Ch 48: Lin Lulu’s Awakening

Lin Lulu raised her hand and fired another arrow. This time, Xiao Mei dodged the Light Arrow while hurriedly turning her head to watch its trajectory.

The Light Arrow, which had been flying straight, unexpectedly reversed course after missing its target, and Xiao Mei could only continue to dodge.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Lulu stood up, dragging her bleeding left leg as she ran backward.

Firing another arrow at Xiao Mei, Lin Lulu realized that controlling the direction of two Light Arrows simultaneously was already her limit.

The two Light Arrows were causing her some mental confusion, but she knew that as long as she kept shooting and hit her target, she would win.

“Damn Ji Chuan is serious; he isn’t helping me at all…”

Looking at her wounds, Lin Lulu was a little worried about scarring, but remembering Ji Chuan’s Healing Ability, she sighed.

Xiao Mei’s movements were very agile. Despite being hit by an arrow, zombies have very low pain perception, and her speed was basically the same as when she was uninjured.

She was like a gymnastics champion, using various difficult poses to dodge the pursuit of the two arrows, but sweat beaded on Lin Lulu’s forehead. She felt her consciousness becoming muddled.

If she hadn’t hit her target yet, with such high-intensity Ability usage, she would collapse first.

The Light Arrows were slowing down, and Xiao Mei noticed this, a smile returning to her face.

Methodically, she dodged the Light Arrows, waiting for Lin Lulu to exhaust her energy.

Xiao Xuan watched the tall Da Zhuang from the periphery, feeling quite afraid. Everyone was quite protective of the child and didn’t let her come forward.

Pei Wendong tried his best to shield Xiao Xuan, as even a single blow from Da Zhuang’s thick arm would endanger Xiao Xuan’s life.

Xiao Xuan hesitated for a long time. Her target was Da Zhuang’s hair. She searched her mind for the image of a doll—what kind of doll could grab Da Zhuang’s hair?

Seeing Wu Qian thrown off by Da Zhuang, Chen Yuru used the force of water to cushion Wu Qian’s fall, preventing him from being injured.

Da Zhuang turned angrily, continuing to chase Wu Qian, punching the ground repeatedly, leaving deep craters. Wu Qian could only roll clumsily on the ground.

A golden light flashed from Xiao Xuan’s hand. The doll, originally small, slowly stood up under Gu Yunxi’s Ability enhancement, reaching the size of a person.

The doll was clearly in Xiao Mei’s image, but its features were crude; its eyes were buttons, and its mouth was sewn with crisscrossing lines.

Xiao Xuan recalled that during their time in the courtyard, Da Zhuang seemed to be afraid of Xiao Mei, so she created a doll in Xiao Mei’s image, and it actually worked.

The Xiao Mei doll emitted a thinner, sharper voice than Xiao Mei herself, “You stinking bug! Don’t you dare act up!”

Hearing this voice, the enraged Da Zhuang’s eyes flashed with a hint of fear. He actually found a second Xiao Mei standing before him.

Xiao Mei was clearly still dodging the Light Arrows in the distance, but the Xiao Mei before him made Da Zhuang question what was happening.

But while he stared at the doll in a daze, the doll had already swung its Steel Whip towards his neck. Da Zhuang could only struggle, gripping the Steel Whip with both hands to prevent himself from suffocating.

The doll’s strength was almost equal to Xiao Mei’s.

Ji Chuan watched the changing situation on the field with amusement. Everyone’s growth in actual combat was very rapid.

Seizing an opportunity, Wu Qian again used a grappling hook to climb onto Da Zhuang’s body. This time, however, every time Da Zhuang tried to jump or turn, the Xiao Mei doll held him firmly, rendering him immobile.

Others also used their Abilities to attack Da Zhuang’s body, helping to provide cover for Wu Qian.

Standing on Da Zhuang’s shoulders, Wu Qian forcefully pulled at Da Zhuang’s head, getting a hold of his hair!

Meanwhile, Lin Lulu had collapsed from exhaustion. Just as Xiao Mei was about to deliver a blow with her Steel Whip, Ji Chuan called a halt.

“It’s over. Everyone did well.”

Ji Chuan treated everyone’s injuries, and Lin Lulu gradually regained consciousness.

“Everyone made significant progress in this exercise, but we need to summarize the experience gained.”

“Xiao Mei wins, Da Zhuang loses.”

Da Zhuang and Lin Lulu both hung their heads, looking unhappy.

“Da Zhuang, why did you only attack Wu Qian?”

Ji Chuan wanted to see how far Da Zhuang’s intelligence had developed.

“Because before the battle began, he gave the orders. He was the Captain; I had to defeat the core of the team first.”

“Your thinking is good, but after discovering that the opponent was difficult to deal with, you should have prioritized dealing with the others first. The others are also important, and they can help the core member secure victory.”

“Each member on Da Zhuang’s side used their strengths to the fullest, which shows the power of teamwork.”

“And next time you face an enemy, don’t tell them your plans.”

Ji Chuan turned to Wu Qian and said. Wu Qian nodded.

“Lin Lulu, why did you lose?”

“I was alone, so I lost.”

Lin Lulu turned her head to the side and said angrily, believing that Ji Chuan was picking on her.

“You lost because you’re too lazy.”

Ji Chuan lightly flicked her forehead.

“You only train when you’re told to. Your Ability is so powerful, yet it’s still in the developmental stage. If there’s real danger, can you protect everyone?”

“Your Ability is the most suitable for attack, yet you spend your time eating snacks and playing Dou Dizhu （a card game）. You lack a sense of urgency.”

Hearing Ji Chuan’s words, Lin Lulu lowered her head, offering no rebuttal.

“Okay, you made great progress today. Everyone can train with Da Zhuang and Xiao Mei from now on; otherwise, you’ll always be inexperienced rookies.”

“I don’t want what happened to the team at the Esper Base to happen to you. You have the strength to fight, but due to lack of experience and courage, you become easy targets.”

“Look at Jiang Yi; he started doing plank exercises right after training, showing a great attitude! Everyone, work hard, dismissed!”

Hearing Ji Chuan’s words, the audience was also fired up. Qiu Xinshi and Fan Jiahao wanted to contribute, unconsciously using their Abilities on Jiang Yi.

“Wait until I stand up, you two are going to get it!”

Receiving Ji Chuan’s praise, Jiang Yi didn’t retort but inwardly grumbled with a black line on his face. Every time, those two mascots would only use their Abilities on him.

Gu Yunxi pulled Lin Lulu up and walked towards the lobby.

“Lulu, you did great just now. I saw that your Light Arrows could actually track targets!”

Lin Lulu didn’t show a happy expression. “I think Ji Chuan is right. I’ve always relied on his protection. Every time danger came, I wasn’t much help.”

“No, several times it was thanks to you, Lulu. You’re our main force!”

Lin Lulu’s face was full of dejection. “But my Ability is indeed stronger than the other members. I clearly had the ability to do it before, but only today did I realize that my Ability could be used this way…”

Lin Lulu felt very self-reproachful. She knew that Ji Chuan had always been kind to everyone and had never severely disciplined them, but she couldn’t continue to be so lax.

Today’s experience with Ji Chuan made her understand that passively waiting to be protected would only put her in danger.

Learning self-preservation is the safest course of action, and she had been living too comfortably.

“Everyone must be tired. Dinner’s ready. You’ll feel better after eating!”

Master Zhao enthusiastically invited everyone to the dining hall. Making food with restorative properties was the only way he could help, and he cherished this base immensely.

Each member was playing their part for the collective. Lin Lulu sighed. She decided she would have special training with Xiao Mei every day from now on.