Chapter 13: Allied Troops
Chi Xiaoxian stood by the window, utterly despondent, unable to snap out of his daze for a long time.
Snatching up fragments of the past, bits and pieces related to Zhang Wensheng floated back into his memory.
When they first entered the university, seeing how tall and solidly built Zhang Wensheng was, and how he did everything with such fiery energy, Chi Xiaoxian had decisively excluded him from the range of people he could get along with. He then chose to sit alone in a corner like a sprouting mushroom, putting on headphones to listen to music, play games, or sleep his day away whenever he wasn’t in class.
Yet Zhang Wensheng simply couldn’t stand watching him live in his own world, calling out to him to go to class, calling out to him to eat. Bit by bit, Chi Xiaoxian gradually entered Zhang Wensheng’s world, realizing that this guy wasn’t operating on a completely different wavelength after all.
Though Zhang Wensheng appeared rough and boisterous, he was actually quite attentive. Observing Chi Xiaoxian without making a sound, he gave a spot-on evaluation: “You’re not introverted; you’re actually just lazy. Too lazy to get to know people, too lazy to build new relationships, and sometimes even too lazy to talk.”
Chi Xiaoxian chewed on that for a bit, felt eighty percent of it was accurate, and let out a lazy grunt to signal his approval.
“What’s your philosophy on life, Chi Xiaoxian?”
Chi Xiaoxian let out a yawn and replied lazily, “You’ll know if you just repeat my name one more time.”
“…You really are something.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now—your name is so strange. Why did your parents give you a name like that?”
“My mom said I weighed very little when I was born, so they chose ‘Xiao’ for ‘small.’ The remaining ‘Xian’ was originally supposed to be the ‘Xian’ from ‘virtuous,’ but there was a mistake during registration, and somehow it turned into the ‘Xian’ from ‘leisure.'”
“Virtuous? That aura wouldn’t suit you at all,” Zhang Wensheng had tutted twice.
“Do you know what ‘energy conservationism’ is?”
“A term from environmental protection?”
“No, it’s my self-invented philosophy of life,” Chi Xiaoxian had said earnestly. “A person’s energy and physical strength in a lifetime are limited. The total capacity is limited, and the daily quota is limited as well. So conserve energy whenever possible. Don’t complicate simple things, don’t engage in meaningless tryharding, and just hit the passing line on everything to maintain normal operations. As for things that don’t bring much joy, unless it’s necessary to maintain vital signs, never expend an ounce of energy on them.”
“You really take the cake,” Zhang Wensheng had cupped his hands in mock respect. “It’s my first time seeing someone talk about being lazy in such an academic way.”
…
Memories surged back like a tide. Chi Xiaoxian sat in a daze, his eyelashes unblinking for half a day.
After checking the situation outside the window, Fang Yue closed the window without saying a word. He patted Chi Xiaoxian gently on the shoulder, hesitating as if wanting to speak: “You…”
Comforting people was truly not something Fang Yue was good at.
As if suddenly snapping awake from a dream, Chi Xiaoxian instinctively reached up to touch the corner of his eye, surprised to find that he hadn’t cried.
He looked around, murmuring, “Where’s my phone…”
Fang Yue handed it to him.
Chi Xiaoxian hastily tapped into Rome and saw a long block of text Zhang Wensheng had sent him three minutes prior, clearly edited in advance.
The message detailed the exact steps for treating wounds and the physiological reactions after infection that had been mentioned on the phone earlier, recorded down to the last detail.
Zhang Wensheng had a habit: anything important would be stated once over the phone and then recorded in writing once more.
Chi Xiaoxian passed the phone to Fang Yue. Fang Yue read through it very seriously. “These are very precious. Extremely useful information.”
“Yeah. He urged me to make sure you, the biology genius, take a look.”
Chi Xiaoxian put down his phone and stood up. “I’m going to wash my face.”
The phone’s screen lock illuminated just then. Fang Yue took a glance: displayed on it was the back profile of a young woman.
She stood by a window, warm sunlight dyeing her hair golden, depicting a scene of peaceful tranquility. The backdrop of the photo was a multi-purpose hall all too familiar from their classes.
Looking at the half-sentence revealed on the blackboard, Fang Yue recalled that she seemed to be an instructor for one of their general electives during their freshman year.
In his memory, she was very young, likely not many years older than them.
Chi Xiaoxian finished washing his face, wiping the water from his face haphazardly. Upon returning to the room, he suddenly felt a bit of discomfort in his right arm—he had sprained the joint when pulling the window shut too hastily earlier.
He rubbed it himself for a bit back on his bed, but got no relief, so he simply gave up.
Burying his head into the feather pillow, pitch darkness enveloped his eyes, making him feel a little further away from the real world.
After half an hour, Fang Yue tapped the guardrail by the bed: “Eating?”
“Yeah.” Recovering a bit of energy, Chi Xiaoxian pulled up a stool and slowly moved over to Fang Yue’s side.
Fang Yue had cooked instant noodles, adding extra dried vegetables and ham.
The instant noodles were part of Chi Xiaoxian’s previous stash.
Fang Yue showed Chi Xiaoxian his own daily reserves: a giant tub of protein powder and two bottles of multivitamins.
The moment Chi Xiaoxian saw these, the very first thought in his brain was: *This is so Fang Yue.*
—No staple foods, pure nutrition.
Fang Yue tallied up all their supplies, concluding that if they used the most frugal approach, they could hold out for another three or four days—excluding the protein powder.
The tub of protein powder was simply too massive, and a single person’s daily intake was limited, so its consumption rate was entirely on a different timeline compared to the other food.
Chi Xiaoxian contemplated the eventual scenario where they could only eat protein powder every day, raising a concern—
“If you don’t work out and only eat protein powder, will you get kidney stones?”
“…The possibility cannot be ruled out.”
Chi Xiaoxian fell speechlessly silent.
—
After finishing the meal, Chi Xiaoxian lay back down on the bed and pulled out his phone.
The second the screen lit up, he saw that wallpaper again. It was a photo of Liu Ling sneakily snapped by Zhang Wensheng during class.
The camera resolution on the old phone was terrible, so Zhang Wensheng had specifically brought his new phone to the classroom. He had whispered in Chi Xiaoxian’s ear: “I’m telling you, when that afternoon sunlight streams down and she steps over to the window… she’s literally an angel descended to earth, okay?!”
The photo was indeed shot exceptionally well.
Chi Xiaoxian didn’t change it, deciding to leave it on the phone forever. Back then, he had even mocked Zhang Wensheng for being useless, not daring to shoot his shot and pursue her directly.
Chi Xiaoxian let out another long sigh in his heart.
Unable to muster much energy yet unable to fall asleep, he had no choice but to keep playing on the phone.
The new phone happened to have a game he frequently played installed, titled *Wanderings of the Old World*.
Users could select their identity—small animals like cats, dogs, squirrels, or rabbits—and wander all around the world. The setting took place in the pre-disaster world of the early twenty-first century, back when the environment hadn’t drastically degraded and glaciers hadn’t melted on a large scale.
Chi Xiaoxian had adopted an orange tabby with warm-colored stripes, white paws, and pink toe beans, naming it “Gu-Ji.”
Sometimes he needed to save up gold coins to exchange for travel equipment—for instance, buying a small wooden raft to cross the ocean—so Chi Xiaoxian had to think of every possible way to farm gold.
Besides topping up real money, gold coins were earned fastest by inviting new users. He had immediately dragged Zhang Wensheng over to register. Zhang Wensheng had picked a hamster at random and given it an absurd name: “Gu-Ji’s Dad.”
After logging into the page, what popped up was still Zhang Wensheng’s account. Chi Xiaoxian casually renamed the hamster “Gu-Ji Is My Dad” and fed it a handful of small sunflower seeds.
*Knock, knock, knock.* Chi Xiaoxian froze for a second, assuming it was a sound from the game.
Taking off his headphones, he realized someone was knocking on the dorm room door, the sound urgent and hurried.
Chi Xiaoxian exchanged a glance with Fang Yue. Walking over to the door, they looked out through the peephole to find two male students, neither holding any weapons in their hands.
Chi Xiaoxian vaguely remembered these two—they were the ones patrolling behind Li Tong back then. The tall one was named Wang Xu, and the shorter one was named Tian Sheng.
Seeing that the door wasn’t opening, the two knocked even louder.
Separated by the door, Fang Yue asked, “Is something the matter?”
“Do you guys have any food left?” Tian Sheng squeezed out a smile. “My roommate and I didn’t stock up on much, and we finished it all last night.”
Fang Yue said cautiously, “Our supplies are almost finished too.”
It was better to be careful at a time like this. Fang Yue and Chi Xiaoxian had no goodwill toward Li Tong’s group to begin with.
“We don’t need much, just a little bit will do. Things are hard for everyone, we know that too.”
“Um…” Tian Sheng looked around, showing a troubled face. “If you really don’t have any, forget it. We don’t dare stand in the hallway for too long; it feels like it’s not very safe outside either.”
Fang Yue gave Chi Xiaoxian a look, and Chi Xiaoxian fetched both the metal rod and the hammer.
“We can only give you a little bit of protein powder,” Fang Yue said through the door. “We’re almost out of other things as well.”
Wang Xu didn’t speak, but Tian Sheng nodded repeatedly: “Thank you, thank you!”
“Step back first. I’ll place the item outside the door.”
Peering through the peephole, Wang Xu and Tian Sheng backed all the way to the position opposite their door.
Chi Xiaoxian opened the door a crack, just about to place a small bag of protein powder outside. A hand swiftly wedged against the door, then yanked the handle open with violent force.
The main door swung wide open, and Wang Xu and Tian Sheng seized the opportunity to barge right in.
A third person was actually hidden outside the door, having stood at the top of the stairwell the entire time, tucked out of the peephole’s field of vision.
Fang Yue grabbed Chi Xiaoxian by the collar just as he was about to lose his footing, turning his head to look at the three opposite them with a cold gaze. “What are you trying to do?”
Wang Xu let out a low chuckle: “What, we’re all classmates, can’t we drop by for a visit?”
“Nobody drops by for a visit like this,” Fang Yue said in a stern voice. “Are you trying to rob us?”
“Since you understand, don’t blame us for being abrupt.” Wang Xu turned his head and beckoned to the other two. “Start searching!”
All three held baseball bats, which they had kept hidden behind their backs moments ago.
Many members of the student council belonged to the Baseball Association. Originally, the school didn’t have a Baseball Association, but Li Tong liked baseball, so he founded one himself, and plenty of people joined the association just to curry favor with him.
Wang Xu suddenly smiled, weighing the bat in his hand: “We asked all the way up, and everyone said there was no food in their dorms, yet every time we managed to search out plenty of surprises. You guys really aren’t honest at all.”
Knowing his own physical combat ability was low, Chi Xiaoxian hid behind Fang Yue, quietly stuffing something into his palm.
Fang Yue squeezed it: “…”
Although somewhat reluctant, it was a good method.
This subtle movement was spotted by Wang Xu. Involuntarily catching a glimpse of a dark red packaging bag, he knit his brows: “What’s that in your hand?!”
“Food?” Tian Sheng leaned in. “Still dare to hide things at a time like this?”
“Multivitamins,” Fang Yue said. “Can’t fill a stomach. Want them?”
Wang Xu’s eyes lit up. They barely had any vegetables or fruits to begin with, so this was perfect for supplementing trace elements. He reached out to grab them right away.
Fang Yue’s fingertip slid lightly along the bag’s seal, opening the plastic strip, slowly extending his arm as he stepped forward.
Just as he was closest to the three, he swiftly raised his hand, while violently stepping back several paces himself to cover his nose.
The three felt as if flames were erupting from their eyes, their skulls practically blasted open, tears streaming down wildly in an instant.
Chi Xiaoxian added a quiet jab: “I heard chili powder goes great with instant noodles. You guys must have scavenged quite a lot of instant noodles…”
Before his muttering landed, Fang Yue lifted his rod and delivered a firm blow to each of the three blind men, making them howl in agony.
“Fuck!” Wang Xu was going mad with rage, fumbling around trying to get out, yet unable to open his eyes no matter what.
Fang Yue grabbed him by the collar, dragging this 1.8-meter-tall guy straight to the doorway, and kicked him out with a single stride. Following suit, the other two were thrown out mercilessly by him as well.
Although Chi Xiaoxian knew Fang Yue’s combat prowess was extraordinary, he was still taken aback.
*Is this guy some kind of all-around powerhouse warrior?*
*Is there any domain where he isn’t tryharding?*
*This person can only be an ally, never an enemy…*
Fang Yue shut the door. Turning around to speak, he unexpectedly inhaled a gulp of dry, spicy air, instantly choking into a fit of coughing.
The chili powder had been brought over by Chi Xiaoxian. Every time he ate instant noodles, he would add a shockingly large spoonful, but Fang Yue couldn’t handle spicy food very well.
After coughing for a bit, a faint layer of red flushed the corners of his eyes, standing out prominently against his pale skin.
Seeing his allied troops get caught in the crossfire, Chi Xiaoxian quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to Fang Yue.
Unable to wait, Fang Yue covered Chi Xiaoxian’s hand holding the cup and took a deep gulp straight from it.
Unprepared for the heat of his palm, Chi Xiaoxian dazed for a moment.
Finishing the water, Fang Yue released Chi Xiaoxian’s hand. His gaze landed on the cup, his brows knitting together slightly.
—Chi Xiaoxian had grabbed his own cup.
It still retained a faint, lingering aroma of milk inside.
