Ice Apocalypse (Season 2)

Chapter 203: You're Quite the Little Genius

With this move, Zhang Yi secured several years' worth of fuel. Crawling out of the snow pit, he was met by Xu Pangzi's eager inquiry, "Did you get it done?"
Zhang Yi nodded. "Yep, all good." The statement acknowledged both the smooth fuel collection and praised Xu Pangzi. Without his help, this task wouldn't have been accomplished so effortlessly.Xu Pangzi's face lit up instantly. "That's fantastic!""Zhang, you're amazing!" Xu Pangzi genuinely admired, though it made Zhang Yi feel a bit awkward. To him, it was merely a matter of storing the fuel tanks in the dimensional space; the bulk of the work was done by Xu Pangzi. However, Xu Pangzi saw it differently. He thought clearing the snow was easy enough, something manpower could handle. But dealing with such a large amount of fuel was impossible without Zhang Yi's intervention."Did you guys ever consider scavenging for supplies before?" Zhang Yi asked.Xu Pangzi sighed helplessly at the question. "Of course we did. But with the harsh weather, we couldn't venture too far from the village. Even with sled dogs, ours aren't the breeds accustomed to prolonged exposure to cold like those in the north. If we let them out for too long, they can't handle it.""So, we just dug around Xu Town, finding stuff from supermarkets and grain depots nearby. It's enough for us, no need to go further."Zhang Yi smiled at Xu Pangzi, growing fonder of him by the moment. He was indeed an excellent support. "This isn't an issue for me. Just stick with me from now on, I won't let you down!"A hint of cunning flashed in Zhang Yi's eyes as he deliberately added, "I can share a can of diesel and gasoline I obtained this time with you!"Initially delighted, Xu Pangzi's expression turned bitter upon further thought. "Zhang, I appreciate the gesture, but even if you gave me a can of gasoline, I wouldn't have the means to transport it back!"Understanding, Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I see. That's a shame. I'm not one to shortchange my brothers, but I'm truly helpless in this situation.""Alright, how about I compensate you with something else?" Retrieving a mountaineering bag from the dimensional space – the same one he gave to Xu Hao previously – Zhang Yi handed it to Xu Pangzi. "There's food in here, consider it a reward for you!"Eyes brightening, Xu Pangzi hastily took the bag. It was so heavy he almost couldn't hold it. Opening it, he found an array of goodies, high-calorie foods like chocolates, chicken legs, and cream-filled pastries, all from reputable brands, unlike the products in their village supermarket, which were mostly homemade and of a lower standard."Zhang, this..." Xu Pangzi's eyes moistened. Since his parents passed away, it was the first time someone had been this kind to him."Is this too much?" Xu Pangzi felt a bit awkward. He hadn't really done much; just cleared some snow, while Zhang Yi did the heavy lifting."I've always treated those close to me like this. As long as you stick with me, I promise you'll have good food and clothing without worries!" Zhang Yi patted Xu Pangzi's shoulder, smiling.The determination in Xu Pangzi's eyes solidified. He already considered Zhang Yi a benefactor, someone who understood his worth. "Okay, Zhang! I'll definitely work hard alongside you!"Zhang Yi thought to himself, *Xiaochi is easily satisfied.* With the needed supplies secured, Zhang Yi drove Xu Pangzi back. Along the way, he inquired about Xu Pangzi's awakening of abilities. However, Xu Pangzi's face turned beet red at the mention, as if it were an embarrassing topic.Furrowing his brows slightly, Zhang Yi sensed something was amiss. But he needed ample samples of metahumans, so he pressed on with his questions. Xu Pangzi had no choice but to stutter out his story."After my mom passed away, I didn't want to live anymore. But... I didn't dare to commit suicide, so I just lay in bed, hoping to starve myself to death.""It was an easily achievable wish, especially since our food was running out at that time.""Did you awaken just before starving to death?" Zhang Yi asked."Oh, it wasn't like that." Xu Pangzi turned away, scratching his chubby face bashfully. "It was quite warm under the blankets. Since I didn't actually starve to death, I thought I might as well enjoy myself a bit before I die.""My parents used to warn me about overindulging, saying it harms the body and shortens lifespan. But I didn't want to live anyway, so I didn't care about any harm.""So, I indulged myself a bit more than usual."Zhang Yi's eyelid twitched violently. It seemed Xu Pangzi awakened his abilities just before he would have died of overindulgence."How many times?" Xu Pangzi was about to bury his head in his pants."I've lost count, maybe... twenty-something times! I didn't feel it anymore after a while.""Then, after I lost consciousness, I inexplicably felt my body changing. It felt amazing, miraculous!"Zhang Yi fell silent. *Damn, someone awakened their abilities just before dying from overindulgence! Hard to believe!*All he could say was, everyone had their own fortunes.Zhang Yi dropped Xu Pangzi off by the river. Looking at the hundreds of meters of Lu River, Xu Pangzi weakly asked, "Zhang, can't you take me to the other side?"His body wouldn't make it even a few hundred meters.Zhang Yi chuckled, "My car might slip on the ice!"Since his car had broken down on the river once, Zhang Yi was more cautious. It was Xu Pangzi's turf; he needed to be vigilant.Curious, Xu Pangzi asked, "Isn't your car an all-terrain vehicle?""Yeah, but it's not an icebreaker. It works on snow, not ice."Xu Pangzi found Zhang Yi's explanation reasonable, but he couldn't help but remember how confidently Zhang Yi drove the car with the Barrett last night.However, he didn't question it and simply unbuckled his seatbelt, preparing to get off.Before leaving, Zhang Yi warned him, "Xiaochi, be careful. The apocalypse is dangerous. Xu Town is known as the granary of Tianhai City. People might come to plunder your food. Be vigilant!"Xu Pangzi swallowed nervously, feeling tense. "Got it, Zhang! I'll remember!"