Chapter 19: A Crisis of Love

How many supplies could one possibly find in an entire dormitory building? Looking at the bags filling an entire room, Jiang Yi was genuinely shocked. It turned out that men were indeed not as thorough as women; Guo Hanxue always managed to find useful items in rooms he had already searched.

There was enough food for two people to survive for half a month, over a hundred pieces of athletic clothing, and more than two hundred power banks—some of which might not even hold a charge. Various small, seemingly insignificant but highly useful electrical appliances were scattered everywhere. And this was only a small fraction of the supplies!

Once the two of them finished organizing everything, they felt completely exhausted, to the point of collapse. Yet, looking at the bounty that filled the room, they couldn't help but laugh together.

Having a companion makes a difference; there was no need to be on guard. Guo Hanxue quickly began preparing dinner, while Jiang Yi continued to categorize and consolidate the supplies. Their resources were now more than sufficient, so there was no need to skimp!

After all, with so many items, it was impossible for them to take everything. The two hundred power banks alone weighed over five hundred pounds; just carrying them would leave the two of them with no hands free for anything else.

In the end, they decided each would pack two backpacks full. They would use as much of the remaining supplies as possible before leaving, and if there was an opportunity later, they could always come back for the rest.

It was also at this moment that Guo Hanxue heard Jiang Yi explain that his spatial ability could only store items he had generated himself and had no reaction to these ordinary objects. She couldn't help but "look down" on him, which made Jiang Yi feel deeply humiliated.

Setting aside the high-quality, high-capacity power banks and using the remaining charge from the others to top them off, Jiang Yi began organizing the small appliances that could run on them.

A few unlocked mobile phones, some small desk lamps, a few flashlights...

He packed everything he could find a use for. As for clothing, aside from the pitifully few men's items, he only packed a few pieces of sportswear based on Chen Jiazi's size. Finally, seeing a little bit of space left in his bag, Jiang Yi squeezed in some toothpaste, facial cleanser, and other toiletries.

Lastly, he carefully tucked a bottle of expensive perfume into his jacket pocket. The mere thought of Chen Jiazi’s expression when she saw the gift he brought her made Jiang Yi chuckle to himself.

Guo Hanxue, carrying a bowl of instant noodles, bumped into Jiang Yi, who hadn't noticed her approach. "Hey, you're smiling like an idiot. What are you thinking about?"

Jiang Yi coughed to cover his tracks. "Nothing! Let's eat..." Guo Hanxue tilted her head in confusion but didn't press him. The two enjoyed a "sumptuous" dinner in silence, followed by the usual cup of high-calorie coffee!

Guo Hanxue looked at Jiang Yi hesitantly. Sensing her gaze, Jiang Yi set down his cup. "What is it?"

Guo Hanxue looked up and asked nervously, "Are we leaving?"

Jiang Yi nodded. "Yes. You know as well as I do that we've searched this place thoroughly. There's no point in staying longer. Once the zombies outside disperse a bit, we'll head out."

He suddenly thought of something. "You don't want to leave? You have to realize that this is the end of the world. Relying on yourself alone, you’ll never survive to the end. Only by having more people around can we become stronger and safer."

Guo Hanxue shook her head hurriedly. "Of course not, I’ve been wanting to leave... It’s just, if we leave, could you accompany me somewhere first?"

Jiang Yi was stunned. "Where do you want to go?"

Guo Hanxue lowered her head and bit her lip, but she said, "I want to go back to the archery range. There are some things there that are very important to me. I must get them back!"

Jiang Yi was taken aback, then suddenly laughed. "I thought it was something major; is that all? Alright! If we can leave tomorrow, we'll head to the archery range first!"

A flash of surprise crossed Guo Hanxue's eyes. "Really?"

Jiang Yi nodded. "Of course. Come to think of it, I've been at this school for so long and have never been to the archery range. They should have plenty of weapons there, right?"

Guo Hanxue nodded confidently. "Of course. To say nothing else, just in our archery team, there are more than twenty high-draw-weight bows!"

Jiang Yi's eyes lit up. In the apocalypse, other than food, what was most important? Weapons!

A handy weapon could save one's life at a critical moment.

Take Jiang Yi himself: although he had gained a magical ability, if he hadn't possessed the skull-cutting knife, his power would have been nothing more than a way to turn him into a delicious meal for the zombies.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yi immediately made the decision: the next destination would be the university's gymnasium!

With a confirmed plan, Guo Hanxue finally felt at ease and went to wash up. Although no one dared to drink the tap water, as a gifted individual, Guo Hanxue had no problem using it for a cold shower.

She hadn't dared to before, but now that she knew she wouldn't be infected by ordinary zombie toxins, she wasn't too worried. After an exhausted Guo Hanxue lay down and drifted into a deep sleep, Jiang Yi continued his turn on night watch.

He had already explored the basics of his ability. Leaning against the window, he watched the zombies moving about the silent campus by the moonlight. From time to time, the roars of zombies and the final screams of survivors drifted from afar...

He wondered how things were at the cafeteria now. Could Jiazi get enough to eat? Had any zombies broken in?

Frustrated, he scratched his head. His urge to return to the cafeteria became increasingly desperate. Sensing that something was wrong with his state of mind, Jiang Yi forced himself to stop overthinking and reached into his bag for a bottle of water. Instead, his hand brushed against something hard. He pulled it out and saw it was Chen Jiazi's diary.

Jiang Yi paused and was about to stuff it back, but perhaps due to an intense longing for Jiazi, he was inexplicably compelled to open the book, hoping to use the diary to feel closer to the girl waiting for his return...

"June 25th: My decision was correct after all. The effect of that guy tutoring me was really good; I got into Long Province University of Technology! I am very satisfied with this result. Perhaps it's time to end things..."

"June 28th: Today he actually told me he applied to Long Province University of Technology too. I really can't bring myself to say what I want to say. God, why is he so stupid? With his grades, he could clearly get into a better university. What a fool..."

"August 15th: I didn't expect that having him accompany me to university would be so easy. He handles all the troublesome things for me. Everyone in the dormitory envies me..."

"November 12th: Honestly, I didn't realize there were so many good resources at university. If I had known, I wouldn't have revealed that I had a boyfriend. Yesterday, he didn't even offer to help me with online shopping. The others have people volunteering to help them..."

"January 18th: He actually wants to meet my parents. How is that possible? I don't want to bring him home. It seems I can't drag this out any longer. After the New Year, after the New Year, I have to dump him..."

"May 20th: I lost my temper with him today. Hmph, he actually dared to stand me up and even got me caught in the rain! If he hadn't promised to buy me the new cosmetics, I would have given him a piece of my mind today! But it seems there is nothing left to gain from him. He even wants to marry me? Once I get the gift, I should dump him soon. But the senior that Meili introduced to me is really handsome. She says his family owns mines and is extremely wealthy... I'll stop writing here. My head is a bit dizzy; have I caught a cold?..."

With a blank expression, Jiang Yi flipped through the diary page by page. His fingers, gripping the book, turned white.

After reading the last page, he calmly put the diary away, woke Guo Hanxue for her shift, and lay down on the bed, wrapping himself in his quilt before falling asleep.

Seeing Jiang Yi wrap himself up like a giant silkworm, Guo Hanxue couldn't help but yawn. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but the moment she was woken by him earlier, the surrounding air seemed to have dropped in temperature...

Under the quilt, Jiang Yi squeezed his eyes shut tightly, but tears still couldn't stop spilling from the corners of his eyes.

The feeling of his heart being torn apart was unbearable. Jiang Yi pressed hard against his chest.

He used to think the expressions people made in TV dramas when they were struck by tragedy were too exaggerated. It turned out they were all real; the ache in one's heart was truly agonizing!

Jiang Yi felt as if his heart had shattered into pieces. He tried hard to glue them back together, but every time he thought of a happy memory with her, it was crushed into dust by the dark, hidden side revealed in the diary!

"Jiang Yi, Jiang Yi!" Guo Hanxue checked the time and, unable to hold back any longer, walked over and nudged Jiang Yi, who hadn't moved since he lay down. Jiang Yi didn't respond.

Guo Hanxue was stunned. After spending these few days together, she knew clearly how alert Jiang Yi was. Usually, if she made even the slightest sound, he would be awake in an instant!

"Jiang Yi, get up, it's time for breakfast!" Worried, Guo Hanxue pulled the bundled quilt off him with force. A wave of heat rushed out from under the covers. Guo Hanxue paused, and looking closely, she realized something was wrong with Jiang Yi!

At this moment, steam was rising from Jiang Yi's entire body; his breathing was rapid, and his face was flushed. He was curled into a ball, and even though Guo Hanxue had pulled the quilt away, he didn't wake up, only huddled tighter.

"Jiang Yi, what's wrong with you?" Guo Hanxue was startled. She hurriedly shook him a few times, only to be terrified by the heat radiating from his body! Even without a thermometer, she knew Jiang Yi was running a high fever.

After a moment of panic, Guo Hanxue realized what to do. She frantically rummaged through their bags, emptied out the medical kit they had organized the day before, and found medicine to break the fever.

In her haste, she stuffed the pills into Jiang Yi's mouth and, ignoring the roughness of it, forced him to drink half a bottle of water until he finally swallowed the medicine.

Feeling that Jiang Yi's clothes were soaked through with sweat, Guo Hanxue had no choice but to move the delirious Jiang Yi to her own bed. After hesitating for a long time, she blushed and removed all of his clothes and trousers...