For a moment, no one spoke. Everyone was catching their breath, trying to recover from the tense fight and escape. Huang Wei leaned against the door, observing the group he'd just saved more carefully.
The two fighting men had athletic builds—probably members of some sports club. The basketball uniforms they wore, though now dirty and torn in places, showed they were campus athletes. The third man was thinner, with glasses cracked on one side and looked like a typical computer science or engineering student. The six women varied in appearance, but all looked exhausted and frightened—dirty clothes, messy hair, and eyes that hinted at trauma from whatever they'd experienced over the past week. All except one—the woman with the sword who was now studying Huang Wei with sharp, calculating eyes.
"Thank you," said one of the fighters, extending his hand with a relieved smile. Infected blood stained his tired but handsome face. He was tall with a somewhat athletic build, had very narrow eyes, and wore a wide grin. "My name is Liu Zihao, basketball team captain. You just saved all of us."
Huang Wei shook the offered hand. "Huang Wei," he replied briefly, unaccustomed to talking after a week of living alone.
"Did you also activate the system?" asked the second man, who then introduced himself as Chen Feng. His eyes showed admiration mixed with suspicion. "And what's your [Strength] stat? I've never seen anyone crush infected skulls with a single hit like that. Even I, with my fairly high [Strength], still need two or three hits."
All eyes were now on Huang Wei, waiting for an answer. There was sudden tension in the room—a mixture of curiosity, hope, and slight suspicion. Especially from the sword-wielding woman, whose gaze seemed to be trying to probe deep into Huang Wei's being.
Huang Wei remained silent for a moment. Though he'd already suspected it, he was still slightly surprised by this confirmation that proved his speculation—that every human who survived "that day" became an Evolved with an RPG-like leveling system.
However, despite being slightly surprised, Huang Wei showed no emotion on his face. But how strong were they compared to him? And how should he answer? Was showing his full strength a wise choice among people he'd just met?
Before he could answer, the beautiful sword-wielding woman stepped forward. Her long black hair tied in a high ponytail now looked slightly disheveled after the fight, but this only added to the dangerous aura radiating from her. Her eyes were sharp like an eagle's, observing every detail of Huang Wei's appearance. Her body was so slender that anyone looking at her wouldn't suspect the strength beyond normal humans hidden beneath.
"I'm Yun Qian, a first-semester student," she said with a clear voice that implied natural authority. Huang Wei certainly knew the woman in front of him because during the university's anniversary celebration, she had performed something truly captivating.
She had performed a beautiful sword dance, so enchanting that everyone who saw it was mesmerized by her performance. Combined with her beautiful face and sexy body, it only added to her charm. She was acknowledged as the most beautiful woman in the entire university. It was said that many sons of wealthy families flocked to propose to her.
Although Huang Wei hadn't paid much attention to her at the time, he still knew how popular the girl in front of him was. However, what he hadn't expected was that those sword dances could be used for attacks—and very effectively at that.
Yun Qian looked at Huang Wei and asked directly, "Did you focus your strength upgrades on physical power and endurance?"
Huang Wei nodded in response. Hearing his answer, Yun Qian studied Huang Wei carefully as if thinking about something very important, then said seriously, "I need your help. Right now we want to return to the girl's dormitory. There's someone I need to save there, but the journey back will definitely be unsafe. Can you come with us?"
Huang Wei observed Yun Qian's face carefully. That beautiful face radiated worry that she was trying to hide behind a firm expression. He weighed her request carefully. Helping this group meant taking additional risks, but going alone had its own dangers too.
"Why are you wandering around here?" Huang Wei asked, his sharp gaze fixed on Yun Qian. "Wouldn't it be safer to find a place to hole up?"
The question made the room fall silent. Several people exchanged glances, as if weighing how much they should tell this mysterious savior.
Yun Qian sighed, then sheathed her sword. "We didn't have a choice," she answered honestly. "We're on our way to the girls' dormitory. I have a friend there, and I need to find her. We also need food supplies, of course. But the roads are very unsafe."
"A friend?" Huang Wei raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Yun Qian nodded, her eyes dimming for a moment. "When the outbreak first hit, I was outside the dormitory, planning to return to my family's residence. However, I had a friend, Xiao Ling, who stayed at the girls' dormitory because she had important things to finish on campus that month. When the apocalypse broke out, I immediately contacted her and asked her to stay in her room, no matter what happened. I tried to get back to the dormitory as quickly as possible, but I was attacked and fortunately saved by Liu Zihao and Chen Feng. Since then, we've met other survivors scattered around campus. In conditions like this, it's hard to ignore those who need help. We spent about a week saving them and looking for supplies. That delayed us from reaching the girls' dormitory directly. So she might be the only one left there, and we've tried various routes, but we're always overwhelmed by the infected."
Liu Zihao stepped forward. "We joined up with Yun Qian a week ago. Since then, we've been struggling to reach the girls' dormitory. The place is relatively safe because of its structure, but we need more strength to break through."
Yun Qian added in a quiet voice, "And we also want to find a way out of this campus, to look for help. But my main priority is getting to the girls' dormitory."
Huang Wei understood now. "How many of you can fight?"
"Only three of us—me, Liu Zihao, and Yun Qian—have significant ability upgrades for combat," Chen Feng answered. "The rest are mostly female students and some staff we rescued along the way."
Yun Qian looked at Huang Wei with an expression that was hard to read. "I might be the strongest among us, but..." she glanced toward the rest of the group, "...I can't protect them alone. Even with Liu Zihao and Chen Feng's help, we're overwhelmed when we have to face large groups of infected."
One of the women, who had been silent until now, spoke with a trembling voice. "We lost two people on the way here. They... they weren't fast enough."
The room fell silent again. The burden of failure was clearly visible on Yun Qian's face, though she tried to hide it with a cold expression.
"I can't guarantee everyone's safety," Yun Qian said in a quiet but firm voice. "But with you added to our group, we have a better chance of getting back to the dormitory safely and saving her."
Huang Wei understood the situation now. Seeing Yun Qian, famous for her pride and perfection, now asking for help with a serious expression, made him realize how dire their situation was.
"And what do I get from helping you?" Huang Wei asked directly.
The question made several group members look surprised, and Chen Feng even frowned with displeasure. But the world had changed, and pure altruism was a luxury that couldn't always be maintained.
"Safety in numbers," Yun Qian answered without hesitation. "Food, shelter, and information. We've been gathering data about the infected and these ability upgrades for the past week. And..." she looked directly into Huang Wei's eyes, "...a chance to survive longer. Isn't that what we all want?"
Huang Wei considered her words. This group had something he didn't—a small, newly formed community, structure, and information that might be valuable. However, he also didn't want to carelessly trust strangers.
"Alright," Huang Wei said finally. "I'll help you get back to the dormitory. But on one condition."
"What's that?" Yun Qian asked, wary but also curious.
"If I ask for help, you have to help me too," Huang Wei said firmly. "Mutual relationship. I won't take orders without reason, and if I decide to leave, no one can try to stop me."
Those words drew mixed reactions from the group. Liu Zihao seemed to weigh it seriously, several women whispered to each other, while Chen Feng clearly disagreed.
"Who do you think you are?" Chen Feng stepped forward, his voice rising. "You're talking like you deserve to set conditions for Yun Qian!"
Huang Wei only glanced at Chen Feng calmly, not letting his emotions get provoked. "I'm just setting clear boundaries. I'm not anyone's pawn."
"Chen Feng, enough," Yun Qian raised her hand, stopping Chen Feng who looked ready to argue further. "He's right. This is a new world, and we all have the right to set our own boundaries." She turned to Huang Wei and nodded. "Your condition is accepted. Mutual relationship."
Chen Feng looked shocked, then his face turned sour. Clearly he wasn't happy seeing his idol—and possibly the person he liked—agreeing to conditions from someone they'd just met.