Ring

Chu Xiang removed the ordinary, unremarkable ring from his middle finger. The material appeared to be neither gold nor silver, but some kind of alloy, heavy in weight and dark in hue—so unremarkable that it seemed no one would bother to pick it up if it were dropped on the ground. He hadn't had it with him when he jumped off the cliff, and upon waking, it was the only thing left beside his clothes and the PDA.

The night had already grown deep. The broken bridge was far from any nearby village, and since fresh food rarely appeared, zombies did not wander around here. Chu Xiang added a few more sticks to the fire, then leaned in closer to scrutinize the ring, examining it a hundred times over—he was nearly tempted to use a microscope—but still, he found no abnormalities.

He refused to believe the ring was without significance. Unable to hold back any longer, he turned on the PDA. Unlike the usual start-up screen of a regular phone, this time it showed Bai Xiaowei lying on a bed, seemingly sleeping! This was way too lifelike! Her chest was remarkably prominent, causing the blanket to bulge.

Chu Xiang was stunned and asked, "Do you sleep?"

Bai Xiaowei leaned back on her pillow, her arms and snowy shoulders exposed, her eyes slightly dazed, giving her an allure that was hard to ignore. "Yes, when you turn off the PDA, I'm essentially sleeping. Is there a problem?"

Chu Xiang waved the ring in front of the PDA's camera and asked, "Sorry to disturb your rest, but I'd like to ask what this thing is. It can't just be an ordinary ring, can it?"

"No," Bai Xiaowei answered calmly, "This is a spatial ring, given to you by my creator, Bai Xiaowei. Given the chaos in the world, survival is humanity's foremost priority. Without proper storage space, your chances of survival are greatly reduced."

Chu Xiang's head spun. "A storage ring? Have you been playing too many games? How could something like this exist in real life?"

Bai Xiaowei brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead and, in a slightly seductive tone, replied, "Since the T-virus is now a reality, what's so strange about a small space ring? I've told you my creator, Bai Xiaowei, is a genius, and multi-dimensional spaces are one of her major research areas. She was the first person in the world to successfully unlock multi-dimensional space. This ring is the key to accessing that space. Because the multi-dimensional space is independent of the Earth's latitude and longitude, you can access it anywhere at any time. Isn't that convenient for you?"

Chu Xiang nearly jumped for joy. During his escape, he had experienced moments of luxury—he had once occupied a supermarket with a group of refugees, but their carrying capacity had been too limited. He had watched helplessly as large quantities of food were abandoned. With this storage ring, as long as he stored something in it, he could retrieve it from anywhere—whether in Province A or Province B! It was truly miraculous!

"How do I open it?" he eagerly asked Bai Xiaowei.

Bai Xiaowei replied, "Rub the front of it three times."

Chu Xiang was taken aback. "Is it really that simple? I've rubbed it over fifty times already!"

Bai Xiaowei quipped, "More rubs won't help. Do you expect me to say 'Open Sesame'?"

Chu Xiang couldn't help but laugh. This smart program was quite amusing, and at least it wouldn't abandon him like his ex-girlfriends had. After recharging it, it would be a source of companionship in his lonely exile.

He rubbed the front of the ring three times, his hands in a prayer-like gesture, hoping for the ground beneath him to open up. However, to his surprise, the ring merely emitted a soft white light, which projected in front of him a white door, as if a 3D projection had appeared.

Bai Xiaowei's voice came again: "That's it. Currently, your physical strength can only support a storage space of one cubic meter. The first time you open the door, you'll need to set a password. After use, rub the ring three more times to close it. My battery is nearly out, so please recharge me as soon as possible. Goodbye."

With that, Bai Xiaowei powered off. Chu Xiang, his mind entirely focused on the white door, placed the PDA in his pocket and approached it. It had a handle and a control panel for the password. When he touched it, it felt real despite the white light emanating from it. It was truly magical!

Following Bai Xiaowei's instructions, Chu Xiang set the password and opened the door. However, he was disappointed. It was just like a regular safe—inside, there was a one-cubic-meter space, entirely empty except for the walls, which were the same white as the door. The temperature inside seemed to be constant, resembling that of a refrigerator. It was ideal for storing food, but he wondered if it could store a living person. Probably not, as the lack of air would prevent it.

He rummaged through the backpack he and Song Jun had carried. Apart from Song Jun's self-made iron arrows and a pack of cigarettes, there were only a few bundles of RMB. Chu Xiang tossed the cash into the storage space and closed the ring. Now, he only hoped to find a supermarket without any zombies. A cubic meter didn't seem like much, but it could hold plenty of things!

Since being infected by the T-virus at the gas station, Chu Xiang had been struggling to keep up with everything that had happened. He tore open the pack of cigarettes, took out a box, and then pulled out a Zippo lighter—one he had found in an abandoned Dongfeng Nissan sedan. Seeing a beautiful woman on the lighter's panel, he had kept it. He flicked it open with a crisp snap and lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag.

Who cares about ultimate evolution? No one can control him now. He was going to stick to his original plan: find his parents and sister, and figure out how to survive in this chaotic world. It would be great if he could find a few women who truly loved him, live out the rest of his life with them—just the thought of it made him tear up with happiness.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps interrupted his daydream. Someone had gotten out of the vehicle to relieve themselves. Chu Xiang tossed a few more logs onto the fire. The person finished their business and walked over.

"Man, it's freezing in the car! I can't even turn on the air conditioning to save gas. But you sure know how to enjoy yourself. Oh, you have cigarettes? Give me one, quick. I can't even remember the last time I smoked."

It was Zhang Hongbing. Since the cigarettes weren't Chu Xiang's own money, he casually grabbed a pack from his bag and tossed it to him. Then, he took out the Zippo and lit it for him.

Zhang Hongbing took a deep drag and finally noticed the Zippo lighter in Chu Xiang's hand. "Zhiba Beauty commemorative lighter? You've got some good stuff, man. Let me take a look."

Chu Xiang rolled his eyes. Even if it was made of gold, a beaten-up lighter was worth less than a moldy piece of bread. He threw the lighter to Zhang Hongbing, who, upon receiving it, treated it like a treasure.

"Nice, nice, it's the real deal! Windproof, good stuff! It's worth at least a few hundred!" Zhang Hongbing said happily.

Chu Xiang smirked, "I'd trade it for a regular lighter, if you have one. If it weren't the only tool I had for starting a fire, I'd just give it to you."

Zhang Hongbing grinned. "Really? No take-backs! I'll find a lighter to trade with you."

However, Zhang Hongbing searched high and low and found only a cheap disposable lighter. That wasn't the worst part—it was out of fuel! He scratched his head in embarrassment, tossing the disposable lighter aside, before glancing at the cigarette butts and asking, "Yunyan? Not bad. How many packs do you have left?"

There were ten boxes in a pack, and Chu Xiang had taken one for himself and given one to Zhang Hongbing. He still had eight boxes left. While Chu Xiang wasn't stingy, he wasn't going to act like a miser either. He pulled out four boxes and tossed them to Zhang Hongbing.

"Here, take them. But the lighter's a one-time deal, sorry."

Zhang Hongbing, overjoyed, hugged the five boxes of cigarettes like they were treasures. He smiled widely and jumped to his feet.

"Wait here! I'm not going to let you smoke for free!" he said, running back to the car.

Chu Xiang thought he was going to come back with some gold or silver jewelry to trade, though he hadn't planned on accepting. But considering he might need to trade for food or supplies at the copper market, it might come in handy. To his surprise, Zhang Hongbing didn't return with jewelry, but with the drowsy Zhang Jingyao!