Your Relationship Doesn't Look So Good

"Your relationship doesn't seem to be in a very good state."

Jin Zhaoye turned her head to look at her. Xie Li kept her head lowered, her wispy bangs sticking up like a bristling kitten.

Her gaze softened a fraction. "Xie Li, you're very brave. When people see their own kind die, they feel sad, they feel fear—it's not because they're cowardly, it's instinct."

"A Yun started following her Alpha mother into military camp at six years old, receiving the strictest training—firearms, combat, tactics, wilderness survival. These are things she's been learning since childhood. You don't need to compare yourself to her."

Xie Li: ...Is this what they call a science major's blunt, literal logic?

She paused for a moment, then asked quietly, "So you've known each other since childhood?"

"Mm. Our two families are old family friends."

"Then why does your relationship not seem to be in a very good state?"

Jin Zhaoye asked evenly, "How can you tell our relationship isn't good?"

"It's just...we were both injured, but you didn't go take care of her. Instead, you came to take care of me."

"Ning Meng is A Yun's guard. She'll take good care of A Yun—she doesn't need me." Jin Zhaoye finished speaking, gripped her Fire Axe, and charged toward the Zombies.

Ahead, they were approaching the Canteen area, and the Zombies were growing dense. Those rotting figures wandered across the open ground. Some had already spotted them and were running this way. Xie Li had no choice but to swallow her unfinished questions, grip her weapon tight, and charge in alongside her.

After some effort, they cleared the dozen or so Zombies at the Canteen entrance, and Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye slipped inside. The disaster had broken out after breakfast hours, so there weren't too many Zombies inside the Canteen. Only a few Zombies crouched in the corners, backs to the main door, gnawing on something.

Xie Li pointed toward the back kitchen. Jin Zhaoye lightened her steps and moved toward the back kitchen with her. The back kitchen door was half-open; inside was somewhat messy, but much cleaner than outside. Several large pots sat on the stove, and vegetables half-prepared and already beginning to spoil lay on the cutting board. Swarms of green-headed flies circled above, their buzzing echoing through the quiet back kitchen.

Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye slipped inside and quietly closed the door. Skipping past the opened, spoiled ingredients outside, they moved with clear purpose toward the back kitchen storeroom. Pushing open the storeroom door, the sight inside made Xie Li's eyes light up. The shelves were piled high with unopened rice, flour, cooking oil, plus various seasonings and dried goods—packed to the brim.

Jin Zhaoye scanned the supplies in the storeroom, somewhat regretful. "These are all too heavy. They're hard to carry, and it's not convenient to cook."

Xie Li laughed secretly to herself. She was convenient, wasn't she? She'd just quietly stash them away when Jin Zhaoye wasn't looking. Crouching down with her pack, she said to Jin Zhaoye, "Dr. Jin, go keep watch at the door. I'll pack the supplies."

Jin Zhaoye lowered her gaze, her eyes lingering on Xie Li's face for a moment. This was the first time the other had taken the initiative to suggest splitting up. She asked nothing, slipped off her pack and handed it to Xie Li, then turned and walked to the door, her back to the storeroom, watching for movement outside.

Xie Li waited until she'd walked farther, then stuffed some instant noodles, dried noodles, sausage, and cured meat into the pack. Setting the bulging pack aside, Xie Li opened her Space and aimed it at the shelves. At the thought, the instant noodles, dried noodles, vermicelli, and rice noodles on two full rows of shelves vanished. Her vision went black, as if she'd been struck on the head, and her face went pale at a speed visible to the naked eye. Needles seemed to pierce her brain, and the pain made cold sweat break out all over her. After a long while, the stabbing pain slowly receded.

Xie Li steadied herself against the shelf and looked at the next one over—sausage, luncheon meat, smoked meat, Chinese sausage...all kinds of meat products neatly stacked. She focused her will again, and everything on the shelf vanished. She herself dropped to her knees with a thud, a more violent pain than before rushing in. Xie Li lay on the ground, enduring the torment of the pain while wondering why her head had suddenly started hurting. "Was it...because I took in too much at once?"

To test her hypothesis, she braced herself against the shelf and pulled herself up, then took in the contents of two more shelves. Sure enough, the pain grew more intense. Xie Li retched once against the shelf, her vision spinning, and she toppled to the ground, head heavy and feet light.

Lying on the ground, Xie Li's head felt like it was about to explode. Just then, the dormant green light points in her body suddenly stirred. They poured out from Xie Li's body, gathering into a stream that flowed toward her head. In her half-conscious state, Xie Li sank once more into that feeling of being soaked in warm water. The pain quickly vanished, replaced by a soul-deep, relaxing comfort.

Xie Li opened her eyes. The world before her seemed much clearer than before. Even the tiny cracks in the ceiling were visible. "So that's how it is. Using Space consumes mental energy, and the green light points are like a miraculous substance that can strengthen both body and spirit." Xie Li finally understood the wonders of those green light points. If so, could she actively draw on that energy to strengthen herself, like internal force in wuxia novels, or spiritual power in cultivation novels?

But that could wait for later. Right now, collecting supplies was the priority. Xie Li got up from the ground and took in only one shelf at a time. Her head was still a little dizzy, but bearable.

After collecting the storeroom's stock, Xie Li found the freezer's iron door and pulled it open. The blast of cold air that hit her face greatly relieved her dizziness. The frozen meat neatly arranged inside lifted her spirits even more. Whole sides of pork, cut beef and lamb ribs, bagged chicken wings and drumsticks, whole ducks, lamb rolls, beef rolls, chicken cutlets, french fries, onion rings, frozen buns and mantou, youtiao, hand-grabbed pancakes, dumplings and wontons... There was so much that Xie Li's eyes went a bit blurry. She didn't care about the quality—after all, this was the Apocalypse. Having something to eat was good enough. Anything edible, Xie Li refused nothing, leaving nothing behind.

After emptying the entire freezer, Xie Li closed the door with great satisfaction and moved on to the cold storage area, collecting all the vegetables stored inside. After collecting all the Canteen back kitchen's reserves, Xie Li sent her awareness into her Space to look. The Space was almost full, supplies piled into little mountains—meat with meat, vegetables with vegetables, drinks and snacks together. One glance was deeply satisfying. The only thing was the Space was a bit too small. She needed to find a way to upgrade it soon.

In a great mood, Xie Li picked up her pack, pushed open the door, and went to find Jin Zhaoye outside. "Let's go, Dr. Jin. I've packed the supplies."

Jin Zhaoye turned back, her gaze lingering a moment longer on the tightly closed storeroom door. She nodded, picked up the two Boning Knives she'd found earlier, and left the Canteen with Xie Li.

Walking out of the Canteen, sunlight fell on them. Even the rotting corpses by the road looked much more pleasing to Xie Li. She hummed a tuneless song, feeling a bit floaty. Jin Zhaoye walked at her side, listening to that wildly off-key melody, and couldn't help asking, "You were listless just a moment ago—how are you so happy all of a sudden?"

"Hehe, because something good happened, so my mood got really good."

Jin Zhaoye reminded her, "Joy tips into sorrow, the sun at noon begins to set, the full moon begins to wane. It's fine to be happy, but don't overdo it, and don't let your guard down."

Xie Li's steps faltered, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her, dragging her out of that floaty state of having found a great bargain. Right—she'd just discovered a new use for her cheat ability and collected some supplies along the way. Was that worth being this happy? The Fu Yunsheng described in the book had collected several national strategic reserve warehouses and various energy reserves back then, and she could still remain unmoved as a mountain collapsed before her. Compared to the protagonist, she, a cannon fodder...was a bit beneath notice.

Xie Li gathered her smile, her expression growing much more serious. She looked at Jin Zhaoye and thanked her earnestly, "Dr. Jin, thank you for the reminder."

"But aren't you curious why I'm so happy?"

Jin Zhaoye looked at her. Sunlight fell on them both, casting two overlapping shadows on the ground. "Everyone has curiosity. If you want to tell me, I'll be curious. If you don't want to say, I won't be."

Xie Li looked at her calm expression and suddenly understood—there's a reason she's the protagonist. Just this character, this comfortable sense of boundaries—she couldn't catch up no matter how hard she tried. Xie Li grinned, "I can't tell you now, but there should come a day when I do."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Mm, me too." Xie Li nodded and handed her the pack. "Dr. Jin, take the supplies back first. I want to go over to the Administrative Main Building to see if I can find Lan Ran and the others."

The night before last, Lan Ran, Zhou Yu, Jiang Nanxu, and a few others had gone downstairs first. They should be together. Since she'd promised to take Lan Ran home to find her mother, she definitely wouldn't go back on her word.

Jin Zhaoye took the pack, showing no intention of returning to the Medical Room. "The Mutant Flying Fish over there haven't been fully dealt with. If you go now, you might run into them."

Xie Li waved her fist, hinting openly, "It's fine, Dr. Jin. Go back to the Medical Room first. My strength seems to have grown a lot. I can fight just like you now."

Jin Zhaoye said nothing, slung the pack over her shoulder, turned, and headed toward the Administrative Building.

"Eh?" Xie Li jogged after her. "Jin Zhaoye, you don't have to come with me."

Jin Zhaoye ignored her, walking on her own.

"I really can do it on my own." Xie Li muttered, secretly delighted. Jin Zhaoye must be worried about her, which is why she wanted to come along. She really did have some good feelings toward her, didn't she?

"Didn't you say it yourself?" Jin Zhaoye suddenly spoke. The words came out of nowhere, and Xie Li didn't quite get it.

She asked in confusion, "What did I say?"

"You said we're teammates." Jin Zhaoye's voice was flat.

Xie Li remembered. She laughed dryly and hurried to explain, "I wasn't trying to abandon you. I just thought finding Lan Ran was my own business, so I didn't want to trouble you."

"Wasn't going to the lounge to get my pack also my own private business?" Jin Zhaoye tilted her head, casting her a cool glance. "Or does Student Xie think I'm the kind of teammate who can't share hardship?"

Xie Li finally caught on. She sidled up to Jin Zhaoye and carefully peeked at her expression, but the mask blocked it. All she could see was a pair of calm eyes.

"Are you angry?" Xie Li asked in a small voice.

"No."

Jin Zhaoye's tone was mild. "Anger doesn't solve problems. Stay focused. It's not safe here."

Xie Li obediently shut her mouth. They hadn't even reached the Administrative Main Building area when the stench in the air grew much stronger. Countless Zombie corpses lay on the ground. Some had been shot dead, their heads blown open. Many others had been torn apart, limbs scattered everywhere, indistinguishable. Even more had been gnawed down to bare white skeletons, the flesh picked clean.

Jin Zhaoye paused, crouched down, and looked at the tooth marks on the bones. "It's the Mutant Flying Fish. They really haven't left. Be careful."

"Okay." Xie Li grew tense. Compared to Zombies, Mutant Flying Fish were a far greater threat—their speed and strength were beyond what Zombies could match.

The two lightened their steps and walked a few hundred meters more, then both stopped at the same time. Ahead, the originally intact buildings had been gnawed full of holes. The walls were riddled with massive breaches, exposed rebar swaying, looking ready to collapse at any moment. On the outer walls, several Mutant Flying Fish clung to the surface, using their tooth-filled mouths to gnaw at the concrete bit by bit. The hard cement crunched in their mouths like crispy noodles—the crackling sounds could be heard even hundreds of meters away. Occasionally, panicked screams could be heard from inside the buildings, broken and fitful, oppressive and despairing.

"These...are they searching for people hiding in the buildings?" Xie Li asked softly.

"Probably." Jin Zhaoye's gaze swept over those fish, her voice very soft. "Let's be careful and go take a look. Be mentally prepared."

Xie Li nodded and gripped her Fire Axe tight. Circling around the wall-gnawing fish, the two hugged the wall base and moved toward the building next to the Administrative Main Building.

Just as they rounded a corner, Xie Li saw several people climbing out a window. Lan Ran held an iron pipe, nimbly climbing out the window. After landing, she quickly turned and reached a hand toward those inside. Behind her came Zhou Yu, Liu Zhaoyang, and others, plus a few students they didn't recognize, and some aunts in Canteen work uniforms. The Fat Aunt who had once given Xie Li a bun was among them.

"Move faster, get out." Lan Ran urged in a hushed voice, clear anxiety in her tone. She hadn't yet noticed Xie Li and the other standing at the corner.

Xie Li's gaze passed over Lan Ran and landed on the window not far behind her. There, a Mutant Flying Fish was flapping its wings in pursuit. Without time to think, Xie Li gripped her Fire Axe and charged.

"Lan Ran, get down!"

Lan Ran reflexively dropped into a crouch. Xie Li leaped over her head, gripped the axe handle with both hands, and brought it down on the head of the fish just poking out.

"Crack!"

One axe strike split the Mutant Flying Fish's head clean open. Blood splattered everywhere. Dead on the spot.

Xie Li landed with her axe. Seeing the Mutant Flying Fish nearly split in two, her eyes held some shock. Was she really this strong now?

"Li Li!"

Lan Ran scrambled up from the ground. Seeing Xie Li, her eyes instantly reddened. She punched Xie Li's shoulder and said in a tearful voice, "You jerk, you never came to find me. I thought you were dead."

Xie Li winced at the punch, then grinned and threw an arm around her shoulder. "Stop wailing. Even if you died, I wouldn't."

She glanced at the people who had just climbed out the window and said in a low voice, "We can't stay here. Move quietly and follow me."

The group had no time for small talk. They followed Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye, lightening their steps, carefully circumventing the area where Mutant Flying Fish gathered, and made it back to the Medical Room without incident.

Back in a safe place, their taut nerves relaxed. The whole group collapsed to the ground, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath, their faces filled with the relief of having narrowly escaped death.

Ning Meng was stunned for a moment seeing Jin Zhaoye bring back so many people, but quickly reacted. She went to the water dispenser, filled cups one by one, and handed them out. After drinking water and catching their breath, the group finally had time to express their thanks.

Jiang Nanxu walked up to Xie Li, her tone full of gratitude. "Thank you so much, junior. You've saved us twice now."

"It's nothing, just a small effort. Besides, even if I hadn't gone, you would have gotten out." Xie Li waved her hand a little embarrassed.

"Um..." In the crowd, a young girl spoke up timidly in a small voice. "Student Xie, do you have any food? We're so hungry..."

Once she spoke, the others also showed longing looks. Since being trapped the night before last, they'd been hiding in the building, not daring to move, and hadn't had the mind to look for food. Now that they'd relaxed, the hunger came crashing in, becoming hard to bear.

"Yes, yes." Ning Meng hurriedly took out the snacks she'd found earlier and distributed them. The small Medical Room was packed with over a dozen people. With so little food, a bit for each person and it was gone.

Seeing this, Jin Zhaoye had no choice but to open the pack she'd brought back this morning and take out the supplies, distributing them one by one. She and Xie Li had gone out all morning without eating. Now she simply ate with everyone, making do with whatever to fill their stomachs.

Once everyone had eaten, the Medical Room quickly fell quiet. Many curled up in corners and fell asleep.

Ning Meng gathered up the empty wrappers, her expression heavy. The water dispenser was empty, and food reserves were nearly depleted. Even the supplies Jin Zhaoye had brought back today were almost used up. There were barely a dozen people here, and one meal had wiped out all the food reserves. If she alone went out to find supplies, she couldn't possibly feed all these people. Looking at the survivors resting against the wall, she finally understood the meaning of Jin Zhaoye's words at this moment.

She lightened her steps, walked to Jin Zhaoye's side, and asked in a low voice, "Dr. Jin, what should we do next?"

Ning Meng was well aware that among those present, only Jin Zhaoye could make decisions. Until the Major General woke up, she would only listen to Jin Zhaoye.

After thinking for a moment, Jin Zhaoye said, "We need to find a way to leave the school. Communications are cut now. If the military were going to send people to rescue us, they would have come already. The fact they haven't means there are difficulties with the rescue. We need to find a way to leave Nancheng on our own and get to a military Base."

Xie Li heard the voices and came over too.

"How about we go to my place first?" she suggested. "My home isn't far from the school, and we have several cars at home. We could drive and escape Nancheng?"

"Where is your home?" Jin Zhaoye asked.

"Guanlan Garden." Xie Li named her residential complex. "It's the villa area next to Nancheng University. At most ten minutes by car."

Jin Zhaoye knew Guanlan Garden—Nancheng's famous wealthy district, nestled between mountains and water, with very low occupancy. That area was indeed not far from Nancheng University, and few residents meant fewer Zombies, more supplies, and was relatively safe.

"Alright." Jin Zhaoye nodded. "But we need to find a vehicle first. There are too many people here. If we walk, who knows how many will make it out of the school alive."

"There must be Campus Buses in the Parking Lot. We just need to find the keys." Xie Li said.

"Then you stay here and watch the Major General. I'll go find a vehicle." Ning Meng volunteered, standing up.

"Xie Li and I will go." Jin Zhaoye said. "Driving two cars is safer."

Ning Meng nodded in agreement. "Dr. Jin, Student Xie, please be careful. We'll wait for you on the first floor."

Once the plan was set, Jin Zhaoye and Xie Li didn't waste time and immediately set out to find vehicles. Before leaving, Jin Zhaoye once again slung on her small pack containing the Inhibitor. After the previous incident, she could now say the Inhibitor never left her side.

Leaving the Medical Room, the two followed a familiar route toward the Parking Lot. The scattered Zombies wandering on the road were all dealt with by Xie Li. After her body had been strengthened, fighting these Zombies took almost no effort.

Arriving at the Parking Lot again, compared to last time, the place now looked like it had been hit by a disaster. Many cars had been flipped over, wheels up, windows shattered, glass shards scattered everywhere. Some cars were covered in bite marks, the bodywork chewed through—clearly the work of Mutant Flying Fish.

"Be careful." Jin Zhaoye reminded, gripping her Boning Knife and clearing the way ahead. Xie Li moved forward cautiously, back to back with her.

Perhaps the Mutant Flying Fish in the Parking Lot had already left. The two walked all the way to the depths of the lot without seeing any. Instead, they were lucky enough to find several yellow school buses, neatly parked in their spots. Xie Li hurried over and peered through the window. There were no Zombies inside, no people, and certainly no keys.

"Go check the guardhouse." Jin Zhaoye reminded her.

Turning back, the two searched the guardhouse at the Parking Lot entrance and luckily found the Campus Bus spare keys. Xie Li took the whole key ring and went back to the lot, trying them one by one. Picking the two buses in the best condition, Xie Li and Jin Zhaoye each got on one. The remaining spare keys were left in the bus, in case anyone else came looking for a vehicle.

The two, sitting side by side in the driver's seats, exchanged a glance and simultaneously turned the keys. The engines roared to life at the same time. The two buses drove out of the Parking Lot, one after the other.

Just out of the Parking Lot, Xie Li saw those flapping-winged figures in the rearview mirror. Jin Zhaoye clearly saw them too. The two accelerated at the same time, the engine roar echoing through the campus, drawing more Mutant Flying Fish and Zombies.

"Bam!" A Mutant Flying Fish slammed into the roof of Xie Li's bus. The vehicle lurched violently, the steering wheel nearly slipping from her hands. Xie Li steadied the bus, wrenched the steering wheel, and the bus fishtailed. The fish clinging to the roof was flung off, crashing into a lamppost by the road.

She had just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw in the rearview mirror that several Mutant Flying Fish were already clinging to Jin Zhaoye's roof. They were frantically gnawing at the roof's sheet metal. One of them had even poked its head into the cabin. Jin Zhaoye's bus twisted wildly on the road—sudden brakes, S-shaped swerves, fishtails—she tried every maneuver but couldn't shake off the fish.

She decisively rolled down her window and shouted at Xie Li ahead, "Xie Li, you go back first and get everyone out. I'll draw their attention, then find a way to Guanlan Garden to meet you later."

After shouting, she wrenched the steering wheel, the bus turning in another direction, and charged off with a large swarm of Mutant Flying Fish.

In Xie Li's rearview mirror, the yellow bus grew smaller and smaller, its engine sound fading. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. After a few seconds of hesitation, she floored the accelerator and sped toward the Medical Room.

With a screech, the bus came to a sudden stop in front of the Medical Room. Xie Li jumped out and shouted into the hallway, "Quick, everyone out, get on the bus!"

Lan Ran took the key, hurriedly opening the hallway door, and the crowd immediately poured out. Ning Meng, carrying Fu Yunsheng on her back, led the way. She settled the unconscious Major General into the bus, then immediately turned to help those who were running slowly. Lan Ran stood by the bus door, hauling the aunts up one by one.

"Quick, move faster, those in back, don't push."

Xie Li stood at the outer edge of the crowd. Behind her, several Mutant Flying Fish had caught up. Gripping her Fire Axe, she swung at the approaching Mutant Flying Fish. With a crack, the fish split in two and crashed to the ground. Before Xie Li could retract her axe, a tremendous force slammed into her from the side.

"Bam!"

Another fish that had ambushed her landed its hit. Xie Li was sent flying, hitting the ground and sliding several meters.

"Li Li!" Lan Ran cried out, leaping over the crowd to rush toward her.

"Don't worry about me, get on the bus. Lan Ran, you drive and take everyone out first." Xie Li gritted her teeth and climbed up, ignoring the pain, gripping her axe and charging at the Mutant Flying Fish.

"What about you?" Lan Ran shouted at her.

"I'm going to back up Jin Zhaoye. She's entangled with Mutant Flying Fish." Xie Li ran across the open ground with her axe, drawing the fish's attention to buy time for everyone.

Ning Meng poked her head out of the bus and shouted, "Student Xie, get on quickly. I'll go back up Dr. Jin."

Xie Li ran nearly ten meters with the Mutant Flying Fish chasing her, then turned her head and yelled, "Stop wasting words. Drive forward. We'll catch up."