Old Wu had remained silent at the scene until now.
Normally, Hua Chuanlong would usually be allied with Ke Hanyu.
He would have seized the opportunity long ago, joined forces with Ke Hanyu, and started fiercely criticizing Hua Chuanlong and the others.
But he couldn't now, because under the current circumstances, pushing Hua Chuanlong and his group any further would likely lead to a major conflict.
He knew very well why Hua Chuanlong would do this: food and supplies were running out.
This sub-zero weather, dozens of degrees below freezing, had lasted for many days.
They were relatively well off; although they didn't gather many supplies themselves, they collected the most protection fees, and among these factions, they had the fewest people.
So, they currently had no food pressure.
However, Hua Chuanlong and others, who had more people and collected fewer protection fees than them, couldn't hold on.
Compared to Old Wu's military faction, Hua Chuanlong's group had more people, consumed more, but received less protection fees.
Compared to Ke Hanyu's group, Hua Chuanlong's group had searched for far fewer supplies outside.
Therefore, under these circumstances, Hua Chuanlong's pressure was the greatest among these factions.
It was very likely that Hua Chuanlong and his group had no supplies left.
Everyone looked at Old Wu.
Old Wu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Everyone is a creator of Safe City. We are all under the same roof, and peace is most important. And Mr. Ke, the weather is so cold now, look, it's still snowing outside. Let's help each other appropriately and get through this difficult period."
Upon hearing this, Ke Hanyu's face twitched slightly, and he almost burst out. Under the current circumstances, it was like being trampled on and urinated on by Hua Chuanlong.
He didn't care about the supplies that were stolen this time; in fact, for them, it wasn't much. But he wanted to establish a bottom line. If you back down at the beginning, others will think you are a soft target and take advantage of you.
He also knew that under this heavy snow, Hua Chuanlong must have run out of supplies to do such a thing.
After all, although their strength was not as good as Hua Chuanlong's, overall, there wasn't much difference.
Old Wu saw Ke Hanyu's movement to stand up and quickly added:
"However, Mr. Hua, you are indeed in the wrong here. Without their permission, you took the part that rightfully belonged to them. Mr. Hua, please apologize to them, and also offer something in exchange. Don't do this again next time."
Ke Hanyu, who was about to stand up, heard this and slowly sat back down.
Hua Chuanlong understood Old Wu's words. He actually didn't want to reach the point of using guns. If it really came to that, they would also suffer greatly.
At that point, it would be a lose-lose situation, with no one emerging as a winner.
Now that he had obtained the food and supplies, his ultimate goal had been achieved.
As for apologizing, that was a matter of saving face.
As for exchanging things formally, he could exchange some things they didn't currently need. If they wanted a dignified exchange, then he would give it to them.
Instantly understanding Old Wu's meaning, Hua Chuanlong immediately changed his expression and said, "Hahaha, Mr. Ke, it's truly a misunderstanding. I apologize to you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll definitely be more careful next time. It just goes to show how generous our Mr. Ke is!"
His face was beaming with smiles, completely devoid of his previous aggressive demeanor. The stark difference before and after made both Mr. Ke and Old Wu, who were sitting nearby, twitch at the corners of their mouths.
This Hua Chuanlong was indeed shameless.
Ultimately, a greater conflict was avoided; no fighting broke out.
In this heavy snow, no one wanted to provoke conflict in such an environment.
Everyone knew full well that they didn't want to resort to guns and bloodshed until the very last step. If it came to that, no one would have an easy time.
They only hoped that this heavy snow, this winter, would pass as quickly as possible.
Everyone dispersed and returned to their respective places.
Unlike the tense atmosphere in Safe City, Li Yu's base was filled with a harmonious atmosphere.
Indoors, a constant temperature of over 20 degrees Celsius was maintained.
Because it was too cold outside, everyone minimized outdoor activities except for those on duty.
In the warm, spring-like indoors, everyone occupied themselves with handicrafts or time-consuming tasks.
The library also saw more visitors these days. Everyone in the base seemed to have entered a semi-vacation state.
However, in this state, the base's planting facility was undergoing enthusiastic improvements.
With the addition of An Ya, a professional, many unreasonable aspects were adjusted, leading to more scientific planning, and the crops radiated a more vibrant vitality.
The heavy snow had fallen for a full 8 days.
January 5th.
On this day, the sky cleared.
Blue sky and white clouds, with a blanket of snow on the ground.
On rooftops, tree branches, steps... even the two distant mountain forests were dressed in white, as if the entire world had turned white.
Li Yu stood on his bedroom balcony, looking down at the snowy landscape.
This snow had lasted a long time, but it was also his most comfortable period.
There was no shortage of food in the base, and no zombie hordes appeared in the cold weather.
With no safety issues and no food crisis, this was Li Yu's most relaxed time.
Since his rebirth, Li Yu had always faced various problems and had been constantly busy.
Now, the number of personnel in the base had exceeded one hundred, and their individual strengths had greatly improved. Everything was developing in a better direction.
Sometimes, Li Yu would sit on the balcony, brewing tea and reading a book.
Other times, he would curl up in his room watching old movies and TV shows.
This feeling of time being squandered allowed him to experience the joy of indulgence and truly feel alive.
In fact, it wasn't just him; many people in the base were the same. After completing their assigned tasks, they would choose to do what they wanted to do.
This winter should be the happiest season for the people in the base.
Even in the guard room, because of the walls blocking the cold air, the most difficult things each day were walking five minutes from the base to the wall, and occasionally going out on patrol while on duty on the wall.
But it was fine; each time they went out, it wasn't for long, and wearing thick warm clothes made it bearable for a short period.
However, the constant change between cold and warm still caused some people to catch colds.
Everyone drank some ginger tea, and most people didn't take cold medicine, even though cold medicine was now available in the base.
But some people might have been used to it, relying on their own immunity to get through it.
Time passed day by day, and many people had grown accustomed to this way of life.
