"When was that?" Xiao Qi asked again.
"The first day of the apocalypse," Jiao Lizhi replied with a smile.
The moment she said this, realization and understanding flashed in everyone's eyes.
They had always thought their Captain was a gentleman, guarding the door when his girlfriend was resting inside. Turns out, he was guarding the door while his girlfriend collected the rest of the supplies.
After the shock passed, Feng Yun asked, "Sister-in-law, how big is your space?"
Jiao Lizhi checked her space and thought for a while before she said, "It should be about half the size of Lin'an University."
The actual size of her space was much bigger than Lin'an University. But, if she told them the truth, they might have treated her as a monster, so she decided to downplay it.
While she thought the size sounded small enough, everyone thought the opposite. Compared to Feng Yun's space, Lin'an University was at least ten times bigger. So, her space was five times bigger than Feng Yun's space!
After reaching this conclusion, they all looked at her as if she were a rare species.
Feng Yun had guessed her space was bigger than his, but he never expected the difference to be this big. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Noticing their silence, Jiao Lizhi said, "My space has already reached level one, so it has expanded quite a bit."
This time, as soon as she said this, Xiao Qi asked, "Sister-in-law, how did you upgrade your space's level?"
Jiao Lizhi thought for a moment and said, "It's the same as my water-type ability. When I broke through with my water-type ability to level one, my space also had a breakthrough. The energy used to activate the space is different from the water-type ability, but the principle is the same."
"As long as you push the limit and use up the energy, when you recover it, you will take a step closer to a breakthrough. You just need to keep repeating this until you hit the limit."
She paused for a moment and added, "Since the space-type ability uses mental energy, you have to be careful when attempting a breakthrough. You might lose consciousness during the process, so it's better to have someone guarding you."
When Feng Yun and Xiao Qi heard her words, they looked at each other and saw devastation in each other's eyes.
Using up mental energy could cause a mental breakdown. While they could endure the humiliation and embarrassment of crying in front of everyone, the feeling itself was too uncomfortable.
Not knowing their dilemmas, Jin Xuyan said, "Now that everyone knows about Ah Zhi's space, I want you all to keep it a secret. In front of others, we will only use Xiao Qi and Feng Yun's spaces."
"Captain, are you planning to use Sister-in-law's space as our backup?" Zhang Yuan asked.
Jin Xuyan nodded and said, "No matter how strong we are, there will always be someone stronger. It's wise to have a Plan B. If one day we are forced to hand over Xiao Qi and Feng Yun's supplies, we will still have Ah Zhi's."
When everyone heard this, they agreed with their captain's decision. "Captain, we will follow your plan," they replied in unison.
Jin Xuyan knew he could trust his brothers. He smiled and said, "Good. While Xun Che and his team are resting, Xiao Qi and Feng Yun will accompany Ah Zhi to collect the supplies in the supermarket."
"Tomorrow, we will continue clearing the zombies on the upper floors and collecting supplies. When we are done, we will head with Xun Che to the camp."
"Understood," they replied in unison.
After the brief meeting, everyone went to do their tasks.
At the same time, the Eagle Team finally arrived at the temporary survivor base camp located on the border of Lin'an City.
As they approached the entrance gate, the soldiers on guard raised their weapons, ready for battle.
After the car came to a complete stop, Wei Ying lowered the window and said, "Comrade, we are the Eagle Team. Please help us report to the higher-ups."
The moment they heard this, one of the soldiers went to report, while the rest checked the survivors and Eagle Team members for wounds.
While they underwent the checkup procedures, the soldiers also recorded the supplies brought back by them. Due to half of the survivors choosing to leave, two buses were used to carry the supplies they had found along the way.
Besides food and water, they had also found medicines, clothes, and baby and women's products. These were essential items they desperately needed. So even when they found more food and water, they still prioritized gathering baby and women's products instead.
Two hours later, as the sun was setting on the western horizon, the Eagle Team and the survivors were finally allowed to enter the base.
The moment they drove past the gate, they saw a group of people waiting for them. Seeing the man standing at the front, Wei Ying and his team got out of the cars.
They saluted the group before Wei Ying said, "Colonel."
The Colonel nodded at him and walked toward Pei Yijun. Reaching out, he greeted him with a smile, "Young Master Pei, welcome to the camp. The team sent by your father has been waiting for you."
Pei Yijun accepted the handshake and replied, "Thank you, Colonel."
"Young Master Pei, we have prepared rooms for you and your team. This way, please," the Colonel said while gesturing for him to walk first.
Before leaving, Pei Yijun turned to Wei Ying and his team. He gave them a salute and said, "Comrades, thank you for your help. In the future, if you need anything, feel free to contact me. I will help you as long as I am able to."
Hearing his words, the dissatisfaction in the Eagle Team members' hearts lessened. They returned his salute and nodded.
After the brief farewell, Pei Yijun joined the Colonel in his car, and they drove to the only three-story inn in the area. Behind them, Li Yang followed with his SUV, while Han Jie drove Pei Yijun's jeep.
While driving, calculation and envy flashed in Han Jie's eyes. He gripped the wheel tightly as he pushed the negative emotions down.