Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Reunion
Yu Zhizhi’s foot slipped, and she tumbled out from a crevice in the rocks.
The expected pain never came. Instead, she found her little turtle shell had landed in a small, warm hand.
A young boy sitting by the rock turned her right-side up and placed her steadily on the ground in front of him.
"Thank you..." she whispered.
The young boy gave a slight nod in response.
The sandstorm let up intermittently.
In the Land of Origin, the group that had been forced to team up the moment they entered Paradise could finally sit down for a proper conversation.
Yu Zhizhi noticed they had all switched to their human forms. With a flicker of her will, she transformed into a human as well.
Upon seeing her human form, the others glanced at her briefly before quickly looking away.
—A female of the Turtle Clan, the red marks on her face far too conspicuous.
Her appearance was a far cry from that of the beautiful female from the Butterfly Clan.
Moreover, in a brutal environment like Paradise, teams rarely included females. Any female sent to Paradise was usually just prey to be hunted, there for show, to raise the entertainment value of the livestreams.
Unless the talent this female had awakened was something the team desperately needed.
The Butterfly Clan female withdrew her gaze from Yu Zhizhi. "I’ll go first. I’m Ai Li, from the Imperial City of the Moon Rising Empire. I was sentenced to serve my time in Paradise. If we can get first place in team points, I can go back to the Imperial City."
"...The Ai Family from the Imperial City?"
"How many other Ai Families could there be?" The Butterfly Clan girl was arrogant. She sat on a nearby rock, crossed her arms, and put on a superior air.
The two male Beastmen not far from her wore expressions of awe.
That was a powerful and influential family in the Moon Rising Empire. Even though she was being punished, noble blood flowed through her veins. She couldn’t be compared to other criminals.
"And what might Miss Ai Li’s talent be...?" one of the Leopard Clan males ventured to ask.
Ai Li glanced at him airily. "Puzzle-solving."
In Paradise, there were many traps and mechanisms that required puzzle-solving. An ability like this was vital to a team.
The Leopard Clan male took the opportunity to introduce himself. "I’m Qilin. Spiritual power: twelve thousand. My Super Talent is Water System·Rain Control. With me around, I can guarantee none of you will die of thirst!"
The Deer Clan male beside him quickly followed up. "I’m A Yuan. Spiritual power: six thousand. My Super Talent is Cooking. I can cook for everyone. The food provides attribute bonuses and can temporarily increase the whole team’s combat power..."
The Deer Clan male’s voice trembled slightly.
He was terrified of being kicked out.
In Paradise, if you weren’t accepted into a team, you’d never survive the first round on your own!
Fortunately, a Cooking talent was considered quite useful, even if his combat power was a little low...
Hearing that the Deer Clan male’s spiritual power was only half his own, the Leopard Clan male’s expression held a hint of disdain.
Next was the young boy leaning against the rock.
He had blue hair and nearly white eyes, a terrifying sight at first glance.
"Chen Mu. Spiritual power: twenty thousand. Super Talent: Pupil Skill."
Succinct.
Twenty thousand spiritual power...
He was the strongest of the three males.
There were five figures in the cave. Only Yu Zhizhi had yet to introduce herself.
All eyes turned to her—
A girl from the Turtle Clan with green skin, not quite fitting the current Beastman aesthetic. She looked so delicate and fragile that a gust of wind could blow her over.
Yu Zhizhi pursed her lips. "My name is Zhi Zhi. I’m from... the Divine City. The Super Talent I awakened is... Healing."
The Leopard Clan male’s eyes suddenly widened—
Healing!
That was an incredibly powerful talent! Especially in Paradise, it was something every team fought over!
The Butterfly Clan female furrowed her brow, sizing up Yu Zhizhi suspiciously.
She preferred to team up with combat-oriented males. From the moment the sandstorm started and she realized the turtle was a female, she had been deeply hostile toward Yu Zhizhi.
Team rosters were fixed at three to six members. An extra female taking up a slot meant one less fighter.
She could only accept being the only female on the team.
Her original plan was to wait for the introductions to end, then find a reason to kick out the useless Turtle Clan female and leave her to her fate.
But what had the Turtle Clan female claimed to have awakened?
A Healing System talent!
Her expression grave, the Butterfly Clan female stared intently at Yu Zhizhi for a long moment. Then, she pointed at the Leopard Clan male. "He has an injury on his arm. Heal him."
—It was a test!
Everyone understood.
The rules of Paradise were brutal. Many of the infertile females thrown in here resorted to all sorts of tricks to survive.
Lying was the most common...
Ai Li’s words sowed doubt in the hearts of the Leopard and Deer Clan males. It was entirely possible this little turtle was lying.
After all, a "golden" talent like Healing was extremely difficult to awaken.
On the Beast World Planet, males’ awakened abilities were generally stronger, while most talents awakened by females were peripheral.
Puzzle-solving was a decent talent—not common, but not incredibly rare either.
Healing, on the other hand, was highly sought after, both in Paradise and across the entire planet.
Only the little boy with blue hair and white eyes showed no reaction.
He clutched a battered scabbard, his back against the wall, his gaze fixed on the world outside the cave.
Yu Zhizhi got up and walked toward the Leopard Clan male named Qilin.
’I’ve never used the Healing Skill before,’ she thought. ’I hope nothing goes wrong.’
As the turtle girl approached, the red marks on her face seemed even more pronounced. The Leopard Clan male stiffened, turning to the side and holding out his arm.
The butterfly girl and the Deer Clan male both watched her—
’Is it really a Healing Talent?’
’She isn’t lying?’
Yu Zhizhi clasped her hands before her chest. She remembered how to use her spiritual power—you had to channel it with your thoughts—
Gradually, a faint green light appeared at her fingertips.
The young boy glanced over, a flicker of surprise in his white eyes.
The Leopard Clan male, being the closest, was the most nervous. He could already feel the Healing Power...
That warm light gradually enveloped his wound, gently cleansing the blood from it.
’It... It’s really a Healing System Talent...?’
The Leopard Clan male looked excitedly at the little green elf before him. ’My luck this year is insane! To run into a Healer on my very first team!’
The Deer Clan male at the side was also thrilled. They crowded around Yu Zhizhi and began to fawn over her.
"Ms. Zhi Zhi, are you hungry? Let me make you something to eat? My cooking is delicious!" The Deer Clan male with the Cooking ability looked as if he was ready to start a fire on the spot.
"Ms. Zhi Zhi, you’ve worked hard! It doesn’t hurt at all now. Your Healing Power is amazing~" the Leopard Clan male chimed in, not wanting to be outdone.
The butterfly girl’s face darkened. She hadn’t expected this Turtle Clan female to actually be a Healer.
She had been planning to kick her out of the team.
But now—
The other members would never agree.
The white-eyed little boy sitting by the rock felt his tense nerves relax slightly.
’She’s safe, for now.’
Just then, a strange cackle came from outside the cave: "Heh heh heh~ Let’s see how many survivors are left."
The sandstorm had just ended, and many people were already dead.
A young man in a dark green uniform walked in. His messy black hair nearly covered his eyes, and the right side of his face was wrapped in gauze, hiding his right eye. Only his left eye was visible, glowing with an eerie green light. He was carrying a rusty knife that looked like something he’d just picked up.
The embroidery knife was stained with blood and grime. The moment he entered, everyone instantly prepared for a fight!
’Danger!’
’This guy—’
’He’s just killed a ton of people! He’s covered in blood!’
Having finished the healing, Yu Zhizhi also turned to look.
When she got a clear look at him, Yu Zhizhi froze on the spot.
’...Louis?’
