... ugh..." he dry-heaved, feeling extremely unwell. His head spun, and he had difficulty breathing.

This convinced Xu Hao that he had been poisoned. Zhang Yi spoke calmly, "No need to panic. This is a slow-acting poison. I did this so we don’t have to doubt each other."

"If you betray me, you’ll die too. And once I get the shelter, there’s no reason for me to kill you. In fact, I’ll provide you with ample food and a comfortable living environment."

After dry-heaving for a while, Xu Hao realized he had gained Zhang Yi's trust, even though he felt resentful. "I understand. I’ll contact Wang Siming as soon as I get back. Let’s move quickly."

Zhang Yi nodded. "Good. Go back now. I’ll give you further instructions soon."

Xu Hao, breathing heavily, struggled down the stairs. Zhang Yi watched him go, feeling slightly relieved. Agreeing to work with Xu Hao and investigate the billion-dollar shelter was a significant challenge.

In truth, the so-called poison didn’t exist. Zhang Yi had used methylene blue injection, a treatment for methemoglobinemia. If injected too quickly, it caused dizziness, dry heaving, and chest tightness, mimicking poisoning symptoms.

This ensured Xu Hao wouldn't deceive him and prevented any future betrayal. "First, I need to clear out the remaining problems in the community. Then, I’ll check out the shelter," Zhang Yi planned.

Returning home, Zhang Yi checked the surveillance footage of the sickroom. Uncle You was awake, and Xie Limei sat beside him, whispering. Zhang Yi couldn’t hear but guessed it wasn’t anything good.

He smiled and walked over to open the door. Hearing the door, Xie Limei immediately stopped talking and pretended to comfort her child. Ignoring her, Zhang Yi approached Uncle You with a smile.

"Uncle You, you’re awake! You scared me. I’m glad you’re okay."

Uncle You, looking weak, managed a smile. "Thanks to the doctor here, I would’ve died without them."

"I heard you dealt with Huang Tianfang and the others? Well done!"

Zhang Yi laughed, "They were nothing. Not worth mentioning."

He opened his jacket to reveal his bulletproof vest. "I was wearing this. They thought their gun was some secret weapon, but it was useless against me."

Uncle You, eyes wide in surprise, looked embarrassed. He had risked his life to protect Zhang Yi, not knowing Zhang Yi had been wearing a bulletproof vest all along.

Zhang Yi said, "I should have told you earlier. Who knew they would suddenly attack?"

"Luckily, you’re okay. Otherwise, I’d feel guilty."

Uncle You, still embarrassed, said, "I didn’t do much. You saved me."

Zhang Yi waved his hand, "No need for formalities. Your intention was enough for me."

In a few words, Zhang Yi made it clear that he didn’t owe Uncle You much, just acknowledging his good intentions. This clarified their relationship, preventing future complications.