City Falls, Escape

Bai Jie let out a scream nearby and covered her eyes with her hands, as if she couldn't bear to witness the bloody scene.

Zheng Yutong had swiftly nocked an arrow to her Longbow, but she didn't shoot. She hesitated. Li Wei was too close to the Vampire, and she couldn't get a clear shot. If she attacked recklessly, she would surely hit him by mistake.

It all happened in an instant. Leaving aside what the two women were thinking, Li Wei knew he was in trouble the moment the Vampire grabbed him.

Almost instinctively, he threw his arms around the Vampire and slammed his head into its chin. It was the sort of trick children often used when fighting, but at that moment, it saved his life.

Not only did he avoid a fatal bite, but he also kept the Vampire's chin pinned up, rendering its mouthful of fangs useless. For a moment, the two were locked together. From a distance, they almost looked like two lovers entwined in a passionate embrace.

Li Wei was fighting for his life. The strength generated by his 9 points of Strength exceeded 300 pounds, twice that of an ordinary person, yet he still struggled. His arms, wrapped around the Vampire's "waist," were gradually being pried apart.

Worse, the Vampire's sharp nails raked several gashes across his back and shoulders, and blood streamed down his body. Even so, he knew he absolutely couldn't let go. Letting go meant death.

The Vampire's fangs were right above Li Wei's head. The sound of teeth clacking and scraping against each other reached his ears clearly, sending a shiver down his spine. Only someone like Li Wei could stand it. Any girl would probably have been terrified into paralysis by now.

I can't hold on much longer!

Li Wei knew it all too well. He hadn't expected the threat of death to come so suddenly, so close. His face was pressed against the Vampire's neck, and the friction of its cold, bloodstained skin was anything but pleasant.

Wait, its neck?

No matter what kind of creature it was, the neck was a vulnerable spot. Vampires were no exception.

His chance to fight back was right in front of him. Sometimes, when faced with a life-or-death decision, there was no need to think—and no time to.

A fierce look flashed in Li Wei's eyes. He opened his mouth wide and sank his teeth into the neck before him. It was like biting through tough leather. Thick, cold blood welled up, and the stench nearly made Li Wei throw up, but he held it in. Compared to being torn at by the Vampire, he'd rather be the one doing the biting.

Bite after bite, Li Wei could no longer tell whether the Vampire was howling in rage or wailing in pain. In any case, the body in his arms gradually went limp, and its health in the Eye of Perception had already reached zero.

After shoving the Vampire's corpse away, Li Wei bent over and vomited until his stomach began to cramp, then finally stopped.

If he had a choice, he'd never do anything like that again. It was absolutely disgusting. Fortunately, the Vampire's health had been nearly depleted, allowing him to kill it in one go. Li Wei let out a long breath and looked toward the two women nearby.

For some reason, Zheng Yutong felt a chill under his gaze. Li Wei's performance had been completely beyond her expectations. Someone had actually bitten a Vampire to death?

It was unbelievable!

And yet it had really happened. For a moment, though her rating far surpassed Li Wei's, she could no longer muster the air of a strong, superior person. She knew she could never bring herself to do something so insane.

As for Bai Jie, she was completely stunned. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open, and fear filled her gaze.

"Y-you okay?" Zheng Yutong was the first to recover. As a seasoned veteran, she moved swiftly to Li Wei's side.

"I'm fine. Not dead yet!" Li Wei glanced at the Vampire Count's corpse, then his eyes lit up. A wooden chest floated above the body, giving off a gentle glow.

[Treasure Chest], randomly obtained after killing a creature in a story world. Opening it grants points or an item.

Without hesitation, Li Wei reached out and touched the chest. With a chime, two items appeared.

The first was a shield: "Undead Shield," +5 Stamina, Defense 36, high quality. "Blood-red magic runes make it more effective at resisting attacks from spiritual entities!"

It was a piece of equipment with an item level as high as 27. Li Wei thought himself lucky. He knew the item's drop rate was only 1%.

The moment the black-and-red shield appeared, it immediately drew Zheng Yutong and Bai Jie's attention. Although both were tempted, they silently chose not to say anything. Zheng Yutong felt awkward, after all, Li Wei had risked his life to kill the Vampire, so the loot naturally belonged to him.

Bai Jie, meanwhile, didn't dare entertain any thoughts of claiming it. Neither Zheng Yutong nor Li Wei was someone she could hope to match in combat.

But Li Wei's next move completely caught them both by surprise.

"Bai Jie, this shield is for you. The extra Stamina will improve your vitality. You're the most important person in this mission!"

Even after taking the Undead Shield in her hands, Bai Jie still looked incredulous. Though she was a newcomer, she knew the rules of Shadow Street well. The people there were selfish and greedy, never passing up an opportunity to profit. This shield was clearly no ordinary item; it would fetch a high price on the market. And he was just giving her such a treasure?

What did he want from her?

Thinking of how Li Wei had risked his life to stay behind and save her earlier, Bai Jie was even more certain. He must have some ulterior motive.

Seeing her expression, Li Wei could only shake his head helplessly. It was true that his actions could easily arouse suspicion, but there was clearly no time to explain now.

He took the second item out of the chest: a white scroll. Without examining it closely, he tucked it into his clothes.

Time was pressing. They had to leave immediately. Several breaches had been smashed into the city wall by the catapults nearby, and large numbers of Undead creatures were pouring in, fighting the soldiers stationed there.

Clearly, the Undead had the advantage in numbers.

The one responsible for defending Dawn City was the fifth-level knight Dugall. As he watched Skeleton Soldiers and zombies pour through the breached walls, his expression was grave. Behind him stood several hundred Archers clad in leather armor. Even while facing a vast number of enemies, they remained expressionless and fearless, proof of their rigorous training.

Dugall was a model of loyalty in the Griffin Empire. His motto was, "A dead enemy is a safe enemy." But even he was powerless against such a vast horde of Undead.

"My lord, we can no longer hold back the Undead assault. For your safety, please withdraw at once!" A Crusader Swordsman hurried back from the front line, his silver armor covered in bloodstains.

Dugall glanced at the swordsman and raised his head.

"I am a knight of the Empire. The king granted me the honor of battle, but not the right to flee!" His words left the Crusader Swordsman ashamed.

Seeing this, Dugall merely smiled reassuringly and patted the man's armor.

"Get up, my boy!"

He couldn't withdraw. It was the most basic dignity of a knight. Dugall let out a long breath and drew his sword.

"Warriors, raise your blades and take up your sturdy Longbows! Slaughter these evil Undead! Do not be afraid, and do not retreat, for behind you are your beloved family, your friends, and your beautiful home!"

His brief words roused the soldiers behind him, and their morale instantly soared to its peak.

But no matter how brave the soldiers were, they couldn't work a miracle against an enemy several times their number, especially when facing Undead who felt no fear or emotion.

Skeleton Soldiers wielding rusty iron swords, zombies with rotting flesh and astonishingly tough defenses, and Ghosts shrieking shrilly flooded into the city like a tide. Dozens of Vampires turned into bats and circled overhead. These high-level Undead constantly attacked any humans who strayed from the group, and in an instant, the entire town became a slaughterhouse.

Meanwhile, at the rear of the town, Li Wei and the two women fled the fallen Dawn City with a large group of refugees.

The journey was anything but easy. Even a small group of Undead creatures was the grim reaper this band of refugees feared most. Li Wei had already lost count of how many Skeleton Soldiers he'd killed. Now, even moving a finger felt like an impossible task. His body was covered in wounds, and he gripped a Longsword he'd taken from a Skeleton Soldier as he led the way.

Zheng Yutong wasn't doing much better. Her once-pristine armor was stained with blood, and her shoulder-length hair was now a mess. Even with C3-Rank combat strength, she could only flee when faced with so many Undead.

Bai Jie, on the other hand, hadn't suffered a single injury, thanks to the protection of the other two.

"Damn it, they're coming again!"

A strange clattering came from behind a broken wall nearby. Soon, dozens of Skeleton Soldiers wearing tattered, rusted armor came into view. Their hollow eye sockets glinted with malice. The moment they spotted Li Wei and the others as "living," they shrieked and charged.

Level 1 Undead Creature: Skeleton Soldier, Attack: 7, Defense: 6, Damage: 9-13, Speed: 9; Hidden Attributes: Fear Immunity, Low Morale, 50% chance to drop [Rusty Longsword] upon being killed, Overall Rating E1!

Tightening his grip on the Longsword, Li Wei swung it in a wide arc. The blade struck the first Skeleton Soldier's neck bone. With a sharp crack, like a stone pillar snapping, its skull fell to the ground.

That exhausted Li Wei's last bit of strength. The next moment, a Skeleton Soldier's strike knocked the Longsword from his hand.

Unarmed, Li Wei didn't dare engage the powerful Skeleton Soldiers at close range. He quickly retreated several steps and rejoined the group.

But the Skeleton Soldier was soon smashed into a pile of bones by an arrow.

"There are too many of these things. Are you sure this route will get us out of here?" Zheng Yutong asked, backing away as she watched the horde of Skeleton Soldiers.

Along the way, she and Li Wei had killed well over a hundred Skeleton Soldiers. They'd earned plenty of points, but they'd also used up a great deal of Stamina.

"This is the only way through!" Li Wei said firmly, looking around.

Throughout the journey, he'd been using the Eye of Perception to observe the area and assess their escape route. The first mission on the Yellow Paper seemed simple, but escaping this fallen town was no easy task.

That made sense. This was a C-Rank scenario mission. How could it possibly be easy to complete?

When he'd first entered the scenario and seen its C-Rank rating, Li Wei had been puzzled.

What did a C-Rank mission scenario mean? It didn't take much thought to know it would be extremely difficult!

Zheng Yutong, who had reached C3-Rank, and the burly man with a C1-Rank rating were one thing; the scenario's difficulty wasn't inconsistent with their strength. But the other three, including Li Wei, were different.

His rating was only E3-Rank. Bai Jie and the bespectacled man who had died were only E1-Rank. The danger they faced in a scenario of this difficulty was obvious. Never mind the Vampire with a B1-Rank rating—even the Skeleton Soldiers in front of them were incredibly difficult to deal with.

That was the first thing that didn't make sense!

Second, Li Wei found it strange that all five of them had appeared in the same room when the scenario began.

He remembered the burly man with the C1-Rank rating saying this was a multiplayer scenario. What he meant was that the more people there were, the greater the difficulty. If that was true, then the five people in that room hadn't been randomly placed together.

They had been selected as "teammates"!

That seemed easy enough to understand, but it was the second thing that didn't add up!

The mission hadn't forced the five of them to work together. If anything, it had used the crisis of the town falling to scatter them and send them fleeing in different directions. Li Wei believed that if he hadn't insisted on staying behind to save Bai Jie, the five of them would have gone their separate ways long ago.

Could that have been some kind of "test"?

Especially after learning about Bai Jie's skill, Li Wei had developed an even stranger suspicion: the five of them had been specially chosen to enter this story world.

If they hadn't saved Bai Jie, they wouldn't have had "Slow Spell." In that case, when they encountered the Vampire Count, even Zheng Yutong would probably have had no choice but to run.

So when Li Wei shared his deductions with Bai Jie and Zheng Yutong, both women finally understood. That was why Bai Jie, despite having the weakest overall abilities, was the one who needed the most protection. Her special skill was the biggest trump card in this story mission.

However, Li Wei hadn't revealed how he'd learned about Bai Jie's special skill. Some secrets weren't meant to be shared. Although the three of them had formed a small team, it was only for this scenario. No one knew what might happen in the future.

Zheng Yutong truly lived up to her C3-Rank strength. Every arrow she fired took down a Skeleton Soldier. Under the circumstances, if the team lost her, they probably wouldn't last even a minute. Even so, the countless Skeleton Soldiers around them had surrounded the three of them.

If the five of them had worked together from the start, things might have turned out very differently, Li Wei thought helplessly.

Just then, a large horde of "zombies" attacked from behind. Li Wei had been on the verge of despair, but then he noticed that the zombies had begun attacking the Skeleton Soldiers on the outskirts. Before long, they'd torn a hole in the ring of Skeleton Soldiers.