Lin Qi didn't know the relationship between this parallel world's Xia Chu and Lin Qi.
But the fact that Xia Chu had a key to the parallel world Lin Qi's bedroom was enough to show that their relationship was far from distant.
A strange feeling faintly stirred in his chest. His two arms, encased in the Exoskeleton, remained pressed tightly against his thighs. Lin Qi didn't return Xia Chu's embrace.
"Lin Qi, what's wrong with you?" Xia Chu also sensed something was off.
She released him from the hug and grabbed his arm.
Staring at the cyber-style metal arm, Xia Chu's face filled with confusion.
'Is my identity about to be exposed?'
'This is fine, too. It'll prevent future awkwardness.'
"You're not actually planning to fight Zombies with this half-assed Exoskeleton Equipment, are you?"
"You didn't even get a third-place prize in the Dragon Country University Student Mechanical Design Competition. What makes you bold enough to wear an Exoskeleton you designed yourself?"
Xia Chu's words made Lin Qi open his mouth slightly, but he stopped before any words could come out.
He recalled his last trip to the Doomsday World and the fleeting glance he'd gotten of the computer desktop.
There had been numerous blueprints, circuit designs, and 3D modeling files.
It seemed the Lin Qi of this parallel world was an excellent university student, one who even took the initiative to participate in national competitions.
Lin Qi remained silent, unsure how to explain the situation to Xia Chu.
"What's the situation outside now?" Lin Qi opted not to explain.
Lin Qi had a full grasp of the situation inside this building, but he was unclear about the specific environment outside.
Xia Chu looked down and bent over to pick up the hammer from the floor.
The bloodstains on the hammer and the crimson splatters on her white shirt testified to the hardships of her journey.
"The network is down. I checked some of the hardware and used my own equipment to test the signal. I found some unknown signal interference."
"Almost all modern forms of communication are paralyzed. Only basic electromagnetic signals can get through occasionally."
'Could she have studied communications engineering in university?' The information Xia Chu provided surprised Lin Qi.
While explaining the situation, Xia Chu walked past Lin Qi to the room's desk. She crouched down, opened the cabinet below, and pulled out half a box of instant noodles. Behind it was another full box.
On top of the noodle boxes was an opened box of...
Xia Chu casually placed it on the desktop.
Lin Qi took a deep breath. This was the exact situation he had hoped to avoid.
Xia Chu and the parallel world's Lin Qi were most likely a couple.
"Good thing you spent this month's living expenses on that piece-of-junk Exoskeleton and had to stock up on two boxes of instant noodles because you couldn't afford real food. The water in the apartment building hasn't been cut off yet, so if we're careful, this can last us for about half a month." Xia Chu's tone was much lighter now.
'Piece-of-junk Exoskeleton?'
Lin Qi extended his arm and examined it closely.
His own Exoskeleton was modified from an L-Class Prosthetic Body produced by Liu's Heavy Industries, which he had personally designed and installed.
It had absolutely no connection to the words "piece of junk."
Thinking about the relationship between Xia Chu and the parallel world Lin Qi, Lin Qi remained silent.
Xia Chu didn't stop bustling about. She climbed onto a chair and took an antenna from the cabinet above the desk.
She attached the antenna to a phone to pick up any broadcast signals that might come through.
Then, Xia Chu's gaze fell upon the floor.
"Why is there such a huge scorch mark on the floor? Lin Qi, were you doing experiments at home again? You know there's a security deposit for this apartment... lucky for you, with the Zombie outbreak, the landlord probably won't get a chance to deduct it..."
Xia Chu kept muttering to herself.
Lin Qi understood this was her way of venting stress.
He didn't know where she had come from to get to this room, but she had certainly fought her way through Zombies.
As for the scorch mark Xia Chu was focused on...
Lin Qi couldn't explain. He couldn't just say, 'That scorch mark *is* the Lin Qi you know, right?'
"You stay here. It's safe in the room for now. I'm going out for a bit." Lin Qi wanted to temporarily escape the situation.
Xia Chu's muttering abruptly stopped. She stared directly into Lin Qi's eyes.
Her fist tightened, and she picked up the bloodstained hammer from the desk.
Her voice was firm. "I'm going with you!"
Xia Chu didn't ask what Lin Qi was going to do, nor did she try to stop him. She resolutely chose to go with him.
"Alright."
Lin Qi didn't refuse.
In fact, it was safer for her to be by his side than to stay in the room.
Before Lin Qi's L-Class Exoskeleton, the combat power of the Zombies was negligible.
Lin Qi led the way out, and Xia Chu followed closely behind.
Through his Spiritual Vision, Lin Qi could clearly see Xia Chu's calves trembling faintly as she walked, but her steps were exceptionally firm.
'The Lin Qi of this parallel world was a lucky man to have a girlfriend like this. It's just a shame he didn't survive the first wave of the crisis and turned into a Zombie.'
The crisp sound of metal striking tile echoed with each step. Xia Chu's heartbeat grew more intense with every move Lin Qi made.
Xia Chu wanted to convince Lin Qi to take off the Exoskeleton, but his every action and movement gave her a faint sense of unfamiliarity. She didn't speak, merely following closely behind him.
They arrived before another door in the same apartment.
This was one of the partitioned rooms the landlord had made. In his Spiritual Vision, Lin Qi saw two Zombies inside.
KLAK...
A mechanical whirring sound appeared out of thin air.
Xia Chu watched in shock as the armor on Lin Qi's arm split open. A Short-Handled Tang Blade dropped into his right hand, and the armor then sealed shut.
He aimed the Tang Blade at the door lock.
It didn't require much force.
Thanks to the sharpness of the A-Class Materials, the lock was no match.
He opened the door and went in.
Sword Fighting Chip activated.
In less than ten seconds, Lin Qi had dealt with the two Zombies, a male and a female.
Looking at the two Zombie heads on the floor, Lin Qi's brow furrowed slightly.
'After I get back, I'll design a small robot to collect Crimson Crystal Stones.'
Lin Qi's goal was the Crimson Crystal Stone.
The same type of Extraordinary Item could only be analyzed once by a Wizard, but the Extraordinary Items themselves had their own effects.
Lin Qi didn't mind having too many Extraordinary Items; for him, the more the better.
He bent down and used the Short-Handled Tang Blade to split open the Zombies' heads.
With the experience of having rummaged through the parallel world Lin Qi's head for a Crimson Crystal Stone, Lin Qi quickly found his target.
The Crimson Crystal Stone was located in the frontal lobe of the brain. As a Mechanician and a Prosthetic Engineer, Lin Qi had a "tiny" bit of knowledge about human anatomy.
Behind him, Xia Chu covered her mouth, feeling nauseous.
She had killed Zombies with a hammer before, but she had never rummaged through a Zombie's head.
A Zombie's brain was no different from a human's.
Xia Chu wanted to ask a question, but after hesitating, she decided against it.
Looking at the Zombie corpses on the floor, Lin Qi subconsciously wanted to incinerate them with his laser.
Then he suddenly remembered Xia Chu was behind him and stopped himself.
'Worst case, I'll just have to move our base sooner. The temperature this season won't cause them to start stinking too quickly.'
After stowing the Crimson Crystal Stones, Lin Qi turned around. "Let's go. Next room. We'll clear this entire floor of Zombies first."
Xia Chu nodded repeatedly. "Okay."
She continued to follow behind Lin Qi as he exited the room first.
As Xia Chu left, she closed the door behind her out of habit.