Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 222: Not as Frail as She Seems

The students were reluctant to accept reality and wanted to argue further, but Zhang Yi waved his gun, and their mouths instantly fell silent. They could only watch with envy and hatred as Lu Keran and Yang Xinxin followed Zhang Yi.

As they watched them leave, the remaining students exchanged resentful glances, full of anger but powerless to do anything. Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran bowed in gratitude as they passed Liang Yue.

"Thank you for caring for us during this time, Teacher Liang," Yang Xinxin said sincerely.

Despite their classmates' cruelty, Liang Yue was a responsible teacher who cared for them. Yang Xinxin knew Liang Yue couldn't abandon the others and leave with them, so she didn't invite her along.

Liang Yue, too exhausted to speak, merely nodded faintly. Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran said nothing more and followed Zhang Yi and his group.

Once they had walked far, Liang Yue struggled to her feet. "Follow them!" she commanded. "I’m seriously injured, and that monster won’t be much better off. Now, while it doesn’t dare come out, we should follow them and at least find a way out of here."

The students finally understood. "That’s right! If we want to survive, this is our only chance!" they realized.

Two girls came forward to help Liang Yue, and the group followed Zhang Yi’s party out. They had considered leaving before, but the maze of tunnels dug by the monster made it impossible to find the right path. With Zhang Yi’s group leading the way, they hoped not to get lost.

Zhang Yi smiled, "What, do you feel sorry for them?"

Fatty Xu shook his head, "Not really."

"Then do you want to bury them all? With your power, you could collapse the tunnel and bury them alive," Zhang Yi suggested.

Fatty Xu was startled, "No, I don't mean that. They haven't done anything to me."

Zhang Yi shrugged, "Then just ignore them. We can't save everyone. We're not capable of supporting dozens of people."

Fatty Xu nodded, finding Zhang Yi’s reasoning sensible, and continued walking.

The markers Zhang Yi had made earlier came in handy as they followed them back to the snowy surface. Zhang Yi immediately retrieved two snowmobiles from his spatial storage without wasting time.

"Fatty, you ride with Uncle You," Zhang Yi instructed.

Fatty Xu grimaced, "A motorcycle in this cold? It’s going to be freezing!"

Zhang Yi placed a helmet on his head, "This will help."

"Oh, this isn’t so bad! I’ve always wanted to try riding a motorcycle!" Fatty Xu eagerly ran to sit on the motorcycle’s sidecar with Uncle You.

Zhang Yi then opened the front passenger door, carefully placing Yang Xinxin inside and storing her wheelchair. Lu Keran sat obediently in the back seat.

"Let’s go! Time to head back!" Zhang Yi said, honking the horn and signaling Uncle You to start the engine. The snowmobiles roared to life and quickly sped away from Tianqing Academy.

Not long after, Liang Yue and her group emerged from the snow tunnels. Their hopes were dashed as they saw only the exhaust trails of the departing snowmobiles.

"Where do we go now?" a girl asked, bewildered, looking at the endless white landscape. At least underground, they had shelter and food, but now they had nothing.

Wu Chengyu stepped forward, smiling confidently as he pulled out his phone, "Leave it to me!"

With a signal restored outside, he intended to contact his influential father to send help from the West Hill Base.

On the way back, Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran relaxed in the warmth of the car, gradually showing signs of comfort after over a month trapped beneath the snow, constantly facing monster attacks. Seeing their dirty and fatigued appearance, Zhang Yi smiled and extended his hand, producing two bottles of mineral water, several chocolate bars, and some bread.

"Have something to eat to replenish your energy. Be careful not to eat too quickly, or you might get stomachaches. Getting sick now would be very painful," Zhang Yi advised.

Lu Keran’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude, "Brother Yi, you’re such a kind person! Thank you!"

Despite her tomboyish nature, Lu Keran’s personality was pleasant and easy to get along with. Yang Xinxin, though appearing frail, politely thanked Zhang Yi before starting to eat. Zhang Yi glanced in the rearview mirror, his smile growing.

Once they had finished eating and rested comfortably, Zhang Yi began conversing with them. "Xinxin, you’re really impressive," he said.

Yang Xinxin looked puzzled, "Brother, are you talking about me? I don’t think I’m impressive at all."

She smiled softly, like a budding flower. "I’ve always been a burden to everyone. I'd be dead by now if it weren’t for Lu Keran's protection."

Lu Keran laughed, "We’re good sisters; no need to be so polite!"

Zhang Yi smiled, not entirely agreeing with Yang Xinxin. "Is that so? But I think you’re quite remarkable."

Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran looked curious, wondering why Zhang Yi thought so. Zhang Yi explained, "You’ve had polio since childhood, confining you to a wheelchair, yet you survived in such dangerous conditions. That’s quite extraordinary."

Zhang Yi continued before Yang Xinxin could respond, "You might attribute it to luck or Lu Keran’s protection, but surviving multiple monster attacks over a month isn’t just luck."

He smiled at Yang Xinxin, "I think there’s more to it. Am I right?"

Yang Xinxin’s pure and innocent expression slowly faded. "Brother, you’re very smart. No wonder you’ve survived and even cared for those two silly sisters."

Her smile turned somewhat sinister, her demeanor changing entirely. "You’re very clever in figuring it out. I didn’t just survive by luck."

Lu Keran was shocked, "What are you two talking about?"

Zhang Yi remained calm. "It’s not about being exceptionally smart. From an outsider’s perspective, there were too many coincidences. And when you asked me to stop the fight between your teacher and the monster, it wasn’t to protect your teacher but the monster."

He concluded, "You’ve been feeding that monster, haven’t you?"