I Am the Protagonist 02

Fang Zhiyi hesitated for a moment before agreeing. In his heart, Qin Weiwei wasn’t a bad person—just a bit hot-tempered.

But he never expected that Qin Weiwei would take him to another group.

Here, his spatial ability was valued once again, and Qin Weiwei even gained a firm footing because of him. Yet Fang Zhiyi felt something was off, especially when he saw these people plundering supplies from other survivors. He realized the truth—they were still using him as nothing more than a tool. When the group clashed with the Lingxiao Base, Fang Zhiyi fled.

He was lucky. After escaping, he ran into his former companions, but their expressions were far from welcoming.

They tied him up and dragged him back to their base. Those so-called "comrades" accused him of stealing supplies when he left and now believed he had joined an enemy faction. He was the enemy.

He tried to prove his innocence, but no one listened. Someone even violently broke his legs.

"Only you can see your space. Who knows if you’ve been hiding things?"

Qin Xue arrived too. Seeing her gentle face, Fang Zhiyi hoped for help, but Qin Xue only looked at him with disappointment. She asked why he had left, why he couldn’t endure a little longer, and why he had "lured away" her sister.

Lu Jingxiao coldly demanded he prove he hadn’t stolen anything.

How could Fang Zhiyi prove it? When they had him store supplies, no one kept records—and he didn’t remember either. He dumped out the few scraps he had scavenged himself, but they still didn’t believe him.

They put him on trial. His former "comrades" stared at him with disgust. Some muttered about how he never fought yet ate better than them. Others even blamed him for their fallen companions. Qin Weiwei knew their group’s weaknesses well, and their base had suffered heavy losses in the conflict. Defeated, they turned their frustration on Fang Zhiyi.

Everyone judged him, beat him—he became public enemy number one.

Fang Zhiyi’s world collapsed. His already fragile mental defenses shattered completely.

Seeing the emptiness in his eyes, Lu Jingxiao sensed something wrong and pushed the others aside to check on him. That was when he realized—Fang Zhiyi had lost his mind. He had become a shell of a person, devoid of consciousness.

Then they discovered something else: after his breakdown, Fang Zhiyi seemed stronger than before. His spatial ability expanded, and he became a true "tool"—only storing and retrieving items on command.

But in this state, he also "proved" his innocence. His space was empty.

Lu Jingxiao’s expression turned complicated. He apologized, saying he had wronged Fang Zhiyi. Those who had insulted and abused him bowed their heads in remorse. Qin Xue, tears in her eyes, declared that Fang Zhiyi had sacrificed for them all. Since things had come to this, they shouldn’t let him down. She caressed his face, gazing at him with tender eyes, and spoke moving words.

"Zhiyi, don’t be afraid. You’ll always be one of us. We’ll protect you… and you’ll protect everyone in your own way."

A happy ending for all.

And so, Fang Zhiyi became the Yunxiao Base’s living warehouse.

With his existence, Lu Jingxiao’s side regained their footing. Then one day, Qin Weiwei sneaked in and slit his throat. The only spatial ability user was dead.

Lu Jingxiao had him buried hastily.

"...A real tool to the end, huh?" Fang Zhiyi took a deep breath after reading. "A hypocritical saintly heroine, a selfish male lead, and a vicious supporting female?"

He closed his eyes, sensing his surroundings, and soon, a vast darkness unfolded in his mind.

"Well, well, well!" Fang Zhiyi couldn’t contain his excitement. In his past life, he’d only ever watched others use spatial abilities—who knew such fortune would land in his lap?

Suddenly, he shot a wary look at Xiao Hei.

Xiao Hei blinked. "What?"

"You’re not planning to eat my space, are you?" Fang Zhiyi remembered it had devoured spatial abilities before.

Xiao Hei nearly laughed. "Why would I want that junk?"

"Good." Fang Zhiyi relaxed. At least Xiao Hei wouldn’t lie to him.

He crouched on the ground, storing and retrieving items over and over.

After a full day, it dawned on him—his mental strength far surpassed the original owner’s, allowing him to store much more.

Once he grasped this, Fang Zhiyi prepared to venture out.

Xiao Hei tilted its head. "How do you plan to deal with them?"

Fang Zhiyi smirked. "Heh, just wait till I test my theory. If I’m right, they’re done for." He paused, drawing a circle in the air. "And by ‘they,’ I mean everyone."

Xiao Hei found Fang Zhiyi’s thought process endlessly bizarre. It almost pitied the male lead for whatever torment awaited him.

Fang Zhiyi moved through the ruins. He’d seen post-apocalyptic worlds before, but always from the outbreak’s beginning—never like this, with cities in ruins and danger lurking everywhere.

After a long trek, he finally spotted movement—a zombie impaled on a steel bar. How the poor thing had managed that, he had no idea.

Fang Zhiyi approached, examining it left and right. The zombie, thrilled to see him, reached out eagerly. Fang Zhiyi mirrored its enthusiasm, the two acting like old friends.

Xiao Hei couldn’t take it. "What, you gonna catch up over tea?"

Fang Zhiyi waved it off. "You don’t get it."

Closing his eyes, he focused on his ability, then placed a hand on the zombie’s arm.

The next moment, the zombie vanished.

Fang Zhiyi checked his space—sure enough, the zombie floated inside, motionless as if in hibernation.

With a thought, he summoned it back. The zombie, reactivated, lunged at him. Fang Zhiyi dodged, touched its arm again, and it disappeared once more.

A few seconds later, it reappeared.

Disappear. Reappear. Disappear. Reappear. After several cycles, the zombie seemed almost dazed. Though mindless, even it might’ve questioned if it was an idiot.

Fang Zhiyi sighed. "No wonder this ability has no combat use. You can’t store things from a distance or place them precisely!"

The zombie stared at him. After a few seconds of mutual eye contact, it lunged again. Fang Zhiyi touched its arm and stored it away.

Xiao Hei mused, "So that’s it. Your mental strength is leagues above the original owner’s, so the ability’s potential expands. Even zombies can be stored." It paused. "Wait… are you planning to—?"

Fang Zhiyi coughed, tilting his head with a dramatic pose. "Call me… the Summoner!"

"......"

"Cut it out, these things don’t listen to me anyway." Fang Zhiyi chuckled self-deprecatingly when Xiao Hei remained silent. "But for me, this ability is perfect—theoretically, I’m invincible."