Lin Ran’s Swift Priorities

Feigning a delicate weakness, she patted her chest.

She quickly approached Lin Ran, seemingly intent on throwing herself into his arms for comfort.

“I was so scared just now! Those monsters are utterly disgusting… It’s a good thing I ran into you, Senior! We truly are fated…”

Her tone, cloyingly sweet, underscored a performance that was undeniably excellent.

In reality, however, Xia Li’s inner abacus was already clattering furiously with calculations.

Her gaze drifted towards the dormitory door behind Lin Ran.

Her objective, to ensure her safety as much as possible in this apocalyptic world, was unmistakably clear.

Senior Lin Ran was not only handsome but also possessed the astonishing ability to coexist peacefully with those repulsive slimes.

With their aid, his combat prowess was undoubtedly exceptional.

In the midst of the apocalypse, wouldn’t it be perfect to find a capable, handsome man to lean on?

A confident smile played on her lips.

Armed with her undeniable charm, a simple pout and a bit of coquetry would surely be enough to ensnare such an innocent, pure-hearted boy in mere minutes.

Yet, Lin Ran’s attention was not on her in the slightest.

His eyes were fixed solely on the half-crushed, dying slime.

Its core, crucially, remained intact.

Provided it received energy promptly, it might still be saved!

Despite the fact that the thirty-minute rest period was nearly exhausted, the dormitory door was already beginning its slow descent to closure.

He estimated less than a minute remained.

Now, time was life itself.

Without a hint of hesitation, Lin Ran sprinted towards the slime with a speed he had rarely, if ever, mustered in his life.

Xia Li, believing Lin Ran was coming to greet her, instinctively opened her arms to embrace him.

But—

“Get out of the way! Don’t obstruct me!”

Lin Ran roared, shoving her aside with force.

The sheer force of his push sent the unprepared Xia Li sprawling, face-first, into the grime.

Her meticulously styled hair came undone.

Her white stockings were caked with mud.

The practiced smile on her face froze, replaced by an expression of utter incredulity.

“Senior? How could you…”

Lin Ran, utterly unconcerned with her, lunged forward, tenderly cupping the half-dead slime in his hands.

Its body was no longer translucent.

Its color had dulled.

Viscous bodily fluids continuously oozed from its ruptured skin.

“Lim! Get everyone into my dorm!”

Upon hearing Lin Ran’s command, Lim instantly regained her composure, extending a small, mimetic tentacle to efficiently direct all the slimes in their retreat.

Watching the last slime leap into the dormitory, the main door was on the verge of closing.

Lin Ran cast a cold, fleeting glance back at Xia Li, and an uncontrollable shiver coursed through her body.

‘He had truly harbored murderous intent towards this woman.’

But… there wasn’t enough time.

Had he truly squandered precious moments on her, the life of the slime he held would undoubtedly have been lost.

To Lin Ran, her life simply did not hold the same importance as the slime cradled in his palms.

Lin Ran sprinted towards the dormitory like a blur, and in the fleeting moment before the door sealed shut, he lunged, plunging into the safety of the room.

“Bang!”

The dormitory door slammed shut, vanishing from the plains.

Only Xia Li remained, frozen in place, utterly bewildered.

The murderous aura that had erupted from Lin Ran just now was undeniably real.

If it hadn’t been for the dwindling time, she might genuinely have been in mortal danger.

“He’s… Senior’s gone mad…? It’s just a slime, isn’t it…?”

Xia Li slowly pushed herself up, steadying her trembling form.

Witnessing Lin Ran’s profound care for a repulsive slime, her mind churned with a mixture of bewilderment, mortification, and a lingering shock.

Was she truly less valuable than a mere slime?

She had been the acknowledged campus beauty for two consecutive years!

She had been so genuinely devoted to Senior; wasn’t it just a momentary lapse, being charmed by Mike and his friends?

Could Lin Ran truly still be angry with her now?

“Ugh! This is infuriating! Just you wait! I’ll… I’ll make you regret this!”

She stomped her foot repeatedly, her raw indignation and humiliation starkly evident.

But all of this was now irrelevant to Lin Ran.

“Lim, bring some weeds.”

Lin Ran cradled the half-bodied slime.

He gently rinsed it with a thin stream of tap water.

The slime began to absorb the water; its body, primarily composed of the liquid, meant that as long as its core remained intact, it stood a chance of recovery with sufficient water and sustenance.

“Hold on.”

Lin Ran murmured instinctively to himself, his heart offering a fervent, silent prayer.

Lim and several of the stronger slimes quickly bounced over, carrying weeds.

They fed the weeds into the damaged slime’s body, while simultaneously using their own internal mucus to patch its wounds.

Miraculously, the ruptured skin began to heal, its form gradually calmed, and the trembling core finally stabilized.

After approximately five minutes of frantic rescue efforts, the slime, though noticeably shrunken, had finally pulled itself from the jaws of death.

‘Just survive, just survive…’

Lin Ran let out a long, relieved breath, then slumped to the ground.

Witnessing its recovery, the other slimes began to bounce with collective joy.

[Ding! You have saved a dying slime and rejected an unsuitable individual of the opposite s*x, significantly increasing Lim’s favorability!]

[Favorability +30! Current Favorability: 70 (Affectionate)]

[Obtained Casanova Level EXP *200!]

[Lim’s Favorability has increased to ‘Affectionate’ level. Congratulations! You have officially taken the first step towards a wonderful romance!]

[All attribute points increased by 10% reward has been issued!]

[The second wave of missions will be issued soon. Please, host, prepare yourself.]

No sooner had the system’s notification faded, than Lin Ran felt a warm current surge through his entire body.

He threw a punch into the air, distinctly feeling a significant surge of strength in his muscles, and his body felt considerably lighter.

‘Not bad, not bad. Finally, a boost in combat power.’

Whether in his past life or this one, before or after the apocalypse, fundamental attributes like these were always invaluable.

Lin Ran recalled he possessed five attributes: Strength, Agility, Spirit, Charm, and Luck.

In the current climate, with the uncertainty of whether other humans would gain combat abilities upon the apocalypse’s arrival, enhancements to Strength and Agility were undeniably critical.

However, since the second wave of attacks hadn’t yet begun…

Lin Ran decided to continue gathering resources.

As for resources…

He looked next door, at the dormitory from which a woman’s screams had just emanated.

He had actually suspected it earlier.

The familiar timbre of her voice, combined with her presence on the very same slime-ridden plain, had already given him a strong inkling.

There was no doubt; his next-door neighbor was Xia Li.

But why was Xia Li in a male dormitory building?

And why had no male voices emanated from that particular room, nor had any men come to rest on the slime-covered plain moments ago?

A theory had already begun to form in Lin Ran’s mind.

“System, deploy the portal.”

[The portal is online. Our actions will be swifter.]

“Don’t make jokes at a time like this,” Lin Ran murmured with a faint chuckle, a soft complaint escaping his lips.

Soon, following the system’s deployment, an oval-shaped portal, composed of pure black and white energy, appeared before him.

The other end of the portal was set by Lin Ran to the center of the adjacent dormitory.

Lin Ran led the way, with Lim perched steadily on his shoulder, and the rest of the slimes trailing closely behind.

Having stepped through the portal, his vision was momentarily consumed by darkness before abruptly clearing.

Indeed, it was the environment of the adjacent room.

Upon entering the new environment, the slimes grew agitated, wiggling and bouncing about, their curiosity piqued as they observed their novel surroundings.

Lin Ran’s gaze, however, had already been drawn away by the unsettling peculiarities of this dormitory.

A mingled stench of foulness and blood assailed him.

The floor was a chaotic mess: instant noodle containers, snack wrappers, used tissues, scattered clothes…

It seemed a scene of extreme chaos had unfolded here.

Lin Ran’s gaze slowly ascended.

It finally settled on the disheveled bed.

There lay a male corpse, its throat brutally pierced by a sharp object, its eyes wide and vacant.

“As expected.”

****