The smell of Sichuan peppercorns, melted tallow, and chilies filled the penthouse.
Alex wasn't just cooking; he was conducting a ritual. On the induction stove (powered by the hum of his generator), a copper pot bubbled violently. Inside, slices of A5 Wagyu beef rolled in the spicy red oil.
[Indoor Temp: 26°C] [Outdoor Temp: -40°C]
Alex sat cross-legged on the sofa, a towel around his neck to catch his sweat. He dipped a piece of beef into a bowl of sesame oil and garlic, blew on it, and put it in his mouth. The fat exploded on his tongue. Hot. Spicy. Alive.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
His phone was vibrating so hard it was dancing on the coffee table.
Alex picked it up. The "Building 4 Owners Group" had turned into a digital riot.
[Neighbor 602:] I saw the light! It's definitely the Penthouse! He has a generator! [Neighbor 808:] My baby is crying. It's so cold. My breath is freezing in the bedroom. Alex, if you're reading this, please, let us plug in a heater. [Madam Li (HOA):] Alex! As the building representative, I order you to open your door! You cannot hoard electricity in a disaster. It is a public resource! If you don't open up, we will break it down! [Johnson:] I'm already on the stairs. I'm bringing my boys. You think you're tough, Alex? Wait until I smash your face in.
Alex chewed slowly. He swallowed. He wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"They want heat?" Alex chuckled. "I'll give them heat."
He raised his phone and snapped a photo. Frame: The bubbling spicy hotpot in the foreground. A bottle of iced Coke with condensation running down the side. And in the background, clearly visible, the digital thermostat reading 26°C.
He uploaded it to the group chat. [Sending...] [Sent.]
He added a caption: "Does anyone have any digestive pills? The AC is too warm, and I ate too much beef. I feel a bit bloated."
...
For ten seconds, the chat was dead silent. The image loaded on hundreds of freezing screens across the building. People huddled under thin blankets, their fingers stiff and blue, stared at the red, oily, steaming meat. They saw the ice in the Coke. They saw the 26°C.
Then, the explosion happened.
[Neighbor 404:] YOU BASTARD!!! [Neighbor 1201:] I'm freezing to death and you're complaining about being bloated?! [Johnson:] I'm going to kill you! I'm going to skin you alive and eat that pot! [Madam Li:] This is a crime against humanity! Everyone, go to the 24th floor! We will confiscate his supplies!
[System Alert!] [Ding! Ding! Ding!] The blue notifications scrolled faster than Alex could read.
[Harvested Rage from Johnson: +80 EP] [Harvested Extreme Envy from Neighbor 404: +20 EP] [Harvested Despair from Neighbor 808: +50 EP]
[Total EP Gained: 540] [Milestone Reached! Shop Level 1 Unlocked.]
Alex grinned. "Keep hating me. Your hate keeps my lights on."
He took a sip of the ice-cold Coke. The carbonation burned his throat pleasantly.
Suddenly, a loud THUD echoed from the hallway.
They were here.
The elevator was out, so they had climbed 24 flights of stairs in sub-zero temperatures. It must have taken them twenty minutes, burning their last reserves of energy.
"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" It was Johnson's voice. He sounded winded, freezing, and furious.
CLANG!
Metal struck metal. Johnson was hitting the door with something—likely a fire axe from the stairwell.
Alex stood up, stretching his limbs. He walked to the hallway, looking at the heavy steel door. On the other side, he could hear at least ten people. Heavy breathing. Cursing. The shuffling of feet.
"Alex!" Madam Li's voice screeched through the steel. "We know you're in there! We can smell the food! Open up and share, and maybe we won't put you in jail later!"
Alex walked to the intercom panel mounted next to the door. He pressed the [External Speaker] button.
"Madam Li," Alex's voice boomed into the cold hallway, amplified by the speakers. "You fined me $10,000 yesterday for noise. Now you're banging on my door at 2 AM? That's a violation of the HOA rules."
"Screw the rules!" Johnson yelled. BANG! Another axe hit. "Open it or you die!"
"I'd open it," Alex said, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. "But my dog is eating right now. He gets aggressive when strangers are near his Wagyu beef."
"W-Wagyu?" A weak voice from the hallway stammered. Someone was drooling.
"Yeah. A5. Marble score 12. Melt in your mouth." Alex paused for effect. "I actually cooked a bit too much. I was thinking of flushing the leftovers down the toilet..."
"NO!" multiple voices screamed in unison.
"Don't flush it!" Madam Li cried out, her dignity forgotten. "Give it to us! Just pass it through the peephole!"
"Hmm," Alex pretended to think. "No. I think the toilet is hungrier."
[System: Hatred +100. Hatred +100. Hatred +100.]
Outside, Johnson snapped. "Get out of the way!"
CRASH!
The impact was heavier this time. Johnson was throwing his entire body weight against the door. But this was a 10-inch solid steel bank vault door reinforced by Titan Security. An axe wouldn't scratch it. A tank wouldn't scratch it.
Alex watched the door vibration with a bored expression. "You guys are loud," he muttered. "I need to sleep."
He looked at his System Panel. [Shop Level 1 Items Available]
Fresh Water (1L): 5 EP
Bread (Loaf): 10 EP
Defensive Upgrade: High-Voltage Door Grid (500 EP)
Alex's eyes lit up. He had exactly 540 EP.
"System," he whispered. "Purchase High-Voltage Door Grid."
[Transaction Complete. Installing...]
A faint hum resonated through the steel door frame. The metal surface suddenly crackled with a low-frequency electric charge. Not lethal—not yet—but enough to hurt.
Outside, Johnson raised the axe for another swing. He braced his hand against the door to leverage his swing.
"DIE!"
His palm touched the steel.
ZAAAAAP!
"ARRRGGGHHH!" A scream of pure agony tore through the hallway, louder than the wind outside.
Johnson flew backward, crashing into the people behind him. The smell of singed hair and burnt flesh wafted through the cracks.
"Johnson! What happened?" Madam Li screamed.
Alex leaned into the microphone, his voice cold and hard.
"Warning: The door is electrified. Next time, I turn up the voltage."
Silence fell over the hallway. The mob was terrified. They were freezing, hungry, and now, facing a fortress they couldn't touch.
Alex turned off the intercom. He walked back to his hotpot. The beef was perfectly cooked.
"Finally," he said, picking up his chopsticks. "Some peace and quiet."
[Cliffhanger] As he ate, a shadow moved across the one-way glass on the balcony. Someone hadn't taken the stairs. Someone—a professional climber—was dangling from a rope outside his 24th-floor window, staring right at Alex with thermal goggles.
The mob was a distraction. The real threat was outside.
[End of Chapter 5]
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