What a terrifying woman!

Although it was a bit terrifying… it was undeniably adorable! Keeping a straight face, Mu Xuetong extended her arms and hugged Ye Lan tightly.

"Xiao Lan, I finally found you!"

"Huh? Is that you, Xuetong?"

Realizing it was Mu Xuetong hugging her, Ye Lan relaxed her fists and let out a sigh of relief.

Given her current level, if that punch had landed, it likely would have seriously injured or incapacitated her. The attack power of a level 5 beastkin was no small matter.

She now fully understood why she’d been given a debuff reducing her strength outside of combat. Without it, her life would be… complicated to say the least.

"Let go of me, I can’t breathe!"

Ye Lan wriggled a few times in Mu Xuetong’s embrace. Embarrassed, Mu Xuetong quickly released her and stepped back, scratching the back of her head with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, sorry, I just got too excited. I’ll be more careful next time!" she laughed, clasping her hands together in an apologetic gesture.

Hearing mention of a next time Ye Lan frowned, crossed her arms, and replied with a pout "There won’t be a next time! Enough with the hugs! I’m not a toy!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Xuetong’s face filled with panic.

"How can you say that?! Without you, Xiao Lan, I don’t know how I could survive in this new world! Ye Lan, without you, I wouldn’t have even a shred of will to keep going!"

With sincere, pleading eyes, she looked intently at Ye Lan, hands clasped together.

Seeing the genuine emotion in Mu Xuetong’s expression, Ye Lan felt her heart soften without realizing it. Without me, she has no will to live?

Why was her heart racing so much? Wait… did this count as a confession? And was she even supposed to be a girl right now? Ye Lan’s lips trembled as she awkwardly turned her head to the side, giving in just a little.

"Is it really that serious? Fine, fine… do what you want" she said with a pout.

"Great!"

Overjoyed, Mu Xuetong hugged her tightly again. Ye Lan, practically gasping for air, lifted her head and began tapping Mu Xuetong’s shoulders in a weak attempt to escape.

“Definitely… definitely don’t get this close again!”

…

"Cough, cough! Let’s set some ground rules" Ye Lan said, her face flushed as she extended her hand.

"You can’t get too close to me, no hugging, and no restricting my freedom. If you can agree to this... then... maybe, just maybe, I might let you hold my hand…"

Without a second’s hesitation, Mu Xuetong took Ye Lan’s hand, gently intertwining their fingers. A shiver ran through Ye Lan as her furry ears perked up in surprise.

"Could you not be such a pervert?"

"Xiao Lan, I’m being perfectly normal. Now, if it were a guy here instead of me... who knows... hehe (º﹃º)"

Ye Lan flinched. 'A guy? A guy? No, she didn’t even want to imagine it! If it were a guy, she wouldn’t be able to hold back from throwing a punch, especially now that she had this level of strength. Thankfully, fate had at least granted her the advantage of being a beastkin. If she’d ended up as just a powerless loli... well…'

[Affection toward Mu Xuetong: +100]

“You’re right. Good thing it’s you... Thanks for being there when I needed it most” she murmured without thinking.

Mu Xuetong paused, then, with a soft sigh, smiled and, unable to contain herself, nuzzled her head against Ye Lan’s cheek, a touch of excitement lighting up her expression.

"Don’t thank me! I’m the one who should be grateful, Xiao Lan" Mu Xuetong said with genuine warmth in her voice.

"I’m so happy I found you! My childhood dream of having a friend with animal ears has finally come true!"

Ye Lan felt a flicker of warmth in her chest, thinking it might be a genuine, heartfelt moment between them, until Mu Xuetong’s next words shattered the feeling entirely.

"Since we’re so close now, why don’t we become girlfriends? I could be the 'dominant' one, and you the 'submissive'. Or, if you’d rather be the ’dominant’… I could go with that too!" she teased, flashing a mischievous grin.

[Affection toward Mu Xuetong: -200]

"Get away from me!" Ye Lan snapped, her face red with frustration.

Mu Xuetong ignored the outburst, tightening her hug as if Ye Lan were nothing more than a beloved plush doll. Ye Lan struggled, but with her strength dulled by the non-combatant debuff, escaping was futile.

Could it be… she was actually being overpowered by another girl? That didn’t make sense! How could she do that without… the right tools?

Suddenly, footsteps echoed from deeper within the abandoned building. Both of them froze, turning their heads toward the sound.

"Someone’s coming!"

They exchanged a quick glance, sharing a silent understanding, and pressed themselves against the wall, waiting in tense patience for the potential threat to pass by.

The footsteps grew louder, and Ye Lan clenched her fist while Mu Xuetong tightened her grip on her longsword.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap! 

Tap! 

Tap!  

Tap!  

"It’s time!"

In perfect sync, Ye Lan and Mu Xuetong spun toward the approaching footsteps. The three figures froze, their eyes wide with shock as they leaped back, stumbling to the ground.

"WAIT! Stop! It’s us!"

The three shouted in panic as Ye Lan’s fist and Mu Xuetong’s sword halted less than a meter from them. On closer inspection, they saw it was Suo Gang and his team.

"Oh, it’s you guys. Thought you were someone else" Mu Xuetong said, lowering her sword with a mocking smile.

"Didn’t expect you to still be alive, I’m honestly surprised"

Looking at the levels above their heads, she noticed they had barely reached level 15. Surviving this long at such a low level was impressive... although Ye Lan’s level 5 was in a league of its own compared to a human’s level 5.

Suo Gang chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "We’re not exactly front-line fighters. For a game like this, you need a little bit of this" he said, tapping his temple with a grin.

As Suo Gang pointed to his head, Mu Xuetong puffed out her cheeks, sensing this might be his subtle way of suggesting she didn’t use hers often enough.

"All right, enough joking" Suo Gang continued, his tone shifting to a more serious note.

"Mu Xuetong, with your level, you must have realized by now… this game isn’t as simple as it seemed"

'Not as simple as it seemed?'

Ye Lan tilted her head, not fully following, as Mu Xuetong, now with an uncharacteristic look of focus, began sharing everything she’d gathered.

"So it’s an organized group, a mafia syndicate…" Mu Xuetong explained.

"They’re no amateur, they’re not just building a high-level combat force but also seem to have a strategic operation behind it all. We have about twenty minutes until the next location scan, and when that happens, we’ll likely come face-to-face with them. We need to be ready… though…"

Suo Gang stopped mid-sentence, a strange smile creeping onto his face. The other two members of his team exchanged knowing glances, and even Mu Xuetong’s lips curved into the same peculiar grin.

Standing alone, Ye Lan glanced nervously between them, a chill running down her spine.

'Could someone explain to me what you’re all smiling about?' she thought, feeling a growing sense of dread.