Chapter 335: Not Fearing Scarcity but Inequality

Liang Yue’s teaching was genuine.

Because Zhang Yi had been quite good to her, she wanted to return the favor in this way.

However, mastering real martial arts wasn't easy.

At the very least, you had to start by getting used to being hit to build up your body's resilience.

Luckily, Zhang Yi was already physically fit from regular exercise, allowing him to keep up with Liang Yue’s pace.

After two and a half hours of practice, he was drenched in sweat, and his whole body ached.

“You’ve got a solid foundation, but mastering martial arts isn’t something that happens overnight. You’ll need to be mentally prepared for a long journey,” Liang Yue said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“I don’t expect to become some martial arts master; I just want another way to keep myself safe,” Zhang Yi replied, panting as he sat on the foam mat.

Liang Yue couldn’t help but comment, “You even managed to kill Ling Feng; there aren't many people who can threaten your life.”

Zhang Yi smirked and said calmly, “The world is full of surprises. Nobody should gamble with their life.”

He knew why he was able to defeat Ling Feng.

It was purely due to the advantage of hidden information and thorough preparation.

If the two had fought in an unknown setting without knowing each other’s capabilities, Zhang Yi wouldn’t have been confident about winning against Ling Feng.

If his Dimensional Gate couldn’t catch Ling Feng off guard, then Zhang Yi would surely have died.

“Let’s continue tomorrow! I’m done for today,” Zhang Yi said, getting up.

He pulled out a bag of food from his Spatial Storage, enough to barely feed about ten people.

He was always true to his word.

Zhang Yi left the downstairs bathroom for Liang Yue and went upstairs to take a shower himself.

Watching Zhang Yi head upstairs, Liang Yue thought about Yang Xinxin’s suggestion.

If those words had come from Zhang Yi, she would have suspected some hidden agenda.

But she couldn’t bring herself to doubt the intentions of that innocent, wheelchair-bound girl.

“Could I live in that place?” Liang Yue felt unsure. She wasn’t a fan of living under someone else’s roof.

But it was so comfortable there!

Caught in this inner conflict, she was already leaning towards the idea.

After Liang Yue left, Fatty Xu came over and asked Zhang Yi, “Boss, should we bring Liang Yue along when we head to West Hill Base the day after tomorrow? Having an extra person would mean more security.”

“To be honest, while we’ve assumed that West Hill Base is devoid of survivors, no one’s actually gone down there to confirm it,” he added cautiously.

Uncle You couldn’t help but laugh, teasing him, “Xu, you’re as timid as a mouse!”

Fatty Xu chuckled, “Better safe than sorry! That’s what the boss taught me.”

Zhang Yi smiled, “Fatty Xu does have a point. But right now, it’s not appropriate to invite Liang Yue.”

“She’s not one of us yet; we’re only working together. If we ask for her help, we’ll owe her a favor. There’s no need for that.”

“It’ll just be us. We’re only searching through ruins, so it’s not risky.”

All high-level Superhumans like Ling Feng had been eliminated, and Leader Chen Xinian was burned to ashes by Zhang Yi. It was unlikely that there would be any remaining threats at the base.

Meanwhile, Liang Yue left the Shelter with mixed emotions.

On her way back, she mulled over what Yang Xinxin had said.

Would it be possible to move into the Shelter?

The thought of its superior living conditions was very tempting.

But she’d need to discuss it with her students.

As their teacher, Liang Yue felt responsible for considering their feelings.

Yang Xinxin made a valid point: whether or not she moved into the Shelter wouldn’t really affect her students’ environment.

Zhang Yi wouldn’t let them all stay in the Shelter, anyway.

“In that case, moving into Zhang Yi’s place might be doable.”

“Sigh, I’ll still need to discuss it with them, hear their thoughts.”

“Thinking about it carefully, we really do need to get closer to Zhang Yi so he can help us more!”

The more Liang Yue thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

She also wanted to enjoy a better life, as Zhang Yi had once pointed out. She just needed a reason to convince herself.

Liang Yue returned to Xu Family Town.

When she placed the food she’d gotten from Zhang Yi in front of her students, the hungry students cheered with joy.

“Awesome! We’ve got food!”

They all rushed forward, grabbing eagerly.

Watching them, Liang Yue sighed slightly.

She looked toward Ye Xiaotian and Wu Chengyu, the two students now in charge of managing everyone.

Ye Xiaotian had been modified by West Hill Base and was the group’s main fighter.

Wu Chengyu, who was sharp and had previously served as class monitor, was their intellectual leader.

“Ye Xiaotian, Wu Chengyu, did you manage to organize the others to cut through the ice and catch fish in Lu River this morning?”

Wu Chengyu’s gaze drifted evasively as he replied, “Teacher Liang, you know that everyone was exhausted from pedaling bikes at West Hill Base every day. Now that we finally have some rest, asking them to brave the cold and work again… it’s tough.”

Ye Xiaotian frowned slightly, pointing to the table in the snow house. “I managed to catch a few. But with just pickaxes and hoes, the tools are too crude, so it’s not very efficient.”

Seeing the pitiful two fish on the table, Liang Yue felt a pang of disappointment.

She wasn’t familiar with ice fishing, and back in Xu Family Town, villagers had relied on proper tools and sled dogs to succeed.

These students had no experience, and the tools weren’t ideal. Trying to rely on this method for food was a fantasy.

Liang Yue sighed, “You both need to figure out how to improve our fishing efficiency.”

“These supplies were given to us by Zhang Yi as part of our deal. But we can’t expect him to keep feeding us.”

“When we run out, what will we do? We have to rely on ourselves to survive in this frozen apocalypse!”

Though Zhang Yi promised to provide some food in exchange for her martial arts lessons, she knew he wouldn’t provide enough to sustain ten people.

As the students divided the food, they complained about the meager portions.

“There’s so little! We’re still hungry,” they grumbled.

“If we don’t get enough, we’ll easily fall sick in this cold.”

Ye Xiaotian quickly interjected, “Let’s be thankful. Teacher Liang worked hard to get this from Zhang Yi.”

“We can’t rely on others forever; we have to get our own food.”

“Let’s eat and brainstorm ideas on how to improve our food situation.”

Reluctantly, the students nodded, not looking thrilled.

Braving the freezing winds, breaking through ice to fish was a challenging task.

Wu Chengyu looked at Liang Yue and suddenly suggested, “Teacher Liang, since you’re training with Zhang Yi daily, could you ask him if we could stay in his Shelter?”

“Look, Lu Keran and Yang Xinxin are staying there. Since we’re from the same class, it shouldn’t be too much to ask.”

Other students’ eyes lit up.

“Yeah! His Shelter is huge; a dozen of us should fit.”

“We could even eat less, help out…”

“Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran live there; why can’t we?”

These students, from influential families in Tianhai City, felt they deserved better treatment.

Liang Yue sighed inwardly, explaining, “You’re different from them.”

“Yang Xinxin is Zhang Yi’s girlfriend’s sister, and Lu Keran is her best friend. You don’t have that connection.”

“Plus, both of them have professional skills. That’s why Zhang Yi allowed them in.”

“Do any of you meet either of those criteria?”

The students fell silent, discontented.

They understood but couldn’t help feeling resentful.

The luxurious Shelter was just across the river, yet they were stuck in a snow hut, eating charity.

“Teacher Liang, please try a bit harder!” someone pleaded.

“You’re our teacher; you’ll find a way!”

Their hopeful stares created immense pressure for Liang Yue.

She’d intended to discuss Yang Xinxin’s offer with them, but now, she couldn’t bring herself to mention it.

…

Three days flew by.

Zhang Yi, Fatty Xu, and Uncle You had regained peak physical condition.

They prepared their gear and planned a trip to West Hill Base to see how much they could salvage.

Meanwhile, Lu Keran had revised her defense plans several times.

With Zhang Yi’s approval, they finalized the design.

Once Zhang Yi and the others brought back building materials, they could start construction.

“By the way, can we repair the outer wall?” Zhang Yi asked, recalling the damage caused by the Special Forces Team.

Lu Keran replied, “It was constructed as a single unit, so repairs are challenging but doable. The materials needed, though, are more complex.”

Zhang Yi nodded; the outer wall’s 20% damage wasn’t urgent.

“Make a list of the materials, and we’ll look for them in the city’s construction warehouses.”

“Yes, big brother!”

Lu Keran gave him a playful salute, and Zhang Yi couldn’t help but pinch her nose.

“Let’s do this!”

Author's Note