Chapter 4: The Ninth Realm of Survival

In the pitch-dark room, a woman in a white cloak appeared suddenly. At the sight of her cloak, Xi Yan immediately thought of the person named Bai Sheng from earlier. But this woman was nothing like Bai Sheng—she wore no mask; instead, her mask dangled from her waist. The features she revealed were exquisite, the very image of a classic beauty, her figure curvaceous and commanding, exuding the aura of a formidable lady.

"Hand him over to me," the woman said, extending her hand to take Qu Ya from Xi Yan. But Xi Yan stepped back two paces, refusing her request.

"Sorry, I don't even know who you are," he replied, his voice wary.

She paused at his caution, then covered her mouth and laughed softly. "How adorable. I'm Qu Ya's former teammate. My name is Lin Shuang."

Former teammate? What kind of relationship was that?

"There's no need to doubt me. I won't harm Qu Ya. After all, he..." At this, Lin Shuang's eyes flickered with sorrow, but it vanished so quickly that Xi Yan wondered if he'd imagined it.

"After all, he's my friend. Judging by his condition, he must have run into Bai Sheng again." Lin Shuang swiftly changed the subject, and Xi Yan, sensing her reluctance, asked no further. "Can you save him?" he inquired.

Lin Shuang smiled and nodded. After a moment's hesitation, Xi Yan handed Qu Ya over. If Lin Shuang truly meant harm, there was nothing he could do to stop her anyway.

Since she hadn't acted aggressively, she most likely bore Qu Ya no ill will.

Together, Lin Shuang and Xi Yan carried Qu Ya to the room at the delivery outpost. Upon returning, Xi Yan noticed the place was now much cleaner, and crystals for illumination had appeared within the room.

In these apocalyptic times, such accommodations were nothing short of luxurious. Xi Yan looked over at Lin Shuang and saw that her gaze toward Qu Ya was cold, utterly devoid of feeling.

Then... what was the story behind this house?

"Miss Lin, you just said 'again.' Does that mean something like this happened to Qu Ya before?" Xi Yan asked.

Lin Shuang glanced up at him but didn't answer. Instead, she bowed her head and continued treating Qu Ya.

She unlocked two cards, and before long, color returned to Qu Ya's face.

Once Qu Ya was settled, Lin Shuang sat down across from Xi Yan, smiling slyly. "Xi Yan, you have the leisure to worry about Qu Ya?"

"Hmm?" Xi Yan didn't understand what she was implying.

"So you really don't know. Many people in the Main City want to enter the Ninth Survival Zone. After all, the fact that this new survival zone was immediately classified as one of the nine great domains is a big deal." Lin Shuang paused, then continued.

"The nine great Survival Zones have always been contested by those high-ranking supernaturals. That's why the original owner of each new zone is hunted down by these powerful figures." She stopped, grinning at Xi Yan, who still hadn't caught on.

"So what does that have to do with me—wait, you don't mean..." Realization dawned on Xi Yan.

Lin Shuang nodded. "Exactly. Just as you suspect, you are the master of the Ninth Survival Zone. That's why they're coming to hunt you down."

"I'm not anyone's master, and no one has tried to kill me," Xi Yan answered blandly.

"Oh? Is that so?" Lin Shuang shifted her posture. "Then how do you think I know your name?"

Xi Yan's face turned deathly pale. If he was truly being hunted, then saving Xilin would become nearly impossible.

"Are you here to kill me?" Xi Yan asked, forcing himself to meet her gaze.

She nodded with casual ease.

"Miss Lin, if that's the case, why wait so long after the upheaval to come for me?"

"Because the battle for the Eighth Survival Zone's ownership hadn't ended yet. The higher-ups were too busy to turn their attention to the Ninth," she replied.

Xi Yan's expression grew grim.

A dry cough interrupted them—Qu Ya had awakened. Xi Yan turned to him, stunned to see that his arm had regenerated. He shot Lin Shuang a curious look, eager to know which card she'd used.

"Xi Yan..." Qu Ya's voice was hoarse.

"Drink some water. Don't die on us," Lin Shuang said, her tone now cold and her gaze toward Qu Ya openly hostile.

Xi Yan's earlier suspicions about Lin Shuang's fleeting sadness deepened. What was that sorrow about?

Only when Lin Shuang spoke did Qu Ya realize there was another person in the room. Seeing her, his face instantly hardened.

"What are you doing here?" The change in Qu Ya was stark.

Lin Shuang toyed with her long hair, a defiant smile on her lips and contempt in her eyes as she looked at him. "I'm the one who saved you."

"I wouldn't have died without your help," Qu Ya replied, struggling to sit up. "Now get out of here!"

"Fine, fine, I'm leaving." Lin Shuang stood, and at the door, she looked back at Xi Yan. Turning to Qu Ya, she said, "Take good care of your new partner~"

Qu Ya's face grew even darker, but Lin Shuang just laughed and left the outpost.

An uneasy silence settled over the room. After a while, Xi Yan broke it.

"Qu Ya, she..."

"It's nothing. She's from the Fifth Survival Zone. You don't need to concern yourself," Qu Ya interrupted.

"She said I'm the master of the Ninth Survival Zone..."

"What?!" Qu Ya was suddenly alarmed. "How could this happen..."

He slumped onto the bed, his expression complex.

"Sigh..." Qu Ya let out a heavy breath. "I never thought it would be you. That makes rescuing Xiaolin even more difficult now."

Qu Ya then explained the Survival Zones to Xi Yan.

No one knew exactly how many Survival Zones existed, but among them was one that most closely resembled normal life, a place where a great many survivors gathered. This place was simply called the Main City by those who lived there.

Censors, supernaturals, and evolvers were collectively known as survivors.

Over time, a ruling class arose in the Main City—a group of powerful supernaturals and evolvers formed an alliance that became known simply as the Main City.

As more and more supernaturals and evolvers joined, they gradually gained influence over the other Survival Zones. While not complete control, their sway was considerable.

Both Survival Zones and Lost Species were ranked by level.

The Main City was an SSS-ranked domain, while the Nine Great Survival Zones were classified as SS.

Any Survival Zone above S-level was already extremely dangerous. The only reason Xi Yan hadn’t encountered much peril yet was that the Ninth Survival Zone had only just come into existence.