Suddenly, a mirage of a two-story house with a plot of black soil appeared in front of Jiao Lizhi, overlapping with the room around her.
Thinking it was a hallucination, she rubbed her eyes and blinked several times. Yet, when she opened them again, the mirage grew even clearer, as if the scenery was etched into her mind.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated her mind to feel the source of this subtle energy flow. The next second, she was standing on the grassland beside the plot of black soil.
Feeling curious, Jiao Lizhi bent down and reached out to the black soil beneath her feet. When she felt the warm sensation of the soil slipping through her fingers, she froze in disbelief.
The texture felt so real, as if she were holding actual soil. As someone familiar with how space abilities worked, she quickly realized that this place was her own space.
Although she had never seen a spatial ability firsthand, she knew it functioned like a mobile warehouse from her experience in her previous life.
The time within the space flowed slower than outside, and it couldn't sustain living things due to the lack of oxygen—any living creature stored inside would suffocate to death.
The size of the space varied depending on an individual's talent and expanded as their ability leveled up. However, what she had now didn't fit the usual description of spatial abilities obtained through awakening.
She couldn't explain it, but instinctively she knew her space was not the usual space ability. She would be in serious trouble if anyone discovered her space was different from others. Therefore, she must not let anyone know about this.
Surveying her surroundings, she noticed a pond near the house. Walking over, she saw that the pond was about five meters in diameter and quite deep.
Thanks to the clear water, she could see all the way to the bottom, where a small hole rested at the center. She stared at the hole, guessing it might be the source of the water.
Feeling thirsty, she cupped her hands to scoop up some water and took a sip. The taste was similar to the water she created with her ability, but somehow purer and more refreshing.
Whether due to a psychological effect or not, after drinking it, she felt more energized, and her lingering dizziness subsided significantly.
After another sip, she let out a relieved sigh and turned her attention to the house. However, before she could open the main door, her mind jolted as a loud banging sound echoed sharply.
Her instincts kicked in faster than her thoughts, and in the blink of an eye, she found herself back in her dorm room.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Roarr!!!
The deafening noise outside seemed to draw nearby zombies away from her room. Jiao Lizhi frowned as she sifted through her memories of her previous life.
After a moment, she recalled that a group of upperclassmen came to rescue the girls who were trapped in the dormitory. The sound just now might have been caused by them.
Spotting a broom in the corner, she grabbed it and snapped the stick over her knee. Tossing the broom head aside, she weighed the wooden stick in her hands and muttered softly, "It wasn't the best weapon, but it would suffice for now."
Before leaving, Jiao Lizhi approached the bed and touched it. Unsure how to store items in her space, she decided to test her ability. The moment she thought of keeping the bed in her space, the bed disappeared instantly.
Excited by her success, she glanced at her backpack and thought, 'Collect!'
She was hoping that she could store the backpack without touching it. Unfortunately, the bag remained unmoving. She took a step closer and tried again–still nothing.
After another step, she tried once more. This time, the backpack vanished. She estimated that the effective range of her ability was about two meters.
Checking her space, she saw the bed and backpack now resting on the grassy field near the farmland. Using her mind, she tried moving the items into the house. To her delight, those items disappeared from the grassy land and reappeared inside the empty house.
Jiao Lizhi was excited by this discovery and wasted no time storing everything else in the room.
Ten minutes later, the room was left with four empty walls. Wrapping a piece of fabric around her palms, she gripped the wooden stick tightly and got ready to fight.
Before opening the door, she pressed her ear against it and listened carefully to the movement outside. The earlier noise seemed to have drawn the zombies away and the hallway outside was eerily quiet.
Glancing at her watch, Jiao Lizhi noted it was six o'clock in the morning. The sun had finally risen. Zombies were slower and less dangerous during the day, making this the ideal time to leave.
After taking a deep breath, she opened the door slowly trying to minimize the noise. Walking out, she saw the corridor was covered with blood, flesh, and unknown matters. Several zombies with their heads smashed beyond recognition lay motionless on the ground.
Suppressing her nausea due to the rancid smell, she carefully made her way toward the emergency stairs. Now that she had her space ability, her first destination was clear—the university cafeteria.