Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Reward: One Body-Strengthening Potion Just then, Xu Yi suddenly heard some sounds. They were not sounds made by the infected. Clearly, someone was speaking in a lowered voice. Someone came down from upstairs, indirectly proving that there were no infected up there—only some survivors. Xu Yi immediately perked up. He poked his head out and asked softly, “Hey, is anyone upstairs?” “Yes, someone’s here.” Xu Yi heard an excited voice. It belonged to a girl. “Then I’m coming up.” Xu Yi gripped his Machete and immediately headed upstairs. There were corpses on the stairs, with rotting bodily fluids running everywhere, so he had to be very careful. If he slipped, he might alarm the infected, which were just like zombies. After turning around the staircase, Xu Yi saw several people standing at the third-floor landing. They were holding weapons like sticks and watching him warily. Xu Yi quickly swept his eyes over them. There were six people in total. Four women and two men. He did not know any of them. However, Xu Yi recognized one of the women. She was Ling Yue, the famous rich and beautiful Campus Belle from their school. At this moment, though, Ling Yue’s face was pale, and she looked malnourished. Her eye sockets were sunken as well. Clearly, they had not had much food during these seven days. Of course, that was perfectly normal. At most, there would be snacks, protein powder, and milk in a Gym. There definitely would not be any staple food. Unlike the kitchen where Xu Yi and the others had stayed before, which still had rice, potatoes, and various vegetables, allowing them to fill their stomachs during the first few days. “Are there infected in the Cafeteria downstairs?” When one of the boys saw that Xu Yi did not look particularly starved, his eyes immediately lit up. “No. I just came from the Cafeteria.” Xu Yi replied and continued walking upstairs. The others did not stop him. “There’s no food left upstairs. There’s no point in going up,” Ling Yue kindly reminded him. “It’s fine. I want to take a look around up there, and maybe take a shower while I’m at it.” As he spoke, Xu Yi continued upward. “Wait, is there still food in the Cafeteria on the second floor?” another girl asked. “No. You can try looking for some in the Cafeteria on the first floor.” After saying that, Xu Yi went straight upstairs without wasting any more words on them. These people did not even have food. They looked so weak from hunger that they no longer had much strength. There was no value in banding together with them. Thus, Xu Yi abandoned the idea of forming a group with them and placed his hopes on checking in at the Gym. Soon, Xu Yi arrived at the Gym. Some equipment and corpses had been piled up at the entrance. That was definitely the work of those people from earlier. Xu Yi squeezed through an opening and entered the Gym. He quickly swept his eyes around, then silently recited in his mind: “System, check in.” “Ding! Check-in successful. Obtained one Body-Strengthening Potion.” “Survival Points +3.” When Xu Yi heard that he had obtained a Body-Strengthening Potion, he was instantly overjoyed. The Body-Strengthening Potion had come at exactly the right time! His body had originally been rather frail, which was a serious disadvantage to survival in the Apocalypse. “System, use the Body-Strengthening Potion.” In an instant, Xu Yi felt countless warm currents surge through his body. After a while, he noticed some black impurities emerging from his skin. Xu Yi felt that his body had become much lighter. He seemed to possess tremendous Strength, while his hearing and vision also appeared to have improved. He was not in a hurry to test his abilities. At that moment, he only wanted to take a shower. His body felt sticky, and it was extremely uncomfortable. Following the signs, he found the bathroom. Xu Yi also found a clean set of sportswear in a pried-open locker and immediately went to take a shower. He had not bathed for seven days, and after expelling those impurities just now, Xu Yi had become unbearably smelly. After enjoying a hot shower, Xu Yi changed into the clean sportswear and slung an empty backpack over his back. When he came out, Xu Yi discovered that Ling Yue had somehow returned to the Gym. “Is something wrong?” Xu Yi felt that Ling Yue had specifically come looking for him. Although Ling Yue was very beautiful and made people feel an impulse to push her down, Xu Yi had no such thoughts at that moment. He had just eaten his fill, but his body had been hungry for two days. Even now, he still felt extremely hungry. At that moment, even a little food was more appealing to him than Ling Yue. “Do you have a way to take me out of here? I also have a lot of snacks in my car. It’s less than 150 meters from here.” Ling Yue stated her purpose directly. Xu Yi narrowed his eyes and looked at Ling Yue. “Why me?” Xu Yi was curious about why Ling Yue had sought his help. Could it be because he looked rather handsome now? “Because you look like you’re in good physical condition, so you should have the strength to get the snacks. I only want one-third. You can have the rest. Besides, I can take you to find my aunt. She’s with the Special Operations Team. They have guns and people, and they’ve already established a Shelter. I know where it is.” Ling Yue spoke with complete calmness. Xu Yi became interested when he heard what Ling Yue said. The military had indeed established Shelters. On the first night of the Apocalypse, they had even received several text messages announcing their locations. However, they had been surrounded by the infected and simply lacked the ability to leave. Still, Xu Yi knew that there would definitely be people heading to the Shelters. Ling Yue had a car, which presented an opportunity. As long as the roads were not too badly blocked, they could indeed drive away. “I can only take one person. My abilities are limited.” Xu Yi made his decision. The more people there were, the more variables they would have to deal with. Ling Yue’s brows immediately furrowed when she heard Xu Yi’s words. After a while, she finally steeled herself and nodded, agreeing to Xu Yi’s condition. She was not some saint. If she stayed, she would either starve to death or risk rushing outside in search of food. However, those people had already been relying on water alone to stave off their hunger for several days. How could they have the strength to protect her? Xu Yi was different. He looked to be in much better condition, and he had probably only just run out of food. After all, he had come from the Cafeteria, where there must have been plenty of food. After seeing Ling Yue nod in agreement, Xu Yi said decisively, “No matter what happens, don’t make a sound. The moment you do, you’ll attract more infected.” “Don’t worry. I know. I won’t hold you back.” Ling Yue tightened her grip on the Metal Rod she had sharpened to a point, her expression serious. “What about them?” Xu Yi was still worried that the people Ling Yue had been with might cause trouble. “They’re looking for food in the Cafeteria on the second floor. Let’s hurry downstairs.” Ling Yue knew that there definitely was no food on the second floor. If they could not even figure that out, then what sense of security could she possibly have following people like them? She might as well take a chance with Xu Yi. “Let’s go.” Xu Yi did not hesitate either and immediately headed downstairs. When they passed the second floor, Xu Yi could still hear the others complaining. Xu Yi then headed straight for the first floor, tightening his grip on his Machete. There might be infected downstairs, so he had no choice but to proceed carefully. Because there were corpses and bodily fluids on the stairs, they did not move very quickly. “Click, click, click.” Xu Yi heard a faint sound, and his expression changed. He turned toward Ling Yue and made a silencing gesture, then mouthed, “There’s an infected.” Ling Yue’s face turned deathly pale. She clenched her teeth and nodded, tightening her grip on the Metal Rod. Go back? Xu Yi did not want to turn back. There was no food left in this place, and staying would only mean starving to death. Thus, Xu Yi prepared to take a chance. After taking a deep breath, Xu Yi continued downward. Soon, Xu Yi saw an infected. It had its back to Xu Yi, its body swaying slightly without making any other movements. Xu Yi controlled his breathing, doing his best to keep it steady and avoid making too much noise. Then he moved toward the infected. Hunting an infected was a step he had to take. Otherwise, how could he survive in this Apocalypse?