Ray burst out laughing. He opened a window, took out a loudspeaker, and called out, “Dear neighbors, I’m back. Come and collect your rewards.”
He went down to the basement, unlocked the iron door, and took out a portion of the frozen food he had stored. The amount far exceeded what he had promised earlier. They could treat it like a little extra bonus. Then he returned to the villa.
It was freezing cold outside.
Before long, more than thirty people arrived. When they saw the supplies laid out in the passageway, they hesitated, as if afraid that once they stepped inside, Ray might suddenly spray them with poisonous liquid. After a brief pause, they went in anyway and began carrying the goods out.
By the time everything had been moved, no poisonous liquid ever came down.
They all let out sighs of relief and had to admit that Ray really did keep his word.
The bounties Ray offered had never once fallen through. They had become a gold–standard guarantee.
Even though the food was frozen, everyone was overjoyed. At last, there was something to eat.
“This must be supplies Ray found while he was out.”
“It’s all because he has a car.”
“If only we could take that car-”
“Shh. Watch what you say. Talk about it after we’re back.”
The group carried the supplies away. They were representatives from more than twenty buildings, and the food was divided according to the agreement they’d made earlier. Residents from each building were already waiting below, helping move the supplies back, where fires were lit immediately and meals prepared.
However, the thirty–plus people who had gone to collect the goods didn’t leave right away. Instead, they gathered to talk.
“We can’t go on living like this, relying on Ray to feed us.”
“Exactly. This isn’t just humiliating—it’s like having a blade pressed to our throats. If one day Ray decides he wants any one of us dead, who would hesitate? We’d hand that person over without a second thought.”
“We have to deal with this as soon as possible. People get used to things. Once we’re accustomed to being controlled by Ray, we’ll be nothing but meat on the chopping block.”
“The key is that car.”
“How do we get it?”
They debated back and forth, but no matter how they talked, they couldn’t get around Ray–or the villa
If they wanted the car, they had to break into the villa. And to do that, they had to kill Ray.
Suddenly, someone spoke up. “I’ve got a cousin who works on an engineering crew. Before the disaster, they were preparing to demolish a bridge for reconstruction. He should be able to get explosives”
Eyes lit up at once. “Blow up the villa?”
It felt a bit wasteful–by now, everyone knew the villa had heating, maybe even electricity
“Won’t that damage the car?”
“It’s fine. We just need to blow open one corner to create an entrance”
Chapter FR
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