Chapter Seventeen: The Second Search for the Airdrop

“But what should we do next? After all, we’ve killed someone. No matter what you decide—whether to turn yourself in or run away together—I’ll go with you. You saved my life, and I’ve dragged you down with me.”

Fang Xia’s lips curved into a barely noticeable smile. So, this girl’s heart was this kind.

“I know what you’re worried about. I killed someone, right? It’s all right. In the apocalypse, there are no laws. Today, we upheld justice. But what we’ll face in the future will be people acting solely out of selfish desire. There will be much more bloodshed and cruelty, and the ugliness of human nature will be laid bare. In a collapsing world, no one cares.”

Bai Xing finally felt her mood settle.

“So, what do we do next?”

After a moment’s silence, Bai Xing broke it. They couldn’t stay in the room forever—the food wouldn’t last.

“Tomorrow, I’ll head out again to look for supply drops.”

“Supply drops? Do you mean the big box that fell from the sky at the stadium entrance today?”

Fang Xia was surprised that Bai Xing had seen it too. Because of the zombies the previous night, hardly anyone would have noticed at that time.

“Not many people know about them yet, but tomorrow, word will spread. For seven days, every day there will be supply drops, and at midnight, there will be zombie rains.”

Zombies and supply drops wouldn’t disappear in a single day. This would go on for seven whole days. As the number of zombies increased, so would the supply drops.

It felt as if they were penned-in animals, with the weak being culled and only the strong surviving. And the strong would only become stronger, while the weak had no choice at all.

Bai Xing didn’t ask Fang Xia why he knew so much. After all they’d been through, all she wanted was to survive by staying with him.

“I saw several of those supply drops yesterday.”

Fang Xia was delighted—yesterday, he’d only focused on the top-tier supply drop and hadn’t looked for others. If he knew roughly where to search, it would be much easier.

“In that direction…”

Bai Xing looked out the window to roughly confirm their position.

“There should be one not far from here. I saw it fall this way, just a bit further north.”

The University of Technology was south of the hotel, and they hadn’t seen any supply drops on their way here today. So, tomorrow they’d head north.

These supply drops looked almost identical to ordinary crates from a distance; only the small lock on them set them apart. Sometimes a supply drop might be right next to you and you’d mistake it for an ordinary box.

Moreover, their landing spots were tricky—they’d never appear in the middle of the street. They might end up in a corner of a residential complex, in the yard of an office building, or, like the one Fang Xia opened, at the entrance of a school gymnasium.

Without a purpose, most people wouldn’t go to such places. Right now, everyone was busy searching for food—who would go to the gymnasium?

But by tomorrow, once everyone knew about the supply drops, they’d be searching everywhere.

While everyone was still confused, Fang Xia had to find as many as possible tomorrow, ideally another top-tier supply drop. The odds were slim, but it was nice to dream.

“Tomorrow, you stay at the hotel and rest. I’ll go out alone.”

Bringing Bai Xing along would only slow him down; it was more convenient to go alone.

Bai Xing nodded, moved.

“I’m taking some of this food with me. Guard the rest carefully. Don’t let anyone in.”

Fang Xia took a moment to collect some of the supplies, especially those with shorter shelf lives. Anything placed in his space equipment would remain preserved indefinitely, avoiding spoilage over time.

He took more than half of the canned goods, some water, and salt.

Five hundred kilograms still wasn’t enough—he had to leave room for other things. If he ran into a supermarket tomorrow, he’d check it out.

Supermarkets always had their own storerooms, and from his experience in his previous life, those places were usually sealed and less affected by flooding.

At the very least, he needed to bring back some women’s clothes. Bai Xing’s current state was far too pitiful.

That night was the most comfortable Bai Xing had slept in days, with a big bed, a warm quilt, and the person holding her giving her a sense of security.

Eight in the morning.

“You’re heading out this early?”

“I have to. There’ll be a second supply drop at nine. It’s best to find a few before then, then see what else turns up.”

Gently helping Fang Xia dress, Bai Xing seemed like a devoted wife seeing her husband off.

“I don’t need the boning knife or the cleaver anymore. I’ll leave them with you. Protect yourself if anything happens.”

“And take these five upgrade crystals. Eat them now.”

Remembering something, Fang Xia handed over five upgrade crystals. They couldn’t help Bai Xing level up directly, but would greatly boost her physical strength—enough to handle an ordinary man.

Seeing the crystals, Bai Xing hesitated; she knew these came from inside zombies’ brains.

“You have to eat them.”

Seeing through Bai Xing’s reluctance, Fang Xia spoke sternly.

With no room to argue, Bai Xing didn’t hesitate further. She grabbed a bottle of mineral water, closed her eyes, shoved all five crystals into her mouth, and washed them down with a gulp.

Feeling the changes the crystals brought, Bai Xing was amazed.

“These really are good things. I feel stronger, and my whole body feels lighter.”

“Remember what I said. I’m heading out.”

After making sure the hallway was empty through the peephole, Fang Xia quickly opened the door, stepped out, and shut it behind him.

What he didn’t see was that, in the room opposite, another eye peered through the peephole, watching his every move.

“Brother Qiang, I swear I’m not lying. That young man across the hall bought a lot of food and water the day before the apocalypse, all sorts of things.”

Had Fang Xia been there, he would have recognized the speaker as the manager who delivered his food.

“Don’t worry, if it’s true, there’s enough food for all of us. You’ll get your share.”

Brother Qiang patted the manager’s cheek. The manager bent over, grinning obsequiously, not even seeing the hand that struck him.

“You two, hurry. As soon as the kid is far enough away, we’ll break in and clean them out.”