With the ability to transform, I am a judge.

(I'll put the three-chapter-a-day update schedule on hold for now. I haven't been writing enough lately, and my manuscript has already fallen below double digits. Please allow me to make up for it.)

(Also, I'm never touching Teamfight Tactics again. Aside from being a huge waste of time, this chess game is clearly not for someone with my terrible luck!!! I'd rather die from typing this than touch it again!!!)

Glancing at the meat cleaver, now cracked and nearing its limit, Yang Li silently released the handle. He landed on the ground with Takagi Saya in his arms. Even though his bottom slammed, Yang Li barely felt anything, as the sensation in his hands was far more intense.

"Saya-chan, go check on everyone and see if anyone is injured."

Following Yang Li's instructions, Takagi Saya nodded and quickly ran over to help Busujima Saeko and the others up one by one. Yang Li then drew another knife and squatted in a corner, listening quietly.

The sound of flames burning was coming from the school bus, as if a fire was slowly turning everything that could be burned to ashes, accompanied by slightly noisy conversations and approaching footsteps...

"Boss, that shot you just fired was incredibly accurate! I'm not bragging, but your marksmanship is definitely much better than those good-for-nothings in the Self-Defense Forces!"

"That's right, that's right. Who is our boss? He started acting like a thug when he was seven, and he killed someone when he was eight..."

It sounded like a subordinate's flattery, and the others nearby echoed it. The so-called boss was clearly very satisfied with his subordinate's words, and he smiled like a complete idiot.

"Hahaha! You guys are all pretty good. If you follow me, you'll have plenty of food and women."

"Speaking of women, boss, I think I just heard a woman's voice in this car."

Just then, a very lewd voice rang out, and the image of a middle-aged bald man instantly appeared in Yang Li's mind. His eyes flickered slightly, because these guys' voices were very close.

"Really? Could it be that you've been masturbating too much lately and are now hallucinating?"

"Whether it's an illusion or not, we'll find out by coming with the boss and taking a look."

The chaotic footsteps grew closer, and Yang Li crouched down, his muscles tensing. Unfortunately, the other side had a shotgun, which posed a far greater threat than a pistol, and Yang Li had absolutely no chance of winning.

"What, what should we do?! Without surgery, this kind of injury probably won't even allow me to lie down."

Yang Li's heart skipped a beat when Shizuka Marikawa suddenly spoke, startling him. This was truly adding insult to injury. After all, the group outside was almost upon them, and now this problem had arisen.

A quick glance revealed that the injured person was Rei Miyamoto. Judging from her somewhat unhealthy back, it appeared to be a spinal injury. An injury of this severity would likely render her unable to move until she recovered; she was practically doomed.

"Hey, it's a school bus! Looks like we brothers can have some fun with the schoolgirls today!"

"Haha, that's right! I've heard people say that college girls are so tender and juicy, I never thought we'd get to enjoy this blessing today!"

All sorts of vulgarities came from outside, and Takagi Saya's face turned red. She wished that all these thugs would die right now, and that they would all be bitten to death by the zombies! After all, she had never seen anything like this before. Under normal circumstances, who would dare to say such things to a young lady like her?

The sound was now only a short distance away. Yang Li took a deep breath and made a decision. Her lips parted slightly, and a very calm voice rang out.

"Don't move, protect Miyamoto Rei."

Although no one knew what Yang Li was planning to do, there was no other way at this point, so they could only let Yang Li, who was the strongest in martial arts, give it a try.

Closing his eyes, he sensed the changes in his body brought about by his innate talent. A seemingly impenetrable barrier deep within his body came into his perception. The instant he opened his eyes, the golden light in his pupils surged, and Yang Li vanished completely, leaving only a few dark shadows.

"Words of Power" is a special ability that appears in the "Dragon Raja" series of novels by author Jiang Nan. It is a special ability possessed by dragons and hybrids due to their dragon genes. The principle behind it is likely based on dragons' control over the elements, which are a type of energy with attributes, similar to magic.

Each Word of Power has a different effect, and 'Shude Mai's' Word of Power is called 'Netherworld Illumination'. Its effect is to refract light, change the flow of light within the field, and allow the user to blend into the surrounding environment (it can also affect other people within the field at the same time), as if becoming transparent. When moving, only a faint wisp of black mist can be seen, but it cannot ignore physical attacks.

Having essentially erased all traces of herself, Yang Li leaped out of the car window, knife in hand. She didn't remove any more seals, only the restrictions of the Word of Power, using minimal effort.

Even so, the unbearable physical pain and fatigue continued to torment Yang Li, and she might faint at any moment. Therefore, in this situation, a swift and decisive action was necessary, without the slightest hesitation.

To fall into a coma in this apocalyptic situation is an extremely irrational act, especially since everything is under the control of 'Abyss Paradise'. The main characters can be trusted for now, so to survive, they have no choice but to fight!

The moment he jumped out of the car window, he was met with a bald, sleazy-looking man. The leader, armed with a shotgun, was surrounded and couldn't act easily; he needed to create an opening first.

With a simultaneous thrust of his right hand and leg, he slashed the neck of his target, beheading the bald, sleazy-looking man. Even as his head was severed, the bald, sleazy man's face remained etched with shock.

"Isn't this my body?"

With those words, his vision was forever plunged into darkness.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yang Li shifted his stance and dodged to the side. The next moment, countless bullets rained down on the spot where he had just been standing. The thugs panicked. After all, this was a ghost in broad daylight; a shadow flashed and one of their comrades was dead. How could they remain calm?

The blade sliced ​​across the neck of another punk rocker, and blood spurted out instantly. The unbelievable punk rocker collapsed to the ground, never to rise again.

Yang Li quickly rushed to the back of an abandoned vehicle, her body reappearing. She hadn't expected that her use of the Word of Power could only last for such a short while, and that she could probably only activate it twice more at most.

Looking at the suspicious thugs, Yang Li smiled and kicked a stone to the side. As soon as the sound rang out, the panicked group opened fire, smashing a nearby car to pieces.

As he kicked the pebble, Yang Li, having reactivated 'Word of Power: Netherworld Illumination,' charged forward, his two short swords reaping lives as if they were nothing. In the blink of an eye, two or three more people fell. The thug leader's eyes hardened, and he fired a shot in the direction of the commotion.

Yang Li dodged in time, and the two young men blocking her way were instantly riddled with bullets—after all, it was a short-range direct shot from a shotgun. Sheathing the fruit knife back in its holster, Yang Li used her boot to pick up a pistol, caught it with her free hand, and then disappeared from everyone's sight.

Her figure suddenly became visible, and Yang Li realized that she could no longer support the power of words. She had overestimated her physical strength, after all, fighting and killing also take a toll.

Yang Li kicked away a pistol pointed at him, then flung the knife in his hand into the man's chest. Yang Li's speed was indeed swift; before the thug leader could react, he shot and killed his two remaining henchmen, then pressed the gun to his head.

Yang Li's expressionless face instilled great fear in the riot leader, even the shotgun in his hand couldn't give him a sense of security. Especially the dark gun barrel above his head, it was like the Grim Reaper's scythe stuck around his neck, filling him with a chill.

"Please, I'll give you this gun, don't kill me! No, don't kill me."

Looking at the thug leader in front of her, whose face was covered in snot and tears, Yang Li looked disgusted. This guy was much worse than the thugs she had ever seen before. He seemed to be just a hoodlum who had gotten a gun.

With a slight raise of her eyebrows, Yang Li said only one sentence, and then the man felt nothing at all.

"Begging for mercy was in vain."

He pulled the trigger, and the shot blew the man's head open, knocking him out instantly. With this guy's death, 'Abyss Paradise' suddenly reacted.

You killed the thug leader (former gang leader).

[You have obtained a treasure chest (normal). This is your first time obtaining a treasure chest. The storage backpack function is now unlocked, with a size of 3 cubic meters.]

With the appearance of these two prompts, a white box appeared in mid-air, with the thug leader who had just been killed below it. Yang Li casually picked up the treasure chest and put it into his 'savings backpack'. He smiled at the crowd climbing out of the school bus, then blew on his gun barrel in a show-off manner.

"I'll leave it to you in a bit."

Leaving behind this ambiguous statement, Yang Li then dramatically collapsed to the ground, unconscious. This scene left everyone momentarily stunned, before they stood bewildered in the wind, their faces blank with dismay.

Section 22, Chapter Twenty-Two: Heading to the Hospital

Chapter Twenty-Two: Heading to the Hospital

(I've signed a contract, but it definitely won't be paid, since not many people are reading it anyway. This book feels like it's going to be an extremely slow burn; even I'm finding it a bit unbearable. Maybe it'll have to wait until it reaches 30 words like my last book before it explodes in popularity?)

(Anyway, signing a contract is a good thing, it's my first time... I'll add an extra chapter at 20 PM to celebrate.)

(Also, I've created a group, 849280498. The answer to the question is my pen name. Feel free to join if you're interested... You can give me some suggestions there, like plot ideas, or who you'd like the main character to become (please include a picture, as I might forget, but I'll definitely save the good ones)).

After an unknown amount of time, Yang Li slowly woke up, feeling somewhat refreshed. The first thing she saw was Takagi Saya standing beside her, while the object beneath her was clearly uncomfortable.

"Sister Mai, you're awake."

Startled awake by Yang Li's movement to get up, Takagi Saya, who had been feeling bored and drowsy, suddenly woke up and looked quite happy.

With a helpless smile, Yang Li sat up from the ground, shook his head, and found that there were no adverse reactions from overuse of his abilities.

Yang Li glanced around and saw a makeshift bed (or something similar) not far away, surrounded by a group of people. Yang Li guessed that it might be Miyamoto Rei, who was seriously injured and was currently being examined by Marikawa Shizuka.

Brushing off the dust, Yang Li and Takagi Saya went over to check on her. To be honest, Yang Li hadn't expected Miyamoto Rei to be injured, after all, she was the heroine protected by the world's consciousness, but that was reality.

Each person is flesh and blood with their own thoughts and feelings; they are not so-called NPCs, and they are not immune to injury and death... It's also possible that 'Abyss Paradise' is behind this, trying to increase the difficulty for Yang Li's side, since everyone will definitely not give up on Miyamoto Rei.

"Shizuka-sensei, how is it?"

“It’s bad. The spinal injury can be treated, but I don’t have the tools right now, and even if it’s treated, it will need time to rest and recover. But if it’s not checked and treated in time, it will be very troublesome, maybe even…”

Shizuka Marikawa didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant. However, even if they wanted to take her to the hospital now, there was nothing they could do. After all, this was a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies; what doctor would stay in a hospital and not run away?

This situation is quite troublesome. Unless everyone is willing to abandon Miyamoto Rei, they'll have to take her on an adventure. The crucial point is that there's no transportation available, and no way to provide treatment.

Everyone fell silent; at this point, even if they wanted to help, there was nothing they could do. Takashi Komuro, the protagonist, finally made a decision that Yang Li appreciated and prepared to take action.

"Teacher Shizuka, I'm going to the hospital to find equipment and medicine. You all go to your friend's house and wait for us to meet up."

"It's too dangerous. There are far more zombies in the city than we've encountered before, and those machines are often quite large, making them difficult to carry. Most importantly, no one recognized the zombies when they first appeared, so a large number of dead people were probably sent to the hospital. The number of zombies there is no less than in the academy. You're just an ordinary student; you'll die."

Saya Takagi, who always prided herself on being calm and wise, now actually seemed to have a bit of that air about her. Just as she said, the density of corpses in the hospital was definitely not low, but there was one thing that wasn't quite right: the protagonist might not actually die.

"Yes, Xiao, you can't be foolish. You can't take such a risk because of me. You'll die."

Even Rei Miyamoto herself wanted to give up and advised Takashi Komuro not to act impulsively, which shows the risks involved in carrying out this operation.

If they had the weapons from the Nanli family as a backup, then this large group of people might actually be able to reach the major hospital in the city unharmed under the protection of the protagonist's halo. But Yang Li is not optimistic now, because Miyamoto Rei has suffered such serious injuries that are basically a death sentence in the apocalypse!

unless……

"Please, Mai-neechan, please help Rei. I'll give anything for you."

Komuro Takashi turned around, looked at the calm and composed Yang Li, and knelt directly on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly to the ground. Shigeza (a Japanese kneeling posture) is the highest level of etiquette in Japan, which demonstrates Komuro Takashi's determination.

Yang Li glanced meaningfully at Takashi Komuro, touched the sickle pattern on the back of her left hand, and nodded slightly. She also had something she wanted to confirm, but couldn't reveal it to these people, so this was an opportunity, wasn't it?

As for whether it's dangerous or not? So far, Yang Li hasn't encountered any danger; at least, the ordinary undead pose no threat to her. Unless there are zombie mutants like Lickers, it's still quite feasible.

"It's possible, but I can only go alone. After all, if I bring you along, I won't be able to operate effectively, and the probability of problems arising is not small."

Recalling Yang Li's sudden disappearance, everyone except Komuro Takashi nodded in deep agreement, leaving Komuro Takashi feeling quite helpless.

With a light laugh, Yang Li checked her equipment and took a pistol, placing it in the empty holster. She did have a shotgun, but it was too heavy, hindering her ability to use a certain technique.

"I need these things, and I've written them all down for you. Remember, don't forget any of them."

For once, Shizuka Marikawa was serious, placing a note in Yang Li's hand with a solemn expression. Meanwhile, Saeko Busujima pulled out a map. Everyone's expressions were serious, as if they were saying goodbye, but Yang Li felt something was off.

------Dividing line------

Yang Li, having memorized the map, ran through the streets. Even as she passed by the zombies, they didn't notice her. Her footsteps were silent, so no matter how fast she ran, the zombies wouldn't detect her—a clever use of ninjutsu she had discovered.

Yang Li had never known how to use the 'Ninjutsu Mastery LV5' ability, which was three levels higher than swordsmanship, since she hadn't been a ninja before. The fact that she had suddenly acquired this ability and discovered it by chance was truly unexpected.

"At the next intersection, you should turn left. There aren't any big hospitals in the city, so I can't be wrong."

Muttering to himself, Yang Li looked around at the Japanese-style buildings, all of which were two-story houses for one family, which seemed a bit unbelievable.

After all, people who can afford to live in houses like this are not poor. Has Japan's economy developed to the point that even small cities like this are so wealthy?

Lost in thought, Yang Li was nearing her destination, the hospital. Her gaze settled on a house with an open window, and without hesitation, she walked over.

Yang Li first stretched her limbs, then took a running start and kicked off the wall twice. She didn't hear any sound, nor the low growl of the zombie. She flipped over and landed lightly on the balcony.

The balcony door was locked, but Yang Li hadn't planned to go in anyway; he just wanted to find a place out of the zombies' reach. After all, this area wasn't safe. What if opening the treasure chest resulted in a burst of golden light and dazzling colors...? That would be a disaster. He might as well just wash up and go to sleep.

A white treasure chest appeared in his hand. This was a good thing that Yang Li's old friend, who had his brain opened before, had kindly provided.

However, thinking about her touching two points of luck and her past experiences of not being able to draw five-star characters in games, she felt inexplicably sad, and even the treasure chest in her hand felt a little heavy.