Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Not from the Same World After All

Li Xingye had never felt this way before. Thinking back, perhaps it was because, at the very beginning, he and Chi Wan could only hear each other’s voices.

This had led him to unconsciously develop the strange delusion that he was the only one by Chi Wan’s side.

As he began to hear more voices from her side, he suddenly realized that just as he had Qiangzi and the others, Chi Wan had just as many friends, if not more.

And among those friends, one of them might become her boyfriend...

Li Xingye stared at the skewer in his hand. The eagerness he’d felt just moments ago, his impatience to build her a kitchen just to see her happy, suddenly cooled.

Because he suddenly couldn’t tell if he cared so much about her feelings because she was the "Space God" who had saved him, or because... he was simply drawn to her voice and smile.

At this thought, Li Xingye had another sudden realization. Just as Chi Wan could choose to barbecue, eat instant food, or even go out to eat without a kitchen, his existence might just be a minor diversion in her life.

After all, Chi Wan was not from his world.

To him, Chi Wan should only be the "Space God" who embodied the hope of saving the post-apocalyptic world. Nothing more.

This understanding abruptly snapped Li Xingye out of the beautiful dream he had been indulging in recently.

*

Seeing Li Xingye remain silent for a long while, Chi Wan, who was waiting to hand him a fresh skewer, teased him quizzically, "Don’t tell me you’ve been mesmerized by the aroma of my expertly grilled meat skewers? Brother Xingye? Brother Ye? Brooo-ther!"

Li Xingye snapped back to reality and stuffed the already cold skewer into his mouth.

The cold, hardened meat was a bit greasy, but in the post-apocalyptic world, it was still a rare delicacy.

But in Li Xingye’s mouth right now, it tasted like ash.

He forced himself to muster some energy and was about to praise Chi Wan when a voice suddenly erupted from behind him, interrupting him. "Holy crap! Boss, I was wondering why you skipped dinner. Turns out the Space God is cooking you a private meal!"

Qiangzi pounced from behind, holding a cup of instant noodles, and grabbed Li Xingye’s hand, on the verge of tears. "I used to think instant noodles were the most delicious thing on earth, but now that I’ve seen the grilled meat in your hand... Boss, today I have truly been enlightened!"

Li Xingye, who had been feeling rather melancholic: ...

"Spit it out."

"Boss, spare me a couple. I’ll secretly hide them in my noodles and give them to Qianqian to try. I promise no one else will know. She’s never even tasted barbecue in her life."

Before the apocalypse, she was too young to eat them, and after the apocalypse, there were none to be had.

Naturally, Chi Wan had also heard Qiangzi’s voice through the space.

She said with a smile, "Don’t worry, I grilled a lot today. There’s plenty to go around! Here you go, Brother Xingye, you eat first. Come get more from me when you’re done."

Li Xingye took the skewers, gave a few to Qiangzi, saved some for Cheng Peng and the others, and sent them away. Only then did he quietly discuss with Chi Wan, "Wanwan, I just saw that there’s a water source in the space now. I was thinking, I’ll go hunt some more High-level Crystal Cores in the next few days. Once the space is a bit bigger, can we... raise some animals in it?"

Chi Wan, having had her fun, handed the barbecue station over to Zhou Huaijin and Chi Yuanshan.

Hearing Li Xingye’s words now, she replied without a second thought, "I was just about to tell you the same thing! I noticed the chicks I’m raising in the space seem to grow incredibly fast. They’ve gotten a whole size bigger in just one day."

"Once the soil coverage expands a bit more, how about I get you some cattle and sheep to raise? Or if you dig the pit a little bigger, I can go buy some fish fry. Oh, and we should plant some grains and stuff, too. Then you guys could become self-sufficient!"

Hearing Chi Wan’s usual lighthearted tone, Li Xingye should have smiled and agreed.

But instead, a thought popped into his head unbidden: ’If there really comes a day when we can be self-sufficient with the output from the space, then... what about Chi Wan? Once she completes some sort of mission, will she suddenly disappear?’

’Just as she appeared without any warning in the first place.’

It was just speculation, but it was enough to make Li Xingye—a man who wouldn’t bat an eye in the middle of a zombie horde—suddenly feel a flicker of panic.

"...Is there anything else you want to raise? Make me a list, and I’ll figure out a way to get it."

Li Xingye opened his mouth, forcing down the anxiety in his heart. His voice was a little low. "I’ve taken in another group of people. I might have more mouths to feed later, and I’m afraid the current space won’t be enough to supply them."

"We can start by planting crops like sweet potatoes and potatoes. We can also start raising chickens, ducks, and fish. The growth cycle for cattle and sheep is a bit long, so we can try raising a few pigs first to see how it goes..."

As he clearly and methodically listed the things he needed for Chi Wan, he couldn’t help but think: ’If Chi Wan’s appearance is meant to save the world, how can I, for my own selfish reasons, delay the development of a space that could completely change the course of the apocalypse?’

’The sooner the space can produce enough food, the sooner I can save more people.’

But the more detailed their plans for the space became, and the more capable it was of supplying the base’s food shortage, the larger the faint emptiness in his heart grew.

After dutifully noting down all of Li Xingye’s requests, Chi Wan suddenly let out a soft laugh. "Brother Xingye, I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel a sense of... mission? Like we’re joining hands to save the post-apocalyptic world."

She sat on the swing Li Xingye had built for her, looking at the items in her phone’s notes app. Her tone was serious. "Before, I was just thinking it would be nice to feed you until you were well-fed and healthy. But now, seeing the space develop, I suddenly feel like there’s so much more I can do."

"Before, the apocalypse felt so far away, and being a big shot with superpowers just sounded cool. But after hearing what your companion said, I suddenly realized that the post-apocalyptic world is even crueler than I imagined..."

"Luckily, I can be of some help~"

Whether it was for Li Xingye, who was struggling to survive, or for the "Qianqian" his companion had mentioned, who had never eaten barbecue.

As her interactions with Li Xingye increased, the fragments of his life revealed in his brief words made Chi Wan realize that the "apocalypse" wasn’t just some vague impression from the novels or movies she’d seen. It was a real catastrophe happening to these people of flesh and blood. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

She was very grateful that she could do something for them.

And when Li Xingye heard Chi Wan’s words, he felt as if the softest spot in his heart had been gently poked.

It was like a tooth that Yang Mei had knocked out in his memories; the slightest touch made it ache with a tender soreness.

Seeing Li Xingye’s silence, Chi Wan guessed that a post-apocalyptic tough guy like him probably couldn’t understand her sudden bout of sentimentality. She scratched her head. "Does this sound a bit like I’m making a fuss over nothing? Just pretend I had a little to drink today and am running my mouth."

"I’ll get the things you need ready as soon as possible. Well, I’m going to go eat some barbecue now~"

Before Li Xingye had a chance to tell Chi Wan that it wasn’t a fuss over nothing, that he was just as grateful for her appearance, she had already closed the space and run off.