The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Su Mu continued walking forward.

The scenery deep inside the campus is completely different from that on the periphery.

After walking less than two hundred meters, monsters began to appear on the road. They weren't just one or two here and there like before, but groups of three or five scattered along both sides of the tree-lined path, at the entrance of the teaching building, and beside the flower beds.

The levels are different now. Level 1 is almost extinct, Level 2 has become the lowest-level cannon fodder, Level 3 is everywhere, Level 4 is not uncommon, and you can occasionally see Level 5.

They roamed the campus, some gnawing on something, some tearing at each other, and some just wandering around aimlessly.

Su Mu fought his way through, his spear thrusting and sweeping, each strike aimed at a vital point, each one a fatal blow. Monsters below level five couldn't even withstand a single move from him.

[Killed a Lv3 Corrupted Zombie, experience points +0.1.]

[Defeat a Lv4 Zombie Guardian, experience points +1.]

[Defeat a Lv5 Stitches Monster, gain 2 experience points.]

The experience points are increasing slowly but steadily.

He glanced at his experience bar... only a little over a hundred points away from level five. At this rate, he could reach level five by killing about a hundred more level four monsters, or fifty or a hundred more level five monsters.

While killing monsters, Su Mu analyzed the distribution patterns of monsters in this area in his mind.

As expected.

The reason there were no monsters in the edge area before was because of the territory suppression of that level 7 wild boar.

That wild boar was a solitary monster with a strong sense of territory; its presence kept all the lower-level monsters away. Only after he killed the boar did the suppression disappear, and these monsters slowly began to infiltrate back.

Another verification is that monsters of level 5 and above have a physique that differs 10 times from the data and reality. Su Mu guessed that this was likely due to an increase in health.

This is exaggerated, but considering you're level 5, as long as you're willing to face monsters normally, you should have a class. And since classes have skills, dealing with monsters shouldn't be too difficult. But if you haven't changed classes...

Fortunately, the monsters' levels weren't too high; level 5 monsters were rare, not outrageously so. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been in much trouble, but the other cable crew members would probably have been in serious trouble... With their average level, facing monsters of level 5 or higher would have been like sending themselves to their deaths.

Su Mu glanced at the number of people on the regional channel.

691.

In the past ten minutes or so, more than a dozen people have died. This number is still within a controllable range, much better than the hundreds of deaths that occurred last night.

Of course, it's also possible that most people haven't started landing yet... Many people are still observing, hesitating, and waiting for others to go down and explore first.

Su Mu shook his head and continued walking forward.

Another Frankenstein's monster burst out of the teaching building entrance, its body wrapped in blackened bandages and emitting a putrid stench.

Level 5, Common Quality. Su Mu didn't even use any skills. He thrust his spear forward, the tip piercing through its eye socket and exiting through the back of its head. The Frankenstein's body stiffened for a moment, then fell straight down.

[Defeat a Lv5 Stitches Monster, gain 2 experience points.]

We're one step closer to level five.

Su Mu was about to continue walking forward when he suddenly stopped.

He caught something in his peripheral vision.

About twenty or thirty meters behind, a figure was hiding behind a sycamore tree, peeking out half its head and looking timidly in this direction.

Su Mu frowned slightly.

Earlier on the way, he had a vague feeling that someone was following him.

The feeling of being watched was faint, but because the monster's attention was always on him, he didn't pay much attention to it. Now it seems that it wasn't an illusion.

He turned around and looked in that direction.

The figure behind the tree visibly stiffened for a moment, then slowly, as if making a major decision, stepped out from behind the tree.

It's that girl.

The girl who was on the rooftop earlier.

She was still wearing that dark coat, but the hat was off, revealing a delicate face. Her eyes behind her round-framed glasses were bright, but now they held more tension and timidity. She gripped a fire axe in both hands, her knuckles white, her whole body tense, like a rabbit ready to flee at any moment.

"Why are you following me?" Su Mu asked.

The girl's body trembled slightly. She opened her mouth, her voice soft and trembling, "Um... about what happened earlier... thank you."

Su Mu glanced at her and said calmly, "There's no need. That wild boar just happened to be blocking my way."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and continued walking forward.

The message has been made perfectly clear... No need for thanks, and no need to follow along.

There was silence behind me for a few seconds.

Then, footsteps sounded again. Not very loud, but firm, making a rustling sound as they stepped on the fallen leaves.

Su Mu did not turn around.

After walking a few dozen more steps, the footsteps behind me were still there. And the distance seemed to be a little closer than before.

Su Mu stopped and turned around.

The girl also stopped, standing about ten meters away, her hands gripping the fire axe tightly, her knuckles white from the force. There was obvious struggle on her face... her lips were pressed tightly together, her brows furrowed, as if she were waging some kind of battle with herself.

Su Mu didn't speak, he just looked at her.

After a few seconds of silence, the girl clenched her fists even tighter, her nails digging into her palms. She took a deep breath, as if pressing all her courage into her lungs, then abruptly raised her head to look at Su Mu, her voice trembling slightly but trying to remain steady:

"Can I...can I come with you?"

Su Mu's brow twitched slightly.

"I want to become stronger." The girl's voice was still trembling, but every word was clear. "I know I'm weak, I don't understand anything, I can't do anything. But I don't want to go on like this anymore. I don't want to be abandoned anymore, I don't want to watch others die for me, and I can't do anything about it."

Her eyes were a little red, but she didn't cry.

Su Mu looked at her and remained silent for a moment.

He didn't want to bring anyone along. Especially someone like her who seemed so naive and hadn't fully grasped the cruelty of the world. Bringing her along would only be a burden.

Just as he was about to refuse, the girl spoke again, her voice becoming urgent: "I can fly! My talent is hang gliding; I can glide a distance in the air. Although I can't fly very steadily yet, I will practice. I... I should still be of some use..."

As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, and her face turned bright red, as if she realized she was saying something ridiculous.

Su Mu could tell that she was very embarrassed when she said that. She herself knew that a talent that couldn't even glide steadily was nothing in front of him.

But she still spoke up.

The girl took another deep breath, trying to calm herself down: "Don't worry, I won't hold you back. I'll just follow behind you, at a distance. You don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself."