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3: Casting a Wide Net, Xu Wanting’s Resolve

Shen Yi had not been idle these past few days.

He took advantage of the still-working internet to search many local chat groups, applied to join them, and periodically posted an ad saying he would shelter beautiful girls…

To sum it up in three words: cast a wide net!

Because the System’s standards for taking in girls were high, he had to rely on this needle-in-a-haystack approach.

As long as the net was big enough, he would eventually haul in a few good fish!

After all, he had no power to protect himself now, so he could not go out and look for high-quality goddesses; he could only search online.

Shen Yi had a hunch that this disaster would not end so easily.

It was very likely to turn into humanity’s doomsday!

If the black fog only made people thirsty and hungry, it would hardly count as an apocalypse… food and water would merely grow scarce.

Yet the plants inside the black fog seemed to be mutating…

Moreover, 5 days had passed since the black fog appeared, yet official rescue still had not come.

They only pushed online notices telling everyone to stay inside, throw their pets outside, and so on.

Of course, they also issued tips on how to judge whether water and food were contaminated, and the like…

The authorities had started sending these notices 4 or 5 hours after the black fog descended.

However, there was a catch.

At first, no one took it seriously.

Even the supplies people stored were pitifully small.

By now the black fog had thickened; most food and water had been spoiled by unknown bacteria, and it was too late to stock up.

Moreover, another problem surfaced.

Most people did not dare step outside at all!

A deadly danger lurked in the current black fog!!

For the past few days shrieks had echoed from within it, and no one knew how many had died…

At that moment, while Shen Yi was drinking water and chatting with a newly added girl, a WeChat message suddenly popped up.

Jin Rui (Dorm Leader): “Shen Yi, you have some water, right? Bring me a bottle; I’m on the 8th floor of the teaching building… move!”

Shen Yi: “F*** you, idiot! Scram!”

After cursing, he deleted the contact at once.

Damn it, those idiot roommates had bullied him before doomsday; now that it was here, why should he keep swallowing his anger?

People online said that college dorm mates were brothers through life and death, and maybe others really had that, but Shen Yi was unlucky enough to room with a rich second-generation kid.

Then things got worse.

That guy loved ordering people around and bullying the weak.

Naturally Shen Yi hated being bossed around, so he had fought Jin Rui several times, yet the other two scummy roommates stuck up for Jin Rui; three against one left Shen Yi helpless.

He had even thought about staking his life to kill him, but when he remembered Grandma who had raised him and whom he had yet to repay, he just could not.

“I wonder how Grandma and Little Sister are doing today…” Shen Yi dialed Grandma’s number again.

Yesterday he had reached them; Grandma and Little Sister were hiding in a cellar which, being rural, stored plenty of grain and vegetables, so food was no worry.

But they dared not leave the cellar; they had said the neighbor’s dog was eating people… terrifying!

Little Sister could not explain the details, but Shen Yi guessed the animals had probably mutated too…

Otherwise a pet dog would never eat its owner.

At the same time, something else was happening.

Somewhere else on campus.

Inside a classroom on the 8th floor of the teaching building.

Jin Rui looked at Shen Yi’s reply and grew so angry he nearly smashed his phone.

“Damn it! That dog Shen Yi actually dared curse me!”

“Just wait! When I get back to the dorm I’ll beat you to death!”

Although Shen Yi had fought him before, he had never dared curse him like this.

Jin Rui had been a bully since childhood, so how could he swallow this insult?

If he did not know the black fog was deadly, he would already be on his way back to thrash Shen Yi.

Killing him was out of the question; no one knew when state rescue would come, and murder had a price.

But a vicious beating and a broken arm… he could risk that.

At worst he would pay some compensation.

“Brother Jin, calm down; that idiot isn’t worth it.”

“Shen Yi just has a few bottles of water… does he think the apocalypse will last forever? When it’s over, we’ll make him kneel and apologize to Brother Jin!”

The two boot-licking roommates tried to soothe Jin Rui.

They had seen Shen Yi’s post in the group and had contacted him for water.

Who would have thought Shen Yi would suddenly toughen up?

The two were furious too, yet for now they had to keep licking Jin Rui’s boots.

Because Jin Rui’s family had money and connections, his dad might send a rescue team, and they could hitch a ride.

All their fawning had a purpose!

…

Dawn slowly broke.

Over in Xu Wanting’s room.

She had endured another night.

Throughout the night, not a single drop of water had passed her lips.

It was not that she did not want to drink; she simply had none left.

She was so dehydrated that she could not even urinate…

She had been without water since yesterday morning.

During that time she had called the rescue hotline countless times and phoned her parents just as many, yet no one answered…

Xu Wanting felt a surge of despair.

If she kept waiting, she really would die of thirst.

Dying of thirst alive was something few people could endure.

For a young girl like Xu Wanting it was even worse.

So she humbled herself, stood on the balcony, and begged Shen Yi to toss her a bottle of water.

But after shouting for ages, Shen Yi completely ignored her.

It seemed that unless she went to the boys’ dorm, nothing could be discussed.

Xu Wanting cursed Shen Yi under her breath for hours, even using swear words she had never learned.

Yet cursing solved nothing, nor did it quench thirst.

So she had to make a decision.

After a long inner struggle, Xu Wanting finally resolved to go to the boys’ dorm.

In fact, the choice was simple; compared with dying of thirst, sacrificing her body was nothing…

Only those who had felt such hunger and thirst could understand.

However, what had delayed her decision was that she still held a sliver of hope for state rescue.

If she traded her body for water and the rescue team arrived right afterward, that would be too great a loss!

She really did not want to give her first time to an ordinary guy like Shen Yi…

Normally she looked down on someone as average as Shen Yi, was too lazy even to speak to him, let alone date or sleep with him.

Another reason she hesitated was that she had earlier heard a girl’s screams from downstairs; though far away, the sound felt wrong.

Xu Wanting guessed there might be monsters inside the black fog…

Her guess was not random; students had posted videos in the campus chat showing many plants and animals mutating.

Even palm-sized geckos had swollen several times over, now as big as an adult dog… frightening to see!

Therefore Xu Wanting never dared open the dorm door or even make loud noises.

But now, time had run out.

Rather than die of thirst in her room, she had to take a gamble!

“Damn Shen Yi!”

“Can’t you just throw over a bottle of water? Do you really have to make this lady risk her life…”

While cursing Shen Yi, Xu Wanting pulled on white stockings and then her sneakers.

After dressing, she stuffed the remaining snack bags into her pink backpack; with water she might last another 3 or 4 days, maybe even 5 or 6.

But without water it was hopeless…

She could not last even a single day.

She stared at the fruit knife on the table, hesitated, and tucked it into her jacket.

After that she pulled out her phone, found Shen Yi’s post in the group, and sent him a friend request.

Yet nothing happened.

The request remained pending.

Xu Wanting waited a while, then peered from the balcony toward Shen Yi’s dorm, but the view was unclear, so she had no choice but to set out while daylight remained.

She could only hope she would reach him safely…

Back in Shen Yi’s room.

As the disaster dragged on.

More and more people were adding him.

Among them, the men outnumbered the women!

But Shen Yi accepted only the women.

In just a few days, more than 200 girls had taken the initiative to add him!

That was the benefit of casting a wide net!

And among those 200 girls he had found another one who met the System’s standards…

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