Chapter 31: Isn't This Reasonable?

Chapter 31: Isn't This Reasonable?

Chen Ye is not a bad person.

But he has never considered himself a good person either.

Nor does he have the ambition to embrace the whole world.

Having been transported to another world once and obtaining the limitless potential of a Saitama physique, he simply wishes to live life as he pleases, not having to tread carefully and still struggle as he did in his previous life.

He is certainly aware of the importance of the information he possesses. Maybe one day in the future, he will make it public, but definitely not now.

Because he only wishes to benefit his own people, not to give foreigners an advantage.

He vaguely has a plan in mind to ensure that when he does disclose the information in the future, there will be no leaks...

But now is not the time.

His recent speech was actually a test for Tang Zichen.

If Tang Zichen really stood on the moral high ground and persuaded him to share the zombie information for the benefit of all mankind.

Then after this secret realm adventure, Chen Ye would definitely stay far away from this girl.

Fortunately, Tang Zichen is a smart girl and didn't act foolishly.

A moment later.

In the forest, a bonfire was lit.

It was Chen Ye and Tang Zichen burning the zombies.

Both carried windproof lighters customized by the school, which were lightweight, had ample fuel, and could be used to burn zombies or for outdoor activities like keeping warm or grilling meat.

Once the zombies' bodies came into contact with the flames, they were reduced to ashes in less than two minutes.

This proved that fire was indeed effective against zombies!

Until this moment.

They could finally confirm that the zombies had indeed been killed by them.

However, the reward for killing zombies was not issued immediately but would be settled collectively 20 days later, after all the freshmen had left the secret realm.

"Let's go," said Tang Zichen.

"Wait!"

Chen Ye, however, pulled down many vines from a nearby tree and tied the dried corpse of the African-American youth into a thick zongzi shape.

"What are you doing?" Tang Zichen asked.

"Didn't Teacher Liu say?" Chen Ye said with a smile: "People bitten by hopping zombies will turn into new blood-sucking monsters within 24 hours."

Tang Zichen understood: "So, you plan to wait for it to turn into a monster and then burn it?"

"Smart!"

Chen Ye said, "Teacher Liu also mentioned that the number of hopping zombies in the secret realm is not very high. If we're unlucky, we might not encounter any for several days... Since this guy has already been bitten to death, it would be too wasteful to just leave it here and ignore it."

"So we have to wait here for a long time?"

"Why wait? Why not just take it with us?"

"Take it with us? Even if it has been drained of blood by the hopping zombie, it still weighs at least a hundred pounds. Carrying it would be too exhausting..."

Tang Zichen hadn't finished speaking.

When she saw Chen Ye tie up the body of the African-American youth and lift it with one hand.

"Let's go!"

Chen Ye carried his suitcase in his left hand and the body of the African-American youth in his right, looking effortlessly at ease.

Tang Zichen stood still, a bit surprised: "Chen Ye, your strength..."

"Oh! I exercise for more than an hour every day at school, eat on time, go to bed early and get up early, and never stay up late. It's reasonable to be a bit stronger, isn't it?"

Tang Zichen: "???"

Although she felt that what Chen Ye said was unreasonable, she didn't intend to probe further.

"The effort of carrying it is considerable, let me help you with the suitcase!"

Tang Zichen wanted to help Chen Ye share the burden.

Chen Ye said with a smile: "No need, no need, I can handle it. You have the important task of killing hopping zombies, and I can only do these rough and tiring tasks. Don't be so formal with me."

More than just handling it.

With Chen Ye's current strength, a hundred-pound person felt as light as a chick in his hands, hardly weighing anything.

Hearing this, Tang Zichen didn't insist further.

But she decided in her heart that during this secret realm adventure, she would kill more hopping zombies and take Chen Ye to greater heights!

...

In the blink of an eye.

It was already five days later.

In these five days, Chen Ye and Tang Zichen killed about six or seven zombies.

With Chen Ye's peach wood sword to help, Tang Zichen found it almost effortless to kill zombies. As long as the sword pierced the zombies' bodies, it would render them immobile.

Then Chen Ye was responsible for lighting the fire to burn the zombies, making the entire process very easy.

In terms of killing zombies, the two were definitely very successful.

The regret was that there were too few zombies, not enough for them to rack up a lot of points.

Of course.

There were also many challenges.

The first one was the inability to bathe or change clothes.

After five days without a bath, there was inevitably some odor on their bodies, which was quite uncomfortable for both of them who loved cleanliness.

Additionally, the inconvenience of male and female companionship, especially when they were not a couple, was a factor.

For example, Tang Zichen had to avoid Chen Ye every time she needed to relieve herself, hiding far away...

Even goddesses are human and need to do their business!

These were minor issues, however, and could be overcome with some adjustments.

The major problem they were facing now was the scarcity of food resources.

For the past five days.

The two had not encountered a single wild animal, surviving solely on wild fruits.

No wonder Teacher Liu said that food resources were scarce in the secret realm.

After all, with zombies present, it's normal for the number of small, warm-blooded animals - likely prey for the zombies - to be limited.

The problem is, humans are omnivorous and can't survive on fruit alone.

A long-term fruit-only diet can lead to insufficient intake of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, resulting in conditions like anemia and malnutrition.

For example, Chen Ye now feels his physical strength gradually declining.

All because he's not getting any meat.

Compared to others.

The two of them are actually faring better.

Over these five days, as they traveled, they had already encountered many human corpses.

Yellow-skinned, black-skinned, white-skinned – all were present.

Some died at the hands of zombies, others due to infighting among their own kind.

The brutality of survival in the secret realm is evident.

...

Today is the sixth day.

Morning.

Chen Ye opened his eyes to see the weary face of Tang Zichen.

They are now working in shifts.

Chen Ye would stand guard during the first half of the night and Tang Zichen during the second half.

The first few days were okay.

But starting from the past two days, Chen Ye noticed that Tang Zichen was becoming increasingly overwhelmed.

His robust physique allowed him to hold on.

But Tang Zichen, with just a normal human's physique, was suffering from a lack of protein, leading to a decline in strength and energy.

"Class leader, I'm well-rested now, you should rest for a while! It seems there's no more food in this mountain area, we should move to a different place today," Chen Ye said.

Hearing this, Tang Zichen nodded without any fuss and laid down in Chen Ye's place to sleep.

She actually wanted to have a good bath and a nice sleep.

But unfortunately, the conditions were too harsh for that.

Probably due to extreme exhaustion, Tang Zichen fell asleep quickly, breathing evenly.

Even after five or six days without a bath, the girl still looked beautiful.

However, Chen Ye was not in the mood to appreciate beauty at the moment.

He looked at the dying fire, then gathered some wood to reignite it, providing warmth for Tang Zichen.

The temperature in the secret realm was not high, especially at night when it dropped to just a few degrees.

It was morning now, and the temperature hadn't risen yet. Without the fire, Tang Zichen would definitely catch a cold sleeping like this.

At that moment, she was curled up, hugging her arms, shivering from the cold.

Only when Chen Ye got the fire going and warmth spread did Tang Zichen show a comfortable sleeping face.

Then.

Chen Ye began to exercise nearby, following the Saitama training method.

Even in a place with basic conditions like the secret realm, he still insisted on exercising every day without fail.

It wasn't so much that Chen Ye was diligent.

Rather, he couldn't bear to miss the 15 attribute points he gained each day...

...

An hour later.

After completing his exercise, feeling his strength increase slightly, Chen Ye stopped, sat opposite Tang Zichen, and prepared to eat some wild fruits to stave off hunger.

When he opened his bag, he found that even the wild fruits were almost gone.

Chen Ye frowned.

The food issue had become an urgent problem.

Another hour passed.

Tang Zichen finally woke up.

She seemed much more refreshed.

After a brief tidy-up, the two left the area, heading towards a more distant place.

Around noon.

While walking, Tang Zichen suddenly stopped, tilting her head to listen.

Chen Ye, thinking something was wrong, also stopped.

He didn't ask anything.

After several days of cooperation, the two now worked seamlessly together.

If Tang Zichen really discovered something unusual, she would inform Chen Ye without him having to ask.

A moment later.

Tang Zichen seemed to confirm something and said, "Chen Ye, I hear the sound of water flowing from the left. There should be a river there."

Chen Ye immediately said, "Let's go and check it out."

Tang Zichen agreed.

They changed direction and headed towards the left front.

Before long, they indeed found a river.

They were overjoyed.

Especially since the river water looked very clean, uplifting their spirits.

Tang Zichen, already thirsty, immediately went to the riverbank, scooped up some water, seemingly intending to drink.

Chen Ye stopped her: "Don't drink! This river water might look clean, but it could contain parasites. Moreover, with hopping zombies in the secret realm, if someone upstream threw a zombie corpse into the river, the entire water source could be contaminated with zombie poison."

Hearing this, Tang Zichen sighed, looking at the clear river and swallowing her saliva dryly.

Seeing her state, Chen Ye knew she was thirsty, so he took out the last two wild fruits and handed them to Tang Zichen.

"Class leader, have some wild fruits to quench your thirst!"

Tang Zichen, aware of the fruit count, immediately said, "If you give them all to me, what about you?"

Afterward, she only took one: "You eat too."

Chen Ye smiled, accepted without refusal, and quickly ate the wild fruit. Then, he approached the riverbank.

"Class leader, although it's best not to drink the river water, it's clean enough for a wash. Do you want to take a bath?"

Chen Ye had initially joked.

Unexpectedly, Tang Zichen was really tempted.

It was now noon, and the temperature had returned to around ten degrees, making the river water not so cold and just bearable for a bath.

"Turn around and don't peek!"

...

A few minutes later.

Chen Ye stood by the riverbank, his back turned to Tang Zichen, his gaze blankly surveying the surroundings.

The rustling sounds of clothes being removed behind him distracted him a bit.

As a former otaku who had seen many things, Chen Ye's imagination was already running wild.

If he were to turn around now, he would get an eyeful, and Tang Zichen probably wouldn't be able to do much about it.

Of course, Chen Ye did not do so.

A man can be lecherous, but not shameless.

Soon.

Sounds of Tang Zichen entering the water came from behind.

After a while, Tang Zichen suddenly exclaimed:

"Chen Ye, look, there are fish in the river!"

Huh?

She's asking me to look?

Chen Ye immediately turned around.

"Where? Where?"

While his mouth was eagerly asking, his eyes were fixated on the white figure in the river.

Although the water covered most of her body, its clarity allowed Chen Ye to vaguely see the outline of Tang Zichen's figure.

The next moment!

A fish, controlled by telekinesis, leaped out of the water, landing right beside Chen Ye's feet.

He reacted quickly, catching it.

Tang Zichen's voice followed: "Enough looking, help pick up the fish!"

Caught by her...

...

There were quite a few fish in the river.

Tang Zichen caught about seven or eight big ones before stopping.

Each weighed one or two pounds.

The fish were familiar to Chen Ye; they were common carp, a species common on Earth in his previous life.

It must be said, Tang Zichen's telekinesis was quite useful, even capable of catching carp in the river.

"Turn around, I'm coming out."

Tang Zichen said.

Chen Ye obediently turned away.

Soon.

Sounds of a beauty emerging from the water followed by dressing came from behind.

"You can turn now."

Chen Ye did.

Tang Zichen, having bathed, looked much fresher, and her face was calm, seemingly not angry about Chen Ye's earlier indiscretion.

Her mentality was different from ordinary people.

"How shall we deal with these fish?" Tang Zichen asked.

Chen Ye said, "Given our limited conditions, we can only grill them."

"Grilling fish is easy!"

Tang Zichen volunteered, "I'll do it, leave it to me."

Chen Ye handed her a fish with some skepticism, letting her try her hand first.

Unexpectedly.

She really knew how to process it.

She used the darts she brought to kill the fish, scrape off scales, remove innards, and clean it... all with efficient movements.

After cleaning the fish, she started a fire, found some sticks, skewered the fish, and began grilling.

"Class leader, I didn't expect you to cook?"

"Early hardship makes one self-reliant."

Tang Zichen spoke calmly, without elaborating.

These carp, perhaps due to having no natural predators, were all quite large.

In a short while.

They were sizzling with oil and emitting a delicious aroma.

Once the fish were fully cooked, Tang Zichen first handed one to Chen Ye, then began grilling for herself.

Chen Ye didn't hesitate and took a big bite.

The grilled fish, without any spices like pepper or cumin, naturally didn't taste exceptional.

But the freshness of the ingredients was a plus!

And with Tang Zichen's good control of the fire, it was quite satisfying for satiating hunger.

Especially since they hadn't had meat for days, surviving only on wild fruits, their mouths and stomachs were already protesting.

Now finally able to eat grilled fish, even without salt, it still tasted delicious.

"Really delicious!"

Chen Ye complimented, eating heartily.

The two quickly finished off several fish.

Tang Zichen, having a smaller appetite, ate only two, then started grilling more for Chen Ye.

When Chen Ye was on his fourth fish.

Tang Zichen suddenly put down the fish she was grilling, stood up, her face showing a wary expression.

Seeing this, Chen Ye immediately knew something was approaching.

He put down the grilled fish he was eating and stood up too.

"Someone's coming," Tang Zichen stated calmly.

Soon.

Several figures appeared in front of them.

There were three of them.

Like Chen Ye and Tang Zichen, these three were also of East Asian descent.

Seeing Chen Ye and Tang Zichen, they showed no surprise, their eyes immediately locking onto the remaining fish, their expressions greedy, swallowing saliva voraciously.

(End of Chapter)

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