Chapter 19: Testing Strength

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Chi Xing lazily propped up his chin. “I’m leaving them in your hands.”
With that, he stepped aside and lay down on the makeshift “sofa” formed by several chairs pushed together.
“All right, Brother Chi!” Zhao Xiaoting replied loudly, secretly signaling to the others.
Wei Kai, the boy who had just chatted with Ji Yuanyuan, stepped forward and eyed their backpacks with some hesitation. “According to protocol, you need to hand over your belongings.”
It was nothing short of robbery!
Ji Yuanyuan wanted to curse but was pressed down by Xiang Yu.
Under someone else’s roof, they had no choice but to comply.
Jiang Yao was the first to hand over her backpack, doing so with remarkable decisiveness.
Seeing this, Ji Yuanyuan tossed hers over as well.
Wei Kai opened the backpacks and looked inside, somewhat disappointed. “You three only have this little stuff?”
Ji Yuanyuan and Xiang Yu glanced inside, confused. Aside from some clothing, there was a bottle of water, two sausages, and a Snickers bar—nothing else.
Ji Yuanyuan was stunned; she remembered having much more food in her bag.
Jiang Yao looked calm and composed. “What did you expect? It’s been so many days, and we haven’t had time for looting. It’s a miracle we have anything left at all.”
The two immediately understood—Jiang Yao must have been using her spatial abilities.
The boy awkwardly asked, “What’s that wrench in your hand for?”
Jiang Yao smiled faintly, a hint of mischief in her expression. “Self-defense, of course. I’m not here to fix pipes.”
“...”
The boy was at a loss for words but gritted his teeth. “Sorry, it has to be handed over.”
Another boy with bleached yellow hair sauntered over impatiently. “Why are you being so polite with them?”
His leering gaze swept over them, the threat unmistakable. “I suggest you hand over all dangerous items willingly; otherwise, I won’t hesitate to conduct a personal search...”
Zhao Xiaoting squeezed through just in time, bumping him aside. “Go away, get lost! I’ll handle the searches!”
Don’t think she didn’t know what that scoundrel was up to!
The yellow-haired boy scowled at her, frustrated that he hadn’t succeeded. Considering Chi Xing was nearby, he could only give a resentful snort and turn to flatter Chi Xing instead.
Zhao Xiaoting deliberately raised her voice. “I’m confiscating this wrench for now! Do you have anything else on you?”
She pretended to crouch in front of them and started searching carefully, sneaking glances at Chi Xing’s direction before lowering her voice. “Sister, what are you doing here?!”

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Ji Yuanyuan glared, grinding her teeth. “How dare you ask! If it weren’t for you, how would we have ended up in their hands?”
Zhao Xiaoting suddenly understood, feeling both guilty and ashamed. She made a pleading gesture, then pulled a face, acting cute and apologetic.
Xiang Yu couldn’t bear to watch and turned her face away.
Jiang Yao glanced toward Chi Xing, where several boys were fawning over him. Her brow furrowed. “Who are these people?”
Zhao Xiaoting frowned in displeasure and explained succinctly, “I heard they’re all from the sports department. The leader is Chi Xing, who’s very formidable. He can take on ten people alone, and they all recognize him as their boss.”
She paused, troubled. “When the apocalypse first broke out, I wanted to find you guys, but I accidentally fell into their hands. I had no choice but to play dumb and obedient to lower their guard.”
Luckily, she had studied early childhood education and some psychology, which made her good at flattering people. Chi Xing had a decent impression of her and entrusted her with some logistical tasks.
Ji Yuanyuan couldn’t help but tease, “Looks like you’re enjoying yourself?”
Just now, she had pretended not to know them at all.
“Though my heart’s loyal to our cause, I would never betray it!” Zhao Xiaoting whispered solemnly, then quickly gave instructions. “There are many of them. We’ll pretend not to know each other so they stay relaxed. I’ll sneak you some food later!”
Not daring to linger longer, Zhao Xiaoting finished the search and went to report.
Jiang Yao looked on with admiration, then heard a quiet voice beside her: “The child has grown up.”
She cast a meaningful glance at Ji Yuanyuan. “I told you, she’s smarter than you.”
Ji Yuanyuan: “...”
No personal attacks, huh!
“Uh, Brother Chi, these were taken from their belongings,” Zhao Xiaoting stepped forward to interrupt the conversation.
Chi Xing’s gaze was lazy as he looked over, his eyes lingering oddly on the wrench and the violin, a spark of interest igniting. “You three, come here.”
Jiang Yao had been surveying the surroundings when their eyes met Chi Xing’s, and she was momentarily taken aback.
The three exchanged glances, stood up, and walked over.
Zhao Xiaoting tensed slightly, feeling nervous.
Had Chi Xing realized they knew each other?
Chi Xing’s gaze swept over them and settled on Jiang Yao. “What are your names? What are your majors?”
They all let out a silent sigh of relief.
They were from different majors, so even if they revealed this, no one would suspect they knew each other, let alone that they were roommates.
“Jiang Yao, History, Class of ’18.”

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Ji Yuanyuan and Xiang Yu also gave their names and majors.
Chi Xing raised an eyebrow, resting his chin on his hand. “Tell me about your skills. I don’t keep slackers here. If your skills are useful, I can improve your待遇.”
For some reason, they all felt like they were in a surreal HR interview.
Jiang Yao was the first to speak. “My skill mainly involves control...”
Being cautious, she concealed her summoning and spatial teleportation abilities.
Hearing Jiang Yao’s control skill lasted a full minute, Chi Xing’s eyes flickered with surprise.
The longest control skill he had encountered so far lasted only half a minute.
Half a minute was no small matter—it could save lives at critical moments.
Jiang Yao’s one-minute duration demonstrated great potential.
However, having only control skills was somewhat weak.
Ji Yuanyuan’s two skills were both music-related, one for control and one for attack—a decent combination.
“Like listening to celestial music, briefly clear-headed”: makes the target admire the user for ten seconds, increasing favorability.
“Harsh and discordant sounds”: causes mental pollution to the target, suspending their attack for ten seconds.
Xiang Yu’s skill was called “Judgment of Justice.”
Skill One: Reciting a legal statute to paralyze the target.
Skill Two: If the target violates a law, they can be locked away in a small dark room.
Both had a duration of twenty seconds.
Looking at it this way, Ji Yuanyuan and Xiang Yu’s skills were clearly more powerful.
Yet Chi Xing still looked at Jiang Yao more often. For some unknown reason, among the three, Jiang Yao seemed to have more influence and take a dominant role.
But that didn’t matter; it was a good opportunity for him to assess their abilities.
A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips. “You came at a good time. We’re about to organize a mission to the supermarket to search for supplies. Interested in joining?”