The yellow beast, comparable to a T-Rex, let out a thunderous roar, baring its icy, razor-sharp teeth. In an instant, the two words known as "common sense" in her heart shattered into pieces.
"Monster!" Shi Xia mustered every ounce of strength she had, turned around, and sprinted toward the forest where the crowd had just disappeared.
Screw common sense! Screw science! Why the hell was there such a gigantic cat here—with wings, no less—and clearly a carnivore? Cats were supposed to eat cat food! This one must’ve been raised by dinosaurs!
Now she understood why those people had run so fast. She, too, wished she had an extra pair of legs. Even during her 100-meter dash in school, she’d never run this desperately. All she could think about was not slowing down, lest the giant cat behind her decided she’d make a tasty snack.
She’d started late, but luckily, she was fast. The crowd around her grew thicker, though the ones ahead were mostly young, strong men, while beside her were children and women. Shi Xia didn’t dare imagine what would happen to those who fell behind. She could only run like her life depended on it.
"Ah—!" Suddenly, a little girl to her right tripped and fell.
The child couldn’t have been more than five or six. She struggled to get up but collapsed again, her leg covered in blood—clearly injured.
"Niu Niu!" A little boy ahead stopped and turned back, as if to help.
But it was too late. The scent of blood had already roused the monster behind them. With a single leap, it landed right in front of the little girl, just a couple of steps away from Shi Xia, its fangs glinting ominously.
The girl was frozen in terror, staring up at the beast with tears streaming down her face.
Shi Xia was the closest, but in this situation, saving her was impossible. Anyone who tried would just end up as another meal. She couldn’t possibly—
Like hell she couldn’t!
Damn it, how could she just leave her? Her body moved on its own!
As the monster opened its maw to bite down, Shi Xia lunged forward, grabbed the child, and rolled away, kicking the massive feline head for good measure. The momentum sent them tumbling several meters back.
Maybe desperation really could unlock hidden potential. Despite being terrible at sports, she somehow managed to sprint like the wind while carrying a child.
"Run!" she shouted at the boy ahead before bolting in the opposite direction with the girl in her arms.
The giant cat let out a yowl after being kicked, shook its head, and then roared, its fur bristling. Instead of chasing the others, it turned and zeroed in on her.
What the hell? This wasn’t part of the plan! Shouldn’t it go after the bigger crowd? Why was it targeting her now?
Was it too late to apologize?
ROAR~~~~~~
Shi Xia didn’t dare look back. She didn’t have time. The only thought in her mind was: Run. The monster’s snarls grew closer, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings. The trees around them swayed violently from the gusts.
Crap! She’d forgotten it could fly! Could her luck get any worse? Was the universe determined to screw her over?
The next moment, the universe answered with a resounding:
Yes.
Staring at the towering cliff wall ahead, Shi Xia’s heart sank.
Why had she run in a circle? Damn it!
Cliff in front, monster behind. Sorry, but we’re dead.
The little girl seemed to grasp their predicament too. Her tiny hands, which had been clutching Shi Xia’s clothes, suddenly tightened into a death grip, nails digging into flesh—and something else. Ow, kid, let go of my boobs!
But there was no time to worry about that now. The winged cat-monster had caught up. With a flap of its wings, it whipped up a mini typhoon, the wind stinging her face. It roared again, sensing she had nowhere left to run, and slowly advanced, jaws widening into a gaping maw.
A wave of rancid breath hit Shi Xia, making her dizzy. Ugh, this cat had serious halitosis!
What to do? What to do? If the monster didn’t eat her, the stench alone might kill her. There was nowhere to run. Would playing dead work? Against a cat this size, even turning into a "Saiyan" wouldn’t help.
ROAR~~~~~~
The beast inched closer, its gleaming white teeth promising agony. It was clearly going for the kill. Shi Xia knew she should dodge, but her legs trembled like leaves in the wind. As those jaws descended, her heart lurched. She wanted to smack herself. Serves you right for playing hero! Now you’re done for.
How could anyone outrun a cat this big?
Wait—cat?
Somehow, a wire in her brain crossed, and she remembered the dried fish in her pocket.
Should she… try it?
She yanked out the packet, tore it open, and flung the contents to the side, scattering fish all over the ground.
The giant cat paused, its slit pupils still fixed on her.
Yeah…
Like that would work. This thing might look like a cat, but it was clearly a different species. No way it’d fall for—
"Meow~~"
The next second, the beast spun around and pounced on the fish with lightning speed, scarfing them down like a maniac, purring in satisfaction between bites.
"……"
It actually worked?! Where’s your dignity as a monster?! Shi Xia was utterly dumbfounded.
Turns out, no cat—big or small—could resist dried fish.
Suddenly reinvigorated, Shi Xia clutched the child and bolted while the monster was still distracted. She didn’t care about paths anymore, diving into the densest thickets she could find, running until her legs gave out. She collapsed forward but twisted at the last second to shield the girl, landing face-first in a pile of mud.
Only then did she realize she couldn’t even lift a finger. Birds chirped softly around them, and mist hung in the air. The sky was pale—dawn had broken. She’d been running all night. No wonder her limbs felt like they weren’t hers anymore. God, it hurt.
This was hands down the worst day of her twenty-something years of life.
"Sis… sister…"
A grimy little face peeked out from her arms, eyes watery with unshed tears, filled with fear and worry.
"Shh, don’t cry." Shi Xia wanted to pat her head but couldn’t even raise her hand. She lay there, gasping. "I’ll… rest… a bit. Be good."
"Mm. Niu Niu will be good." The girl nodded obediently.
She was still just a child, after all. Seeing her frozen in place, how could she not be scared? Unable to hold back, tears began streaming down her face like falling golden beads, yet she didn’t make a sound, biting her lower lip hard as if pretending she wasn’t crying. Shi Xia’s heart ached. The little girl clung to her side, unmoving, and since Shi Xia couldn’t move either, she stayed obediently still.
After lying there for what felt like ages, Shi Xia finally regained some strength. At last, she had the energy to sit up, pulling the little radish who had practically fused to her side loose. My poor chest!
"Big sister..." The little girl blinked up at her with eyes swollen like walnuts, looking utterly pitiful.
Shi Xia patted her head, then took a moment to examine the wound on her foot. Thankfully, it was just a scratch, and the bleeding had already stopped.
But now that she’d saved her, what was she supposed to do? This child looked about five or six years old—there was no way she’d survive alone in this forest. Shi Xia sighed. "Your name is Niu Niu?"
The girl nodded.
"Can you tell me where we are?"
Niu Niu only looked confused.
Shi Xia tried another question. "That kid who was with you earlier—do you know him?"
Niu Niu hesitated for a long moment before answering, "Brother."
"He’s your brother?"
She nodded again.
"Do you remember how you got here?" Shi Xia asked gently. "Where do you live? Do you know the way back?"
Niu Niu nodded, then shook her head after a pause. "No going back... Brother said we’d get there soon... If we find it, we won’t go hungry anymore. We’ll become really strong."
What kind of nonsense was this? Shi Xia felt dizzy trying to make sense of it. But from the sound of it, Niu Niu had been following her brother to some place when they encountered that monster.
"Do you know where your brother was going?"
Niu Niu shook her head, then suddenly seemed to remember something. Frantically grabbing Shi Xia’s clothes, she said, "East... Brother said we’re going east. We’ll be there soon."
East? As in the direction?
Shi Xia looked up at the sun to orient herself. Coincidentally, the direction they’d been heading was east. Turning back wasn’t an option now—their only choice was to keep moving forward. If Niu Niu’s brother really had been heading east, they might still run into him.
After resting a while longer, Shi Xia took Niu Niu’s hand and continued on their way. She couldn’t be bothered to care about the mud covering her anymore—she’d just treat it as a skincare mask. This world was too unfamiliar to her, and staying in one place felt far more dangerous.
Maybe it was because of her countless delivery trips in the past, but she found herself oddly calm about the whole "crossing worlds" thing. After all, you get used to it after jumping around enough times.
And for some reason, she had a feeling the system hadn’t just dumped her into this world without a purpose. There had to be something more to it.
