Chapter 63: The Possibility of Restoring Communication

These words struck right at Xue Feifei's weakness, and she immediately hesitated. She didn't care much about other matters, but her research was as precious to her as life itself.

After a moment's hesitation, Xue Feifei finally looked up.

"Answer me two questions. Can you guarantee our safety? And why do you want to save us?"

Though her emotional intelligence was low, she was still an adult. She couldn't just agree as casually as Tuantuan did. She knew that Kong Zhe wouldn't help them without a reason—he must have his motives, and she had to make sure of that.

"I can't guarantee you'll all survive, but I will do everything I can to keep you safe. That much I can promise! As for why I want to save you..."

Kong Zhe gazed at her calmly, leaning back in his chair, and said half-seriously, half in jest, "You can see it yourself—in this world now, no matter how strong an individual is, it's not enough. I want to form my own team, and your intelligence is something I desperately need. That's why I saved you this time. I hope you'll remain with me from now on."

Xue Feifei stared at Kong Zhe for a while but said nothing.

He didn't mind and added, "Of course, I won't force you to do anything, nor will I interfere with your research. In fact, I'll do everything I can to support it. Whatever you need, I'll try to find it for you. How about that?"

Hearing this, Xue Feifei finally felt relieved. As long as he had a reason, it was fine. The ones who are nice to you for no reason are the ones to be wary of.

Moreover, the current environment truly didn't allow her to stay at home any longer. If she wanted to survive and continue her research, she had to rely on someone strong. Kong Zhe was clearly an excellent choice—at least, during the time they'd spent together, he had neither forced her nor harbored ill intentions toward her or her sister. In a world where morality had collapsed, that was already a rare virtue.

And, more importantly, Xue Feifei was naturally withdrawn and reluctant to interact with outsiders. She was only comfortable speaking with Kong Zhe because of recent events, and could converse freely with him. As for others, she wouldn't pay them any mind even if they approached her.

With this in mind, Xue Feifei finally nodded to Kong Zhe, agreeing to his proposal. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she pointed to Hong Ling, who sat not far away, and asked, "What about her?"

Hong Ling had quietly sat to the side ever since following Kong Zhe back, listening to their conversation. At first, Xue Feifei hadn't paid her much attention, assuming she was one of Kong Zhe's acquaintances, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Don't worry about her," Kong Zhe replied indifferently. "I saved her along the way, but she's not one of us."

Now that the three team members were decided, he wasn't about to complicate matters by bringing another person along.

These three, though each a bit... eccentric—a research fanatic, a dramatic idealist, and a hopeless airhead—at least he could be sure none of them would betray him. That was crucial in his criteria for choosing companions.

In his previous life, he'd seen too many two-faced teammates. So many promising factions had been destroyed from within.

That was why he'd set such strict standards for those around him from the very beginning. Combat ability could be cultivated, but some qualities were determined from the start.

He glanced out the window. It was the depths of winter, and night fell early. It was already six in the evening and pitch dark outside. At night, many magical beasts became more aggressive, and the lack of light was a serious disadvantage for humans. Staying outside after dark was extremely dangerous.

"Since you've all decided to follow me, there's no time to lose. Pack up tonight; we'll set out at dawn tomorrow!"

Kong Zhe addressed the three women.

"Tomorrow?" Xue Feifei hesitated at his words.

"Is something wrong? Do you have unfinished business?"

She nodded, then rose and took her tablet and the small drone from the table.

"Actually, I've been working on the communication devices for these little dragonflies ever since you left this morning," she explained as she fiddled with the tablet, then handed it to Kong Zhe.

He took it, but frowned at the strange graphs on the screen—he couldn't make sense of them.

Xue Feifei hadn't expected him to understand and explained, "I discovered that they're not incapable of communication—the electromagnetic waves are being interfered with by some special substance. This new element didn't exist on Earth before, but now fills the air. I think it's what you call mana. Since I've found the cause, there must be a solution. If I upgrade and modify the equipment, communication should be restored."

"Oh?" Kong Zhe's eyes lit up. "So you have a way to restore communications?"

She nodded. "Yes, but I'll need some time."

He handed the tablet back, asking, "How much time do you need?"

"After a day's research, I have a good idea..." She furrowed her brow, calculating. "Give me one more day, and I should be able to finish."

"Alright, then we'll postpone by a day. We'll leave the morning after tomorrow," Kong Zhe decided immediately, feeling both relieved and delighted. He could afford to wait a day, and could spend tomorrow gaining experience and activating a few more cards.

Restoring communication was of utmost importance. In his previous life, it had taken scientists a whole year to develop a solution, but now Xue Feifei had nearly achieved it in just a day—a testament to her genius. With communication devices, their journey would be much safer.

With these three women settled, Kong Zhe finally relaxed. By now, night had fully fallen, so he gave up any thought of training outside. As soon as he had nothing to do, hunger struck—it had been nearly a whole day since he last ate.

He checked the kitchen. Although Xue Feifei's home didn't even have a kitchen knife, it was a luxury apartment with all the pots, pans, and tableware one could need. The complex still had backup power and water. As for knives and ingredients, he had plenty in his ring.

What left Kong Zhe speechless was that among the four women, not one could cook.

Xiao Lei and Tuantuan were still in high school, boarding during the week, so they'd never cooked. As for Xue Feifei—the queen of takeout—she'd obviously never used the kitchen, given its filthy state. She was out of the question.

The last, Hong Ling, was once a superstar, accustomed to a life of luxury and never needing to do anything herself.

Xiao Lei and Hong Ling both hung their heads in embarrassment, while Tuantuan and Xue Feifei looked completely unconcerned.

With no other choice, Kong Zhe had to do it himself. Fortunately, he'd been independent since childhood, cooking for himself since the age of five. After more than a decade, he wasn't a restaurant chef, but ordinary home cooking was a breeze.

He directed the four women to thoroughly clean the kitchen before he set to work.

This time, Kong Zhe didn't hold back, taking out a variety of meats and vegetables.

In the apocalypse, food was precious and shouldn't be wasted, but he had plenty, and decided to treat himself. After all, it was just the beginning—a feast now and then was not excessive.

Soon, a sumptuous dinner was ready.

Stir-fried pork with green peppers, sweet and sour ribs, beef stewed with potatoes, spicy fish in broth... Though all were home-style dishes, in the apocalypse, such a meal was a true banquet.

The four women stared at the food, their eyes shining, swallowing hungrily.

Tuantuan was already starving. Though she’d had a bit of bread in the afternoon, it wasn’t enough. Now, seeing the table full of food, she couldn’t care less about table manners and started before the dishes were even all served.

Her action sparked the others—they couldn’t wait either, and soon the only sound at the table was the clatter of chopsticks and chewing.

Xue Feifei ate with oil dripping from her mouth—this was far tastier than her usual takeout. Beside her, Hong Ling kept picking up food nonstop. Normally, she’d have scoffed at such fare, but in the apocalypse, after days of poor eating, she simply couldn’t stop. Even Xiao Lei forgot her ladylike manners, piling food into her bowl.

When Kong Zhe brought out the last dish, he saw that a third of the food was already gone.

He couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head at the sight—they really were starving.

But then, looking at the food himself, he found his mouth watering.

How long had it been since he’d eaten a proper meal? In his past life, for three years, he’d survived on the bland, tasteless fare sold in NPC shops—chewing a piece of candy had been a rare luxury. He’d nearly forgotten the taste of real food. Even in this life, the past few days had been a flurry of activity, forcing him to make do with dry rations.

Now, finally, he could enjoy a hot meal.

So without another word, he joined the scramble for food.

In no time, most of the dishes had disappeared. Thankfully, Kong Zhe had anticipated this and prepared plenty. Only when everyone was truly full did some food remain on the table.