Where's the cute girl we were promised? She's completely wiped out S-rank dungeons!

Hearing the system notification, Song Yuan calmed down slightly. Her health bar was dropping way too fast; in just a few dozen seconds, she'd lost 70 points. And the whip was already approaching some vital blood vessels; the rate at which her health bar was decreasing was practically like jumping off a building.

Instead of stopping, she started specifically targeting Fu Zhengyang's face with slaps:

"Put your skill back first, and I'll stop!"

Fu Zhengyang, coughing up blood, argued with her, "Stop first, then I'll take back my skill!"

Although he cared about his reputation, he was still a veteran player. In the game, life was always more important than pride. Currently, Song Yuan was losing health twice as fast as him, and if he held on a little longer, he could completely drain her health.

Besides, he didn't believe she could hold on until her health was down to single digits!

"Song Yuan—"

Just as the two were locked in a fierce fight, each betting in their hearts that the other would die first, a shout suddenly came from the top floor:

Song Yuan and Fu Zhengyang both looked up simultaneously; in the stairwell, An Xiaomei, who had been kicked away by Song Yuan, had hit her head when she fell, but surprisingly regained consciousness. Clutching her inexplicably aching lower abdomen, she stumbled out and happened to see:

There was a person on the rooftop, holding a powerful flashlight in his left hand and a megaphone to his lips in his right. His neck looked injured, as it was wrapped in thick bandages—it was Qiao Ran?!

Fu Zhengyang was stunned; he hadn't expected Qiao Ran to still be alive.

Seeing that Qiao Ran was still alive, Song Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, though he seemed to be seriously injured; his throat had been cut by a sharp weapon, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth when he spoke.

"Quickly! Get away from Fu Zhengyang—"

The moment he finished speaking, Song Yuan decisively stopped, kicking Fu Zhengyang away. The whip left deep bloody welts on her body as it lashed out. The monsters that had been surging wildly towards the rooftop suddenly changed direction, rushing towards their narrow, cramped corridor.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh, why are you chasing me?!"

An Xiaomei's eyes widened in fright, and she screamed as she ran into the stairwell.

Fu Zhengyang had initially thought they were chasing An Xiaomei, so he was forced to retract the whip he had been using to wrap around Song Yuan. He secured one end to the railing and the other to his own waist before jumping off the high-rise, preparing to wait for the monsters to pass.

So these monsters were targeting him?!

Hundreds and thousands of them climbed the railing and pounced on Fu Zhengyang, who was hanging in the air.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

This is a seven-story building; falling from here would result in a bloodbath. As the monsters plummeted, they flailed their arms and legs, clinging to Fu Zhengyang, biting and scratching him, using all their limbs and teeth. Some tore off a piece of clothing, others tore off a tuft of hair, and the lucky ones even managed to bite a piece of bloody flesh.

The whip seemed to have a mind of its own and wanted to save its master. However, it was no longer just carrying Fu Zhengyang; there were as many as seven or eight monsters attached to it, and even the whip itself was taut, unable to exert its original power.

Song Yuan leaned against the railing, panting. Blood gushed out after the thorn was pulled out. She tried to move, but her health bar dropped even faster. Qiao Ran, standing on the rooftop, saw her condition and quickly gestured for her to stay put.

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't move, we're coming down to get you!"

Us? Could it be that Qiao Ran isn't the only one on the rooftop?

"Song Yuan! Ah—why are you standing here all alone? Can't you walk anymore? Let me help you run!"

Before Qiao Ran and the others could come down, An Xiaomei, who had reverted to her kind-hearted self, ran out first.

She had only been running away for a few seconds when she realized that the monster wasn't after her, so she ran back with tears in her eyes, wanting to take Song Yuan with her.

Down the corridor came Fu Zhengyang's agonizing screams of despair—although he had props to temporarily deal with the female monsters clinging to him, they were still biting him so painfully he was in agony. A dense swarm of female monsters rushed out of the stairwell, completely blocking the entrance. Song Yuan, covered in blood, leaned motionless against the railing.

Seeing this, An Xiaomei cried even more bitterly, raising her finger to check her breath:

"Ahhh, are you alright? Are you alright?! You're breathing... Are you still breathing? Don't die! Waaaaaaah!!"

Song Yuan glanced at her speechlessly and said weakly:

"It's not that exaggerated. Lead me to the entrance where the monsters spawn; I need to go to the top floor."

"Waaaaah, but all the monsters are swarming out of that place! Why are we running there?!"

[Ding~ Player "An Xiaomei" has used the skill "Crocodile Claws"]

Fortunately, An Xiaomei was very obedient. She picked up Song Yuan with one hand and let her lean against her shoulder. While crying to bolster her courage, she rushed towards the dark, swarming monster vent.

Monsters pounced on them, but she chopped off their heads with a single claw. This is the seventh floor; the monsters below are from the lower six floors, and there are only the upper two floors above, so once you get past the monster spawn point, the journey will be much easier.

Halfway down the road, the two encountered Qiao Ran, who was rushing down, and Xu Jian, who was carrying two swords.

Xu Jian?! Isn't that one of Fu Zhengyang's team members?

Qiao Ran covered her bandaged throat with one hand, gestured for her to hurry up and leave, her voice hoarse:

"Quick! Take her to the rooftop, treat her wounds with healing items first, we'll explain the rest later...?"

Before he could finish speaking, An Xiaomei and Song Yuan darted past them, leaving the two men dumbfounded in the hallway. They quickly caught up after them.

Is An Xiaomei's agility really only 60? How come she's so fast when she's running away?! Xu Jian is an S-rank player, yet she's already at the very front!

After running to the top floor, Song Yuan heard a suppressed roar. Looking up, she saw a monster lying on the ground: this one looked no different from the group that had attacked Fu Zhengyang. She wondered why Qiao Ran and Xu Jian had tied it up separately and gagged it.

Qiao Ran, who was a step late, ran to close the door and turned to instruct Xu Jian:

"Hurry! Take down that monster, thirty seconds are about to run out!"

Xu Jian swiftly chopped off the monster's head. The moment the monster's head hit the ground, the thunderous footsteps below ceased, and Fu Zhengyang's screams and curses subsided.

Xu Jian walked silently toward Song Yuan, panting as he tossed her a small bottle. Song Yuan caught it and looked closely: it contained some kind of potion.

Qiao Ran turned to her, signaling her to relax: "Don't worry, it's a recovery item."

Song Yuan gestured for An Xiaomei to put her down. Qiao Ran closed the door and staggered over—although his injuries weren't as severe as Song Yuan's, he looked even weaker, like a terminally ill patient; even his handsome face looked particularly miserable when he smiled.

"I'm sorry, something unexpected happened on my end. Things didn't go as planned."

Song Yuan unscrewed the bottle cap, downed the medicine in one gulp, and glanced at him sideways: "I'm afraid it's more than just a little accident, isn't it?"

The recovery potion was provided by Xu Jian. The items brought out by an S-level player are indeed different. Her wounds immediately stopped bleeding; Song Yuan's health points stopped falling at "13", and the wounds on her body began to heal slowly.

It was only under the faint moonlight on the rooftop that Song Yuan suddenly noticed that Xu Jian also had the same scar on his neck as Qiao Ran, and his once robust physique had become quite gaunt. He looked completely different from how he appeared when they first met.

Qiao Ran chuckled, covering her throat. "Ahem... It was indeed more than just a little accident. Lie down and don't move around. Let me explain slowly."