"Bang!"
The doors of the gymnasium were forcefully pushed open, and the equipment blocking the entrance couldn't stop the human titan, Uncle You. Zhang Yi stepped inside, his eyes scanning the crowd in the gym.
The students were so frightened that they almost screamed, but seeing that the newcomers were three humans, they felt somewhat reassured. Zhang Yi quickly spotted the girl in the wheelchair.
He had seen a photo of Yang Xinxin before, so he recognized her immediately.
"Good, you're still alive!" Zhang Yi sighed in relief. If she hadn't survived until his arrival, all his efforts would have been in vain.
Zhang Yi began walking toward her, but at that moment, Wu Chengyu straightened his hair and adjusted his custom-made blue school uniform as he approached.
"Are you from the Xishan Base? Did my father send you?"
"Xishan Base? What's that?" Zhang Yi frowned slightly. This was the first time he had heard of this name.
Wu Chengyu, seeing them fully armed, assumed they were personnel from one of the refuge organizations. With his hands behind his back, he smiled slightly.
"My name is Wu Chengyu. My father is Wu Changxing, the Director of the CZ Bureau in Tianhai City. I'm sure you're familiar with his name."
To be honest, Wu Chengyu looked rather amusing.
Even though his hairstyle cost over a hundred thousand yuan, and his custom-made school uniform was quite expensive—
Well, it had been over a month since the apocalypse started. He hadn't bathed or washed his clothes, so he looked only slightly better than a beggar.
But here he was, putting on airs like a rich kid, which was truly laughable.
Zhang Yi smiled and asked, "Are you familiar with the Xishan organization?"
Wu Chengyu was taken aback, looking at the three people in front of him in confusion.
"You're not from Xishan? Then you must be from another refuge. Strange, Xishan is the closest place here; why would they send you?"
"Another refuge?"
So, there were multiple refuges in Tianhai City? Zhang Yi had heard there were hundreds of emergency shelters in the city, but clearly, these weren't what Wu Chengyu was referring to.
He also recalled that when he went to Yunque Manor earlier, Zhang Dada and Cai Zhiyin had mentioned something similar. Zhang Yi thought to himself: *It seems there are indeed higher-level refuges in Tianhai City, and at least several of them exist.*
Without revealing his thoughts, Zhang Yi said, "How much do you know about these refuges?"
Wu Chengyu started to realize something was off. If these people were here to rescue him, they wouldn't be asking so many questions.
"You're not from the refuges? To be honest, I don't know much either, just that these places exist," he replied, biting his lip.
"Unfortunately, when the snow disaster struck, no one anticipated how severe it would become. Otherwise, I would have already gone there!"
Zhang Yi observed Wu Chengyu's demeanor, which indeed suggested he didn't have any concrete information. After all, he had been trapped here for so long; if he could contact the outside world, his powerful father would have already rescued him by now.
Since Wu Chengyu held no further value, Zhang Yi ignored him and walked straight toward Yang Xinxin. The other students, realizing that Zhang Yi and his companions weren't enemies, clung to You Dashu and Fat Xu like they were a lifeline.
"My dad is Wang Chongming, the chairman of Chongming Group. If you take me out of here, whatever amount you want, my dad will give it to you!"
"My dad is Li Gang, and my mom is Zhang Cuiyun. You should know what their names mean in Tianhai City!"
"Take me out of here. If you want money, I can give you money. If you want to be an official, my parents can help you achieve that!"
The students surrounded You Dashu and Fat Xu so tightly that there was no escape, their eyes wild and frantic. After surviving in despair for so long, they were desperate to seize this glimmer of hope.
Fat Xu and You Dashu were embarrassed; there was no way they could save so many people. It would only be a burden.
However, they weren't as ruthless as Zhang Yi. Facing these young boys and girls, desperate to survive, they couldn't bring themselves to say anything too harsh.
Despite this, none of the students dared to approach Zhang Yi. It wasn't just because he held a hefty Desert Eagle in his hand—
They couldn't quite explain it, but Zhang Yi exuded an aura that kept people at bay.
It was as if even the fiercest dog would fear an expert dog-killer.
This was the killing intent emanating from Zhang Yi.
People say that butchers, after killing many pigs, dogs, and cows, carry the lingering fear of these animals in their bodies. Sensitive creatures sense this fear and instinctively avoid them.
Humans aren't as intuitive as animals, but when someone has killed enough, this aura becomes noticeable.
Zhang Yi walked step by step until he was in front of Yang Xinxin.
Lu Keran's face turned pale, and she instinctively wanted to run, but didn't dare to.
Yang Xinxin, however, lifted her delicate face, gazing at Zhang Yi with an innocent expression.
Zhang Yi crouched down in front of her, lifting his head slightly to look into her beautiful eyes, peeking out from beneath her bangs.
"You're Yang Xinxin, right?"
"Mm." Yang Xinxin nodded.
Zhang Yi smiled gently.
"My name is Zhang Yi. Your sister Yang Mi and Zhou Ke'er sent me to rescue you. Will you come with me?"
"Okay."
Yang Xinxin agreed without hesitation, her answer simple and direct.
There was no need to doubt; anyone willing to risk their life to save you wouldn't have any ill intentions.
Zhang Yi nodded.
"Alright, let's go then!"
"Please... please wait!" Yang Xinxin suddenly spoke up.
Zhang Yi tilted his head, curiously looking at her.
"What is it? Is there something else?"
"Could you do me a favor?"
Yang Xinxin looked at Zhang Yi earnestly, her eyes so clear and beautiful they resembled gems.
"What kind of favor? It can't be too complicated, like saving all your classmates or something." Zhang Yi chuckled.
Yang Xinxin glanced outside, where the battle was still raging in the icy corridor.
The clashing sounds of metal were nerve-wracking, making it hard to stay calm.
"Could you stop them from fighting? I'm afraid he might get hurt," Yang Xinxin asked.
"Oh?" Zhang Yi also looked toward the corridor. From the sound of it, the fight was intense, and there was no sign of a clear winner yet.
"Just stopping them is fine?"
This favor wasn't difficult at all.
Zhang Yi needed Yang Xinxin to help maintain the network at his refuge in the future. Letting her owe him a favor now would make it easier to build a relationship later.
Yang Xinxin nodded.
Zhang Yi smiled. He stood up and walked over to Fat Xu, whispering in his ear.
"Come over and do something!"
As Zhang Yi approached, the students instinctively moved away; none of them wanted to get too close to him.
Fat Xu, finally freed, followed Zhang Yi out the door.