Chapter 15 - Going Out Alone
Lilith's explanation of the skills was very helpful to Bai Zemin. This was because although she had not explicitly told him that a Third Order skill was better and more powerful than a First Order skill, he could easily draw conclusions based on what he currently knew and could observe.
Apparently, his recently acquired passive skill was a more powerful skill than it appeared at first glance.
Although it was temporarily impossible for Bai Zemin to be sure how powerful the passive Stone Heart was, considering that it was a Third Order skill and at its maximum level, it should not be a useless skill.
The problem with passives was that, unless the exact circumstances were present that were necessary for a passive skill to shine and show its brilliance, it was extremely difficult to know whether it was useful or not unless the description of the skill was extremely clear and simple about its function.
Because Stone Heart did not seem to have any use against Lilith, Bai Zemin had gone to sleep thinking that it was a skill without much value in battle or other aspects.
* * *
After several hours of comforting sleep, Bai Zemin opened his eyes once again and slowly stood up. Although his Stamina was almost full before he went to sleep, the mental fatigue he had accumulated throughout the day was nothing to scoff at. After all, he had experienced a constant up and down of emotions while fighting practically without rest.
"Sleeping on the floor really isn't the best option." He complained with a bitter smile as he felt his bones creaking one after another.
"Good morning~"
A lovely voice sounded next to him, startling him momentarily.
Looking to his right, Bai Zemin saw the beautiful seductress Lilith sitting on a chair two or three meters away, looking at him with a smile apparently natural.
"Good morning to you too..." He replied a little dazed and couldn't help but think that sleeping on the floor wasn't so bad if such a beautiful woman greeted him as soon as he opened his eyes.
He was about to ask if the higher existences, as she referred to herself, needed to sleep or not when a soft knock on the metal door interrupted his words.
Followed by the knock, a gentle and caring voice continued, "Big Brother Bai, Big Sister Shangguan and the rest would like to distribute breakfast..."
Bai Zemin recognized the source of the voice easily; it was the same girl who had talked to him yesterday.
Apparently, she feared that he was sleeping and that her call had disturbed him since her voice was so low that if it were not for the fact that Bai Zemin had been constantly evolving he could not have heard at all.
Without saying anything, Bai Zemin opened the door and said slowly, "I understand. You can go and tell Miss Shangguan that she can bring the students now."
Cai Jinyi nodded hurriedly and went to retransmit his words.
* * *
The cafeteria was big enough for a hundred people to eat inside if they squeezed in a little.
Because there were not enough tables and chairs as a result of the destruction caused by the zombies and Bai Zemin yesterday, many students had no choice but to sit on the floor while eating their breakfast with fervor.
Most of them had not eaten anything since yesterday afternoon and really felt as if they were going to starve to death at any moment.
The atmosphere inside the room was extremely gloomy and if it weren't for the electric light still being on, many people probably couldn't help but cower in fear. Add this to the rain lashing the woods that covered the windows and the terrifying creatures roaming outside, no one dared to speak too loudly for fear of attracting unwanted attention.
Since Bai Zemin didn't like being around people too much, when everyone went to the cafeteria, he moved to the basketball court and sat quietly while eating a piece of cake.
The current situation was bad, to say the least.
Not only were they cut off from the outside, but they were also right in the middle of the university campus.
Beijing University had approximately 1 to 2 million students in the past and, although they did not all attend classes at the same time as there were two rotations, such a large number of students was proof enough to show just how big the campus was.
If a person wanted to travel from the center of the campus to the exit, a thirty to forty minute walk was not unusual. It was for this reason that 90% of the students traveled via bicycle or other transport.
However, riding a bicycle in this new world was no different from courting death. Even a normal vehicle was not a good choice.
As he ate his meal with a frown, thinking of countless matters, a series of footsteps in his direction momentarily distracted him.
Looking towards the source of the sound, Bai Zemin saw the handsome and skillful Chen He, the beautiful and powerful Shangguan Bing Xue, as well as the strong and seemingly simple-minded Liang Peng, walking towards him with varying expressions.
"Good morning." Chen He was the first to greet him.
Bai Zemin had to admit that with how handsome Chen He was, as well as his dexterity, good demeanor, and kindness, being a magnet for women was only natural.
"Good morning to you all as well." Bai Zemin returned the greeting. After taking a last bite of the cake and finishing it in one mouthful, he asked, "Is something wrong?"
From Shangguan Bing Xue's slightly frowning expression, Bai Zemin felt that something must have happened for this cold and indifferent woman to show a worried face.
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him for a moment before nodding and explaining, "Actually, there is a problem... Currently, fifteen students have a fever and there are another twenty who are in the process of catching a cold. If we don't get medicine soon, things could get more troublesome."
Bai Zemin frowned as well when he heard her speak.
After spending a whole night with their clothes and body completely wet from the freezing rain water, getting sick was just natural. It was just that he didn't expect that only one night later, more than thirty people would present problems.
If it continued like this, it would be hard for when everyone wanted to leave to take even weaker students than they already were by nature.
Although Bai Zemin was indifferent, he was not a bad guy, much less a cruel person. There was no way he would casually let other humans die in the mouth of a mutated dog or a huge mosquito. If he was that kind of person he wouldn't have rescued more than a dozen people on his way to the gym.
After thinking for a moment, he stood up and picked up the sword lying next to him.
"What are you going to do?" Chen He asked dumbfounded.
"I said yesterday that I would move by myself." Bai Zemin replied as he arranged his meager belongings. "Going to the male dormitory and then traveling to the female dormitory to save people is a task that a large group like the three of you together can do better than me. In that case, I'll go to the pharmacy to get medicines now."
Although the sooner the medicines were obtained the better it would be for everyone, Shangguan Bing Xue couldn't help but remark, "Are you really going alone now? The storm is still raging and dangers lurk everywhere. I still think it's better if we form teams or if we all move together."
Although Shangguan Bing Xue didn't particularly like Bai Zemin, she still didn't want him to die just like that. Not only was he a human just like all of them, but he was also brave enough to fight and his strength was something that could not be ignored either. Precisely for these reasons, she insisted that he should not move alone.
From a logical point of view, Shangguan Bing Xue was right. After all, moving alone with such horrible weather, the chaotic world, and countless unknown dangers as well as misinformation, was no different from dancing with the grim reaper hand to hand.
Bai Zemin naturally knew this as well. He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head and slowly saying, "Miss Shangguan, I know you don't like me... To be honest, I don't like you very much either. Still, I know you mean well, so I thank you for that. However, you don't need to worry about my safety..."
Bai Zemin walked towards the exit and finished his sentence in a low voice: "At least until I find my family I have no intentions of dying in the mouth of some dog or any cat."
As to whether Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and Peng Lian heard him or not, he neither knew nor cared.
The wind hit him fiercely as he opened the metal door leading to the exit and the rain fell on him like a wild torrent. Only a few seconds were enough for his head and the front of his body to be completely covered in it.
Bang!
With a loud bang, Bai Zemin closed the door behind him and disappeared into the thick fog.
However, with the loud sound of thunder, the sound he had just caused did not attract the attention of any particular creature.