Xia He looked thoughtfully at the backpack presented to her and then shook her head: "I appreciate your offer, but I cannot accept your food. It's too valuable in our current situation. I can manage to find sustenance on my own."
Xia He clearly maintained her principles, setting herself apart from those who had endured ten days of hardship during the apocalypse. Despite the dire circumstances, she remained steadfast in her values.
Bai Yi felt a pang of concern at Xia He's refusal to accept the food he had offered her. It was apparent that she didn't realize she was now part of his team.
While this provided him an opportunity to keep his abilities concealed, he couldn't dismiss the discomfort of benefiting from her situation.
After a moment of reflection, Bai Yi decided he didn't want her to decline further and laid all the food from the bag in front of her: "Let's consider this as a loan. You can repay me once you find your own provisions."
Xia He paused in surprise, nodded, and with a hint of embarrassment, opened a bag of chocolates: "Then... thank you!" Seeing her accept his suggestion brought a smile to Bai Yi's face: "It's no problem at all; as future teammates, it's important that we support one another!"
Xia He, momentarily taken aback while enjoying a piece of chocolate, asked, "Teammate?"
"Oh, I meant to say comrades! After working together yesterday, we are comrades now!" Bai Yi quickly clarified. Xia He pondered his words and seemed to accept the idea.
Bai Yi internally sighed with relief; he didn't want Xia He to discover the circumstances that had led to them being paired. Observing her eat swiftly yet gracefully, he passed her a bottle of mineral water: "Xia He, what are your plans moving forward?"
After swallowing a mouthful of food and sipping the water, Xia He shared her thoughts: "I want to return to Beijing, but I can't reach my father, and I'm worried about their well-being."
Bai Yi's interest piqued: "Are you from Beijing?"
Given the significant distance from Long Province, it was clear that Xia He was likely unable to leave for Beijing at this time. Did this present an opportunity for him to keep her close and have her assist him?
"Yes, my father works in Beijing and my mother is with him, so I need to find a way to get to them." Xia He answered firmly, demonstrating she had given this matter considerable thought.
Bai Yi feigned contemplation. "However, the capital is quite far from here. Considering the current situation, transportation to Beijing may not be accessible. How do you intend to make the journey?"
Xia He smiled ruefully and shook her head, clearly recognizing the challenge of her goal. The nearly thousand-mile distance to Beijing typically required hours of travel, especially given the chaos of the apocalypse. Bai Yi seized the moment to emphasize his point: "And since you're aiming to reach your family, isn't it possible that they would come here to find you?"
Xia He momentarily lost her appetite upon hearing Bai Yi's analysis. She looked up in distress: "That's impossible. Beijing is the capital, and my parents would be safer there. They wouldn't come here."
Bai Yi responded thoughtfully: "Because you are here, parents naturally worry about their children's whereabouts..."
As Xia He considered her parents traveling such a distance from the capital to be with her, she felt a pang of anxiety. She was uncertain about what choices her parents had made and what she should do. "What should I do?" she inquired helplessly, instinctively turning to Bai Yi for guidance.
Bai Yi cleared his throat and continued his reassurance: "The priority should be to establish communication with the outside world or gather information regarding the capital before making a decision to leave or stay."
Xia He nodded in agreement with his suggestion.
Observing that Xia He's spirits had improved, Bai Yi proposed, "Let's first secure ourselves in the school and then seek external information. If your parents are indeed looking for you, they will likely come to the school first. If they do not arrive within a reasonable timeframe, it's possible that measures will be enacted in Long Province to facilitate travel to Beijing. We could then embark on the journey together."
Xia He's eyes sparkled at Bai Yi's plan. Yes, he was correct! Staying at school would allow for the best chance of reunification with her parents should they come searching for her. Alternatively, if they did not arrive, she could still devise a plan to locate them in Beijing.
Having reached a decision, Xia He felt a sense of calm wash over her, turning to Bai Yi with gratitude: "Thank you, Bai Yi. Without your perspective, I might have acted impulsively and left the school to go to Beijing."
Bai Yi dismissed her gratitude with a wave: "It's nothing, but since you prefer to stay here, why not have me accompany you?"
Xia He was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"
Though Bai Yi was unsure why her demeanor shifted so suddenly, he continued: "Both of us possess skills. Had we not supported each other yesterday, survival would have been uncertain. Having capable allies is advantageous, would you not agree?"
Realizing her misunderstanding of his previous comments, Xia He felt a bit sheepish and nodded: "You are correct, but do you think it's feasible for just the two of us?"
Seeing Xia He agreeing to join him, Bai Yi felt a surge of excitement. He appeared to have a knack for negotiation.
Unbeknownst to him, Xia He had agreed not only due to Bai Yi's earlier assistance but also because she currently had limited options. It would be unwise for her to refuse the companionship of someone with comparable abilities.
Bai Yi felt a sense of relief after confirming Xia He's willingness to partner with him. He wanted to assess whether there had been any shift in their mutual trust but refrained from acting too eagerly. Instead, he focused on discussing their next steps.
Having decided to travel together temporarily, Xia He remained untroubled. She readily agreed when Bai Yi proposed a thorough search of the dormitory.
At that moment, Bai Yi recognized a significant limitation in Xia He's wind abilities: their energy was quite scarce. She could only produce a powerful wind blade three times before exhausting her energy.
Bai Yi expressed his disappointment, "Your abilities are impressive; it seems surprising that they would be so limited." His own abilities were far from great, so he wished for more from Xia He.
"What can three wind blades achieve? Kill three zombies?"
He was aware that excessive energy expenditure could lead to weakness, a concern he had gleaned from Li-Mei.
"Actually, my abilities aren't solely limited to wind; I also have a bow and arrows," Xia He retorted, unwilling to let Bai Yi underestimate her capabilities.
Bai Yi's attention was drawn to the longbow, recalling the formidable power of her arrows from the previous day. "That's right! How could I forget? Your archery skills were remarkable yesterday!"
Recalling her expertise excited Xia He, who proudly lifted her long hair and stated: "I am the president of our archery club. It's only natural for me to excel in shooting."
Bai Yi admired her confidence. As president of a club, she must be someone to reckon with on campus!
Unfortunately, due to his lack of involvement in those areas, he wasn't aware of Xia He's reputation.
"You're impressive!" he praised genuinely, which made her beam even more: "You don't know, I discovered yesterday that I can enhance the speed and power of my arrows using my wind abilities!"
Bai Yi chuckled, acknowledging the truth in her assertion. He had suspected as much, considering how effective her arrows had been. This ability undoubtedly provided Xia He with a distinct advantage during this critical early phase.
There was no denying that she had exhibited immense strength as a new psychic over the past ten days.
The first task after establishing their partnership was to clear out the fifth floor.
While Xia He had already done a commendable job cleaning the living areas, the corridors full of debris were not suitable for habitation. Together, they donned rubber gloves, removed the remains of the deceased, and securely locked them away in a dormitory for peace of mind.
Despite her warrior spirit against zombies, Xia He grimaced at the act of handling bodies. However, retrieving arrows from the corpses was essential; without them, her archery skills would be compromised. Therefore, Bai Yi assisted her in examining the arrows they had collected for replacement purposes.
As a result, Bai Yi felt the morning had yielded little progress.
With a hint of frustration, Xia He directed Bai Yi to search for supplies on the fifth floor.
Being a girls' dormitory, there weren't many items of value for Bai Yi, but Xia He found several things of use. Had Bai Yi not firmly declined, she may have taken all the valuable items for herself.
The experience of gathering supplies lifted their spirits, and soon they had thoroughly searched the fifth and fourth floors, achieving an impressive haul. Finally, Bai Yi had to insist gently on pushing Xia He to focus on the third floor.
Holding a knife, Bai Yi prepared while Xia He stood ready with her longbow and quiver. Wearing a black mask and with her hair neatly tied back, she exuded a fierce demeanor.
Bai Yi felt satisfaction in her appearance; she truly was a worthy teammate, contrasting sharply with those who still required protection in these trying times.
On the third floor, Bai Yi whispered to Xia He, "Remember to conserve your powers. Your role is to cover my back; I'll handle the rest."
There was no other option. Indeed, although Xia He had become part of the team, it was imperative for Bai Yi to gain experience in their current tense environment.