Chapter 32: Invitation and Intent to Kill

Dongfang Tian’s reaching hand paused. Seeing Jiang Yi smile and slightly retract his own, he remarked, "I forgot, you can’t shake hands right now."

Guo Hanxue frowned. Although Dongfang Tian’s tone was casual, she instinctively felt something was off.

Jiang Yi, however, seemed to notice nothing. His face was full of smiles. "President Dongfang, I’ve heard so much about you! This is my first time seeing you in person. You truly are a dragon among men—seeing you once is better than hearing about you a hundred times!"

Dongfang Tian lowered his gaze, looking at Jiang Yi’s smiling face, and chuckled. "You flatter me, classmate Jiang. I’m just an ordinary student. I’m sorry for the trouble you’ve been through these past few days. Rest assured, for Hanxue’s sake, I will take good care of you."

As he finished speaking, his eyes drifted toward Qingtou, his smile widening. "Classmate Ji, we meet again. I learned a great deal from our last encounter. I was worried you might have met with some accident, but I’m glad to see you’ve returned. What do you think—are you leaving again? Why not join my team? With your strength, I could let you lead a squad, how about that?"

Dongfang Tian seemed to have completely forgotten their past grievances; he was now fully intent on recruiting Qingtou. After all, Qingtou’s combat prowess was incredibly tempting. Even as a civilian, Qingtou’s fighting strength was in no way inferior to Li Gang and his group. Knowing the importance of talent in the apocalypse, Dongfang Tian no longer cared about suppressing this once-famous newcomer.

However, he misjudged his influence over Qingtou. How could Qingtou, who was constantly on guard against him, ever accept such a gesture of goodwill? He did not hesitate for a second; in fact, he instinctively tensed up the moment he saw that signature smile.

Jiang Yi frowned. He could sense Qingtou’s unease, and it was clearly tied to Dongfang Tian. With this in mind, he glanced at Dongfang Tian. Dongfang Tian was a master of social graces; even while recruiting Qingtou, he didn’t overlook Jiang Yi, whom he had just regarded as a major rival. Seeing Jiang Yi looking at him, Dongfang Tian said, "And you, classmate Jiang, right? I wonder if you would be willing to join our team as well, so we can survive this together?"

As if for his benefit, Dongfang Tian cast a glance at Guo Hanxue. "You are a friend of Hanxue’s. If you’re willing, you can join the team I lead directly."

Behind him, his former classmates—now his subordinates—flashed looks of envy and jealousy. Dongfang Tian was powerful, and the team he led personally not only had better security but also the best access to supplies. Everyone was desperate to get in, but Dongfang Tian’s standards were so high that those who had only practiced martial arts for a few months could never dream of joining. It was easy to imagine that once Jiang Yi, with his crippled right hand, joined Dongfang Tian’s team, everyone in the gymnasium would treat him with extra attention. They all assumed Jiang Yi would be overwhelmed with gratitude.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yi waved his hand without a second thought. "No need. I only came here to find Guo Hanxue. As for joining your team..."

Jiang Yi paused, swept his eyes over Dongfang Tian and Qingtou, and added, "I’ll pass. We have other things to attend to. With President Dongfang protecting this place, I’m sure everything will be foolproof!"

Jiang Yi’s blatant refusal made Dongfang Tian’s expression darken. His followers were instantly furious; their leader had personally invited a good-for-nothing, and he actually dared to refuse! If not for the setting, the students who already viewed Dongfang Tian as their guardian deity would have surely lambasted Jiang Yi for his ungratefulness.

"Dongfang Tian, thank you for your kindness, but Jiang Yi has other things to do and won't be staying here for long." Sensing the situation spiraling, Guo Hanxue moved slightly, shielding half of Jiang Yi’s body.

A flicker of darkness crossed Dongfang Tian’s eyes, but he looked at Guo Hanxue gently. "I see. Since Hanxue says so, I won’t insist. But while you are recovering, please let me perform my duties as a host. Classmate Jiang, please!"

He made no further mention of the confinement and cleared the way. Guo Hanxue happily invited Jiang Yi to follow her to rest. Jiang Yi let out a breath of relief, but after walking a few steps, he suddenly tapped his forehead, turned around, reached into his backpack, and pulled out two bottles of mineral water to hand to Han Ya, who was standing to the side.

Han Ya had been anxious about them leaving, and seeing the man who actually knew the president hand her two bottles of water made her eyes light up with excitement. However, feeling everyone’s gaze on her, she hesitated to take them.

Jiang Yi smiled and pressed them into her hands. "Take them. This is your reward; thank you for delivering my message!" As he spoke, he prepared to take out three portions of Jade Meat for her.

Guo Hanxue glanced at Han Ya and leaned in curiously. "Jiang Yi, what’s going on?"

Jiang Yi explained with a smile that he had asked her to find her and promised her three portions of food as a reward. Guo Hanxue nodded and looked at Han Ya. She recognized her as a former club member, though she hadn't paid much attention to her before, having been busy with competition matters. Seeing Jiang Yi about to produce that miraculous meat, Guo Hanxue instinctively wanted to stop him. She pressed down on his hand, saying, "Forget it, how much food do you even have? The bag you left with me is still there. I’ll give her five packs of instant noodles in a moment; that should be enough."

Jiang Yi paused. Since he could use something else, he didn’t want to expose the existence of the Jade Meat. Dongfang Tian clearly understood the situation from the side. He took a deep look at Han Ya and then walked over to Guo Hanxue with a smile. "Why worry about such trifles? Han Ya, you can collect five days' worth of food from the supplies today. Just make a note of it later."

Guo Hanxue and Jiang Yi were both stunned. Jiang Yi wanted to refuse, as he didn't want to be too entangled with Dongfang Tian, but Guo Hanxue nodded first. "That works. I'll make up for it later!"

Dongfang Tian looked at her dotingly. "Why bring that up between us? These people are your team, too!"

Jiang Yi shivered. He finally understood: Dongfang Tian was interested in Guo Hanxue. He just wondered if she felt the same—she probably did, as Dongfang Tian was, after all, a man of remarkable talent.

Led by Dongfang Tian, the group headed to the fourth floor. It originally consisted of four training halls. After the apocalypse, Dongfang Tian utilized them fully, using the largest one as a resting area for survivors. Since there were no beds, everyone used the foam mats from training as mattresses. Though there weren't many blankets, it was summer, so the nights weren't too harsh. The former martial arts club training hall had been converted by Dongfang Tian into a private space for himself and his close associates.

Ordinary survivors were forbidden from entering; it held vital supplies and served as Dongfang Tian’s command center. The other two halls were turned into a kitchen and a training room. Those who didn't go out to scavenge spent their days there. Dongfang Tian introduced the fourth floor to Jiang Yi and Qingtou, paying special attention to Qingtou, clearly still intent on recruiting him.

Unfortunately, ever since reaching the fourth floor, Qingtou hadn't said a word, merely trailing behind Jiang Yi with his injured left arm, playing the part of a competent bodyguard. Not only Dongfang Tian, but even Guo Hanxue was surprised that Qingtou would stick so closely to Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi scanned the fourth floor but didn't pay much heed to Dongfang Tian’s layout. No matter how well-planned it was, he had overlooked one critical issue: he had far too few men. Counting everyone, Jiang Yi saw fewer than thirty people; even including those who might be out scavenging, the team couldn't exceed fifty. It wasn't worth Dongfang Tian's immense effort. Without new recruits, even the strongest team would be a flash in the pan.

Seeing Jiang Yi’s distracted response, Guo Hanxue found it amusing. She realized that ever since she had accepted Jiang Yi, she kept discovering interesting things about him. Sensing that Jiang Yi was becoming annoyed by Dongfang Tian’s presence, Guo Hanxue interrupted him at the perfect moment. "Alright, Dongfang Tian, Jiang Yi and the others are still injured. Let them go rest!"

Dongfang Tian acted as if he had just realized this, looked at Guo Hanxue apologetically, and then said to Qingtou, "My oversight. I’ll have someone arrange a place for you two to rest and find some medicine."

Guo Hanxue shook her head. "Don't bother. Let Jiang Yi rest in my area; I still have things to discuss with him!" Without waiting for Dongfang Tian to object, she grabbed Jiang Yi’s bag and led them toward her designated sleeping area.

Dongfang Tian squinted as he watched Guo Hanxue walk away, laughing and chatting with Jiang Yi, his fists clenched tight.

Thanks to Dongfang Tian’s favor, Guo Hanxue’s sleeping area was significantly better than the others. Initially, Dongfang Tian had wanted her to stay in his martial arts hall, but she had refused. Dongfang Tian had then cordoned off a corner in the main rest area for her, using cabinets to create a private space. In the apocalypse, who would be picky? Jiang Yi nodded in satisfaction at the sight of the resting spot, then sat down on a mattress with Qingtou, feeling weary.

Guo Hanxue had been holding back questions for a long time. "Jiang Yi, how did you escape? Why didn't you come sooner? I’ve been waiting for you for nearly three days!" Jiang Yi gave a bitter smile. "Alright, alright, how am I supposed to answer so many questions at once!"

After calming her down, Jiang Yi briefly described the events of the past few days. The intensity of the battles made Guo Hanxue’s heart race, and the actions of Zhu Caijun and Li Zhitian filled her with indignation. When she learned that Qingtou had been protecting Jiang Yi, she smiled and thanked him. Qingtou, however, felt a bit flustered in front of Guo Hanxue, his face even turning slightly red. "It's nothing. Jiang Yi is strong enough on his own; he didn't really need me. Besides, I was paid for the job, so it’s not worth your thanks."