C10 Simple Difficulty Was about to Clear!

The abrupt alert jolted Lee Kai and Zhu Ying awake. Realizing there were advantages to be gained, they knew they couldn't afford to slack off any longer. The platform had assigned them a mission to eliminate the protagonist. A direct confrontation was out of the question, so they had to resort to an alternative strategy: earn his trust first. Only by gaining proximity could they hope to fulfill their objective.

"Get out, we need to save her," Lee Kai instructed, glancing at Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying nodded in acknowledgment, fully aware of the situation. She wasn't about to fall behind in reasoning; if Lee Kai had thought of it, so had she. Without hesitation, she cautioned, "Be careful, and don't get caught up in this," before pushing the car door open. In unison, she and Lee Kai stepped out of the vehicle.

With only six bullets to her name, Zhu Ying couldn't afford to shoot recklessly. The two shots fired had been Lee Kai's doing.

Having taken down the crows swooping in on them, Lee Kai moved swiftly to Carlos's side, flung open the car door, and hauled a screaming woman off the ground into the vehicle. He then followed suit, slipping into the car over her.

As he shut the door, a multitude of crows crashed against it. His quick reflexes had saved him; a less agile person wouldn't have been so lucky. The dents that appeared on the car door were a testament to the crows' formidable assault.

"Carlos, this isn't working. Guns are no good against these crows," Lee Kai pointed out. Without hesitation, Carlos floored the accelerator. His decision to drive away wasn't a retreat from the rescue; rather, aside from the woman Lee Kai had saved, the crows had already overwhelmed the others.

Carlos pulled up alongside the bus and slammed on the brakes. He burst out of the car, leapt onto the hood, and climbed to the top of the bus shelter. Flames erupted from his hands, incinerating the crows surrounding the bus. Meanwhile, Lee Kai had leapt from the car and, in a few strides, positioned himself behind Carlos, shotgun at the ready to cover his back.

With a loud bang, Lee Kai shattered two descending crows with a single shot, quickly reloading his shotgun. But the crows were descending faster than he could reload. In a mere moment, they had knocked him off the top of the bus.

"You absolutely can't just lie down and try to fend them off with your hands. Not only will that fail to drive away the crows, but it will also waste precious time you could use to escape," Lee Kai had already considered this while he was in the car.

The moment he hit the ground, he rolled away. In that instant, he realized his constant training hadn't been in vain. After two rolls, he pushed himself up with his hands and was back on his feet in a flash.

"Here, come quickly!" Zhu Ying's voice was a welcome sound amidst the chaos. Lee Kai spotted the approaching car and the door flung open. He sprinted forward and leaped into the vehicle, landing on Zhu Ying. Kate, seated in the passenger seat, quickly turned and forcefully shut the back door.

Scrambling off Zhu Ying, Lee Kai looked back at Carlos, who was still standing behind the flames. He frowned and said, "No, this can't go on; he'll die." Koala, of course, was aware of the situation and steered the car directly towards him.

But it was too late. Several crows had already swooped down on Carlos. It seemed impossible for anyone to reach him in time, and they could only watch as the crows struck. Yet, the next moment left everyone in shock.

The crows were as if repelled by an invisible barrier. No matter how fiercely they attacked, they couldn't break through the unseen wall to harm Carlos.

Witnessing this miraculous event, Lee Kai instinctively scanned the surroundings and noticed a woman standing not too far away, her gaze intently fixed on Carlos. He nudged Zhu Ying and tilted his chin in the woman's direction. "Looks like she's the main character. If I take her out, this world should come to an end. After all, without the main character, the story can't go on, right?" With this in mind, Lee Kai felt even more convinced of his plan.

The sky erupted in flames, a breathtaking spectacle that was no longer confined to the silver screen but was unfolding right before their eyes.

"Should I kill her now? Or wait a bit longer?" Lee Kai pondered, his focus entirely different from the others. To him, the dramatic scene was trivial. He had witnessed far more spectacular events in holographic games, which were no laughing matter.

Concerns about mistakenly killing someone didn't faze him. Righteousness of the other party was irrelevant; his sole focus was on survival. He had acknowledged before that humans are inherently selfish, and he admitted to being even more so. While fleeing from zombies, he had come to a clear conclusion: the Destructive Platform, War was no place for easy living. Hence, he seized every chance to strengthen himself, discarding notions of good and evil. All that mattered was survival and the chance to return to his own world to savor the scant warmth that remained. That warmth was precious, and he was not ready to lose it. His desire was to leave.

Regarding the mission's lack of punishment, he was aware that he could simply wait six hours without acting and then leave. He knew this upon reading the mission brief, but he had never considered it seriously. Let the protagonist go? That was out of the question. He wouldn't give up unless he ran out of time to act.

His current dilemma was whether killing the protagonist now would lead to his own demise at the hands of the others. He was uncertain whether he'd be whisked away after completing the mission or if he'd be left behind, potentially exposing him to danger.

As ashes drifted from the sky and the protagonist lay fallen, Lee Kai and his companions stepped out of the car. Lee Kai exchanged a glance with Zhu Ying before they approached Carlos. Observing the main character cradled in Carlos's embrace, Zhu Ying inquired, "Do you know this person? You seem familiar with them."

"Yes, she's an old friend. I'll introduce you once she wakes up," Carlos replied.

"You all look after her; I'll go calm the people in the car," Koala said, glancing at Carlos before addressing the group.

"Sure, you go ahead. They must have been scared out of their wits," Carlos responded, lifting his gaze to Koala.

Kate stepped forward and gently lifted Alice, the main character of this world. Zhu Ying hurried to assist, suggesting, "Let's get her to the sofa in the hotel. It looks like her abilities aren't so easily wielded." Carlos watched the two women support their long-lost companion, smiling.

"Hey, big guy, can't you come over and lend a hand instead of just standing there watching?" Zhu Ying said to Lee Kai with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Uh..." Carlos, who had been feeling quite content, scratched his head and was about to step in after hearing Zhu Ying's remark. However, Lee Kai was quicker on his feet. He tossed the shotgun to Zhu Ying and then crouched down in front of them.

The two women exchanged a glance and then hoisted the unconscious Alice onto Lee Kai's back. Lee Kai carried her into the hotel, with the women trailing behind. Carlos had intended to follow them to check on Alice, but noticing that the trio was already taking good care of her and seeing Koala still bustling about, he reconsidered and said to Kate, "You guys look after her. I better go help Koala."

"Okay, I understand," Kate nodded in agreement.

Once inside the hotel, Lee Kai didn't just place Alice on the lobby sofa. Instead, he carried her to a room and gently laid her on the bed. Zhu Ying, noticing Kate had followed them in, asked, "Could you grab some water, please?"

"Sure, no problem," Kate replied without hesitation. She took a quick glance at Lee Kai and Alice, who were adjusting Alice's position, then turned and left the room. As soon as she was gone, Lee Kai quietly drew the dagger from his leg. But Zhu Ying quickly grabbed his hand. "Are you really going to go through with killing her? Our mission didn't explicitly say we had to. Did you not see that there's no penalty listed for the mission?"

"And how long do you think you can maintain such compassion in a place where we could die at any moment? Or do you see yourself as a hero, blessed with incredible luck or a protagonist's aura like this woman? If you can't secure all the rewards in the Newbie World, I can assure you that your future will be quite challenging," Lee Kai said, casting a sidelong glance at Zhu Ying before putting away the dagger. He hadn't abandoned his plan; he just heard someone approaching.

When Kate returned with a bottle of water, Zhu Ying accepted it with a gentle nod. An uncomfortable silence fell between them, which even the startled Kate could sense, causing her to feel a twinge of fear.

After a brief pause, Zhu Ying handed the water to Lee Kai and walked out. Watching her leave, Lee Kai knew she wouldn't interfere any further.

"What's wrong with her? Is she feeling unwell?"

Lee Kai chuckled after taking a sip of water and passed the bottle to Kate. "Don't mind her; she's just being petulant. Want some water?" He offered the bottle to her. Kate nodded and accepted it, tilting her head back to take a drink. As her neck was revealed, a glint appeared in Lee Kai's eyes. However, before he could act, Zhu Ying entered with a gun in hand and struck Kate on the forehead. Observing Kate, who seemed to be fainting, Lee Kai quickly covered her mouth and then delivered a punch to her forehead to ensure she was subdued.

After completing the motion, he instructed Zhu Ying, "Cover her mouth." Zhu Ying, realizing the urgency of the situation, didn't hesitate. Whether Kate was feigning unconsciousness or not, she couldn't be allowed to make any noise. Zhu Ying promptly stepped forward to silence her.