Chapter 3, The Power of the Doll, Discovering Survivors

Two small hands reached out, simultaneously grasping the necks of the two split bodies. There was no twisting or pulling; they simply held on directly. With two cracking sounds, the cervical bones broke. Then came two more sounds, and the necks completely shattered, causing the heads to roll away a considerable distance.

Alas, I have forgotten again that she is an inflatable doll. At the same time, I suddenly thought of something: how is it that she did not deflate despite being injured like that just now

Therefore, the master needs to find a safe place, learn to fight quickly, and enhance their strength as soon as possible. However, right now... the doll sighed: "If we are surrounded, I will try my best to break through a path. If I cannot hold on, please leave me behind and escape alone."

I excitedly embraced her, as if fearing that if I let go, I would lose her. But when I felt the deep crack on her body, visible to the bone, I was stunned

Brother Cao Yang

For the third time, I deeply regret my previous foolishness and arrogance. Not only have I put myself in danger, but I have also caused the child to suffer severe injuries. Although she is very strong and has killed several monsters, cracks have already appeared on her smooth skin, revealing her metallic skeleton beneath, without any blood.

"It's nothing, it will heal." The doll continued to smile, stroking another storage bracelet on its leg, and took out a small bottle from it. After gulping down a few sips of the liquid, the wound began to heal at an astonishing speed, visible to the naked eye

Certainly, these are merely low-level monsters from the early days of the apocalypse. The doll informed me that monsters are categorized by levels. The ones that have just mutated are only Lv1. In the near future, higher-level monsters will emerge, with the final mature form being Lv5, whose strength will be vastly different from what it is now

How many monsters are there? I study at Southeast University in Nanjing, located near the airport expressway in the suburbs, where there are not many residential areas. However, the entire university town, along with the faculty, students, and staff of the library, exceeds ten thousand in number

My sister once said that I am a person with a very open mind, who cannot help but indulge in wild thoughts at any time, and I deeply agree with this.

To my surprise, it was someone I knew. Without thinking, I grabbed the child's small hand and ran wildly towards the sound. However, after just a few steps, I stopped in my tracks, my hand empty.

There it is! The heavens did not punish my foolishness, nor did they allow my self-reproach to last long. A few seconds later, a small figure suddenly dashed out of the thick fog, embraced me, and quickly dove into the ventilation duct.

Everywhere there are decaying corpses, with some having been gnawed down to mere skeletons, making it impossible for me to distinguish whether they are classmates or teachers. There are also some sticky, deep red liquids that do not resemble blood, but rather resemble the slime secreted by monsters in movies, with a foul stench assaulting my senses

It is a doll, how did she do it, how did she manage to deal with that corpse-eating beast

What have you done? I looked at the doll, my face filled with disbelief

Master, hurry and escape! The doll is screaming

"Um, this is liquid silicone, and the master cannot drink it"

Strangely, as a loser, I am quite famous at school

I feel that my previous words may have hurt her. I believe that the intelligent beings of a thousand years from now might be more intelligent than I can imagine, and they may already understand the nature of emotions. I also feel that smile is quite blinding.

"Are you hurt?" I slightly turned my face, feeling somewhat hesitant to look at her

Suddenly, I made a vow in my heart: regardless of what the child thinks, regardless of whether her abilities will evolve or whether she can endure until the later stages of the apocalypse, I will never abandon her. Right now, she is stronger than I am, so she will protect me. Once I become stronger, it will be my turn to protect her. This is only natural, even if she is not human.

The small hand did not stop with the * picture * book, and once again tightened its embrace around me. The feet stomped fiercely on the ground, and in the next moment, I felt a rush of soaring through the clouds, actually flying five or six meters high, far away from the monster below.

Squeezing solely with grip strength? Impressive!

As I flew past the third floor, I vaguely saw the corpse-eating beast lying limply in a pool of blood. Its head was not severed but rather smashed to pieces, and its body was split in two, as if it had been violently torn apart by an immense force.

"Rest assured, Master, it will recover," the doll replied, pointing towards the direction of the gymnasium. "Escape that way; the radar shows that the number of monsters is very few."

"As the master said, I am merely an intelligent entity, knowing nothing. My mission is solely to assist the master through the early days of the apocalypse; after that, I will be of no use. Therefore, sacrificing myself for the master is only natural," the doll smiled.

"Jump down quickly! I'll catch you!" I shouted towards the third floor. We must escape, but we cannot leave the child behind.

Master should find a place to hide first. Once the awakening rate increases, you will be much stronger than I am. However, for now, you are still... unable to protect yourself. The strength of an awakened individual grows gradually, rather than being obtained instantaneously.

The doll did not continue speaking, perhaps out of reluctance, or perhaps because after we landed, the monster surrounded us once again

It was a shadow as swift as lightning, suddenly leaping past me. The speed was so astonishing that I could not react at all, and I could only watch helplessly as it seized the doll and dragged it into the thick fog.

I forced myself to stand up despite feeling nauseous, yet I could not help but tremble within; it has only been five days! Is this still the campus I know? Is this even the world I am familiar with? In the dense red mist, I vaguely saw a few holly trees beside me, yet not a single leaf remained. Is this world so inhospitable that even the plants in the books cannot survive?

I could no longer refute her words, silently nodding in agreement, yet I could not return to the dormitory; I could only follow her as we dashed through the crimson mist

Ah! The excruciating pain nearly caused me to faint. In a frenzy of screams, the short knife was thrust out wildly. The first stab struck the eye, the second pierced the neck, and the third hit the forehead, but...

Cao Yang, let's not talk for now, let's hurry and go!

Cao Yang does not know me, but I am very familiar with you, because..." The boy awkwardly scratched his head and said, "My name is Lin Xiu, and I am your sister Cao Ting's boyfriend.

The split entity lunged at me, and I retreated with my hands digging in and my feet pushing back, desperately swinging the short knife in my hand. Damn it, how exactly should an awakened one fight? Is there a secret technique? I completely do not understand.

The voice of the doll directly entered my mind, due to the so-called contract from before. "Master, escape first, I will come shortly!"

I nodded repeatedly, yet it was difficult to push through. We were less than one hundred meters from the gymnasium, but with each step, monsters lunged at us, forcing us to stop and fight. It took us a full ten minutes to cover just over fifty meters, and in the thick fog ahead, the shadows grew ever more numerous.

I made a mistake; I should not have spoken loudly. I did not notice that within the dense red mist, there were some faintly swaying figures that immediately turned and rushed over upon hearing the voice

I finally understood the correct way to fight, yet I have been cornered against the wall. In just a few seconds, after I kicked away the corpse of that split entity, I felt as if I was surrounded by a dense mass of monsters.

No, let go! I ... ...

So sharp, and I am truly foolish for continuously using thrusts instead of slashes

The claw swept horizontally, and just by the sound of the wind, I knew it was a corpse-eating beast. That immense force struck me again, sending me flying further away from the doll, and I crashed hard against the wall, blood oozing from the corner of my lips

But I do not dare to underestimate them at all, for those sharp teeth are more terrifying than any wild beast I have ever seen, and even more so because of their numbers; at that moment, were there five of them coming at me? Or was it ten?

The second, third, and fourth creatures pounced simultaneously, pinning me down firmly. Without the tight-fitting suit, I fear I would be torn to pieces in an instant; the group attack of these monsters is truly terrifying. As for the split entity that I stabbed three times, it is still roaring, still lying on me and frantically biting.

The ventilation duct next to the gym, Brother Caoyang, hurry up...

The enormous mouth bit down, its sharp teeth directly imprinting on my shoulder. Although it did not break through the defense of my tight-fitting clothing, it sank deeply in, and I could distinctly feel the muscles in my shoulder twisting and deforming.

In order to assist their masters during the initial stages of the apocalypse, intelligent entities possess a certain level of combat capability; however, this power cannot evolve or upgrade. The HRU-5 is not the strongest combat type, so as time progresses...

What is this? My mouth is very big, is it a super regeneration medicine? Is it the Shaolin Temple's great elixir?

How is that possible! My expression changed slightly

Isn't it enough to kill this way? Must it be decapitation?

Come over here quickly

But do I still have a chance to become stronger? I am almost completely buried by my own foolishness

A voice urged me, and only then did I remember the person behind me who was saving me. I turned around, but was taken aback; it was a very thin yet handsome boy, who appeared to be a freshman. However, I did not recognize him.

Just as the doll and I were gradually losing our strength, a heavenly sound emerged. Was it a survivor of humanity? I joyfully looked around, but my vision was obstructed by the haze.

For the second time, I regretted leaving the dormitory too early; at the same time, I stumbled and fell to the ground, tripped by a corpse.

Where are you! I can't see you, I shouted anxiously at the big picture book.

Master... hurry and escape... it is the Swiftbone Beast... the strongest monster in the early stages

The voice of the doll echoed in my mind once again, yet I did not heed her words. I only felt as if my eyes were about to burst, and my head was on the verge of exploding. Without a second thought, I turned and rushed back.

Of course I had to escape, as soon as I fell I sensed something was wrong; my body did not land on the concrete ground, but rather... a pile of corpses

This is the fourth time, and I am almost going crazy with regret over my previous mistakes. But is regret even useful?

A gasp was heard, and a hand reached out from the side, dirty and thin, yet it firmly grasped my collar and pulled with all its might

Listening to the monster's roar in the thick fog, I was on the verge of tears, struggling desperately, nearly dragging that person out of the ventilation duct.

Those were several creatures much smaller than the ghoul, hunched over and shorter than an average human. Their bones seemed to have withered, and their bare, wrinkled skin resembled that of Gollum, the cave dweller from The Lord of the Rings.

Damn! In my urgency, I grabbed the neck of that split entity, and with my short knife, I made my first horizontal slash. It was like a flash of lightning cutting from left to right, and the entity split from its shoulder all the way to its cervical vertebra, without any hindrance whatsoever

It is a split entity, initially not very powerful, but it tends to gather in groups. The master must be cautious of its teeth after mutation, as its bite is quite strong! The voice of the doll echoed once more

She seems to be constantly watching me with radar, but can she be distracted? ... Facing that corpse-eating beast ...

With a loud bang, the claw of a corpse-eating beast struck the ground fiercely. I barely managed to dodge it, yet the shattered concrete left me drenched in cold sweat. If Level 1 is this terrifying, how can one even imagine the power of Level 5?

A mortality rate of 90%, a survival rate of 2%, and a mutation rate of 8%—these are the figures the doll has informed me of. This means that at this moment, the number of monsters on campus is... nearly a thousand