This was exactly what Jiang Yi had expected. After all, he had only killed one zombie at Level 1, and he didn't believe that killing just one zombie would be enough to level up. He summoned a light screen on the wall. The five attributes remained unchanged, and the only thing that had changed was his level, now at Level 1.
"Can killing one zombie really give me experience? If that's the case, if I kill another zombie, I could level up again?" Jiang Yi thought excitedly. He had to admit, his ability was so straightforward—kill zombies to gain experience, and once enough experience was accumulated, he would automatically level up. Each level-up significantly boosted his stats. It was simple and brutal, but in this terrifying post-apocalyptic world, it was the perfect fit…
Eager to test his theory, Jiang Yi used the hilt of his knife to push out the half-zombie head stuck in the hole. The next moment, the newly opened hole was filled by another zombie's head.
It felt almost too good to be true, this method of "monster farming." Jiang Yi slashed down with his knife! This time, the zombie's massive head almost got completely chopped off in a single stroke! Another light sphere flashed, and Jiang Yi took a deep breath. It felt as if his entire being had been elevated!
Quickly checking his stats, "Level 2, Speed: 5, Defense: 3, Strength: 25, Mental: 25, Constitution: 2..." Sure enough, as Jiang Yi had suspected, he had leveled up again. But just as he was about to celebrate, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the amount of experience required for the next level.
At Level 1, it took only 1 experience point to level up. To reach Level 2, it took 2 points. But to get to Level 3? It would require 4 points! The way experience increased... was this a progression like the powers of 2?
A chill ran through Jiang Yi's body as the thrill of his newfound power vanished instantly. If this was the case, leveling up would become incredibly difficult! In the early stages, it's fast, but each level would require double the experience of the previous one. By the time he reached Level 10, the experience needed for each level would be astronomical!
With a heavy heart, Jiang Yi sliced through another zombie head. This method of killing was incredibly safe and effortless. If it weren't for this, even with his new ability, Jiang Yi would have struggled to survive the zombie hordes...
Lost in thought, Jiang Yi chopped off three more heads, each light sphere entering his body. But after waiting for a while, no more zombies came. He finally realized that the broken wooden door had stopped making any noise. All the zombies outside had been dealt with…
At that moment, Jiang Yi froze and collapsed onto the ground, his arms trembling. He let go of his decapitation knife with a bitter smile.
Having leveled up twice in a row, his attributes—except for mental—had barely returned to their former state. His body's recovery gave him some sense of safety. For now, the fear of the experience progression didn't feel as pressing.
"Growl..." His stomach grumbled in hunger, and the acidic feeling from his empty stomach made Jiang Yi feel even weaker. It seemed like, ever since so many ability users started appearing in the cafeteria, the food available to ordinary survivors had been steadily decreasing. Even someone like Jiang Yi, who frequently scouted for supplies, could barely get enough to eat.
Looking around the room, Jiang Yi froze. Wait, wasn't this Chen Jiazhi's dorm? How did he end up in her dorm after being attacked by zombies? He didn't have time to think more about it and immediately started rummaging through the room, searching for something to eat.
Even ability users needed food to survive, just like ordinary people. Jiang Yi didn't come to Chen Jiazhi's dorm often, but he did know where she hid her snacks.
He opened Chen Jiazhi's drawer first, but there was nothing there—she was always conscious of her figure and rarely ate snacks, mostly just fruits. After taking care of her for three days, Jiang Yi knew she didn't have anything edible left.
So, Jiang Yi headed to the other bed—the one belonging to Li Yuling, a cheerful, short, and chubby girl. Her biggest hobby was eating snacks and watching Korean dramas. So if there was any food here, it was definitely worth checking out!
As expected, Jiang Yi quickly found a bag of bread, two bottles of mineral water, and a pack of chips in Li Yuling's drawer. There wasn't much else, and her belongings were also sparse. Someone must have taken them—maybe Li Yuling herself, or someone else.
The bread was moldy and could no longer be eaten, but Jiang Yi threw it away in disappointment. The chips, however, were a treasure. He devoured the entire bag with the mineral water, not leaving a single crumb behind!
After finishing the chips and water, Jiang Yi felt a sense of satisfaction. It wasn't enough to relieve his hunger, but it was the best meal he had in the last two years.
But this satisfaction was only temporary. The water and chips did little to ease his hunger. He knew that, while ability users had strange powers, they also consumed much more energy than ordinary people. The amount of food that could fill two regular survivors was only enough to barely satisfy one ability user.
Jiang Yi quickly grabbed a snack to satisfy his hunger and then headed over to Chen Jiazhi's desk, starting to rummage through it. "Strange... Jiazhi said it was in the drawer... Why can't I find it?" He searched through every spot he could reach but still couldn't find the jade pendant necklace that Jiazhi's grandmother had left her.
Jiang Yi was certain he had never seen the pendant. Even during the three days he had been looking after her, he had never seen it, nor had he seen it in the three years they had been together. Though Jiazhi always said she wore it close to her, Jiang Yi never actually laid eyes on it.
It was a little laughable when you thought about it: Jiang Yi and Jiazhi had been in the same class since sophomore year and had started dating. But even now, in their second year of university, aside from holding hands, they had never gone further. It wasn't that Jiang Yi couldn't, but during high school, they focused on preparing for the university entrance exams. Even after they entered university, many reasons kept them from taking that next step.
He wanted to, of course, but reality never allowed for it. So, Jiang Yi had truly never seen the jade pendant Jiazhi mentioned, the one left to her by her grandmother.
Since it was so important to her, Jiang Yi didn't dwell on it too much. In fact, today there was a small team coming to the girls' dorm to search for supplies. Jiazhi had pleaded with him, and despite it not being his turn, Jiang Yi, soft-hearted, applied to join.
Such requests were rarely rejected. Though Jiang Yi was just an ordinary survivor, he had killed zombies and had a strong mental fortitude. Many of the abilities holders were willing to take him along because, after all, no one was invincible. Even powerful ability holders needed capable helpers when dealing with large hordes of zombies.
However, no matter how hard he searched, Jiang Yi couldn't find the pendant. He slumped into a chair, unsure of how to explain it to Jiazhi when he returned. The thought of her tearfully mourning the loss of something so precious made his heart ache.
But he couldn't stay there forever. The sky was about to darken, and Jiang Yi certainly didn't want to be alone outside the cafeteria. He grabbed his backpack, which he had left there a few days ago, planning to pack some of Jiazhi's things to bring back to her.
There wasn't much to pack; Jiazhi came from an average family and didn't care for buying things frivolously. So, Jiang Yi just threw her diary, some jewelry, and cosmetics into the bag.
The ordinary black backpack was fairly large, containing only one of his own sets of clothes. But as he reached in, his hand suddenly froze, staring at the strange sight in front of him—there was a glowing screen now appearing on the backpack.
"This... could this be the system backpack?" Jiang Yi was startled but excited as he looked at the glowing grid on the screen. It was mostly empty, except for the first two slots, which held two items.
The first was a water bottle with the number 4 in the bottom-right corner. The second was a piece of meat, distinctively red and white in color.
"How do I get these out?" Jiang Yi wondered. As his hand reached in, it felt heavier. He quickly pulled it out, only to find a transparent glass water bottle materializing in his hand. But his bag had definitely not contained this before! As he pulled it out, the glowing screen on the bag disappeared.
Instead, a small screen appeared on the water bottle, reading: "Heaven's Spring Water: Extracted from the monster's energy essence. One pound can quench thirst for a day. Long-term consumption can slightly increase mental fortitude and recovery speed..."
Jiang Yi was stunned. He quickly put the bottle down and reached back into the bag. Sure enough, the screen appeared again. This time, the number on the water bottle had decreased by one, and the meat still showed as 2. With another thought, a fresh, translucent piece of meat rolled out of the bag, and Jiang Yi couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
He had thought his abilities were impressive, but he hadn't expected them to extend this far. He had killed six zombies, and now his space had four waters and two pieces of meat. It must have been from the glowing orb that emerged from the zombies after he killed them—this was his reward!
But could he really eat this? The thought that the water and meat had come from the bodies of zombies made Jiang Yi feel uneasy.
With a deep breath, he opened the water bottle and took a cautious sniff. His eyes lit up as there was no unpleasant odor—only a cool, natural fragrance. He took a sip, and the dryness from his mouth disappeared instantly. Following the instructions on the screen, Jiang Yi drank half the bottle in one go.
A wave of refreshing coolness surged through him from head to toe, and he felt energized. "This is amazing!" he thought. He had never tasted such sweet water before.
Then, looking at the meat roll, the screen displayed its function: "Jade Fat Meat: Extracted from the monster's energy essence. Half a pound can fill one meal. Long-term consumption can slightly increase physical strength and accelerate wound healing."
It could be eaten, and it even helped with recovery and strengthening? Jiang Yi took a bite. The meat exploded with juice in his mouth, and though it was cold, it wasn't greasy. Instead, it tasted like finely prepared wine-braised beef. The entire roll had a layer of meat jelly that was bouncy and rich in protein.
One bite of meat, one sip of water—before Jiang Yi even realized it, he had finished the entire half-pound of meat and the water. He sat back, completely satisfied, and burped contentedly. This was easily the fullest he had ever been in the past two years.