Collecting Crimson Crystals

Lin Qi didn't know what relationship Xia Chu had with his parallel-world counterpart.

But the fact that Xia Chu had a key to that Lin Qi's bedroom was enough to show they weren't strangers.

A faint strange sensation came from his chest. His arms, wrapped in Exoskeleton plating, pressed tight against his thighs. Lin Qi didn't respond to Xia Chu's embrace.

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

She let go of the hug and grabbed his arm.

Staring at the cybernetic-style metal arm, Xia Chu's face showed confusion.

Was he about to be exposed?

That was fine. It would avoid awkwardness later.

"You're not planning to fight Zombies with this half-baked Exoskeleton, are you?"

"You didn't even win third prize in the Dragon Nation University Student Mechanical Design Competition, and you dare to wear an Exoskeleton you designed yourself?"

Xia Chu's words made Lin Qi open his mouth slightly, as if to say something, but he stopped himself.

He recalled his last visit to the Doomsday World—a fleeting glance at a computer desktop.

There had been plenty of blueprints, circuit designs, and 3D modeling files.

So this parallel-world Lin Qi was an outstanding student, and even took the initiative to participate in national competitions.

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

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

He had full knowledge of everything inside this building, but not the specific environment outside.

Xia Chu lowered her head, bent down, and picked up the hammer from the floor.

The bloodstains on the hammer and the crimson splattered across her white shirt testified to the hardships of her journey here.

"The network is down. I checked some of the hardware and used my own equipment to scan for signals. I found unknown signal interference."

"Almost all modern communication methods are paralyzed. Only basic electromagnetic signals can still transmit occasionally."

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

While explaining, Xia Chu walked past Lin Qi to the desk, crouched down, pulled open the bottom cabinet, and dragged out half a box of instant noodles. Behind that half-box was another full one.

On top of the noodle box was an already-opened pack of...

Xia Chu casually placed it on the desk.

Lin Qi took a deep breath. This was the situation he least wanted to face.

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

"Lucky for you, you spent this month's living allowance on that piece of junk Exoskeleton. Couldn't afford food, so you hoarded two boxes of instant noodles. The apartment building hasn't lost water yet. If we ration, it'll last us half a month." Xia Chu's tone lightened considerably.

Junk Exoskeleton?

Lin Qi raised his arm and looked at it closely.

His Exoskeleton was modified from L-level prosthetics produced by Liu Heavy Industries, designed and installed by himself.

It had nothing to do with the word "junk."

Thinking about Xia Chu's relationship with the parallel-world Lin Qi, he continued to stay silent.

Xia Chu didn't stop moving. She climbed onto the room's chair and took an antenna from the cabinet above the desk.

She assembled the antenna with her phone to receive any broadcast signals that might come through.

Then, her gaze fell to the floor.

"Why is such a large patch of the floor burned? Lin Qi, were you doing experiments at home again? There's a deposit on this rental... Lucky the Zombie outbreak happened. The landlord probably won't get a chance to deduct your deposit now..."

Xia Chu kept muttering.

Lin Qi understood. This was a way for her to vent stress.

He didn't know where Xia Chu had started from or how she'd fought her way to this room, but she'd definitely clashed with Zombies along the way.

As for the scorched floor she'd noticed...

Lin Qi couldn't explain. He couldn't exactly say that burned patch was the Lin Qi she knew.

"You stay in the room. It's safe for now. I'm going out for a bit." Lin Qi wanted to escape for a while.

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

Her fists clenched. She picked up the bloodstained hammer from the table.

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

Xia Chu didn't ask where Lin Qi was going, nor did she try to stop him. She resolutely chose to go with him.

"Alright."

Lin Qi didn't refuse.

Compared to staying in the room, staying by his side was actually safer.

Zombies were no match for Lin Qi's L-level Exoskeleton.

Lin Qi stepped out first, with Xia Chu close behind.

Through Psychic Vision, Lin Qi could clearly see that Xia Chu's calves trembled faintly as she walked, yet her steps were remarkably steady.

Lin Qi of the parallel world was fortunate to have a girlfriend like her—too bad he hadn't survived the first wave of crisis and had turned into a Zombie.

The crisp clatter of metal against tile echoed. Xia Chu's heartbeat grew more intense with every step Lin Qi took.

Xia Chu wanted to persuade Lin Qi to take off the Exoskeleton, but something in his demeanor gave her a faint sense of unfamiliarity. She held her tongue, simply following close behind.

They arrived at another door in the same house.

This room was one of the landlord's partitioned units. In Psychic Vision, two Zombies lurked inside.

Click, clank...

A mechanical sound emerged from nowhere.

Xia Chu watched in shock as the armor on Lin Qi's arm split apart, a Short Tang Dao dropping into his right hand before the armor sealed shut again.

He aimed the Tang Dao at the door lock.

No great force was needed.

With the sharpness of A-level materials, the lock gave way instantly.

The door opened. He entered.

Sword Combat Chip activated.

In less than ten seconds, the two Zombies—a man and a woman—were dealt with by Lin Qi.

Staring at the two Zombie heads on the floor, Lin Qi frowned slightly.

"I'll design a small robot later to collect Crimson Crystals."

Lin Qi's goal was the Crimson Crystals.

The same type of Extraordinary Item could only be analyzed once by a Wizard, but the items themselves still had their own effects.

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

He bent down and used the Short Tang Dao to split open the Zombie heads.

With prior experience digging through the parallel world Lin Qi's head for Crimson Crystals, he quickly found his target.

Crimson Crystals were located in the frontal lobe of the brain. As a mechanic and cybernetic engineer, Lin Qi had a slight—just a slight—understanding of human anatomy.

Behind him, Xia Chu covered her mouth, feeling nauseous.

She had killed Zombies with a hammer before, but she had never pried open a Zombie's head.

A Zombie's head looked no different from a human brain.

Xia Chu wanted to ask something, but after a moment of hesitation, she chose to stay silent.

Looking at the Zombie bodies on the floor, Lin Qi instinctively thought of using Laser Burn.

Then he remembered Xia Chu was still behind him, and stopped himself.

At worst, he could change their base soon. The current season's temperature wouldn't let the stench spread too quickly.

Pocketing the Crimson Crystal, Lin Qi turned around. "Let's go. Next room. Clear out this floor's Zombies first."

Xia Chu nodded repeatedly. "Mm."

Still following behind Lin Qi, he stepped out of the room first.

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