Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 42: Descending the Mountain
The next morning, Tang Mo and Qin Ling had another hearty meal of roasted snake meat before heading down the mountain together.
They planned to first go to Qin Ling’s dorm to retrieve the food he had stored there. Afterward, they would head to the cafeteria to wait out the final days before the mist dissipated.
As they made their way across campus, Tang Mo noticed that in just a few days, the students had escaped the plight of being hunted by mutant beasts.
They were forming small teams to hunt down lone mutant beasts. Unfortunately, these crocodile-headed beasts were still affected by the mist, covered in a slime that made them inedible.
While hunting mutant beasts with his own team, An Yang had also rescued the remaining survivors from the various dorm buildings, gathering everyone in the cafeteria.
That was why Tang Mo didn’t see anyone else when she followed Qin Ling back to his dorm.
"First time in a guy’s dorm in your life, huh?" Qin Ling squeezed Tang Mo’s hand and grinned at her.
"Actually, no," Tang Mo replied, shaking her head seriously.
"You..." Qin Ling’s eyes widened. He had just been teasing Tang Mo, but who knew the girl wasn’t just unabashed, she actually had a story to tell.
"Confess and you’ll be treated leniently; resist and you’ll be punished severely." Qin Ling wrapped his arm around Tang Mo’s shoulders, pulling her tightly into his embrace.
"I used to help a professor with experiments and would sometimes go to the graduate school to get things from the senior male students." Her little ploy had worked, and Tang Mo was pleased.
Graduate schools are different from undergraduate ones; things are naturally much more relaxed.
"Hmph." Qin Ling was still sulking.
When they reached Qin Ling’s dorm and pushed the door open, Tang Mo realized that the university a rich person attended was a completely different world from her own.
Qin Ling had a single room. Although it was in a standard dorm building, one look inside at the decor and furnishings made it clear that it wasn’t on the same level as everyone else’s.
A large, post-modern wardrobe, a double bed, dark-toned wallpaper, and even a huge sofa—this wasn’t a place for studying, it was a place for indulgence.
But unlike the typical guy’s dorm Tang Mo had imagined, Qin Ling’s room was incredibly tidy, without a single thing out of place.
Even after being away for so long, a faint, clean scent of cologne lingered beneath the smell of dust.
Qin Ling entered the room. His wardrobe was fingerprint-locked. When he opened it, Tang Mo saw it was filled with packages, all stacked neatly inside.
Tang Mo knew exactly what was in those packages: two bottles of mineral water, some beef jerky, and some compressed biscuits and candy.
She did a quick mental calculation. There had to be over sixty of them.
"You can’t possibly take all this with you, can you?" Tang Mo asked, eyeing the full wardrobe skeptically.
"Why would I take them? I have to go back to the base. Things are a mess at home right now, and I need to be there as soon as possible." Qin Ling’s eyes darkened as he spoke.
He had a large family with complicated relationships; many things weren’t so simple.
"Once I’m home, I won’t need any of this. It was all for you. I was worried you’d be out here all alone, starving or getting bullied."
Qin Ling pinched his little girlfriend’s cheek. If he didn’t know about Tang Mo’s ambition and aspirations, or that she was a smart woman, he really wouldn’t have the heart to let his girlfriend fend for herself for a whole year. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"Don’t worry. You should be more concerned about me bullying others," Tang Mo said, slapping Qin Ling’s hand away with a meaningful smile.
’Fortunately, that Intermediate Spirit Stone from before had expanded my Space, making it just large enough to fit all these supplies. Otherwise, if I’d seen all this food today but couldn’t take it, I would have been so frustrated.’
After storing everything in her Space, Tang Mo’s Space was once again full.
The two of them then left the dorm and headed toward the cafeteria.
They didn’t bother deliberately avoiding mutant beasts along the way. There weren’t that many on campus, and they usually appeared alone, posing little threat to the pair.
If anything, they actually hoped more would show up so they could collect more Crystal Stones.
Even so, the two of them managed to get four Spirit Stones on their way over.
Two red, one green, and one white—Qin Ling tossed them all to Tang Mo without a word.
Tang Mo was a bit speechless. ’Why do I feel like I’m out shopping with a rich heir? And why does it feel so inexplicably good?’
’This must be what it’s like to be a woman.’
Qin Ling’s intention was to spend the next few days taking Tang Mo out to collect some Crystal Stones, helping her build up some capital for the future.
But Tang Mo knew that opportunity was gone, because the mist was going to clear tomorrow.
They reached the cafeteria entrance and went inside without any trouble.
A lot of people were coming and going these days. The doors were kept open during the day and were only closed and guarded at night.
An Yang’s group had already cleared out the nearby mutant beasts. Even if more showed up, the large number of people inside the cafeteria meant they weren’t afraid. freewebnσvel.cøm
Most importantly, people were no longer afraid of the mutant beasts. Courage was humanity’s greatest gain over the past month.
The second floor of the cafeteria was packed, and many people were sitting and resting in the first-floor hall as well.
It was winter now, and everyone was bundled up tightly in the last of their clothing.
Those who hadn’t prepared winter clothes were layering jacket upon jacket just to stay a little warmer.
Tang Mo, however, had foreseen the change in weather.
She and Qin Ling had already changed into thick, warm tactical gear, and they were both wearing insulated, practical combat boots.
There weren’t many people in the storeroom where Tang Mo used to stay. This was mainly because everyone now knew about the small door inside it.
If a mutant beast were to suddenly break in, sleeping there would leave a person completely defenseless. It felt far too unsafe.
But when Tang Mo walked into the small storeroom, she found that the people staying there now were all old acquaintances.
Professor Tian and his son and daughter, Tian Shishi and Tian Zhen, were resting inside.
Unlike the others who traveled light, Professor Tian was surrounded by piles of books and equipment. This was the most precious data he had gathered over this whole time, and he insisted on keeping it with him, no matter how much others tried to dissuade him.
"What’s wrong with the professor?"
Tang Mo asked hurriedly, seeing Professor Tian lying weakly on the cold floor, his face gaunt and pale.
"Dad’s sick. He’s old and his health isn’t good, and on top of that, it’s gotten cold. We don’t have any medicine in these conditions..." Tian Shishi said with her head down, her slender fingers holding Professor Tian’s hand, hoping to transfer some of her warmth to him.
"What about medicine? Doesn’t the school clinic have any?" Qin Ling asked.
"An Yang’s group brought all the medicine back, but Wenqing claimed it all in exchange for the food she provides everyone.
I went and begged her, but she wouldn’t give me any," Tian Shishi continued.
Beside them, a frustrated Tian Zhen slammed his fist hard against the wall.
His father was gravely ill, his sister was starving, and yet he, the supposed pillar of the family, could do nothing. As a man, he felt utterly suffocated by his powerlessness.
