Volume One, Chapter Twelve: The Green Tea Girl

Behind him, the monstrous bird roared incessantly, its deafening cries seeming to tear apart the entire forest. Zhuang Fan’s feet flew like the wind; he dared not pause for a moment, desperately sprinting forward.

Clad in combat gear, his speed had noticeably increased. Yet even so, it took him nearly an hour to return to the cave. By then, he was drenched in sweat, gasping for breath, his legs aching unbearably.

It was only the second day, and he had already faced multiple life-or-death crises. Fortunately, today’s haul was quite substantial. The materials he collected were enough to solve their current food shortage. The corpse of the blood-crazed rabbit alone could sustain them for some time. Moreover, he had found a bird’s egg nearly half his height, which could be either hatched or eaten—a valuable choice either way.

Most importantly, he had obtained a set of combat armor. Though the 1.2 times attribute boost seemed modest, its impact was immense. Normally somewhat weak, Zhuang Fan had miraculously managed to run continuously for an hour. Although the distance covered was only about ten kilometers, it was more than satisfactory.

Unconsciously, the afternoon had already fallen. The proud little girl was nowhere to be seen—likely outside. Though worried, Zhuang Fan could only wait for her.

The blazing sun hung high, scorching the earth with relentless heat. Having not drunk water all day and after such intense exertion, his mild thirst had escalated into a moderate dehydration. Unable to bear it any longer, he opened the chat system to see if the campus beauty had replied to his message.

If not, he would have to find another way to fashion a water container—perhaps digging a pit and lining it with large leaves.

But to his surprise, upon opening the chat, he found two people had sent him numerous messages. One was the campus beauty, Ke Mengyao; the other was Lou Yijia. As for Zhong Xiahhan, the proud little one, she had sent only a single message: “When will you be back?”

Zhuang Fan could only sigh at how fickle people were. Just last night, the two of them had slept “intimately” beside him, yet today they ignored his messages.

Curious, Zhuang Fan clicked on Lou Yijia’s messages, wondering who she was since he didn’t recognize the name.

What he saw was this:

“Brother, you’re amazing!”
“Brother, you’re not hurt, right? If you’re injured, little sister will worry a lot.”
“Brother, I’m so hungry. Could you send me some rabbit meat? I promise I’ll repay you well. [Image][Image]”
“Brother~ pretty please! [Image] Look, I’ve lost quite a bit of chest weight from hunger. [Image]”

The tone?
A classic green tea girl?

Goosebumps prickled Zhuang Fan’s skin, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the images—only to be rendered speechless.

There sat a young, stunningly beautiful woman, looking pitiful and vulnerable, her posture deeply alluring. Aside from the private areas modestly covered by simple clothing, the rest of her skin was exposed, pale and flawless.

Especially the last image—those two half-exposed “pillows” made Zhuang Fan swallow hard, almost causing a nosebleed.

This had to be genuine; artificial body parts surely wouldn’t transfer to this other world.

Since breaking up with his ex-girlfriend, he hadn’t been close to any woman for a long time. Added to that, the recent provocations from Zhong Xiahhan had stirred his desires considerably. Had his will not been so strong last night, he might have acted like a beast.

Reluctantly, he glanced once more before hastily closing the chat to calm himself. Taking a few deep breaths, he reopened the chat box and sent her a message:

“Send a few more pictures, and make sure they’re really sincere.”

After sending it, he promptly shut it down again.

Then, eager, he turned to the campus beauty’s messages.

“One unit equals one liter of water. I made fire with flint to boil river water. Use this to collect it. [Big coconut shell emoji 1]”

This was her reply shortly after he had messaged her earlier. Gratefully, Zhuang Fan accepted the container she sent.

A large coconut shell appeared in his hand, roughly processed and ready to use.

Seeing this, Zhuang Fan admired Ke Mengyao even more. Not only was she stunning, but also a top student with excellent practical skills. He couldn’t help but wonder what opportunities life had denied her.

Now parched beyond endurance, he eagerly took a long, satisfying gulp of water. Yet he didn’t drink it all at once, saving some for later.

Next, he checked the following messages—her response after he sent a photo of the Red Kui Bear.

“Are you okay?”
“Stay still up in the tree.”
“Don’t let it spot you—some bears can climb trees.”
“Are you safe now?”
“Zhuang Fan?”
“Zhuang Fan, answer me!”
“……”

She sent numerous messages, and when he didn’t reply, she kept sending more every few minutes, worried.

Seeing her concerned words, Zhuang Fan’s eyes moistened. The campus beauty was truly beautiful and kindhearted.

He quickly replied, “Thank you for your concern, I’m fine now. Survived a great disaster, still fortunate.”

“I encountered a mythical beast—a pink giant moth that could speak human language. It saved my life and even gave me a gift.”

“If you ever meet this moth, be sure to say some nice words to it. If it’s happy, it might give you something good, too.”

No sooner had he sent this than the campus beauty responded swiftly, clearly following his situation closely.

“You scared me to death. Glad you’re okay. Things are secondary. Are you hurt?”

“The forest is too dangerous; don’t go too deep. Tell me what you need. We’ll support each other. [Purified water emoji 3][Flint emoji 2]”

Moved by her words and the supplies she sent, Zhuang Fan immediately replied, “Alright! Thank you!”

“I’ll get busy now. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Their conversation ended there, but Zhuang Fan’s heart was heavy.

He knew Ke Mengyao was kind by nature, but also that he was her only familiar contact now. Being classmates in this strange and perilous environment naturally fostered a bond.

He hadn’t expected after years apart that this campus beauty would still care so deeply and help him so wholeheartedly.

His conscience was deeply troubled. He had previously doubted her intentions—how wrong he had been.

At that moment, a thought crossed his mind: “Should I repay her? After all, she’s been doing everything she can to help me.”

So Zhuang Fan decided to send some food to Ke Mengyao, though he hesitated. Sending it now would openly admit his earlier misunderstanding, risking the fragile closeness they’d just built.

No, no, absolutely not!

After pondering, he resolved to wait until tomorrow. Then he could say the food was just something he had recently found, so she wouldn’t suspect.

Composed again, Zhuang Fan began organizing his supplies.

His backpack had only ten slots, already packed to the brim.

He stored some unnecessary items in the cave. Only the bird egg and rabbit carcass remained in his pack to avoid attracting monsters.

With some time before nightfall, Zhuang Fan planned to search for a new place to move.

He hadn’t forgotten that a terrible flood was expected in a few days.

The cave where he currently stayed was at the foot of a small hill—clearly unsafe.

Besides, the place was called Ash Canyon, implying the terrain was likely low-lying.

They needed to find somewhere higher and safer to build a new home.

Stepping outside the cave, Zhuang Fan surveyed his surroundings, feeling lost.

Where, exactly, would be suitable to build a home?