Collecting Crimson Crystals

Lin Qi didn't know what Xia Chu and the other Lin Qi from the parallel world had been to each other.

But the fact that Xia Chu had a key to the parallel-world Lin Qi's bedroom was enough to show that they weren't strangers, at the very least.

An odd sensation stirred faintly in his chest. His arms, still encased in the exoskeleton, stayed pressed to his thighs, and Lin Qi didn't return Xia Chu's hug.

"Lin Qi, what's wrong?" Xia Chu sensed something was off, too.

She released him and grabbed his arm.

Looking at the cyberpunk-style metal arm, Xia Chu wore a puzzled expression.

Was his identity about to be exposed?

That was probably for the best. It would spare them any awkwardness later.

"You're not seriously planning to fight zombies in this half-baked exoskeleton, are you?"

"You didn't even win third place in the Dragon Nation University Student Mechanical Design Competition, yet you dared to wear an exoskeleton you designed yourself?"

Xia Chu's words made Lin Qi part his lips. He wanted to say something, but stopped himself.

He recalled the fleeting glimpse he'd gotten the last time he'd come to the Doomsday World: a computer desktop crowded with blueprints, circuit designs, and 3D modeling files.

The Lin Qi in this parallel world seemed to be an excellent university student who even took the initiative to enter national competitions.

Lin Qi stayed silent, unsure how to explain things to Xia Chu.

"What's the situation like outside?" Lin Qi chose not to explain.

He knew everything that had happened inside this building, but not what the world outside was like.

Xia Chu lowered her head and bent down to pick up the hammer on the floor.

The blood on the hammer and the crimson stains on her white shirt testified to the hardships she'd endured on the way here.

"The network's down. I checked some of the hardware and tested the signal with my own equipment. There's some kind of unknown interference."

"Almost all the communication methods commonly used in modern society have failed. Only basic electromagnetic signals can get through now and then."

The information Xia Chu gave him surprised Lin Qi. Had she studied communications engineering at university?

As she explained, Xia Chu walked past him to the desk. She crouched, opened the cabinet below it, and dragged out a half-box of instant noodles. Behind it was another full box.

There was also an opened package of something on top of the boxes...

Xia Chu casually set it on the desk.

Lin Qi drew a deep breath. This was the last thing he'd wanted to run into.

Xia Chu and the Lin Qi from the parallel world were most likely a couple.

"Good thing you spent this month's living expenses making that piece of junk exoskeleton. You couldn't afford food, so you stocked up on two boxes of instant noodles. The apartment building still has running water for now. If we ration them, they should last us nearly half a month." Xia Chu sounded a little more relaxed.

A piece of junk exoskeleton?

Lin Qi held out his arm and examined it closely.

His exoskeleton was made by modifying an L-level prosthetic body produced by Liu Heavy Industries, and he'd designed and installed it himself.

There was no way it could be called junk.

Thinking about Xia Chu's relationship with the Lin Qi from the parallel world, Lin Qi fell silent again.

Xia Chu kept busy. She climbed onto the chair and took an antenna from the cabinet above the desk.

She assembled the antenna with her phone so it could pick up any broadcasts that came through.

Then Xia Chu's eyes fell on the floor.

"Why's such a big patch of the floor burned black? Lin Qi, were you doing experiments at home again? You're renting this place, you know. There's a deposit... Good thing the zombie outbreak happened. The landlord probably won't get the chance to keep it now..."

Xia Chu kept muttering to herself.

Lin Qi understood that it was a way of releasing stress.

He didn't know where Xia Chu had set out from to reach this room, but she'd definitely had to fight zombies along the way.

As for the charred patch of floor she'd noticed...

Lin Qi couldn't explain it. He couldn't very well tell her that the charred patch was what remained of the Lin Qi she knew, could he?

"Stay here. It's safe for now. I'm going out for a while." Lin Qi wanted to avoid the situation for the moment.

Xia Chu abruptly stopped muttering and stared straight into Lin Qi's eyes.

Clenching her fist, she picked up the bloodstained hammer from the desk.

Her voice was firm. "I'm coming with you!"

Xia Chu didn't ask what he was going to do or try to stop him. She simply chose to go with him.

"Okay."

Lin Qi didn't refuse.

Compared with staying in the room, she'd actually be safer at his side.

The zombies were no match for Lin Qi in his L-level exoskeleton.

Lin Qi went out first, with Xia Chu right behind him.

Through Psychic Vision, Lin Qi clearly saw Xia Chu's calves trembling faintly as she walked, even though her steps were resolute.

The Lin Qi from the parallel world had been fortunate to have a girlfriend like her. It was a shame he hadn't survived the first wave of the crisis and had turned into a zombie.

The crisp clink of metal against tile accompanied each step Lin Qi took, and Xia Chu's heart pounded harder with every one.

Xia Chu wanted to persuade Lin Qi to take off the exoskeleton, but there was something strangely unfamiliar about his words and actions. She didn't speak, only following close behind him.

They came to the door of another room in the same building.

It was one of the subdivided units the landlord had made. Through Psychic Vision, Lin Qi could see two zombies inside.

Click, click...

The sound of machinery turning came from nowhere.

Xia Chu stared in shock as armor on Lin Qi's arm split apart. A Short Tang Dao dropped into his right hand, and the armor closed up again.

He pointed the blade at the lock.

He didn't need to use much force.

The lock was no match for the sharpness of A-level material.

He opened the door and went in.

The Sword Combat Chip activated.

In less than ten seconds, Lin Qi had taken care of the two zombies, a man and a woman.

Looking at the two zombie heads on the floor, Lin Qi furrowed his brow.

"I'll design a small robot after we get back, to collect the Crimson Crystals."

His goal was the Crimson Crystals.

A Wizard could only analyze a given Extraordinary Item once, but Extraordinary Items had their own effects, too.

Lin Qi didn't mind having too many Extraordinary Items. The more, the better.

He bent down and used the Short Tang Dao to open the zombies' heads.

Thanks to his earlier experience searching the parallel-world Lin Qi's brain for a Crimson Crystal, he found what he was looking for quickly.

The Crimson Crystal was located in the frontal lobe. As a mechanic and prosthetics engineer, Lin Qi knew a tiny bit about human anatomy.

Behind him, Xia Chu covered her mouth, looking a little sick.

She'd killed zombies with a hammer, but she'd never dug around inside their heads.

A zombie's head was no different from a human one.

Xia Chu wanted to ask him about it, but after hesitating for a while, she decided against it.

Looking at the zombie bodies on the floor, Lin Qi instinctively wanted to use Laser Burn.

Then he suddenly remembered Xia Chu was following behind him and stopped.

They could always move to another base soon. With the current temperatures, the stench wouldn't develop too quickly.

After putting away the Crimson Crystals, Lin Qi turned around. "Come on. Next room. Let's clear the zombies from this floor first."

Xia Chu nodded repeatedly. "Okay."

She followed behind Lin Qi again, and he went out first.

As Xia Chu left, she closed the door behind her.