Chapter Four: I Can Store Supplies

Chapter Four: I Can Store Supplies

Sitting in the back seat, Yun Yang continued to explain with an earnest expression. “It’s just that my ability can’t be used for combat at the moment, but that’s not important. What matters is that I can store supplies. I have a space, about the size of a villa—over four hundred square meters. As for the height, I’m not sure.”

“Oh? Is that so? So you’re a second-generation rich kid? A villa’s useless in an apocalypse. Better think about what you’ll eat for your next meal,” Rose replied flatly, her words offering no comfort.

Yun Yang realized that Rose misunderstood, thinking he meant a villa somewhere on Earth.

“No, no, you’ve got it wrong. The villa I’m talking about isn’t a physical place—it’s with me. If you hand supplies to me, I can store them, like a storage space,” Yun Yang said proudly.

Rose turned her head, a hint of surprise on her face. “A storage space? A dark dimension? No, that can’t be. You don’t have any dark energy on you, so how could you have access to a dark dimension?”

Hearing Rose’s skepticism, Yun Yang knew it would be hard to convince her with words alone. He decided to show her instead.

“Pull over for a moment. Let me show you,” Yun Yang said resolutely.

“Don’t make a fuss. At our current speed, it’ll be dark by the time we reach the camp, and I still have a meeting to attend,” Rose retorted, thinking Yun Yang was just being childish. For a grown man to act this way, she found it rather petty.

If Yun Yang knew what she was thinking, he’d probably give her a friendly flick on the forehead—after all, he’d done it enough that he worried Rose might get angry and toss him out.

“Just stop for a moment, I’ll show you,” he insisted.

Rose heard his request again, this time with a more serious tone. She began to wonder if she had misjudged him—could this ordinary civilian really have a special ability?

She pulled the car over and said curtly, “Alright, I’ve stopped. Don’t waste too much time. If we’re delayed, you’ll be the one going hungry tonight.”

At that moment, Yun Yang took out his phone and aimed the camera at the two motorcycles Rose had brought, intending to take a photo. Xiao Yi, his AI assistant, had told him that as long as he took a picture, he could store the object directly into his virtual space, provided the owner agreed. For ownerless items, it defaulted to allowed.

He snapped a photo of the motorcycles and was about to ask for Rose’s permission when she spoke first.

“So all that talk about a special ability was just to take a photo? You could do that at the camp—time is of the essence,” Rose said, her irritation rising. She felt foolish for believing his nonsense; did he not realize they were in the middle of a journey, and here he was taking pictures of vehicles?

Seeing that Rose misunderstood again, Yun Yang explained patiently, “It’s not what you think. Once I take a picture, I can immediately store the item in my virtual space. Without a photo, it would take much longer to scan and process. If you agree, I can store this motorcycle right now.”

“Is that so?” Rose was skeptical. Could it really require the owner’s consent to store a motorcycle that wasn’t bound by any dark information?

“That’s right. All you have to do is agree,” Yun Yang replied, a bit exasperated. Did she really think he was a liar?

They had only just met—how had he left such an impression already?

“Fine, I agree. Go ahead and show me,” Rose replied. Inwardly, she added, If you’re lying, you can forget about eating any supplies I’ve gathered.

A stream of green data flowed from top to bottom over the car, and then, just like that, the motorcycle vanished.

Rose glanced at Yun Yang, who wore a look of smug satisfaction. She quietly scanned for any micro-wormhole activity nearby, but detected nothing. Slightly surprised, she asked, “What kind of ability is this? I don’t sense any micro-wormhole fluctuations.”

Yun Yang was momentarily at a loss for words. His mind raced, and he decided to let Xiao Yi take the blame.

“I’ll let my AI assistant, Xiao Yi, explain it to you,” Yun Yang said, feeling rather clever.

Rose looked at the piece of glass in Yun Yang’s hand, about five millimeters thick. He called this a phone? It was pure glass, no ports, and she wondered how it was charged, or where the battery was—it was nearly transparent.

As Rose silently ridiculed him, the glass panel in Yun Yang’s hand lit up. On the screen appeared a small figure in a blue-and-white floral dress, who greeted Rose with a cheerful smile.

“Hello, Sister Rose! I’m Xiao Yi. You can just call me Xiao Yi. Thank you for saving my master. I’ll answer your questions from here.”

Rose was a little stunned, but quickly responded after hearing Xiao Yi’s words.

“Hello, Xiao Yi. No need to thank me, it was my duty.”

As soon as Rose took the device from Yun Yang, Xiao Yi began to explain, “Due to some special circumstances during my creation, there was an unknown quantum mutation. My master and I don’t fully understand the principles. A space was generated within me, allowing items to be stored inside. I’ve named this the virtual space—that’s all there is to it.”

“Yun Yang just said this space is over four hundred square meters, but the height is unknown?” Rose asked, still doubtful.

“That’s right. Based on my assessment, the space can store not just supplies—living beings should also be able to enter. But my master doesn’t dare go in. Hmph,” Xiao Yi replied with a pout.

Yun Yang was baffled. Had she ever mentioned this to him? He didn’t think so! And he only ever intended to use it as a storage space. This was a slander—how could she say he didn’t dare go in?

Rose’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she glanced at Yun Yang, making his heart skip a beat.

She’s not thinking of making me test it, is she? That wouldn’t do—using an untested ability could be dangerous. He hurriedly said, “I haven’t run any experiments yet. I can’t risk my own life. Let’s try it on a small animal first. There are still a few wild rabbits around.”

“That makes sense. Xiao Yi, release the motorcycle so we can continue the journey. If we spot a rabbit, we’ll test it. Do I need to do anything?” Rose agreed readily, finding this method reasonable.

“No need. I can release anything from the virtual space directly,” Xiao Yi replied, a hint of pride in her voice. Even as she spoke, the motorcycle reappeared before them, unharmed.

Rose tested it; it worked perfectly. She got off the car. Yun Yang was just about to get on when he saw Rose step off. Before he could ask what was going on, Rose said, “You drive. There’s no need to turn; just follow the road and we’ll get there. I want to chat with Xiao Yi. You do know how to ride a motorcycle, right?”

Yun Yang was excited—he’d been eyeing this motorcycle for a while. It was just so cool.

“Of course! Something this simple—how could I not know how to use it?” He jumped on and patted the back seat. “Miss, where to? Would you like your knight to give you a ride?”

Rose rolled her eyes gracefully. “Boring.”

Xiao Yi truly lived up to her title as an artificial intelligence—at least the one Yun Yang had given her, and she believed it, never having met a real AI. When it came to conversation, Yun Yang had to admit Xiao Yi was much better than he was. As he drove, he listened to Rose and Xiao Yi chatter behind him.

They didn’t talk about makeup, of course. As a soldier, Rose didn’t own any, and besides, it was wartime. As for Xiao Yi—she was just a phone. Expecting her to use cosmetics was absurd.

A handsome young man, accompanied by a beautiful girl, rode a stylish motorcycle down the road for over an hour. The plan to catch a rabbit was forgotten by Rose, though Yun Yang remembered—he simply didn’t see any. He had to keep his eyes on the road, which was littered with stones and far less safe than in peacetime.

As the sun set and night approached, Yun Yang’s hunger grew. At last, he spotted the camp and accelerated toward it, arriving in no time.

He slowed down and observed the camp. As on the road, disciplined soldiers maintained vigilance and order. Civilians inside the camp were busy—some cooking, some transporting supplies, some tending to the wounded.

Though there were military medics, having someone personally care for injured civilians and soldiers made recovery more comfortable and quicker, wouldn’t you agree?

As Yun Yang surveyed the camp, a calm voice called out, one that inspired a sense of security.

“Please rest assured, fellow citizens. We are far from the city. New arrivals, please collect tents and food here. A blackout will be enforced after nine o’clock. Please follow the rules and look out for one another.”

Driving slowly into the camp, Yun Yang saw an elderly couple cooking over a wood fire, and their words reminded him of home—his grandparents’ wood-fired meals. A wave of sadness swept over him. Arriving in this new world, the initial excitement had faded, and now he realized he might never return to the Earth where he was born and raised, never see his grandparents or parents again.

A sense of loneliness welled up, as if the world had abandoned him. He radiated a quiet melancholy, unnoticed by himself, but Rose behind him sensed it keenly.

...Because this platform is free, and I haven’t set any word limits, I’m posting the chapter here. This is an idea I had for a new novel, a story that begins with a bat—there’s too much to explain here. I’d like to thank three readers, “Sky Knight,” “Three Thousand,” and “Little Mao o3o,” for your support and recommendations. When I opened the Writer’s Assistant and saw your messages, the joy I felt was indescribable. This is my first novel. I don’t know if it will be my last, but I’ll do my best. Thank you for your support—love you all.