Chapter Twenty-Four: Kindness Mistaken for Malice (1/5)

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“This guy, I don’t know what he was thinking, but he tried to steal our gear. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have walked off with it,” Guo Yu said, clearly displeased with Yang Fan, all because Yang Fan had tried to help gather their belongings and was misunderstood as a thief.

“Watch your mouth, Guo Yu,” Zhu Liang snapped, annoyed. Did Yang Fan care about this junk? He’d seen the divine gear Yang Fan wore; these scraps would only dirty his hands if given to him.

“And who do you think you are?” Guo Yu pointed a finger at Zhu Liang’s nose, showing not the slightest respect for his elders. Zhu Liang’s face darkened at this provocation—who would be pleased to be treated like that? He wanted to slice Guo Yu down right there, but he restrained himself. Yang Fan hadn’t spoken; if Zhu Liang acted rashly, it would look like he didn’t respect Yang Fan at all. Zhu Liang was far more experienced in street smarts than these hotheaded youths, and Yang Fan noticed his restraint, nodding inwardly in satisfaction.

More and more, Yang Fan felt that Zhu Liang only lacked opportunity. Now, with the apocalypse upon them, if he were to form a legion or alliance, Zhu Liang could well command a faction, Yang Fan mused.

“That’s enough. This is the Dean of Discipline. Show some respect,” barked a woman named Ji Wu. At her words, Guo Yu fell silent, realizing his behavior was out of character. Still, he didn’t lower his sword until Ji Wu slapped his arm and glared at him. “If you keep this up, I’ll stop speaking to you.”

Reluctantly, Guo Yu cast a resentful look at Yang Fan, sheathed his sword, and snorted.

“Hello, I’m Ji Wu, from Class 4, Senior Year.”

She radiated a wild charm that made one want to conquer her, but with an intellect score of eighty, Yang Fan’s self-control was more than sufficient. His gaze remained clear as water as he replied, “My name is Yang Fan, from Class 2, Senior Year.”

“Sorry about earlier—my friend overreacted,” Ji Wu said, picking up the sword and giving it a quick look before turning to Yang Fan. “Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I know you were just trying to help us pick it up.”

She was clever to say so. In truth, she wasn’t sure if Yang Fan had meant to help, but this way, leveraging her attractiveness, she expected Yang Fan would simply nod, as most boys would. It was a subtle little trick, skillfully executed.

Yang Fan just smiled. In the past, he might have been fooled, but with his intelligence now eight times higher—not simply raw IQ, but encompassing judgment, calculation, and observation—he saw right through her little ploy.

To be honest, he didn’t care for Black Iron-grade weapons, so he handed the gear back to Ji Wu and said, “I just noticed you all missed it and wanted to help. Perhaps I was presumptuous. My apologies.”

Yang Fan’s heart was calm as still water. There was no need to fuss. He spoke with gentle indifference.

“His intentions are all too clear, even if he puts it nicely now. If I hadn’t caught him, who knows if he would’ve run off with our gear?” Guo Yu said coldly.

Yang Fan’s brows knitted.

“That’s right! Guo Yu is right—you greedy thief, get lost!” piped up a petite girl, the fire mage. She was adorable: about five foot three, with a generous chest, a face much like Ji Wu’s, round with a baby’s softness, skin as pale as snow with two rosy cheeks that begged to be pinched.

But this cute girl only pointed at Yang Fan and kept cursing, “Shameless!”

Zhu Liang was incensed, but Yang Fan held him back, keeping a smile on his face. “If I caused any misunderstanding, I apologize. I’m returning your things now, so I’d appreciate a bit of respect.”

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As Yang Fan spoke, his face wore a radiant smile, but inside he was like ice. He could forgive once, even twice, but not a third time. If he heard another insult, he would not mind ensuring they never saw the sun rise again.

“Guo Yu! Ji Yue! Both of you, shut up!” Ji Wu shouted, her aura shifting abruptly as she pushed the cold sword aside. She quickly turned to Yang Fan, apologizing, “I’m truly sorry. My friends have bad tempers. Please don’t mind them.”

Even as she spoke, Ji Wu’s heart pounded, for she sensed a chilling, terrifying aura emanating from the seemingly gentle boy before her.

“Ji Wu, are you really taking a stranger’s side over mine?” Guo Yu protested.

“Sis, you too!” the little girl fumed.

“Quiet, both of you.” Ji Wu suspected Yang Fan’s strength was formidable—frightening, even—and she was deeply afraid that conflict would break out. The cost would be too high, so she steeled herself and shouted at Guo Yu.

“Fine, I’ll shut up,” Guo Yu muttered, clenching his fists and staring daggers at Yang Fan, hatred burning on his handsome face. The little mage scowled too, shouting, “You’re disgusting! Shameless!”

“Enough!” Ji Wu snapped, glaring at her, feeling the aura grow ever more oppressive and fearing a fight could break out at any moment.

“My apologies, truly,” Ji Wu said, seeing that Guo Yu and Ji Yue were still in a foul mood. She hurried to apologize to Yang Fan again.

Yang Fan didn’t take it out on the women. Instead, he took out a crate of bottled water from his inventory painting, his face still bright with a smile. “Here’s some water—a token of apology for my earlier rudeness.”

This gesture instantly won him goodwill from everyone. His warm smile only deepened their shame, for in this world, water and food were the most precious resources. No one had expected Yang Fan to be so generous.

Zhu Liang was stunned—he hadn’t expected Yang Fan not only to swallow his anger but to repay resentment with kindness. He was baffled.

“Water!”

“There’s water!”

“He just conjured a whole crate out of thin air. Is he a magician?” The group was in a flurry. They hadn’t had a sip of water all day; some of their throats were burning. Even Guo Yu and the little mage, who had been so hostile, swallowed hard at the sight of the bottles.

Yang Fan had no intention of relying on them, so he simply set the water on the ground, giving one each to Guo Yu and the little mage. Guo Yu sneered, “It’s just water. Don’t drink it—who knows what’s in there? Let’s go to the convenience store; there’s plenty there.”

His words halted everyone. No one dared touch the bottles, wary that he might be right. Clearly, their sense of solidarity was strong.

“That’s right—maybe it’s drugged. Coveting our beauty, as if we wouldn’t notice your schemes,” the little mage scoffed.

“Yeah, don’t drink it.”

“Be careful—it could be poisoned.”

“This guy is up to no good,” several boys chimed in, backing Guo Yu and berating Yang Fan.

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Yang Fan’s heart grew ever colder. Zhu Liang wished he could kill them all to vent his anger, while Ji Wu’s face flushed red with indignation. Despite Yang Fan’s repeated humility, her own sister and Guo Yu, who was trying to win her favor, still maligned him. How could she not be furious? So Ji Wu picked up a bottle, flashed Yang Fan a sweet smile, and said, “Thank you.”

She opened the bottle and drank deeply, feeling instantly refreshed. A blissful smile lit up her face.

The others, seeing her drink, felt the urge as well, but Yang Fan collected the water up again, making it look like a magic trick.

“We’re leaving,” Yang Fan said to Zhu Liang and turned to go.

“Thank you,” Ji Wu called after him, sensing his anger and unsure what else to say.

Yang Fan didn’t respond, leaving with a cold indifference.

After Yang Fan left, Guo Yu snorted and looked at the Black Iron weapon. “That guy’s full of bad intentions. We should keep an eye on him. As for this weapon, I think Chen Hui should have it—he’s had military training and will make our group stronger...”

Before Guo Yu finished, Ji Wu threw the Black Iron weapon to the ground, her face cold. “You’re all a pack of ingrates—especially you, petty little man.”

With that, she strode off, ignoring everyone.

The little mage followed, blocking Ji Wu’s path and protesting, “That guy’s a villain, trying to steal our gear! If Guo Yu hadn’t caught him, it would have been gone.”

Ji Wu knew her sister admired Guo Yu’s sunny older-brother persona, but she just snorted and pushed Ji Yue aside, striding on.

Guo Yu’s face darkened at the sight.

When they reached the convenience store, however, they discovered... not a single bottle of water was left.

Ji Wu, still holding half a bottle, laughed coldly, looking at Guo Yu’s sour face. “Well? Where’s the water, Guo Yu? Didn’t you look down on him? Go find some water, then.”

“It was him, it had to be him—he stole all the water!” the little mage spat.

Guo Yu echoed her, “That guy’s ruthless. He must have storage gear and took it all. Bastard.”

“Why shouldn’t he take it? I think you’ve all changed,” Ji Wu retorted heatedly. At this point, it was no longer about the group’s interests, but pure spite.

Meanwhile, far off, Yang Fan had already reached the seventh floor...

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(This chapter was indeed careless—my apologies. I’ve revised it!)