4: Murder in the Forest, Hero Saves the Beauty

At this moment, approximately 700 meters from Huang Chen's direction of travel.

Two women with waist-length hair were frantically supporting each other and fleeing; although they wore simple cloth clothes, their stunning figures could not be concealed.

Upon first arriving in the Abyss, Chen Yichun was lucky enough to land near Bai Zhaoning.

In this unfamiliar Star Abyss, having a companion can dispel a lot of fear.

But tragically, their landing spot was right in the territory of the Level 2 Exotic Beast, the Shadow Monkey.

Shadow Monkeys are social creatures, usually ranging from a dozen to several dozen in a troop. They are also one of the few species in the Mist that will actively attack.

This type of creature is naturally cowardly and bullies the weak.

"Bang!"

A pinecone burst open against Chen Yichun's forehead.

"Ah~"

Chen Yichun stumbled from the blow.

Bai Zhaoning quickly stopped and helped Chen Yichun up. During their frantic escape, both of them were covered in bloody scratches from thorny vines, and their faces were littered with bruises and welts from the Shadow Monkeys' projectiles.

In the instant they stopped, countless pinecones and stones rained down on them from the trees.

The excited "squeaking" of the Shadow Monkeys mixed with the continuous pattering sound.

"Ah!"

Chen Yichun and Bai Zhaoning screamed in pain as they were pelted.

"Teacher, I can't run anymore."

Chen Yichun's legs felt like they were filled with lead. To avoid the attacks, she buried her head deep between the pure white peaks.

At this moment, her Personal Panel showed her Health remaining at only 55/80, and her Stamina was a mere 25/80.

Due to the continuous running and panic, her stamina was completely depleted.

Bai Zhaoning covered Chen Yichun's head with both hands, while she herself leaned her head onto Chen Yichun's body.

Her condition wasn't much better; her Health was only 38/80, though her Stamina was relatively okay at 47/80.

Clearing the path and blocking attacks for Chen Yichun had consumed a lot of her Health Points.

Suddenly, the rain-like assault ceased.

Had the monkey troop retreated?

Bai Zhaoning lifted her head in surprise, but her face instantly turned even paler.

They saw that all around them were dense clusters of Shadow Monkeys searching for suitable projectiles, each displaying an 'LV2' and a red Health Bar above its head.

Chen Yichun's emotions finally collapsed completely, and she burst into loud sobs.

"Teacher, I don't want to die... I don't want to die! Waaah!"

She swore that if anyone could take her away right now, she would be willing to do anything.

Despair shone in Bai Zhaoning's eyes.

She swallowed, but her mouth couldn't gather any moisture.

Trembling, she couldn't find the words to comfort Chen Yichun; after all, she was only 28 herself.

"Screech!"

The monkey troop parted, and a light-yellow monkey with an 'LV3' above its head stepped forward.

This was the Monkey King of the troop.

The Monkey King stared at the two women warily from afar. When it saw the less-than-half Health Bars above their heads, a human-like smile actually appeared on its face.

Suddenly, the Monkey King raised its right hand, which was clutching a stone the size of a baby's fist.

As if receiving a command, the monkey troop also raised the "Hidden Weapons" in their hands.

Were they going to die?

Bai Zhaoning's eyes were filled with bitterness.

Chen Yichun tightly gripped Bai Zhaoning's hand, her eyelashes fluttering wildly over her tightly closed eyes.

Just at this moment.

"Pfft!"

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

When they opened their eyes, they saw the monkey troop crying out in alarm and scrambling up the trees to flee.

The Monkey King climbed up a tree in a few quick movements, staring with a complex expression at a figure slowly appearing not far behind the two women.

Its right arm was dangling limply, and blood dripped down its light-yellow fur.

The stone that had broken its right arm had flown in from that direction just now.

"Crunch! Crunch!"

In Chen Yichun's eyes, Huang Chen stepped through the fallen leaves and broken branches, approaching them step by step, like a deity descending.

"Hua... Hua..."

"I... I... Waaah..."

Chen Yichun slumped onto the ground, her sobs shaking with the relief of surviving a disaster. Her throat felt constricted, and she couldn't speak.

Huang Chen slowly walked up to the two women.

He had originally just wanted to randomly find someone to activate the system lord, but he didn't expect the heavens to be so generous, arranging a 'Hero Saves the Beauty' script for him—and a buy-one-get-one-free deal at that.

Now, the difficulty of conquering Chen Yichun should be significantly reduced.

"Waaah~ Huang Chen..."

Chen Yichun, emotionally shattered, grabbed Huang Chen's hand, scrambled up, and collapsed onto his chest, sobbing loudly.

She thought she was going to die just moments ago.

[Chen Yichun Affection +10]

[Bai Zhaoning Affection +40]

Only gained 10 points for saving the beauty?

But then again, the later the stage, the harder it should be to increase Affection.

Huang Chen wasn't very familiar with Chen Yichun; he had only heard Lin Weijie complain about some of her money-worshipping incidents.

But what did that matter?

As long as the System approved.

He only had three days; he didn't have the time to slowly cultivate feelings.

It was time to use some tactics!

As for the Affection issue,

As the saying goes, "Love grows over time," so Affection could be nurtured slowly.

"Thank you, Classmate."

Bai Zhaoning stood up, leaning against a tree trunk. Her legs were still trembling and so weak they could barely support her 96-jin weight.

Huang Chen followed the sound, and even with his self-control, he was momentarily stunned.

Beautiful!

Perfect!

Phrases like 'fish sinking, geese falling, moon hiding, flowers shaming' seemed inadequate when describing this person.

Pure yet seductive, noble yet elegant... [Ding!]

[A beauty meeting the criteria has been detected. Would you like to view detailed information?]

"View."

[Scanning detailed information...]

[Name: Bai Zhaoning] <Bond Not Established>

[Age: 28]

[Appearance: 95 points]

[Figure: 95 points]

[Purity: 99.5 points] (Adult self-sufficiency)

[Overall Score: 97 points]

[Affection: 40]

[Evaluation: An unparalleled stunner, ripe like a peach. Secure her! Bonus rewards doubled.]

97 points??

Besides the 99 points of the Vermilion Bird Empress he had seen from afar in his previous life, Bai Zhaoning was the highest score he had encountered in ten years.

But he had only glanced at the Vermilion Bird Empress from a distance, which couldn't compare to Bai Zhaoning, who was right in front of him.

"Cla... Classmate..."

Bai Zhaoning half-turned and smoothed the bangs on her forehead.

She was already accustomed to this kind of reaction from men.

Huang Chen recovered his senses, maintained his stern expression, and simply nodded slightly.

Afterward, Bai Zhaoning cast her gaze around.

The monkey troop hadn't retreated; they were quietly waiting in the trees, seemingly anticipating something.

"Classmate, what should we do now?" Bai Zhaoning asked nervously.

Huang Chen didn't speak. He gently pushed Chen Yichun away, then bent down, picked up a stone from the ground, and weighed it in his hand.

Monkeys are extremely cowardly and bully the weak. They hadn't retreated because they were assessing the strength of their opponent.

In this situation, as long as he displayed sufficient deterrence, they would naturally retreat.

"Whoosh~"

The stone sliced through the air, piercing precisely through the Monkey King's brow and exiting through the back of its head.

The accuracy and lethality of 'Basic Hidden Weapon' boosted by Returning to Simplicity were no joke.

Until its death, the Monkey King's face still retained that wary expression.

As the Monkey King's corpse hit the ground, the monkey troop erupted in terrified shrieks, and the "Hidden Weapons" in their hands clattered down.

In the blink of an eye, the monkey troop vanished from the sight of the three people.

Huang Chen picked up the Monkey King's corpse, weighed it in his hand, and the corner of his mouth curled slightly.

The Bait, secured!

Now, he just had to wait for the fish to walk into the net.