13: Chapter 13: Is there anything you can tell me?

She quickly put her hand over her mouth, stowed the bread in her mouth into her Space Ability, wiped her mouth, and stood up. "Teacher, I'm here."

Her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She had been away from campus for so long; if the teacher asked her to answer a question, she definitely wouldn't be able to. After three years in The Apocalypse, she had returned all the knowledge she'd learned to her teachers.

The teacher on the podium looked at her with a smile. "As long as you're here. It's been a while, so I'm just taking attendance."

Xu Wanning sat down mechanically. That was a close call, a really close call.

Wen Shuyang and the others covered their mouths and laughed. "Haha, it looks like you really can't sneak snacks in class."

Xu Wanning reached out and patted her. "Don't even say that, you didn't even help me."

Wen Shuyang quickly begged for mercy. "My mistake, my mistake."

After class, Xu Wanning picked up her bag and stood up. "Zhou Ke's grandfather said he wanted to talk to me. I suspect he might have guessed something. I'm going to go see him, are you coming along?"

Lu Zhiyu and Wen Shuyang waved their hands. "We're going to go make connections with the big shots. You guys go ahead; you talk to Grandpa Zhou, and let Qingqing talk to Zhou Ke."

"Alright." Xu Wanning pulled Song Yunqing out the door. It was inconvenient to split up without a car, so Xu Wanning found a secluded corner of the school to bring out her off-road vehicle, and the two of them drove away from campus.

The guard at the gate was stunned. Why didn't he remember an off-road vehicle ever driving onto campus before?

"Qingqing, did you get a chance to talk to Gu Xi at noon?" She had returned late today and hadn't had time to catch up on their progress.

"I did. She happens to be hiring temporary workers, so we agreed that I'd go help out whenever I don't have class, and I'll get paid by the hour."

Song Yunqing felt a little proud. Working there meant she could see her almost every day; wouldn't their relationship naturally improve?

"Not bad!" Xu Wanning didn't spare her praise. It wasn't easy for someone with Qingqing's personality to reach this point. She usually just followed them around and was a bit timid; to do this, she must have gone through a long period of mental preparation.

When they arrived at the Zhou family shop, Xu Wanning didn't go straight in. Instead, she first sent a message to Lu Chengyue to make her presence known.

[Brother Chengyue, thank you for dropping me off today. I made it just in time for class. If there's a chance, I'd like to treat you to a meal alone.]

The word 'alone' was the key point. After sending it, she shoved her phone into her pocket and pushed the door open.

Zhou Ke and Grandpa Zhou were turning the soil in the flowerbed in the courtyard. Seeing them, they put down the shovels in their hands and brushed the dirt off their hands.

"Grandpa Zhou, we're here." Xu Wanning greeted him politely; elders always liked polite juniors.

"You're here. Come in and let's talk." Grandpa Zhou smiled affectionately and beckoned her over.

Zhou Ke wanted to go in with them, but was stopped by Grandpa Zhou. "You stay here and keep this young lady company. I have something to discuss with Wanning alone." After saying that, without waiting for Zhou Ke to speak, he slammed the door shut.

Almost hitting his nose, Zhou Ke took a step back. He turned around and looked at Song Yunqing awkwardly. "Sen- Senior, let's go sit over there."

Song Yunqing nodded nervously. "Okay."

Inside the shop, Xu Wanning and Grandpa Zhou sat on chairs facing each other. "What did you want to ask, Grandpa Zhou?"

Grandpa Zhou stroked his beard. "That depends on what Wanning has to tell me."

Xu Wanning smiled helplessly. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but this matter has uncertainties. If it doesn't end up happening, wouldn't I become a sinner?"

Grandpa Zhou shook his head. "Not at all. If it doesn't happen, I can just start over. But if it does happen, you will be the benefactor of our Zhou family."

"Alright then, I won't hide it from you. Three months from now, The Apocalypse will descend. At that time, most of the populace will be infected with a virus and turn into zombies. And I have been reborn from three years into The Apocalypse."

As she spoke, she directly stowed the shop's counter into her Space Ability, then placed it back on the other side. "This is my Space Ability, it came back with me."

Even though Grandpa Zhou had mentally prepared himself, he was still shocked. He stood up abruptly. "The Apocalypse? There really is going to be an Apocalypse?"

His grandson had previously been obsessed with apocalypse novels, and he had been forced to listen to bits and pieces. At the time, he thought the writers were overthinking things, never expecting that it would actually become reality one day.

"Yes." Xu Wanning nodded heavily. "If you haven't experienced The Apocalypse, you simply cannot understand what a living hell it is. Every day, all you hear is the roaring of zombies or the screams of survivors."

"Grandpa Zhou, in my past life, Zhou Ke was my friend, which is why I came to find you. I want to form a team before The Apocalypse and bring all our family members together."

"That way, after The Apocalypse begins, at least we won't have to worry about the safety of our families."

Grandpa Zhou slowly sat back down. "So, in the past life, I died, didn't I?"

Xu Wanning let out a hum. "When I met Zhou Ke, he was all alone, and he had a deep scar on his face."

"He wandered through The Apocalypse alone, trusting no one, and never told anyone what had happened before."

Grandpa Zhou's eyes turned red. If he hadn't gone through something terrible, how could his grandson, who loved making friends, have ended up living alone? Sigh.

"Wanning, thank you for telling me. I will use all the money in the family to hoard supplies and forge weapons."

"It's just the two of us here. If you don't mind, let this place serve as our base. It just so happens that there are rooms and a storage area in the backyard; you can use them if you need to."

"Even if The Apocalypse doesn't come, I won't blame you. We can just sell the hoarded supplies later."

Xu Wanning stood up. "Alright. Then, Grandpa Zhou, once my roommates' parents arrive, I'll have to trouble you to look after them a bit."

"On the eve of The Apocalypse, I will pick you up and take you to the school. After The Apocalypse begins, the school will become the first Safe Zone. Later, a safe base will be established, and the school will be the center of that base."

"This shop will also be incorporated into the scope of the safe base later on. When that time comes, if you want to return, you can use your property deed to do so."

Grandpa Zhou patted Xu Wanning's arm. "Rest assured, leave it to Grandpa. From now on, you are my own granddaughter. Are you willing to acknowledge me as your grandfather?"

Xu Wanning smiled and agreed. "I'm willing. Grandpa, from now on you are my own grandfather, and Zhou Ke is my own younger brother."

Grandpa Zhou smiled with satisfaction. "Good, that's good." His old bones needed to get moving anyway. Wanning definitely couldn't get her hands on firearms, but he could.

Xu Wanning was overjoyed. "Then, Grandpa, I'll be going now." Grandpa Zhou clearly wasn't an ordinary person; perhaps there would be a surprise.

Grandpa Zhou went over to open the door. "Go ahead. In a few days, when the supplies I've hoarded arrive, I'll call you to come and see."

"Alright." Xu Wanning walked out. "As for Zhou Ke, please have a word with him, Grandpa. But you absolutely must not tell anyone else; otherwise, it will cause panic and we'll all get arrested. Once I finish hoarding supplies, I will find an opportunity to talk to the authorities."

Grandpa Zhou thought for a moment. "Wanning, when you're ready to talk, let me know. Grandpa will take you to see someone; it will definitely be faster than reporting it level by level."