Xu Kai could only watch helplessly as the blade approached him, unable to move, his body rendered immobile by multiple broken bones.

Pa~

The short knife was knocked away, embedding itself in a nearby tree trunk.

A figure in a black coat quietly appeared behind Chen Qian, unnoticed by either of them.

"Xu Kai, looking quite pitiful, aren’t you?"

Su Changxing placed one hand on Chen Qian’s head, patting it as if petting a small animal.

Chen Qian looked at Su Changxing in terror, her eyes widening, her mouth involuntarily falling open, her body frozen as though gripped by a giant hand, unable to move.

She was like a cat suddenly held down by a tiger.

"Teacher, save Ge Yunhua quickly; he’s almost gone," Xu Kai said urgently upon seeing Su Changxing.

Su Changxing glanced at Ge Yunhua lying on the ground before looking at Chen Qian, pondering, "Do you want to become an Extraordinary?"

"No, I don’t..."

Chen Qian shook her head hurriedly, unsure of what to say, suddenly dropping to her knees, clutching Su Changxing’s legs with trembling hands, she looked up and said:

"Don’t kill me. I’ll do anything, even if it means being a servant or a horse."

Su Changxing reached out and removed the pendant from her hand, then took another ancient bronze pendant from his pocket, placing it in her palm, speaking slowly:

"Relax. I never said I was going to kill you, did I? Take this. Don’t let me see you again before you become an Extraordinary."

Chen Qian wore a bewildered expression, completely unable to understand what Su Changxing meant or why he would do this.

Looking at the greenish glow of the gun-shaped ancient bronze pendant in her hand, she paused for a moment, then turned and ran away.

Su Changxing quietly watched her figure fade into the darkness until she disappeared into the black shadows.

Earlier, he had seen an extraordinary potential in Chen Qian, even greater than Xu Kai’s, which was strikingly astounding.

Perhaps this was the potential unleashed at the edge of life and death.

"Teacher, you let her go?" Xu Kai said dumbfoundedly, thinking Su Changxing would kill Chen Qian.

Su Changxing bent down to lift Ge Yunhua’s body, placing it beside Xu Kai, and said nonchalantly: 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"She wiped out all of you, which naturally earns her the right to live. After all, this is a world where the strong prey on the weak."

He tossed fragments of the Healing Totem onto Ge Yunhua, bathing the two in greenish luminescence.

While the fragments of the Healing Totem were not as effective as before, they could still easily save their lives.

Long, twisted shadows danced over the rocks, wood crackling in the firelight, the heat enveloping the damp black mist, causing a light sweat to form on the palms.

"Did you tell her about the pendant’s function?" Su Changxing questioned.

Xu Kai, leaning against a rock, looked significantly better as he replied, "No, she must have guessed it. She probably realized that her superpower relates to making others tell the truth."

This was not an entirely useless power for combat; Chen Qian had used it to momentarily distract others and then launch her attacks.

"A rather practical ability," Su Changxing couldn’t help but praise.

Ge Yunhua still looked pale and incredulous, saying, "I never imagined she would do something like this, that she would betray us... She used to be a good companion."

No one would have thought Chen Qian could do such a thing.

She really was a good girl.

Su Changxing jokingly remarked, "Indeed a good companion. If she hadn’t held back, you’d already be dead."

Ge Yunhua’s knife wound had not penetrated the heart but had passed a few centimeters to the side instead.

This was clearly not due to Chen Qian’s mistake; she had spared Ge Yunhua.

Ge Yunhua laughed self-deprecatingly, "Perhaps it’s the last bit of goodwill we had left."

At the same time,

Su Changxing sensed Chen Qian’s path to becoming an Extraordinary awakening at a remarkable speed.

Xu Kai didn’t dwell much on the issue of Chen Qian, instead asking, "How far am I from becoming an Extraordinary?"

Su Changxing pressed his lips together and smiled, "Not too far, but your mind has yet to reach that threshold."

As for when Xu Kai might become an Extraordinary, it was unpredictable; these things are inherently uncertain.

However, Xu Kai’s physique had undergone noticeable changes, his hair ends displaying a deep red hue, resembling flickering, burning flames.

Becoming an Extraordinary indeed causes physical changes, related to one’s position.

Su Changxing estimated that his position likely pertained to fire and guided him toward the path of light.

Fire and light are inherently similar.

He handed back the pendant to Xu Kai, advising, "Hold on to it well, don’t lose it again; next time I won’t help you find it."

Xu Kai accepted the pendant, nodding slightly, "Thank you, Teacher."

He was genuinely grateful to Su Changxing.

Without Su Changxing, they would have been killed by those Black Armored Soldiers back in the town, or they might have been killed by Chen Qian.

Su Changxing placed a flat pan over the fire, smeared it with butter, and put on some large steaks, simply sprinkling some pepper and salt, yet the aroma was enough to whet the appetite.

This kind of firelight could also attract nearby survivors to approach.

"In fact, I’m experimenting with ways to turn ordinary people into Extraordinaries, and you’re one of my test subjects."

Su Changxing said slowly, word by word, while frying the steaks:

"Our intentions might differ greatly; you’re thinking of how to survive, while I’m contemplating how to turn the tide."

"If successful, we will have more Extraordinaries born, ultimately ushering in an extraordinary era."

"This is also our critical point in turning disadvantage into advantage, not to fight the apocalypse, but to break through this black mist and avoid becoming slaves to others."

Xu Kai stared at the sizzling steaks in the pan, feeling his throat go dry, "What is this extraordinary era?"

Su Changxing thought for a moment before saying, "The expectancy the Doomsday Game gives us."

Xu Kai licked his lips, feeling this was hardly what an insect should ponder, but now he can act as a pawn to accomplish some of these matters.

"What do I need to do?" he asked in a deep voice.

Su Changxing chuckled lightly, "Just keep doing what you’re doing—becoming an Extraordinary!"

"You must understand, the pendant is both a beacon and a shackle. It guides you towards being extraordinary but can also sever your path to the extraordinary."

"If the light on the pendant fades before you become an Extraordinary, your chances of becoming one will diminish."

Xu Kai instead understood somewhat upon hearing this and said, "That’s the price, right?"

Su Changxing nodded in affirmation, "That is the price."