C3 Could It be That She Was the Female Lead?(2)

Hsu Yuvran swung his shield high and yelled, "Stick close, everyone!"

Without a second thought, he lunged at the swarm of wild cats.

Dongfang Bai, a martial artist since childhood, was quick on her feet. Sure, Hsu Yuvran's power move took her aback, but there was no time to dwell on that now.

She had her unique skills; this was no time to get caught up in the drama.

Seizing her moment, she chucked an Air Grenade under the cover of Hsu Yuvran's shield.

A wild cat jumped into the blast zone and was blown to smithereens.

Blood and torn flesh exploded into the air like gruesome fireworks, limbs flung in all directions.

Hsu Yuvran was taken aback. 'Whoa, she's got some game!'

"Hey Dongfang, when did you have that trick up your sleeve?" Hsu Yuvran asked, swatting away a cat and nailing it with Earth Spikes.

"Look who's talking! You've got your secret moves and still wanted me to play bodyguard? What's your angle?" Dongfang Bai shot back, obviously getting the wrong idea. She kicked another cat sky-high and sliced it clean in half.

"You've got it twisted, Miss! I only got the hang of this yesterday after catching rabies. Today's the maiden voyage," Hsu Yuvran shot back as he used Earth Spikes to help Dongfang Bai finish off a wild cat.

"Who's protecting who, huh? This skill's just for you, sicko. Catchy name, by the way... oh crap!" Dongfang Bai didn't finish her sentence before a wild cat lunged at her.

Quick as a flash, Hsu Yuvran swung his shield around, tucked Dongfang Bai under it, grabbed her waist, and spun like a top.

"Wham!" The spinning shield catapulted away the sneaky cat that had lunged.

"Boom!" Dongfang Bai followed up with another Air Grenade, disintegrating the cat mid-flight.

After setting Dongfang Bai down, Hsu Yuvran let loose another volley of Earth Spikes, putting another wild cat out of its misery.

The place crawled with a dozen mutant beasts. Howling and throwing themselves at the duo.

Hungry for fresh meat, these feral beasts had entirely gone off the deep end.

In a face-off with this howling mob, going solo would have been a one-way ticket to the afterlife for Hsu Yuvran or Dongfang Bai.

But now, with both guns blazing and skills in sync, they were turning into a well-oiled beast-busting machine.

Dongfang Bai's hand-to-hand combat was top-notch, and Hsu Yuvran's shield game was on point. The Earth Spikes were like curveballs—unpredictable.

They wrapped up the whole mess in just a few minutes. Some cats thought they could bolt but got shut down by their unique skills.

The ground was a bloody mess, reeking so bad it made the stomach turn. It was like a mutant beast magnet.

They high-tailed it and found a clean office to scrub off the gore.

While cleaning the blood off her face, Dongfang Bai asked, "So, you just discovered these abilities yesterday?"

"Got bitten, might have caught rabies," Hsu Yuvran said like it was no big deal.

"Rabies? That's lethal stuff!" Dongfang Bai froze, giving Hsu Yuvran a shocked look.

"Yeah, it was a nightmare. I thought I was a goner," Hsu Yuvran admitted, still shaken from the memory.

"You're tough as nails," Dongfang Bai said, still wiping herself down. "I got pneumonia once, coughed for days, but here I am."

He stole a glance at Dongfang Bai. This doll had some serious skills. Could she be the star of the show?

"How about ditching school and venturing out?" Dongfang Bai threw the idea out.

Dongfang Bai's idea got Hsu Yuvran's eyes twinkling.

'Spot on,' he thought. 'With these new skills, who's afraid of some mutant beasts?

I even have a basic getaway skill. Gosh, I need to stop thinking about that—it's just too cringy.'

"You said we should leave campus and see what's happening outside?" Hsu Yuvran mulled it over, a bit puzzled.

"Exactly. We can't just bunker down here forever. Might as well hit the road and see if luck's on our side," Dongfang Bai said.

"No time to lose, then. I'll go round up the gang," Hsu Yuvran said, bolting out the door.

Dongfang Bai hesitated. "And if some folks aren't up for it?"

"If they're not in, they stay. We go. If they don't care about surviving, we can't force them" Hsu Yuvran was dead set.

"Let's aim to take everyone. We've got history together, being teachers and classmates and all," Dongfang Bai countered.

"We'll hash it out later. For now, let's split and find the crew."

Once he found out Dongfang Bai got her Awakening Skill, the wheels started turning in his head.

''Caught rabies and ended up with Earth Shield and Earth Spike.

Dongfang Bai caught pneumonia, and "bam," she's got razor claws and Air Grenades.

Two different bugs, two different sicknesses, and we've each got a unique pair of superpowers.

What happens if I caught something else?

Chances are, I'd unlock some other whacky skills

The system spelled it out: the more bugs you caught, the more superpowers you got.

If that's how it works, things will get wild.

So, the system wants me to catch more diseases? Is it daring me to play with fire?'

Over thirty of people quickly regrouped in front of the dorm.

There was no point packing. They headed to the supermarket about a click away.

They had been too long on campus, and food was almost out. They were all itching to go outside.

They'd previously taken a few peeks outside the gate. It was a ghost town.

Just a year turned their once bustling college town into a total wasteland.

There was no sign of life. Weeds had taken over the streets, and cars were left to rot."

That one-kilometer walk had everyone on pins and needles, eyes peeled for trouble.

But weirdly, maybe because the mutant beasts don't like daylight, they didn't see one.

Catching sight of the supermarket's glass doors, they all got excited.

The place was a treasure trove of food—enough to get them all a full meal, finally.