Chapter 103: Hold On Just a Little Longer

At dawn, mist hung thick and heavy.

In a dark forest, everything was damp; leaves glowed an unusually vibrant green, as if dripping with water.

Crouched in the underbrush was a slender figure, her body splattered with dirt and faint traces of blood. She lay utterly still, buried beneath thick grass that nearly swallowed her frail form.

On a nearby branch, a black panther lay motionless, its lean yet powerful body, cold piercing pupils, and yellow irises glowing with phosphorescence in the shadowed woods.

The panther had watched the prey below for a long time; now that the prey remained motionless, it prepared to strike.

It leapt lightly from the branch, movements graceful and silent, its sleek form flowing like a stream of black water.

As it landed, it lunged at the figure on the ground, jaws wide, lined with sharp fangs.

The danger jolted the figure awake; she opened her eyes just in time to see a black shadow hurtling toward her. With no time to think, she twisted sharply, evading the pounce.

But her body was utterly weakened; the sudden motion sent golden sparks flashing before her eyes.

Failing the first strike, the panther spun and lunged again.

Yang Yi tried to summon her mental force—but nothing stirred. In a flash of insight, she remembered: Oh, I have no mental force anymore. I’m just an ordinary person now—fuck it, why haven’t I died yet!

This time, the distance was too close; there was no way to dodge. Yang Yi instinctively thrust out both hands, gripping the panther’s neck to stop its fangs from sinking in.

In the struggle, she caught a glimpse of her own hands—her wounds had healed completely—but there was no time to ponder it. The panther’s sharp claws raked her body, tearing her shirt to shreds and leaving a long, gaping wound, skin split and flesh exposed.

Agony pierced her core. Already weak, her vision darkened, and she teetered on the edge of fainting.

The panther was not large—only about fifty kilograms. Had Yang Yi still possessed her mental force, she might have stood a chance. But now, utterly drained, she was on the verge of being killed by this tiny beast.

The panther sensed her weakness, broke free from her grip, and lunged for her throat.

Suddenly, distant barks of dogs echoed. The panther, clearly terrified of the sound, turned and fled without hesitation into the forest.

Yang Yi’s body went slack. Golden stars danced before her eyes; her mind blurred, and she was moments away from collapsing.

But instinct kept her clinging to consciousness. Don’t pass out! Where is this? Is this Earth? Wasn’t I on a desert planet? How did I get here? Where did my mental force go? Of course—it was all spent breaking the altar. Without His permission, my mental force won’t return…

Dizzy and drenched in cold sweat, her mind slipped into fog.

More dog barks came, accompanied by footsteps. Someone shouted something—calling a dog’s name—already right nearby.

Right. She was just an ordinary person now. If she met a good person, fine. But if… she remembered Vid’s human experiments…

A hunting dog burst through the underbrush, tongue lolling, bounding toward her with excitement.

“Timms, come back!” a sharp voice barked.

Her mind grew heavier, her thoughts fading.

With her last shred of awareness, she used the minor ability left by the Zhiniezu to alter her features, then finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

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In darkness, she wandered through a thorny forest, swamps everywhere around her.

A sullen little girl chased her relentlessly; she kept running, but the girl always knew exactly where she hid, always found her instantly.

She was exhausted. She didn’t want to run anymore. She was too tired.

If she wants to kill me, let her. She thought.

She collapsed onto the muddy path. Little Yang Yi immediately ran over and slapped her hard across the face.

“Fool! Coward! Get up and keep running! If you hadn’t passed out on the desert planet, if we hadn’t had to avoid Him devouring our souls, would we be in this position? Why are you always so weak? Why do you always want to give up? Sharing a body with you makes me sick!”

Yang Yi had no choice but to get up and run again.

Her throat burned as if on fire; her feet felt like they weighed a thousand jin, her body as heavy as a stone roller, sinking lower with every step.

As she ran, her strength vanished completely. The world blurred. The wind’s howl faded. Only the cicada-like ringing in her ears remained.

“I… I… can’t… anymore… Yang Yi…” she gasped, sweat pouring down her forehead like rain, “I’m… too tired… I can’t… hold on…”

“You have to hold on! I’m nothing like you, coward!” Little Yang Yi was barely better off, yet she didn’t complain—instead, she cursed her louder and fiercer.

“…Maybe… give… the body… to you…?” She was as worn out as a dog that had run a thousand li, words barely forming, “I… want… to rest…”

“You despicable worm! Maggot in the latrine! Useless coward! Now that your mental force is gone, you finally think to hand it over to me!” Little Yang Yi was furious. Had they not been pursued, she would have stopped right then and beaten her senseless with fists and feet.

She ran while snarling, “This body’s useless now! What good would it do to give it to me? To suffer? Face a strange lifeform or an awakened one, or a single bullet—and you’re dead! You’re just…”

As she ran, Little Yang Yi reached out and slapped her again.

She lowered her head, silent, letting the blows and curses fall.

“And now He’s in control—we only have a fighting chance because we’re united. It’s all your fault! You had to be heroic! How many people died? What’s it to us? We have no duty to save them! Why are you always so hypocritical?—Look! Now we’re in this mess! We were winning before!” Little Yang Yi’s voice cracked with grief and rage as she struck her hard twice on the back of the head.

She hung her head, silent, forcing her heavy legs to lift and keep pace.

“Now you want to rest? What were you doing earlier? If you give up now, I’m alone—how can I fight Him? Won’t I just be eaten?” She glared with blazing fury, screaming, “You! Short-sighted! Worse than a dog or pig! Heartless! Ungrateful!”

Then… I’ll just keep holding on… she thought.

Sweat streamed into her eyes, stinging. It ran into her mouth, bitter and salty.