The first rays of dawn couldn't reach the ground, yet half of the tall man's body before her was bathed in light.
He held a severely damaged spear in his hand, his iron armor covered with numerous marks and scratches—yet at this moment, he looked as if a divine warrior had descended upon the world.
The girl stared blankly, locking eyes with the man in front of her.
In the end, it was Bai Qiu who spoke first.
"You're awake? How do you feel?" His tone was calm and even.
In truth, he didn't really know what to say.
If nothing unexpected happened, Bai Qiu planned to take her back to the safe zone before continuing his own mission.
"I…" The girl lifted the coat that had been draped over her and looked at the torn holes in her own clothes.
She found no wounds, no scars—though some areas of her skin seemed a little paler than before.
Her mind froze for a moment.
She clearly remembered being chased by a pack of monsters while scavenging for food the previous night.
She had almost been bitten to death.
But now, looking around at the familiar alley, though daylight had arrived, the surroundings were unmistakably the same place.
"Did you save me? I remember I was about to be bitten to death, but now… my body doesn't hurt, and there aren't even any bite marks…" The girl, newly awakened, had many questions she couldn't make sense of.
But since she had started talking, Bai Qiu decided to tell her what had happened the previous night.
"That's basically how it went. The potion that healed your injuries—I bought it from the safe zone. It's something that doesn't belong to this world. It pulled you back from the gates of hell. Next, I'll take you there. The barrier there can block those monsters." Bai Qiu explained matter-of-factly.
He didn't intend to ask about the girl's family, nor did he plan to team up with her, but since he had already saved her, he figured he might as well see it through and escort her safely to the zone.
After speaking, Bai Qiu asked about her class and luck attributes.
He planned to team up with her on the way back so she could gain a few levels.
After all, killing a Dragonfang Soldier now only gave 1 experience point—3 points at most if you included achievement bonuses.
To reach level 12, he'd still have to kill around 9,000 of them.
The girl's name was Zhang Shiyao, and she was 13 years old.
That fact surprised Bai Qiu a little—thirteen was awfully young to look so frail.
But judging from her thin, bony frame and the cheap, tattered clothes she wore, he could already guess that her family situation was probably complicated.
Zhang Shiyao – Level 1
Strength: F–
Magic: F
Endurance: F–
Agility: F
Luck: D
Class: Archer
Status: Severe Malnutrition, Hunger
Aside from the starter pack of three basic items the system gives to all beginners, she naturally had nothing—she hadn't killed a single monster yet.
After reading through her status card, Bai Qiu frowned deeply.
This girl was even weaker than he had imagined.
With such low stats, even reaching levels four or five would barely bring her up to the average strength of an adult.
In other words, surviving alone in this world would be impossible for her.
"Sigh… It is what it is. Let's eat first." Bai Qiu didn't dwell on it.
He took out two packs of instant noodles and a disposable heating kit from his storage card, then added a sausage and an egg to each.
He squatted down casually, fiddling with the noodles, while Zhang Shiyao obediently crouched beside him, her hands wrapped around her knees, saying nothing and staying still—like a quiet little cat.
Five minutes later...
Bai Qiu slurped down the noodles in big bites, finishing in just a few mouthfuls, even drinking up all the soup.
He didn't worry about the girl choking from eating too fast—she seemed like a reserved, quiet type.
Even when starving, she ate slowly and silently, trying her best not to make a sound.
Bai Qiu didn't rush her.
Instead, he pretended to busy himself checking various pieces of equipment and items, even pulling out a rag to wipe the damaged spear he had planned to discard.
Zhang Shiyao didn't take long to finish either—within ten minutes she was done, not leaving a single drop of soup.
Her appetite was small, though, and she gave a little burp afterward.
Bai Qiu then pulled out several different types of item cards and asked, "What kind of card do you want? I can give you one to help improve your self-defense ability."
Zhang Shiyao shook her head repeatedly, refusing to accept no matter what.
Bai Qiu didn't insist and simply motioned for her to follow.
"Brother Bai Qiu, what kind of card do you use?" Zhang Shiyao asked.
She had already learned from him about the effects of six kinds of enhancement cards, but she was curious—what kind of card could make someone strong enough to walk openly in the streets without fear?
She hadn't witnessed last night's battle—when she was unconscious, Bai Qiu had practically wiped out every Dragonfang Soldier within a ten-kilometer radius.
All she knew was that his level was high and he could easily handle those monsters.
"I'm using an enhancement card," Bai Qiu replied.
"It's probably the most common drop among all item cards. There will likely be others with different effects later on, but I don't plan on using the remaining two slots."
As he finished speaking, he suddenly dashed forward, leaping several meters high to scale a building.
To call it climbing would be inaccurate—it was more like bounding upward.
He stepped off one window ledge and jumped to the next, quickly ascending seven or eight floors in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Shiyao didn't understand what he was doing; she just stood there staring blankly, sunlight streaming in from the opposite side, dazzling her eyes.
"Ha! Finally found one." Bai Qiu jumped back down from the building, gripping the back of a struggling Dragonfang Soldier's neck in one hand.
He stopped about five meters away from Zhang Shiyao and said, "Take out your bow and try attacking it. Since we're not in a party, you have to land the killing blow yourself, or you won't get any experience points."
Zhang Shiyao looked frightened, but she did as she was told.
Her hands trembled as she held the bow, and her first arrow wobbled weakly through the air.
She had deliberately aimed away, and she hadn't used much strength—the arrow dropped to the ground barely a dozen meters away.
Bai Qiu frowned.
Was she afraid of accidentally hurting him?
But he didn't have the time to tie up the Dragonfang Soldier just to make things easier for her.
So, he hardened his tone and barked, "Didn't you eat? Draw that bow until you can't pull it any further! You can't hurt me anyway! If you don't want to level up, then going to the safe zone will just be waiting to die!"
Zhang Shiyao's body trembled, but she still nocked a second arrow, this time pulling the string back as far as she could.
Her thin arms shook violently, yet she couldn't bring herself to release it.
Bai Qiu didn't rush her.
He watched her closely—not because he was worried about being hit, but because he was evaluating her potential.
Did she have a natural talent for archery? Should he give her a Precision Shot item card?
"Swish!"
The arrow flew, striking the Dragonfang Soldier in the abdomen.
It didn't kill the creature—her strength was far too low, barely drawing out a third of the bow's potential power.
Even so, Bai Qiu's eyes lit up.
Stepping back, he praised her, "Good! That's it! One more time—trust your instincts! If you think you can hit it, then shoot boldly!"
With that, he retreated another ten meters, widening the distance between them.