Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

Wang Zongxuan, Song Shijun, Yuan, and Cres all ran out of their rooms, looking around in confusion.

”What’s going on? What’s going on?”

”Are they handing out food again?”

Xie Ning smiled at them. ”We just had breakfast, why are you already hoping for more food? Let’s go! I’ll take you out for a walk and to stretch your legs.”

Cres’s eyes lit up. ”You mean we’re going to fight?”

As they were talking, several hearty laughs came from the lobby. ”This way, come on, hey, Xiao Gu is already here.”

A pot-bellied middle-aged man with his suit jacket open led a group of people, walking quickly towards them and greeting them with a wide smile.

”Captain Gu, I presume you’ve already communicated with the Sixth-rank Superpower User, haven’t you?”

Gu Chen was expressionless. He squeezed out a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ”Dean Du, you seem to be riding high lately.”

”Not at all, not at all.” Du Zhongqiang laughed heartily. His small eyes looked towards Xie Ning next to Gu Chen as he extended a hand with a fawning smile. ”This must be the Sixth-rank Superpower User, Miss Xie. Hello, hello. I heard you contributed a great deal during the base’s zombie tide!”

Gu Chen intercepted, gripping Du Zhongqiang’s greasy, large hand first. His eyes crinkled into a smile. ”Old Du, let’s skip the pleasantries. This is my girlfriend.”

The man put some force into his grip, smiling as he vigorously shook Du Zhongqiang’s arm. ”We all know what you guys at the Capital Branch are plotting.”

”So let’s drop the fake courtesies and get straight to the point.”

Du Zhongqiang was left in an awkward position by these words. He tried to force a smile, but his hand was still being crushed by the other man, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain, unable to even speak.

Seeing this, Li Weide quickly walked forward with the muscular man and the bearded man, grabbing Du Zhongqiang’s arm and pulling.

Gu Chen released his grip at just the right moment.

Du Zhongqiang, breaking out in a cold sweat, was pulled back a few steps by Li Weide, stumbling.

”Gu Chen!” Du Zhongqiang was so angry he was seeing stars. ”What do you think you’re doing?”

’This reckless brat, he almost twisted my hand off!’

Gu Chen gave him an innocent look. ”What did I do? Old Du, you’re in pretty bad shape. It was just a handshake. Why are your legs trembling?”

”You!” Du Zhongqiang’s face flushed red with anger.

The more was said, the more outrageous it got. If this continued, he would lose all face.

Li Weide adjusted his collar, stepped forward with a smile, and bowed to the expressionless Xie Ning, putting on a very gentlemanly air. ”You must be the Sixth-rank Superpower User, Miss Xie. We are from the A Country Branch of the Global Superpower Academy.”

”I am Li Weide, and that is Wang Gangfei...”

”I hear you’re here to ’exchange’ with me?” Xie Ning cut straight through Li Weide’s rambling, asking him with a half-smile.

”Yes, yes! We are indeed here to exchange with you...”

”Alright then, let’s go to that open space up ahead and practice. Don’t worry, we definitely won’t disappoint you.”

Li Weide didn’t quite understand for a moment. He paused, stunned. ”Miss Xie, what you mean is?”

”You don’t understand what ’practice’ means?” Cres bounced out from behind, eagerly shadowboxing. ”Didn’t you say you wanted to ’exchange’? Isn’t an exchange just a fight? How else are you supposed to exchange?”

”No!” Li Weide quickly stood up straight and shook his head. ”It’s like this, Miss Xie. What we meant was... we’d like to talk to you about the Global Superpower Academy.”

’What the hell are they talking about?’

’Exchanging is fighting? Did I even say the word ’fight’?’

”You’re not here to fight?” Cres looked utterly disappointed. ”If you’re not here to fight, what did you come for? What’s there to talk about? What the hell is there to exchange?”

”No, Captain Xie, you’ve all misunderstood.” Li Weide felt a strange sense of frustration.

’I’ve always been a smooth operator, so why is it so exhausting trying to talk to these people!’

When he smiled, his expression was extremely sincere. He clasped his hands over his stomach, straightened his back, and stood tall, giving Xie Ning a faint smile.

Although his looks were average, his etiquette and posture were truly flawless.

”The ’exchange’ we were referring to was simply a desire to discuss a matter with you, Captain Xie.”

”Discuss what.” Xie Ning gave him a cool glance. ”We’re not that familiar with each other. What’s there to talk about? Besides, progress with superpowers isn’t something that can be achieved just by talking.”

”You have to fight! It’s in the process of fighting that you constantly discover your own shortcomings. More importantly, you gain experience and make progress from combat.”

”That’s right.” Cres nodded, his head held high. ”You have to fight!”

The group from Country A looked at them, completely baffled, their gazes frequently landing on the hyperactive boy who was itching for a fight.

The bearded Wang Gangfei stared at the boy for a few extra moments, then suddenly seemed to remember something and cried out, ”You are? Aren’t you that... that who’s-his-name from Country Y’s Brad Family?”

Yuan took a step forward, smiling politely. ”Our young master is not named ’who’s-his-name.’ Our young master’s name is Cres.”

”How did you two end up here?” Wang Gangfei pointed at Yuan and Cres in astonishment. ”Do you know your family has been looking for you this whole time?”

The man struggled with his broken Country C language for a bit before quickly switching to a foreign language to continue the conversation with the straight-faced Cres.

”Your family posted a missing person task at the Global Superpower Academy’s task center!”

”For over a year, you’ve been on the top ten list.” A missing person task making the top ten list meant the family had put up an astronomical sum.

Hearing this, Yuan’s eyes instantly filled with tears. ”Young Master, the family has been searching for us! Oh God! They haven’t given up on us, Young Master. Young Master, I told you we should have contacted the master and the others sooner.”

”This is terrible! Now the master and the others have to spend a fortune on a finder’s fee to find us! Oh God, what an extra expense.”

Meanwhile, after hearing what Wang Gangfei said, the crowd behind Li Weide erupted. They all started tapping on their watches, shamelessly taking a flurry of pictures of Cres and Yuan’s faces, then immediately tried to submit the task.

Xie Ning’s attention fell on their wristwatches.

They were uniform black digital watches that didn’t look particularly outstanding, even appearing rather clumsy and bulky.

Li Weide noticed Xie Ning’s gaze and immediately smiled. ”This is the personal electronic data watch assigned to every student after they enter the Global Superpower Academy.”

”This watch can connect to the Global Superpower Academy’s task center, allowing you to accept tasks and exchange them for resources. It can even calculate a series of basic physical fitness stats for you. With that data, you can do targeted training in specific areas to improve.”

”Oh.” Xie Ning looked away, her interest already gone.

”Miss Xie, could we perhaps speak privately in the next room?”