Chapter 318: Do You Have a Name?

Su Xiao xi widened her eyes, her mouth slightly open, with an expression of disbelief.

She turned her head toward Lin Yifan and stammered, "Am I experiencing auditory hallucinations? It—did it just speak?"

Lin Yifan smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right, this little creature can talk; it's not very fluent yet, but it can communicate normally."

"Heavens! That's amazing—could it be a non‑human race?" Su Xiao xi asked, her face full of doubt.

"It probably isn't a non‑human race," Lin Yifan shook his head and said:

"But the exact situation I'm not sure of yet; I have a hypothesis, and we can verify it later."

"It's good it's not a non‑human race; those are too brutal. I don't want to befriend them or deal with them," Su Xiao xi breathed a sigh of relief, then excitedly crouched, carefully approached the little fox, tilted her head, and asked curiously:

"Little fox, what's your name?"

The little fox tilted its head, ears twitching lightly, "Na—name? What is a name? Does it taste good?"

"A name is one's designation, used to distinguish members of the same kind; every Human has a name," Su Xiao xi explained patiently:

"For example, I am Su Xiao xi; you can call me Sister Xiao Xi."

Then pointing at Lin Yifan, she added, "He is Lin Yifan, but I usually call him Brother Yifan."

"Sister Xiao Xi…"

"Brother Yifan…"

"So that's what a name is?" the little fox said, its mood low.

"Unfortunately I have no name... none of my kind can speak..."

"That won't do!" Su Xiao xi's eyes lit up, "Shall I give you a name?"

The little fox nodded happily, its tail swaying involuntarily.

Lin Yifan watched the scene, a slight smile at his mouth. Noticing the little fox's wound beginning to bleed again, he said, "Before naming it, we need to treat its wound."

"Right, right!" Su Xiao xi finally noticed the fox's injury, saying with concern, "It must hurt a lot. I have some ointment."

She pulled a small jar of pale green ointment from her backpack. Lin Yifan recognized it as the healing medicine previously taken from a Treasure Chest.

"May I apply it for you?" Su Xiao xi asked softly.

The little fox hesitated, glanced at Lin Yifan, then at Golden Eagle Mao Mao. Mao Mao let out a few cooing sounds, as if encouraging it. The fox then slowly moved before Su Xiao xi, extending its injured hind leg.

"So well‑behaved," Su Xiao xi said gently, carefully spreading the ointment, "It might sting a bit; bear with it."

Lin Yifan stood nearby on guard, observing the little fox's reaction. Though it winced in pain, it showed no struggle or hostile intent, which eased him somewhat.

"All done!" Su Xiao xi finished applying the medicine, looking satisfied at her work, "Now it's time to name you!"

She rested her chin, thought for a moment, then her eyes brightened: "Got it! You're so cute and clever; how about calling you 'Ling Ling'?"

"Ling... Ling?" the little fox tried to repeat.

"Yes! Because you're clever, and these spirit crystals were brought by you," Su Xiao xi explained, "Do you like the name?"

The little fox—now called Ling Ling—happily nodded, "I like it! I have a name! I'm Ling Ling!"

Seeing its excitement, Lin Yifan couldn't help but smile. But his expression soon grew serious: "Ling Ling, can you tell us where you met those monsters?"

Ling Ling's body visibly stiffened, a flash of fear in its eyes: "In... in the deep forest. Suddenly many monsters appeared there; they... they eat people."

Lin Yifan and Su Xiao xi exchanged a glance, seeing worry in each other's eyes.

"It seems the influence of Eternal Night has already begun to show," Lin Yifan whispered, "We need to speed up our preparations."

At that moment, Mao Mao suddenly ruffled its feathers and let out a warning cry. Almost simultaneously, Lin Yifan felt the Shelter's protective shield struck by something.

"Something's up!" he immediately drew his weapon and rushed toward the door.

Through the window, he saw in the darkness several blood‑red eyes staring fixedly at the Shelter. Their owners emitted deep growls, repeatedly battering the shield.

"It's those monsters! They chased me here!" Ling Ling shrank terrified in the corner.

Lin Yifan gripped his weapon, calmly telling Su Xiao xi, "Activate the defense system, protect Ling Ling. I'll deal with them."

"Be careful!" Su Xiao xi said worriedly, moving swiftly.

Lin Yifan inhaled deeply, pushed open the door and stepped into the darkness. He knew this was only a small omen before Eternal Night's arrival, with the true trial still to come, but now he had to protect this makeshift home and every inhabitant—including the newly named little fox. The instant he left the Shelter, the surrounding darkness surged toward him like a living thing. The blood‑red eyes shone painfully in the night, accompanied by deep growls, while several hyena‑like but larger monsters frantically battered the shield. Their claws scraped a shrill sound across the energy barrier, and saliva dripped from their fangs, corroding the ground into tiny pits.

"Corrosive saliva?" Lin Yifan's gaze hardened as he quickly assessed the threat level. These monsters were clearly far more dangerous than ordinary beasts, possibly even poisonous.

He didn't hesitate to activate the Thunder Light Blade in his hand, blue arcs of electricity leaping along the blade. Simultaneously, he flipped his left hand, a flash bomb already cocked in his palm.

"Let's test their weakness first."

Lin Yifan hurled the flash bomb toward the center of the monster crowd; a blinding white flash erupted instantly, the creatures howled in pain and retreated. To his surprise, however, they didn't become completely immobilized like ordinary nocturnal beasts; after shaking their heads a few times, they snarled at him again.

"Such strong light resistance?" Lin Yifan thought, his heart sinking. It seemed the monsters spawned by Eternal Night had already evolved corresponding resistance.

At that moment, the lead monster suddenly stood upright, its forepaws twisting into a bizarre, human‑hand‑like shape, and slammed toward a weak spot of the shield. With a crisp "crack!", the barrier developed a fine fissure.

"What?!" Lin Yifan's pupils dilated sharply. These monsters could autonomously evolve targeted attack methods?