Ten minutes before.
Ji Xing saw the two bottles of air freshener on the table, and an idea rapidly formed in his mind.
The main ingredients of air fresheners are flammable and explosive chemical substances. Given the small space inside the cinema, as long as the concentration of the air freshener was high enough and coupled with a source of ignition, it could ignite within the confined space.
No sooner said than done.
Ji Xing handed the air fresheners to Cheng Ya to spray throughout the room while he tore off the sofa covering to tie a safety rope and began to climb upward.
Once everything was ready, Ji Xing sent Cheng Ya up the exhaust duct first and then climbed up after her.
Before leaving, he placed a stool in front of the door.
Tied to the stool was a pair of scissors with its blades facing diagonally towards a metal bucket.
If the zombies broke in, the violent impact would surely knock over the stool, causing the scissors' blades to strike the bucket quickly.
The violent collision between metal and metal was highly likely to create sparks.
Fortunately, Ji Xing and Cheng Ya's gamble paid off. The moment the zombies smashed through the door, the spark ignited the air freshener that filled the room, thus, the fire erupted.
The cinema was filled with various wooden furnishings and flammable materials, allowing the fire to spread rapidly.
The blaze drew the attention of most of the zombies and startled many people as well.
Ji Xing and Cheng Ya crawled along the duct towards the main entrance.
As the zombies were all lured away by the fire in room 888.
Ji Xing carefully moved the vent cover near the main door and escaped from Jianan Private Cinema with Cheng Ya.
Upon exit, Ji Xing heard his sister's voice.
"Xingxing, quick, get in the car!"
Seeing Sister Ji sitting in Brother Haozi's car, joy lit up Ji Xing's face.
He pulled Cheng Ya to a sprint, "My sister is here, let's get in the car quickly!"
"Boom!"
Having boarded, Qi Hao floored the gas pedal, ramming through the zombies that pounced on them and raced towards the refuge.
Cheng Ya, initially in shock, simply sat silently without speaking.
Once she confirmed she was safe, it was like Cheng Ya awoke from a dream.
She looked around the car she was sitting in and realized it was a modestly luxurious vehicle, obviously not cheap.
She couldn't help but give Qi Hao another glance.
The man's purple broom-like hair might have been unconventional, but it didn't detract from his good looks.
Such a wealthy and handsome man made Cheng Ya couldn't help but strike up a conversation, "Brother, are you Sister Ji's boyfriend? Did you come specifically to rescue us after learning that Xingxing and I were in danger?"
Qi Hao's ego was stroked by the reference to Sister Ji's boyfriend.
He laughed heartily twice, about to respond, but was cut off by Ji Wanwan's sharp retort.
"Don't flatter yourself; I only came to save Xingxing, not you!"
Ji Wanwan, who had been holding back the urge to kick Cheng Ya out of the car all the way, was set off by that comment and immediately snapped back.
The other three in the car were taken aback.
Qi Hao assessed Ji Wanwan's complexion.
Wanwan dislikes this woman, so it's best to stay away from her in the future.
Ji Xing thought his sister was angry at him for running around recklessly and did not dare to speak out.
Cheng Ya, on the other hand, looked aggrieved, feeling targeted by Ji Wanwan.
The three of them were unaware of the real reason Ji Wanwan found Cheng Ya so disagreeable.
In the previous life, when the zombie crisis erupted, Cheng Ya was also with her brother.
Her brother was always clever and managed to lead Cheng Ya and their parents to evade the first wave of zombies.
Logically, Cheng Ya should have been grateful to their family for survival, but instead, she always had an entitled attitude, comfortably enjoying the protection and sacrifices made by Ji Wanwan's family without a hint of gratitude.
If that was all, Ji Wanwan might not have said anything.
However, when the crisis fully erupted, Cheng Ya did not hesitate to betray their family, taking the hard-earned supplies to ingratiate herself with the superpower awakeners.
Her younger brother, in pursuit of their stolen supplies, had his legs brutally broken by a superpower user and became someone who couldn't even take care of himself.
Day after day, their mother washed her face with tears, eventually going blind from crying.
If it weren't for their family's condition of being weak, elderly, and disabled, they wouldn't have been coveted by Second Uncle's family and ultimately met a tragic end.
Currently, her brother's feelings for Cheng Ya ran deep, and he might not believe these things if she were to tell him.
Only by showing her brother Cheng Ya's true colors would he find the resolve to drive her out of the refuge.
Because of Ji Wanwan's bad mood, everyone fell silent for the rest of the journey.
Fortunately, Qi Hao's driving skills were exceptional, so the oppressive silence didn't last too long.
Upon entering the refuge, Ji Wanwan rushed to the suite's bathroom to shower.
After a whole afternoon of fleeing, she had sweated profusely, feeling sticky and extremely uncomfortable.
More importantly, in the afternoon the System had given her many rewards, and she needed time alone to thoroughly check them.
Once she entered the bathroom, Ji Wanwan turned on the tap, allowing the warm water to envelop her.
She noticed her skin had improved a lot, the calluses in her palms had vanished, and the scars from past injuries were gone, making her whole body radiant with a lustrous glow.
Thinking of the Level 3 Ice-Frost Skin, she quickly opened her attribute panel:
[Physical Strength: 45 Endurance: 5]
[Strength: 5 Agility: 5]
[Spirit: 15 Charm: 20]
[Superpower Awakening: Not Awakened]
[Abilities: Level 1 Healing Holy Body, Level 1 Mechanical Master, Level 3 Ice-Frost Skin, Level 3 Culinary Master]
[Store Points: 11275]
[Installable Equipment: Private Merchandise Vending Cabinet]
After reviewing her abilities, Ji Wanwan checked the System Mall.
The level of the System Mall corresponded with the refuge's level; a Level 1 System Mall could only purchase simple furniture to remodel refuge rooms.
Ji Wanwan felt that points should be spent where they were most needed, and since the room was livable, she didn't remodel it.
She also studied the private merchandise vending cabinet.
This cabinet could be used to sell the supplies she had in her space, and the money earned could be exchanged for store points in the System Mall.
Ji Wanwan planned to wait until the refuge upgraded before deploying this equipment.
Having roughly understood these details, her shower was also about due to end.
After changing clothes, she came to the living room.
Ji Wanwan noticed the atmosphere was a bit strange.
Several elders were resting in the suite.
Cheng Ya was sitting on a chair with a downtrodden look.
Ji Xing's face was grim and silent, while Qi Hao and Xia Li looked on with faces eager as if watching drama unfold.
The man who had come to borrow a shower that afternoon was sitting in the farthest corner from Cheng Ya, looking impatient.
"What's going on?" Ji Wanwan walked forward.
No one spoke, and Ji Wanwan visibly became more irate, "Let me make it clear, don't stir up trouble here; otherwise, don't blame me for being unkind! I'm in a good mood and asking now, it's up to you to speak or not!"
Qi Hao couldn't stand to see Ji Wanwan upset and promptly stood up.
He glanced meaningfully at the man in the corner and whispered, "That man seems quite powerful. Xing Zai's girlfriend recognized him right away, and then..."
Qi Hao's gaze shifted towards Cheng Ya, "She's been really attentive, which left Xing Zai somewhat embarrassed."
Hearing this, the hot-headed Ji Xing headed back to his room.
Ji Wanwan looked at the man in the corner and scoffed sarcastically, "That man didn't give Cheng Ya any face, did he?"
Qi Hao curled his lip, "Just look at that expression, do you even need to ask?"
Ji Wanwan laughed snidely, "What did Cheng Ya call that man?"
After thinking for a moment, Qi Hao replied, "At first she called him Zhou Kai, and then she kept calling him Brother Kai."