Lin Xi slashed at empty air.
Her daggers were fast—so fast they left silver afterimages in the dim light. But they hit nothing.
"Teleportation?" she hissed, spinning around. Her eyes scanned the tunnel, her body low to the ground like a coiled viper.
She was an S-Rank Talent holder: [Shadow Dancer]. Her reflexes were three times that of a normal human. In a straight fight, she could butcher ten men in seconds.
But she wasn't fighting a man. She was fighting a cheat code.
Su Chen materialized in the shadow of a steam pipe, five meters behind her.
He didn't attack immediately. He stood there, watching her with that terrifyingly calm gaze.
[Target: Lin Xi]
[State: High Alert.]
[Next Action Prediction: She will throw the left dagger at the sound of your breathing (0.5s).]
[Evasion Route: Duck right.]
Su Chen inhaled.
*Swish.*
A silver dagger flew through the darkness, aiming directly for his throat.
Su Chen didn't panic. He simply tilted his head to the right.
The dagger buried itself in the insulation of the pipe behind him, missing his ear by an inch.
"You missed," Su Chen said flatly.
Lin Xi's eyes widened. "Lucky guess."
"No," Su Chen replied. "Math."
She gritted her teeth and charged. This time, she didn't throw. She closed the distance in a blur, her remaining dagger aiming for his heart.
Su Chen didn't move. He watched her approach.
[Attack Pattern Analysis...]
[Feint to the chest. Real strike to the femoral artery (Leg).]
[Counter-measure: Step forward. Elbow strike to the solar plexus.]
It was counter-intuitive. Every instinct screamed to back away from the charging assassin. But Su Chen trusted the data more than his instincts.
When Lin Xi was one meter away, she dropped low, lunging for his leg—just as the System predicted.
Su Chen stepped *forward*.
He invaded her space, bypassing her optimal range. Before she could adjust her aim, he drove his elbow down.
BAM.
His elbow connected perfectly with her solar plexus.
"Guh—!"
Lin Xi gasped, the air forced out of her lungs. Her attack collapsed. She stumbled, clutching her chest.
She looked up at him, shock written all over her face. "How... how did you know?"
Su Chen didn't answer. He raised the rusty pipe.
Lin Xi scrambled back, fear finally flickering in her eyes. She realized the terrifying truth: He wasn't faster than her. He was just reading her like an open book.
"Wait!" she choked out. "We can—"
[System Warning: Frenzy Mode begins in 3 minutes.]
[The Mutated Rats in the Boiler Room have sensed fresh blood.]
Su Chen lowered the pipe. He looked at the tunnel leading to the Boiler Room. He could hear the scratching sounds getting louder. Hundreds of them.
He looked back at Lin Xi.
[Target Status: Winded. Combat Capability reduced by 40%.]
[Loot Potential: Low. She has no items worth taking.]
"I don't have time to kill you," Su Chen said, turning around. "The rats are coming. If you want to live, run."
He activated [Shadow Step] again.
This time, he teleported to the shadow of the doorway, bypassing her completely.
"You—!" Lin Xi grit her teeth, humiliated. She was an S-Rank genius, yet he treated her like a roadside pebble.
Su Chen didn't look back. He sprinted toward the exit of the basement.
He didn't spare her because of mercy. He spared her because she was excellent bait.
[Prediction: Lin Xi will engage the Mutated Rats for approximately 45 seconds before fleeing.]
[Result: The rats will be distracted. Your path to the Cafeteria will be clear.]
"Thanks for the cover fire," Su Chen whispered.
He burst out of the maintenance tunnel and into the open air of the campus courtyard.
The sky had turned a sickly shade of purple. The "Frenzy" was starting.
In the distance, the University Cafeteria—a massive glass and concrete building—was glowing with a faint white barrier. The Safe Zone.
But between him and the Safe Zone was the main quad.
And it was a slaughterhouse.
Dozens of students were running, screaming. Chasing them were Demon Dogs—black, wolf-like creatures with burning red eyes.
[Mob: Demon Dog (Level 3)]
[Status: Frenzy (Stats doubled)]
A student near the fountain tripped. A dog pounced, tearing into his leg.
"Help me!" the student screamed.
Two others ran past him, ignoring his pleas.
Su Chen crouched behind a decorative bush. He analyzed the field.
Distance to Safe Zone: 200 meters.
Enemy density: High.
If he ran in a straight line, he would attract at least three dogs. At Level 2, fighting three Frenzied Level 3 monsters was suicide.
"I need a path," he muttered.
The gold numbers flooded his vision, overlaying the chaotic battlefield.
[Calculating Optimal Route...]
[Route A (Direct): Death Rate 90%.]
[Route B (Flank left): Death Rate 75%.]
[Route C (The "domino" path): Survival Rate 99%.]
"Route C it is."
Su Chen picked up a rock.
He looked at a parked delivery truck about fifty meters away. Specifically, at the fuel tank cap which had been left open.
[Target: Fuel Tank.]
[Action: Throw rock at the metal chassis to create sound.]
Su Chen threw the rock.
CLANG.
The sharp metallic sound echoed. Three Demon Dogs near the truck snapped their heads toward the noise. They abandoned the students they were chasing and ran toward the truck.
"Now."
Su Chen sprinted.
He ran in a zig-zag pattern. To an observer, it looked like he was running randomly. But he was stepping exactly where the monsters' vision cones didn't overlap.
A Demon Dog turned its head. Su Chen slid under a bench just as its gaze swept over him.
He scrambled up and kept running.
100 meters.
50 meters.
The Safe Zone barrier was right there.
Suddenly, a shadow eclipsed the sun.
[Warning: Airborne Threat.]
[Gargoyle Scout (Level 5).]
Su Chen didn't stop. He didn't look up.
[Prediction: Gargoyle will swoop in 1.2 seconds.]
[Impact Point: 2 meters in front of you.]
Su Chen suddenly stopped running and dropped to his knees, sliding on the grass.
WHOOSH.
Huge stone talons raked the air exactly where his head had been a millisecond ago. The wind pressure messed up his hair.
The Gargoyle missed, crashing into the ground and tumbling.
Su Chen didn't wait for it to stand up. He rolled forward, sprang to his feet, and dived through the white light of the Safe Zone barrier.
He hit the cafeteria floor, rolling to absorb the impact.
[System Notification: You have entered the Safe Zone.]
[HP and Mana regeneration increased by 200%.]
Su Chen lay on the floor for a second, catching his breath. Outside the glass walls, the Gargoyle screeched in rage, banging against the invisible barrier. It couldn't get in.
Su Chen smirked.
"Safe."
He stood up and dusted off his clothes.
The cafeteria was packed. Hundreds of survivors were huddled together. Some were crying, some were arguing.
As Su Chen walked in, the noise died down. People stared at him.
He was covered in black goblin blood. He held a rusty pipe that radiated a murderous aura. And his eyes were dead calm.
A group of jocks—the football team—were guarding the food counter, holding makeshift weapons. Their leader, a massive guy named Brad, stepped forward.
"Hey, new guy," Brad said, puffing out his chest. "We have rules here. All weapons and food go to the 'Protection Squad'. Hand over that pipe."
Su Chen stopped. He tilted his head.
[Target: Brad]
[Combat Power: 3.5]
[Arrogance Level: Maximum.]
[Hidden Weakness: He is terrified. His legs are shaking.]
Su Chen smiled. It was the first time he smiled since the apocalypse began. It wasn't a nice smile.
"You want my weapon?" Su Chen asked softly. "Come and take it."