I Am the Protagonist 07

Life went on as usual, and Fang Zhiyi grew closer to Li Si. Li Si began noticing that Fang Zhiyi harbored quite a few secrets—like how he could suddenly produce beer out of nowhere. Li Si distinctly remembered all alcohol being stored under the supervision of Wei Xun, the combat team leader. Clearly, Fang Zhiyi had been hoarding some for himself.

But Li Si had no intention of reporting him. After all, Fang Zhiyi shared the beer with him. In a normal society, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but now, he took Fang Zhiyi’s word as law.

Especially when Fang Zhiyi sighed about how well the higher-ups ate, Li Si—who had never paid much attention before—started taking note. Snacks and desserts were prioritized for the Qin sisters, while cigarettes and alcohol went to the combat team’s ability users.

Li Si knew his place. He had made up his mind: anyone who messed with Fang Zhiyi would have to deal with him. People called Fang Zhiyi a mere tool, but to Li Si, he was nothing short of a golden goose.

With this mindset, when Fang Zhiyi discreetly provided extra rations to the ordinary members, Li Si pretended not to see—sometimes even covering for him.

Thanks to his diligence and reliability, Fang Zhiyi was assigned another task the ability users despised: ration distribution. Essentially, he handed out food and supplies to everyone. They all agreed he was perfect for the job since he didn’t need to haul things back and forth.

As usual, Fang Zhiyi tossed Li Si a crate of beer—scavenged from a supermarket run. Li Si grinned so wide his eyes nearly disappeared.

Fang Zhiyi promised to keep it under wraps, and Li Si nodded eagerly, grateful as always. This wasn’t the first time, and Fang Zhiyi never strayed far from the camp anyway.

Lately, however, undercurrents of unrest had begun swirling through the camp.

But Lu Jingxiao, busy establishing their new base, remained oblivious. More survivors flocked to them, and their resource-gathering progress was steady. Soon, the base he dreamed of would be complete.

All the ability users were thrilled.

Meanwhile, whispers spread among the ordinary members:

"The ability users feast on meat while we’re stuck with coarse grains."

"Qin Xue gets chocolate every day."

"Qin Weiwei threw a tantrum and dumped all the beef rather than eat it."

"Medicine is reserved for combat personnel. The rest of us just have to tough it out when we’re sick."

...

Naturally, none of these grievances reached the ears of the higher-ups.

If there was one thing Fang Zhiyi excelled at—in this world or any other—it was spreading rumors and fanning the flames.

Today was the base’s "birthday," coinciding with Qin Xue’s own. Lu Jingxiao was in high spirits, ordering everyone to celebrate. Wang Wei, tasked with organizing the feast, spotted Fang Zhiyi loitering and barked at him to distribute the food.

"Since you’re basically a walking storage unit, just pull it out and hand it over. Less hassle. Now scram."

Wang Wei never bothered hiding his disdain for Fang Zhiyi.

Fang Zhiyi nodded and left.

Qin Xue overheard and scolded Wang Wei half-heartedly before turning back to her preparations. She wanted to look her best today—she’d even prepared a dance. Something told her Lu Jingxiao had a surprise in store for her.

But before Lu Jingxiao’s surprise could materialize, Fang Zhiyi’s "gift" arrived first.

Someone in the crowd flipped a table, shouting that Lu Jingxiao treated ordinary people like dirt. More joined in, hurling curses. Wang Wei, never one for patience, lashed out. His abilities made short work of a few unarmed civilians.

But today was different. The crowd’s rage burned hotter. Then, a voice rang out: "Kill Wang Wei! Take the food and meat!"

Fear gave way to fury, and chaos erupted.

Lu Jingxiao, who had been cozying up to Qin Xue indoors, rushed outside to find a full-blown brawl. Though the ability users were stronger, the ordinary members outnumbered them. He shouted for order, but no one listened.

Then, blood was spilled.

The sight of death ignited long-simmering grievances. The oppressed decided this was their moment.

Li Si, trembling in the shadows, hesitated. Fang Zhiyi stopped him with a hand. "Fourth Brother, you’re not a bad person. No need to wade into this mess."

Sobered by fear, Li Si stared at Fang Zhiyi. The young man’s face bore an expression he’d never seen before—one that reminded him of Fang Zhiyi’s muttered words while sneaking extra food to the ordinary members.

"You—"

Lu Jingxiao subdued a man wielding a cleaver, demanding answers. The man, shaking, spat out their grievances: they were treated as less than human. Today, of all days, the ability users had handed them moldy bread and spoiled gruel while feasting on meat and fruit.

That was the last straw.

Lu Jingxiao was stunned. "When did I ever order moldy bread and gruel?" He dragged a bloodied Wang Wei from the fray. "What did you give them?"

Wang Wei scoffed. "Me? I told that useless storage unit to handle it!" He dove back into the fight.

Realization struck Lu Jingxiao. He bellowed Fang Zhiyi’s name, but no one answered. Only Qin Weiwei emerged, dressed to impress, only to witness their allies tearing each other apart.

Lu Jingxiao sprinted to the base’s storage—where their recently gathered supplies were kept. Though Fang Zhiyi had transported them, they’d been consolidated for safekeeping.

But the storeroom was empty. Every last scrap of material was gone.

The culprit was obvious.

"Stop fighting! Fang Zhiyi played you all!" Lu Jingxiao roared, desperate to rally forces to capture him.

But the crowd was beyond reason. Then, amid the chaos, zombies appeared. Lu Jingxiao reacted instantly, his lightning ability cutting them down. The crackle of electricity briefly restored order.

Surveying the corpses and wounded, Lu Jingxiao’s eyes burned with fury. "Fang Zhiyi! Find Fang Zhiyi!"

The surviving ordinary members stayed put. To them, Fang Zhiyi was a benefactor—the one who’d secretly slipped them extra food.

The ability users exchanged uneasy glances.

Then, a clear voice rang from above:

"You looking for your granddad?"