Chapter 4: Schoolmate in the Boys’ Dormitory

“Senior! Thank goodness, you’re okay too!”

That junior—Shari—was overflowing with a mix of surprise and joy the moment she saw Lin Ran, her eyes turning red in an instant.

She clutched her chest in a deliberately fragile manner, quickly walking toward Lin Ran.

It seemed she wanted to throw herself into his arms for comfort.

“I was so scared just now! Those monsters were disgusting… Thank goodness I ran into you, Senior! We really are fated…”

Her tone was excessively sweet and sticky, her acting quite impressive.

But in reality, Shari’s mind was already scheming furiously.

Her gaze drifted to the dormitory door behind Lin Ran.

Her purpose was clear: to ensure her own safety as much as possible in the apocalypse.

And Senior Lin Ran was not only handsome, but could even coexist peacefully with those disgusting slimes.

With the help of slimes, his combat power had to be exceptional.

In this apocalyptic world, wasn’t finding a strong and handsome guy for support the perfect move?

A confident smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

With her Charm, a little bit of acting cute would be enough to easily win over a pure-hearted guy like this in no time.

But Lin Ran’s attention wasn’t on her at all.

In his eyes, there was only the half-crushed, dying slime on the ground.

—Its core was miraculously intact.

As long as energy was replenished in time, it might still be saved!

Although the thirty-minute rest period was nearly over and the dormitory door was closing.

He estimated there was less than a minute left.

Now, time meant life.

Without a trace of hesitation, Lin Ran dashed toward the slime at almost the fastest speed of his life.

Shari thought Lin Ran was coming to embrace her and subconsciously opened her arms to welcome him.

But—

“Get lost! Don’t get in the way!”

Lin Ran shouted, shoving her aside.

The force sent the unprepared Shari tumbling to the ground.

Her meticulously styled hair came undone, and her white stockings were stained with dirt.

The fake smile on her face froze instantly, her expression full of disbelief.

“Senior? You…?”

Lin Ran didn’t have time to bother with her.

In one swift move, he rushed forward and gently picked up the half-dead slime.

Its body was no longer translucent, its color faded.

Viscous fluid kept leaking from its damaged outer skin.

“Lim! Get everyone into my dormitory!”

Upon hearing Lin Ran’s command, Lim immediately calmed down, extending a tiny mimetic tentacle to efficiently direct all the slimes in retreat.

As the last slime jumped into the dormitory and the door was about to close, Lin Ran glanced coldly back at Shari.

She shivered uncontrollably.

—He truly felt killing intent toward this woman.

But… there wasn’t enough time.

If he wasted even a moment on her, the slime in his hand might really die.

To Lin Ran, her life was less important than the slime’s.

Lin Ran sped toward the dormitory, and in the instant before the door shut, leapt inside.

“Bang!”

The dormitory door sealed completely, vanishing from the plains.

Leaving Shari alone in a daze.

The murderous intent Lin Ran radiated just now was absolutely real.

If time hadn’t been running out, her life might truly have been in danger.

“Crazy… Is Senior crazy…? It’s just a slime…”

Shari slowly stood up, steadying herself.

Seeing Lin Ran value a disgusting slime so much left her mind in a mix of confusion, shame, and shock.

Was she actually worth less than a slime?

She was a two-time recognized campus beauty!

She’d always been sincere with Senior, so what if she’d been briefly charmed by Mike and the others? Was Lin Ran still mad at her?

“Ahhh! So frustrating! Just wait! I’ll… I’ll make you pay!”

She stomped her feet repeatedly, her unwillingness and shame plain to see.

But none of this mattered to Lin Ran anymore.

“Lim, bring some weeds.”

Lin Ran cradled the half-destroyed slime, rinsing it gently under a stream of tap water.

Slimes absorbed water—since their bodies were mainly water, as long as the core was intact, there was a chance for recovery with water and food.

“Hang in there.”

Lin Ran muttered unconsciously, praying earnestly in his heart.

Lim and several strong slimes quickly bounced over with weeds, feeding them into the damaged body while using their own internal fluid to fill the wounds.

Miraculously, the shattered outer skin gradually healed, the body stabilized, and the trembling core finally settled.

After about five minutes of emergency treatment, the slime had shrunk in size but had escaped danger.

Alive… as long as it’s alive…

Lin Ran let out a long breath and slumped to the floor.

The other slimes, seeing this, bounced joyfully.

[Ding! You have saved a dying slime and rejected an unsuitable member of the opposite sex, greatly increasing Lim’s Favorability!]

[Favorability +30! Current Favorability: 70 (Like)]

[Gained 200 points of Love Sage experience!]

[Lim’s Favorability has risen to (Like). Congratulations! You have officially taken the first step toward a wonderful romance!]

[A 10% boost to all Attribute Values has been granted!]

[The second wave of missions will be released soon. Host, please make necessary preparations.]

As the system notification ended, Lin Ran felt a warm current surge through his entire body.

He punched the air, clearly feeling more power in his muscles than before, and his body was noticeably lighter.

Not bad, not bad.

Finally, some combat power growth.

No matter the previous or current life, before or after the apocalypse, basic things like Attribute Value were always useful.

Lin Ran remembered he had five attributes: Strength, Agility, Spirit, Charm, and Luck.

Given the uncertainty about whether humans would gain combat ability after the apocalypse, increases in Strength and Agility were especially critical.

But since the second wave hadn’t arrived yet…

Lin Ran decided to continue gathering resources.

And as for resources…

He glanced at the neighboring dormitory—the one where a woman’s scream had just been heard.

He’d actually already guessed.

A familiar voice, and appearing on the same Slime Plain.

Without a doubt, Shari was next door.

As for why Shari was in the boys’ dormitory, and why there were no male voices from that room—nor had any man come to the Slime Plain for a break?

A suspicion had already formed in Lin Ran’s mind.

“System, deploy the portal.”

[Portal is online. Our movements will be much faster.]

Each time the portal was used, the system made this announcement.

“Don’t make jokes at a time like this.”

Lin Ran chuckled softly.

Soon, as the system deployed, an oval portal of pure black-and-white energy appeared before him.

The other end was set to the center of the next-door dormitory by Lin Ran.

Lin Ran walked at the front, Lim perched securely on his shoulder, with a crowd of slimes following close behind.

After passing through the portal, his vision went dark for a moment before clearing.

Indeed, it was the next room.

The slimes, arriving in a new environment, grew excited—wiggling and jumping everywhere, curiously exploring their surroundings.

But Lin Ran’s gaze was already drawn to the abnormality within the dormitory.

A mixture of stench and blood assaulted his senses.

The floor was a mess—instant noodle cups, snack bags, tissues, clothing…

Clearly, chaos had broken out here.

Lin Ran’s gaze slowly lifted, finally landing on the messy bed.

There, a male corpse lay with its throat pierced by a sharp object, eyes wide open.

“As expected.”