The female dormitory building at the university had six floors in total, with two staircases for going up and down, but only one main entrance for entry and exit. Though the building was decades old, its structural integrity was still commendable.
By the time Jiang Yi reached the fifth floor, he had no time to rest. His eyes quickly scanned the area, and he was momentarily stunned by the sight of many bodies scattered across the corridor. Upon closer inspection, nearly all of them appeared to be zombies. Who could have killed them?
Jiang Yi didn't have time to think further. The growling from the fourth floor echoed in his ears, urging him to continue up. By the time he reached the final step of the sixth floor, he felt as if he might collapse and never rise again.
However, survival instincts from the apocalypse kept him alert. He gripped his black knife tightly, cautiously surveying the top floor of the dormitory. The building followed the standard dormitory layout, with a wide hallway in front. All the dorm room doors were tightly shut, no sign of anyone opening them.
If not for the body lying on the floor nearby and the bloodstains on the walls, Jiang Yi might have mistaken it for the calm before the storm, a reminder of the days before the apocalypse.
He carefully walked into the hallway, making sure not to make a sound. The zombies trapped inside rooms remained eerily quiet unless attracted by noise or the scent of food. As long as Jiang Yi kept silent, even if a mutated zombie was behind one of the doors, it wouldn't notice him.
As he passed the body, Jiang Yi studied it closely. The zombie had been killed by an immense force to the head, and the damage to the skull suggested that someone had turned the corpse over after killing it.
His expression darkened as he noticed the blood hadn't dried yet. It must have been killed recently. The dormitory had been surrounded by zombies for a while, with almost no survivors left. Given that only he and those two troublemakers had been here recently, it was clear that this zombie had been killed by Shen Tong and Wang Hai.
Jiang Yi stood up, his eyes growing colder. He couldn't understand why Shen Tong and Wang Hai, both ability users, would target him. While they weren't particularly close, they had worked together before to scavenge supplies.
In terms of abilities, they were unremarkable. Shen Tong had superhuman strength, capable of lifting heavy objects like the iron tables in the cafeteria. Wang Hai's ability was defense—his skin was as tough as processed leather, impervious to simple cuts.
Yet, despite their mediocre abilities, the two were known to be high-ranking lackeys of Gao Wei, a powerful figure who could transform objects into weapons. Jiang Yi had witnessed Gao Wei's power firsthand, as he could turn a metal table into a heavy spiked club with a mere touch.
This power made Gao Wei untouchable in the cafeteria, where he controlled access to the best resources. Naturally, Shen Tong and Wang Hai benefited from their association with him, wielding influence over the other ability users.
But Jiang Yi couldn't comprehend how he got caught up in this. There hadn't been any significant conflict between him and these three. Why would they target him?
Tightening his grip on the cleaver, Jiang Yi smirked coldly. It didn't matter why they did it. Since they dared to strike at him, he would strike back tenfold. He was going back to the cafeteria, and he wouldn't let the three of them off easy. With the cleaver in hand, Jiang Yi wasn't intimidated by Gao Wei's power. Unlike others, he wouldn't continue to fawn over him.
He glanced around, wondering if the two were still lurking in the dorm. If they saw him alive after believing him to be dead, he wondered what their expressions would be.
But he didn't let anger cloud his judgment. With his current strength, he would be at a disadvantage if he faced any of them. Moreover, Shen Tong and Wang Hai were always together, and even in the cafeteria, they lived and ate side by side. If he wanted to take revenge, the most important thing now was to strengthen himself.
Jiang Yi wasn't the type to let anger dictate his actions. He suppressed the murderous intent in his heart and quietly moved to the end of the dormitory. He took the key from his pocket and unlocked the storage room.
The dust inside the storage room made him want to cough, but he held it back. The room was filled with old bed frames, discarded items from former students, and confiscated electrical devices.
Jiang Yi glanced around briefly but saw nothing useful. He didn't care about the mess and collapsed onto a pile of old mattresses, finally allowing himself to relax. The exhaustion and sense of emptiness overwhelmed him, and he couldn't hold on any longer, falling asleep almost immediately.
He slept until the sun had set. When he woke up, he was momentarily disoriented and looked around. It took him a moment to remember where he was. The cold gleam of the cleaver beside him confirmed he wasn't dreaming.
Not only was he still alive, but he had also gained a powerful, limitless battle upgrade system.
Placing his left hand on the ground, a glowing screen flickered to life. He quickly checked his stats for any changes before pulling out some jade fat meat and Heavenly Spring Water to solve his dinner problem.
After spending the day experimenting with his abilities, Jiang Yi had grown more familiar with them. First, he realized that summoning the light screen wasn't something he could do out of thin air. He had to place his hand on a flat surface like a wall or the floor.
Secondly, when he held an object, he could summon a light screen that displayed information about that object. This was somewhat like an identification skill, but it only worked with abilities or objects related to them, such as the cleaver, Heavenly Spring Water, and jade fat meat.
Finally, although he had a space similar to a backpack, it had significant limitations. It could only store items created by his abilities, meaning everyday items, no matter how small, couldn't fit. Moreover, the space couldn't be accessed freely—it required a medium, like a bag, to activate it. This was inconvenient, but it also served as a safeguard, keeping his abilities concealed.
After understanding his powers, Jiang Yi picked up the spare key for the dormitory and began making plans.
The zombies were gathered outside, and with his current strength, breaking through would be impossible. He would have to wait for them to disperse. But Jiang Yi wasn't one to wait idly. With his current state, he was no better than an ordinary person—running out would only lead to his death. Instead of waiting around, it made more sense to use this opportunity to gain experience.
He couldn't help but laugh. He was incredibly lucky. The place where he gained his abilities was the female dormitory, and all the zombies in the building were trapped in various rooms. What better place to farm for experience?
Additionally, Chen Jiazhi was waiting for him in the cafeteria. He hadn't returned, and he could only imagine how worried she must be. Jiang Yi knew her abilities well. While her water-based powers seemed more unusual compared to those who had enhanced strength or speed, they didn't give her any combat power. She could only slowly release a stream of water from her hands, and her physical condition was only slightly better than it was before the apocalypse.
The reason they had been able to live relatively safely in the cafeteria for the past week was all thanks to Jiang Yi's determination to kill zombies early in the apocalypse, which had deterred others from bullying them. The thought of leaving and letting Chen Jiazhi suffer made him uneasy. He quickly stowed the half-finished water bottle into his backpack, grabbed his knife, and walked out of the storage room.