It was a massive, dinosaur-like face. Two enormous eyes, glowing like incandescent bulbs, locked onto Ming Yi. Menacing teeth bared. Its bloated body—towering three stories high—was covered in irregular scales.
Through the corridor window, Ming Yi glimpsed part of it. The sheer scale made his heart nearly stop.
*Gulp.* He swallowed hard, mind racing.
Behavior unknown. Aggressive? Almost certainly. It stared without moving—why? He dared not shift an inch. One wrong move might provoke it—
But how to warn the others inside?
Ming Yi took a deep breath.
Calm.
Stay calm.
Movement. Sound. Scent. Wild beasts hunted with these. He didn’t know which sense this thing used—but no time to analyze. Gamble. Test one by one.
Eyes fixed on the monster’s, Ming Yi moved his hand with painstaking care.
Lift—
Extend—
Grab back—
A hard, metallic feel. *The doorknob.* Luck held—the creature remained motionless, its huge, pupil-less eyes utterly devoid of emotion.
Slowly, he turned the knob, leaving a narrow crack. Then tapped the door—light, rhythmic knocks.
*Please… anyone… hear this. Notice something’s wrong!*
Minutes stretched like years. Cold sweat soaked his back. Exhaustion clawed at him, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
A faint rustle behind him. Ming Yi’s pulse spiked—*someone’s awake!*
Closer. Stopped right beyond the door. A sharply suppressed gasp.
Relief flooded him. *Senior Yu Chen.* If anyone would understand the urgency, it was him.
True to hope, whispers followed—hushed, urgent. Senior Yu Chen had woken Old Lei and Xiao Chengcheng.
Half the mission done. The rest was up to Senior.
A whisper seeped through the gap: “Xiao Yi, fountain behind the building. They’ve jumped. On my count—three… two… one—you charge the window and jump.”
Clubroom on the third floor. Fountain over two meters deep. Survival was possible.
Ming Yi pictured the spot. “Mm.”
“Ready. Three—
Two—
One—”
“Go!”
Ming Yi exploded forward, burst through the door, sprinted, and leaped straight through the window.
Water pressure slammed him—dizzy, but conscious. He surfaced. *Splash!* Another body hit the water beside him. Without thinking, Ming Yi scrambled onto the edge and reached back for Senior Yu Chen.
Then—a grating, unearthly screech echoed past the building. Ming Yi’s stomach dropped. *Aggressive. Enraged its prey escaped.*
Senior Yu Chen, dripping wet, yelled: “South Gate! They’re in the garden!”
Ming Yi nodded. They sprinted.
Behind them: crashing concrete, thunderous footsteps. Ming Yi glanced back—the monster had vaulted the activity building, closing fast.
Now he saw it fully: a bloated worm-like torso on powerful limbs, T-Rex head, jagged teeth, scales everywhere. Each stomp shook the earth. And it moved *fast*—impossibly fast for its bulk. No looking back. Run.
Seconds later, the garden came into view. Senior and the others waited.
“RUN!” Ming Yi roared.
They’d just spotted the monster. “Holy shit!” Xiao Chengcheng blurted. Dandan shrieked.
“Damn it, Xiao Yi—you led a freaking titan after us?!” Xiao Chengcheng yelled between breaths.
“You think I wanted this? It was staring right at me when I woke! I haven’t even cursed yet!”
“Senior, did your mouth get blessed at the Vatican? Too damn prophetic!”
“Save the banter and *run*!” Senior snapped, baffled Xiao Chengcheng could joke mid-crisis.
“I… can’t… breathe…” Dandan gasped. They’d barely cleared the South Gate onto a ruined road.
No chance. Faster. Stronger. Senior Yu Chen gritted his teeth. “Split up! Try to lure it away!”
Not ideal. No time. Better some survive.
Ming Yi turned. “Old Lei, Xiao Chengcheng—left! Senior Yu Chen and I go right. Cover Senior and Dandan!”
“Hah? Xiao Yi, proving what? Your sister’s not that weak—”
“Stop!” Ming Yi roared. “Just survive—for Dandan’s sake!”
He locked eyes with Senior Yu Chen. Veered right. Old Lei yanked a protesting Xiao Chengcheng left.
A hundred meters. Ming Yi glanced back.
Chasing *them*. Straight for him.
Eighty percent sure now—he was the primary target.
He looked at Senior Yu Chen. A grave headshake.
“I know what you’re thinking. No.”
Ming Yi sighed, slowing to a stop.
“Enough, Senior. This isn’t noble self-sacrifice.”
“Xiao Yi!”
“I buy time. Run far enough—you live.” He faced the monster, now under five hundred meters away, and bellowed: “DON’T STOP! KEEP RUNNING!”
Senior Yu Chen frowned… and stopped too.
“Senior?”
“I’m no hero. But I won’t abandon my junior.” He adjusted his glasses, forcing a light smile. “Together. Drag it out. Every second counts.”
Ming Yi nodded.
The monster loomed. Seeing prey stand firm, it shrieked—a deafening screech—and swung a massive forelimb down.
They rolled apart. The impact shattered the road. Debris slammed into them.
“Ugh.” Stones bit deep. Blood seeped from fresh gashes.
First blood in this world. Pain felt real. *So death here is real too.*
But the moment blood flowed—Ming Yi froze. An utterly unfamiliar sensation flooded his mind.
