The male supporting character was actually myself.

The occasional roars of zombies echoed from afar, sending chills down one's spine.

"Stay close to me and be careful." Jiang Chen took the lead and went up the stairs to check the situation on the second floor.

Upstairs there are four simple private rooms and a not-too-dirty bathroom. Obviously, no one was upstairs when the apocalypse broke out, and the zombies at this time were still in the early stages of slow movement and dull reaction, so they wouldn't go upstairs.

"Come in, it's safe here."

The small room contained only a large round table covered with a cheap tablecloth and a few heavy, old-fashioned wooden chairs.

Jiang Chen tried it and found that the lock was working and could be locked; there was a small window above the door, and the patterned glass was intact.

There was no electricity in the house. After the apocalypse, all departments shut down, and everything that relied on electricity became useless.

"Finally, I can catch my breath. Oh, by the way, my name is Tang Xueli." The girl in the white dress, which already had some stains, introduced herself: "I got on the bus a day earlier than you, so you probably don't remember me, but I ate the food you assigned."

Why did Chu Han attack you?

"Are they trying to steal the food from your backpack?"

Jiang Chen moved the tables and chairs to a corner to make room as quietly as possible, and then confessed directly: "I have a jade pendant, which is a spatial artifact. It contains my stored food and water."

Jade pendant? Space?

Tang Xueli was clearly taken aback, but the light was so dim that only her outline could be seen, making it impossible to discern her expression.

"Oh, I see." She quickly accepted this explanation.

After all, it's already the apocalypse, and someone on the train has awakened a very powerful superpower. It doesn't seem too far-fetched that the jade pendant has a spatial dimension.

Sighing in the darkness, she asked, "What do we do now? We can't catch up, and I'm afraid we won't get them back."

Jiang Chen didn't reply, but asked instead, "How did you end up there? Usually, no one goes to the last carriage."

"That..." Tang Xueli's pretty face flushed slightly, then she realized that the other person couldn't see her and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

I can't exactly say that I've been secretly watching him all along, can I?

She whispered, "You've given me food before, so I think you're a good person."

In the afternoon, I helped a woman with her child watch her child for a while. She secretly slipped me a piece of chocolate, and I thought I'd give it to you, but I couldn't find you anywhere.

Later I heard that you and Chu Han went to the back of the train, so I searched there and found...

It happened so suddenly. The carriage was empty and there wasn't anything we could grab. Neither of us could beat that bastard. He stole your things and threw you around.

Are you really alright?

"Can I see where you hurt yourself?"

"This girl is nice." Little White commented as it gently massaged its host's back with its furry little paws.

"It's really nothing." Jiang Chen said easily. "What isn't his will be returned sooner or later. Anyway, I have an even bigger one, so I can take my time."

Tang Xueli was stunned.

Is there any more space?

Brother, is the jade pendant you bought a pair?

The little white fluffy ball then remembered to check what items were available in the system space.

Then it exclaimed with delight, "Host, many things have been unlocked!"

Emmmm…

The main system's rationale is that, in a post-apocalyptic environment, items that don't exceed the limitations of the era too significantly won't impact society; therefore, a large portion of firearms, ammunition, vehicles, and daily necessities can be used.

Jiang Chen silently gave it a thumbs-up in the darkness, and then casually started rummaging through the system space for things.

The small desk lamp in the interstellar mission world has a built-in micro-power generation system that can last for one or two years without charging. He doesn't know the specific principle, but when asked, he just says it's high-tech!

The soft light illuminated the room, and Tang Xueli couldn't help but pinch herself when she saw the abundant ingredients laid out on the table.

It really hurts!

Lunch includes beef, roast chicken, self-heating hot pot, packaged cooked food, bread, yogurt, fruit, and even a bowl of fresh vegetable salad!

On the chair next to it were two sets of clean clothes, toiletries, and a large bottle of purified water!

"Go to the bathroom and take a shower and change into some clean clothes. We'll eat after you're done." Jiang Chen handed her water, toiletries, and new clothes with tags still on.

Tang Xueli was completely bewildered. "No, no, you have to keep this water and food."

Don't take things out casually in the future!

This world is too chaotic. There will be more and more people like Chu Han who covet other people's things and have no bottom line. Next time you are targeted, you may lose your life!

Food supplies will become increasingly scarce, so we must be frugal to last longer…

Jiang Chen interrupted her directly and asked, "Would you covet my space?"

"Of course not." She said without hesitation, "Even in the apocalypse, as human beings, we should still have a bottom line of humanity, otherwise what's the difference between us and zombies?"

"That's good. Go take a shower and change your clothes."

Tang Xueli wanted to say something, but when she met his gaze, she blushed and smelled herself and realized that she did indeed have a sour smell.

It's no wonder you look slovenly if you don't wash up for several days in the sweltering summer heat.

She took water and new clothes to the bathroom next door to wash up; Jiang Chen washed up in the corridor and changed into clean clothes and shoes, feeling much more comfortable.

"Host, this is a pretty good start!" The little white cat happily counted the medals it had received. "We completed the mission without a scratch and picked up a beautiful girl. Now, as long as you don't kill the protagonist yourself, we can do whatever we want in this mission world!"

Jiang Chen sighed softly, "What a pity, I originally wanted to trick the protagonist."

Huh? Xiao Bai looked puzzled. "In such a dangerous situation, and with the main system issuing a mission, how else could the host possibly trick the protagonist?"

"The main system requires that the mission be completed if the jade pendant is stolen or the protagonist is pushed off the train, right?" He said matter-of-factly, "It didn't say that I can't pull the protagonist off the train, nor did it stipulate that I can't take it back!"

So, while I was having my jade pendant stolen and being pushed off the train to complete my mission, I also dragged Chu Han down with me. Even the main system can't say anything else, right?

What's wrong with taking my things back?

The little white fluffy ball froze instantly.

As expected, my host always gets perfect scores in reading comprehension!

"And then?" it asked, bewildered. "After dragging the protagonist down and stealing the jade pendant, what happened?"

"The original plan was to break his limbs and throw him on the tracks, then see how strong his protagonist aura was." Jiang Chen slowly opened the food packaging and arranged it, then chuckled, "Now that I think about it, maybe that's not so bad."

One for one, I'm not losing out either way.

If my plan goes smoothly, the script might be updated to make the protagonist a zombie king or something, which would be even more troublesome.

Little White looked like it was saying, "I'm so naive, I'm so silly," and rubbed its face with its paw.

I really thought the host was seriously doing the mission, but...

It was just a failed attempt to dig a hole!

Chapter Three: I Can Afford It

Girls tend to take longer to wash up, especially Tang Xueli, who has waist-length hair, which takes even more time.

A moment later, she returned to the room, smelling fresh and dressed in a black men's combat uniform, looking dashing. She asked softly, "Do you have scissors?"

"Can't remove the tag?" Jiang Chen was just about to look in the space tool category when he heard the other person say shyly, "I want to cut my hair. It's too dirty if I don't wash it; washing it is too wasteful of water."

It's better to cut it off cleanly and neatly.

He immediately stopped and replied seriously, "No need to cut it, I can still grow this much hair. Come and eat."

The little white cat munched on a dried fish and mumbled, "I can tell that my host likes long-haired beauties."

After washing up, Tang Xueli had fair skin, willow-leaf eyebrows, bright eyes and white teeth, and an oval face, exuding a classical beauty that was serene and timeless; her wasp waist and slender back, along with her slightly oversized black combat uniform, added a touch of heroic spirit to her.

"I'm going to learn how to fight zombies in the future, long hair might be a burden." Her face flushed red when she heard the word "raise," and she explained in a low voice.

Jiang Chen casually slapped a black object onto the table. "Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you how to shoot. Even when fighting zombies, it'll be from a distance."

Upon realizing it was a gun, Tang Xueli was startled. "Oh! How come you have a gun? You should have shot Chu Han when he robbed you!"

I want to too, but the main system won't allow it.

"It happened so suddenly I didn't have time to take it out," Jiang Chen said casually, gesturing for her to sit down and eat.

The food on the table was plentiful, but Tang Xueli only took a carton of yogurt and a piece of bread.

She lowered her head and carefully recalled the whole incident, then realized, "It was me who suddenly pounced on you and disrupted your plans, wasn't it?"

I'm sorry, I thought I could help.

“You risked your life to help me, not even caring about your own safety. I understand your kindness.” Jiang Chen handed over a chicken leg and said earnestly, “Eating more meat will give you more stamina. In the apocalypse, if you want to survive and thrive, you need to eat well, drink well, and rest enough.”

Tang Xueli hesitated for a moment before accepting the meat, and said confidently, "I will work hard to collect ingredients to contribute, and I won't eat and drink for free!"

Previously on the train, everyone didn't have much food in their bags, just enough to keep them from getting too hungry.

To avoid attracting attention from others, the original owner did not indulge in eating or drinking.

Therefore, the two of them were so hungry that their stomachs were practically sticking to their backs, and they devoured the fragrant food in no time.

"It's so wonderful to be full and satisfied!" Since the apocalypse began, Tang Xueli had never enjoyed a full meal. Now, leaning back in her chair and drinking yogurt, she felt a surge of happiness.

Jiang Chen glanced at his watch; it was 8:20 PM.

Outside the window, it was pitch black except for the distant howls of zombies carried by the wind; the surroundings were eerily quiet.

As the night drew to a close, the two of them worked together to move the tables and chairs out as quietly as possible. He then took out mattresses, pillows, and other daily necessities from his storage space and made two beds comfortably.

After chatting for a while, they both gained a basic understanding of each other.

Tang Xueli's original name was Tang Xueli. She was a high school student in a small county town that the railway passed through.

Her father was an idle man who liked to philander and fool around outside. The family relied entirely on her mother, who was disabled due to polio, and her elderly grandmother.

Her mother died of an infection when she was born; her father was away from home for six months to a year, and then disappeared without a trace.

Tang Xueli was raised by her elderly grandmother. When she was born, the family's dozen or so acres of pear trees were in full bloom. Her illiterate grandmother named her Xueli (meaning "pear").

Later, when she went to school, she was often ridiculed by her classmates, and an elementary school teacher changed her name to Shirley.

Because of her family's poverty, Tang Xueli started school later than her peers, and at nineteen she was still in her second year of high school.

Two years ago, her grandmother passed away due to illness. She managed the family's dozen or so acres of pear orchard while supporting her studies by selling pears.