Bai Yi was still engrossed in the satisfaction of his unique abilities and did not notice Xia He's expression. He retrieved three bottles of water and some hemostatic medicine, placing them on the bed. "Please wash with the water first, then apply the medicine," he instructed.
Xia He remained still and stared at Bai Yi with a pointed look. Curiously, Bai Yi asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?" Then, with a playful smile, he added, "Do you need help?"
Xia He's expression shifted dramatically as she frowned and retorted, "Leave!"
Realizing that Xia He was about to become angry, Bai Yi stepped back, feigning innocence. "If you don't need help, that's fine. No need to get upset! You can just walk away if you want to," he said. As he watched her leave without a second glance, a complicated expression crossed Xia He's face.
After more than an hour, with dawn approaching, Xia He finally opened the door, now dressed in a clean school uniform.
Bai Yi yawned and remarked, "You're quite slow. As a patient, it's rather unfair to make me wait outside for so long."
Xia He rolled her eyes in response, "Don't get too full of yourself. Even though you saved me, let's stay level-headed about it! I still need to discuss what happened yesterday!"
Bai Yi, lying on the bed, looked puzzled. "What are you referring to from yesterday? Why do you believe I was involved?"
A flicker of resentment crossed Xia He's eyes as she replied with a hint of anger, "Are you feigning ignorance? If you hadn't tormented Aihan for over two hours, she wouldn't have felt driven to jump from the building!" Reminded of Aihan's screams, Xia He felt a surge of anger towards Bai Yi.
"Wait, you said someone jumped from the building? Was that the woman from yesterday?" Bai Yi suddenly sat up, shocked.
Xia He scoffed, "What, now you're not pretending to be innocent? You remember? You are nothing short of a monster! Aihan trusted you completely, yet look what you did..." Tears streamed down Xia He's face.
Xia He and Aihan were high school classmates, and while they were not in the same college department, they kept in touch, having lived in the same building. Had there not been zombies outside, Xia He would have certainly been there for Aihan.
Yesterday, she took great risks, aggressively fighting off zombies, only to rush to the sixth floor and witness Aihan standing at the windowsill, looking at her with a final desperate glance.
Xia He understood what had transpired in the room and ached to confront those who harmed Aihan, but the zombies on the fourth floor had barred her way, forcing her to return unwillingly.
Bai Yi leaped up in frustration. "Don't group me with those two! I had no part in what happened yesterday!" Under Xia He's skeptical gaze, he explained how he had been wronged without revealing that he had only gained his abilities recently.
Xia He remained unconvinced. "Are you being truthful?"
Bai Yi replied with exasperation, "Of course! If you don't believe me, go check the third floor. There are still bodies from where I was yesterday! If I were truly guilty, do you think I would be stuck here because of the zombies from your friend's jump? I would've left with them long ago!"
He continued, citing what she had mentioned earlier about hearing there were two people involved. "So if there were three of us, where was I during that time?"
Xia He, realizing the inconsistencies, began to piece together the events and realized Bai Yi's story matched up. It appeared that Bai Yi was telling the truth, and her earlier accusations were misguided. Additionally, his willingness to risk his safety to save her spoke volumes about his character.
Embarrassment trickled in as Xia He asserted, "But why didn't you clarify the truth sooner instead of making up stories?"
Bai Yi pointed at the compound bow beside him and exclaimed, "You can't be serious! You're aiming that at me! If I didn't find a way to calm you down, I'd be unjustly blamed for dying!"
Xia He's face flushed with embarrassment as she lowered her head. "I apologize; I lost control earlier and didn't realize you would be in here with me."
Bai Yi, feeling a mix of grievance and amusement, observed her shift in demeanor. "No, please don't change! I'm not used to this side of you!"
Xia He was taken aback and instinctively raised a hand to swat him. "Are you trying to provoke me? I'm speaking to you calmly, and you dare to undermine me!"
Bai Yi flopped back on the bed, clutching his hand. "Please be cautious when you hit me; it's just started healing..."
Xia He glanced over anxiously, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
Bai Yi surveyed the situation, realizing the medicine had been ineffective. He had no choice but to apply more.
Despite all the distress, it ultimately turned out to be a misunderstanding. He looked at Xia He, who appeared sad and remorseful, and could only chalk it up to his misfortune.
It was nearly dawn, and both were exhausted from the preceding night's ordeal.
Once the misunderstanding cleared, it didn't take long for Bai Yi to lie back down, utterly drained. Hearing Xia He softly snoring from across the room, he activated the attribute table.
Level: Level 4 (15/16), Speed 9, Defense 5, Strength 4, Spirit 4, Constitution 3...
As Bai Yi expected, even though the recent battle felt intense, he hadn't actually killed many zombies, preventing him from levelling up despite the effort. However, he was relieved that with just one more zombie, he could advance to the next level.
Just as he was about to dismiss the light screen, he noticed a blinking cursor indicating there was more information. Curious, he clicked it and was astounded by what he read...
"Team mode is successfully enabled: In this mode, you will gain corresponding experience points for the monsters killed by your team members! The amount of experience points gained is determined by the trust of the team members in the captain. The higher the trust, the greater the experience share to the captain. Team members can also gain the same upgrade ability in this state! Note: Experience points obtained in team mode only allow team members to enhance their current level strength and do not facilitate progression beyond that!"
Reading it multiple times filled him with excitement. He did not anticipate that saving Xia He would grant him such a significant advantage!
This team mode could be invaluable, especially as it meant that with more members, he could accumulate more experience for upgrades.
Yet he wondered why Xia He's contributions during the last battle hadn't counted towards his experience. He focused on the "Trust Value" noted on the screen.
Clicking it revealed, "Xia He: Trust value 28%... Experience points available are 14%! Note: Trust value changes based on the relationship closeness with teammates, so it is essential to maintain favorable relations!"
Bai Yi realized that Xia He still harbored doubts about him. He pondered how they had formed a team. Was it due to their joint effort in battle or from resolving their earlier misunderstandings? Unfortunately, the system offered no clarity on forming a team, prompting Bai Yi to mull it over until he dozed off.
In these trying times, deep sleep was a luxury few could afford; instead, rest resembled shallow sleep with eyes shut. Bai Yi's alertness returned abruptly when he heard a creaking sound from Xia He's bed, just in time to see her sitting up.
Xia He sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her hands in disbelief, finally relieved that she wouldn't turn into a zombie. However, a loud rumbling from her stomach disrupted the moment, forcing Bai Yi to acknowledge her hunger.
Awkwardly meeting her gaze, he sat up and said, "Are you hungry? I have some food available!" He offered her the food bag.
Understanding the importance of sustaining his team member, Bai Yi realized that a well-fed team would be far more effective. Fortunately, he had collected a variety of snacks earlier, which would suit Xia He perfectly.