I Am the Protagonist 05

At that moment, he heard the sound of a car speeding nearby.

Peering out the window, Fang Zhiyi frowned. "Not coming here anymore?"

After a moment, it dawned on him—Lu Jingxiao must have realized something and decided to head straight to the next location instead. That meant Fang Zhiyi didn’t need to rush. The resort might have farmland, but it was sorely lacking in supplies.

Fang Zhiyi left the food warehouse and found a small cabin belonging to a forest ranger. He released the first zombie he’d ever encountered from his spatial storage, securing it outside the door with a wooden pole through its chest before shutting the door and going to sleep.

The zombie glanced down at the stake impaling its torso. Sometimes, being a zombie was just plain unfair.

But just as dawn broke, Fang Zhiyi heard movement outside. The zombie seemed agitated. He sat up abruptly, eyes fixed on the door—then, in the next instant, a burst of flames erupted, burning a hole straight through it!

Through the smoldering gap, he locked eyes with the person outside.

"Human?" Qin Weiwei muttered in confusion.

Fang Zhiyi froze for a second before plastering an innocent grin on his face. "Yeah, hi."

"Seriously? They just had to track me down?" he grumbled internally to Xiao Hei.

Xiao Hei retorted, "Without you, the protagonist’s team would suffer so many setbacks. You’re indispensable."

"Cut the crap. Why not just give the protagonist a spatial ability from the start?"

"Nobody can possess two abilities. Don’t you know that?" Xiao Hei shot back.

Fang Zhiyi fell silent. He’d dug his own grave.

Qin Weiwei eyed the disheveled man with mild disdain, but at least this Fang Zhiyi fellow had some sense. He even shared his stored food with her, acting simple-minded and guileless.

She sighed inwardly. After searching everywhere, nearly getting bitten by zombies, and finding neither supplies nor other ability users, she’d finally stumbled upon the clues left by her team. She’d taken a shortcut to the resort, only to bump into this survivor—a mere ordinary person at that.

Still, surviving this long made him lucky.

Maybe… she should bring him back as proof? Otherwise, she’d lose face. Her gaze drifted to the half-filled burlap sack at Fang Zhiyi’s feet—the source of the food he’d just handed her.

When Qin Weiwei extended the invitation, Fang Zhiyi agreed without hesitation.

Watching him scurry around eagerly, Qin Weiwei’s frustration from the past two days melted away. She even entertained the idea of recruiting him as her lackey.

Finally, they arrived at the resort. Fang Zhiyi subtly surveyed the surroundings. In the original storyline, thanks to the protagonist’s warehouse, they’d quickly fortified the place with wire fencing and even set up recreational facilities. But now, it looked crude, and the people lacked vitality.

"Boss, no offense, but we have to hit the food warehouse soon. We’re running out of supplies! Ability users can tough it out, but the ordinary folks can’t!"

"Wei Xun! Stop siding with outsiders. Can’t you tell who’s on your team?"

"Wang Wei, enough."

As Fang Zhiyi listened to the argument inside, Qin Weiwei shoved the door open. "Your girl’s back!"

The room barely acknowledged her, except for Qin Xue, who stood up with a scowl. "Where have you been running off to? Do you know how worried we were? You’re not a child anymore."

Qin Weiwei snorted, ignoring her, and triumphantly raised the sack she’d snatched from Fang Zhiyi. "Look! Food!"

At the mention of food, everyone turned. They also noticed the unfamiliar face trailing behind her.

"Weiwei, who’s this?"

Qin Weiwei glanced back. "Oh, him? I picked him up on the way. His name is… uh… what was it again?"

Fang Zhiyi answered meekly, "Fang Zhiyi."

"An ability user?" Wang Wei asked.

Fang Zhiyi shook his head.

"Tch." Wang Wei sat back down. "Bringing in just anybody. Even a landlord would go broke feeding them."

Qin Weiwei’s eyebrows shot up. "Wang Wei, what did you just say?" To her, Wang Wei’s dismissal of Fang Zhiyi was a direct insult to her—though it might’ve been the truth.

"Enough," Lu Jingxiao finally interjected. He glanced at the sack in Qin Weiwei’s hand, then at the unassuming Fang Zhiyi, piecing things together but choosing not to call her out.

"Since he’s here, let him stay. Weiwei, arrange a spot for him."

Qin Weiwei nodded. "Got it!"

And just like that, Fang Zhiyi joined the group.

He was assigned to bunk with the other ordinary survivors, crammed several to a room—unlike the ability users, who were allotted space based on strength, some sharing rooms while others had their own.

Such was the harsh reality of the apocalypse: power dictated status.

With recent failures weighing on morale, the room’s occupants barely acknowledged Fang Zhiyi’s arrival, asking a few perfunctory questions before ignoring him.

After all, an extra mouth meant less food to go around.

The ability users set out again, heading for the food warehouse they’d passed earlier. But by nightfall, they returned empty-handed, their expressions saying it all.

The team’s spirits plummeted. Fortunately, Lu Jingxiao distributed the meager supplies Fang Zhiyi had brought—expired goods and broken rice, but enough to stave off hunger for now.

Lu Jingxiao delivered a rousing speech about their next target, but few responded. After days of fighting, traveling, and coming up short, enthusiasm was hard to muster. Only his loyalists showed any reaction.

And then there was Fang Zhiyi, clapping like an idiot, standing out like a sore thumb. Lu Jingxiao gave him an appraising look, feeling a flicker of approval.

Unlike these ingrates—ordinary people he’d taken in, who now dared to look down on him after a few setbacks! Lu Jingxiao gritted his teeth in silent fury.

The next day, the ability users departed again, Qin Weiwei among them. Once they were gone, Fang Zhiyi announced he’d scout nearby for food. No one paid him any mind.

Fang Zhiyi tried to catch up to the protagonist’s team but arrived too late. He watched them enter the village, hearing their excited shouts from inside, and smacked his palm in frustration. Of course—protagonist luck! On to the next stage!

When Lu Jingxiao and the others returned this time, they were laden with supplies. The camp’s residents gaped in awe.

For the first time in a while, everyone slept soundly.

It almost felt like a brighter tomorrow was within reach.

Lu Jingxiao’s confidence returned. He began to wonder if their earlier failures had just been bad luck—but it didn’t matter now. His priority was expanding the camp. The ability users would fight; the ordinary people would work. They had to unite.

Qin Xue said as much, and everyone agreed. But soon after, the newcomer Fang Zhiyi started complaining of dizziness.