109: Chapter 109 The Ark That Will Never Fall

Night had fallen.

Jinling Womens College of Arts and Sciences, a sanctuary by day, had turned into a massive cage shrouded in fear and hunger after nightfall.

Suppressed, low sobs drifted from every crowded classroom and every dark corridor.

Chen Xi moved like an invisible shadow, weaving through this ocean of female despair.

His destination was the Dean's office on the top floor of the college's main building, the only room still lit by a faint glow.

The office door was not fully closed.

Through the crack in the door, Chen Xi saw Minnie Vautrin—the American woman who stood tall like a Valkyrie during the day—now slumped over her desk with a face full of exhaustion. By the dim light of a kerosene lamp, she was hurriedly recording something in a diary with a fountain pen.

The determination she showed when facing the Japanese Army was gone from her face, replaced only by a deep, inescapable sorrow.

Chen Xi did not knock.

He simply pushed the door open a little wider, very gently.

Creak—

The slight friction of the door hinge sounded exceptionally harsh in the silence of the night.

Vautrin jerked her head up like a startled bird, her eyes filled with alertness.

"Who is it?"

"Ms. Vautrin, it's me."

Chen Xi stepped out of the shadows, his voice kept very low.

"A fellow countryman who hopes to provide some help to you and the others."

Vautrin's brow furrowed deeply. She scrutinized this young man who had suddenly appeared in the middle of the night with an unnaturally calm demeanor, her guard not lowering in the slightest.

In this hell, kindness was sometimes more suspicious than malice.

Chen Xi did not offer much explanation.

He took something out from his coat.

A Parker fountain pen.

German-made, the exact model that Rabe favored most.

"Mr. John Rabe sends his regards," Chen Xi placed the fountain pen on the desk and spoke in fluent English. "He said you would recognize this."

This was a token of trust provided to him by the "Great Wall" project team after analyzing Rabe's records.

Seeing the pen, the tension in Vautrin's gaze finally softened.

She knew that Rabe would never easily give this pen, which held special significance to him, to someone untrustworthy.

"...What do you need me to do?" Vautrin's voice was exceptionally raspy due to prolonged exhaustion and dehydration.

"No, it's what I can do for you."

Chen Xi smiled.

Then, under Vautrin's bewildered gaze, he began to pull things out of his seemingly ordinary backpack like a magician.

Box after box of "premium imported snacks" with exquisite packaging and labels printed in English and French.

Can after can of "canned luncheon meat" with bright labels that made one's mouth water just by looking at them.

In an instant, the small desk was piled high with these brightly colored foods that seemed so out of place in this apocalypse.

Vautrin was completely stunned.

She looked at the food, then at Chen Xi, her lips trembling for a long time without a single word coming out.

"These snacks are high in calories. These cans are self-heating," Chen Xi introduced calmly. "They should be enough to sustain everyone here for a few days."

He picked up a can of "luncheon meat" and pulled the ring.

Pshhh—

White steam and a rich, long-lost aroma of meat instantly filled the entire room.

Vautrin's stomach growled at an inopportune moment.

She had not eaten anything all day.

"I..."

This strong woman, who had not flinched in the face of Japanese rifles, now found her eyes reddening.

Chen Xi did not stop.

He organized the food into categories and also took out some mosquito repellent spray and first-aid kits.

"Additionally, Ms. Vautrin, I will use my own methods to clear out the 'stray dogs' wandering around the college. Before the danger is completely eliminated, I hope you can help me look after someone."

As he spoke, he handed Vautrin the photo and information of Li Pei from the "rescue list."

Vautrin looked at the delicate yet resilient girl in the photo, then at Chen Xi, and she finally understood.

The mysterious man before her was an incomprehensible yet incredibly powerful force of kindness.

"As long as I am still standing here," she looked up, the fire reigniting in her blue eyes, "this place will be safe. I will protect her as if she were my own daughter."

"Thank you."

Chen Xi nodded.

He knew that Jinling Womens College, this ark that never fell in history, had from this moment on become his most reliable stronghold in the eastern part of the city.

Having completed all this, he did not linger any longer.

Under Vautrin's grateful and awe-filled gaze, his figure once again silently merged into the endless darkness outside the window.