After stopping the car, Clara didn’t get out right away. She scanned her surroundings first. The highway was flanked by endless stretches of withered yellow wasteland, with no cover anywhere. Once she confirmed it was safe, she pushed open the door and stepped onto the asphalt in high heels.
It was a little unsteady, but she forced herself to adapt to this new body, five-foot-six. She walked up to the crate, reached out with a slender little hand, and flipped open the latch on the supply crate. With a click, the crate popped open. There were three items inside.
A steel pipe about a foot and a half long, with a sharp tip. A 5.3-ounce bag of bread and 2 Iron Ingot.
“A weapon and materials. Lucky.”
Clara was thrilled; this was exactly what she needed right now.
DismantleDismantle the supply crate?YesNo
“Yes.”
LootItemDetails🪵 Wood Plank x3Processed wood. Used in crafting and construction.
She stored the supplies in the wristband’s Storage Space, gripping the steel pipe tightly in her hand. This thing was way safer than bare fists. Just as she turned back to the car, the roar of a car engine came from behind her. A beat-up Santana exactly like hers drove up from behind and slowly stopped in front of her car.
The window rolled down, and a bald man with a heavy, brutish face stuck his head out. The moment the man saw Clara, his eyes went wide and locked on her. Blonde waves, purple eyes, and fair, long legs under a skirt fluttering in the breeze. In this apocalypse, she was the best of the best, enough to drive any man crazy.
“Hey there, sweetheart. You alone?”
The man grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth, his gaze crawling over her without shame. Clara frowned. Because she had a man's soul, she knew exactly what was coming next. She could understand it. After all, she looked criminally good now, but for this to happen to her... She thought, I can't do that.
She forced herself to stay calm, gripped the steel pipe tight, and said coldly, “None of your damn business. Get lost.”
Her voice was clear and pleasant, with a hint of softness. To the man, it didn't sound threatening at all. It sounded like she was flirting.
“Hey, a little spitfire.” The man laughed even harder.“Babe, don't be so angry.”
“Look, in times like these, it's dangerous to be alone.”
As he spoke, he opened the car door and got out, stepping closer step by step:
“I awakened a C-rank talent, Strength Enhancement. Stick with me, and I'll keep you living large.”
“I don't need it.” Clara stepped back and held the steel pipe across her body.“Come any closer, and I won't be responsible for what happens.”
“Stop pretending.” The man's patience ran out, and his eyes turned vicious:
“I'm talking to you nice, showing you respect. A broad like you, what are you acting so stuck-up for?”
“Look at you, tail wagging so happily.”
Clara was so furious her lungs nearly exploded. When had she ever been humiliated like this?! Did she want to wag that tail?! In the past, she could have taken on a piece of trash like him. But now...
Looking at her slender arms, she could only bluff and curse: “Don't you fucking come any closer. I swear to God I'll kill you.”
That curse word came out of Clara's gorgeous face and cherry lips. To the man, it sounded like flirting before a fight.
“Hahaha, good one. I like a woman with some fire.”
He laughed wildly and lunged, reaching for Clara's wrist. Her pupils contracted, and she instinctively twisted sideways to dodge. At the same time, she swung the steel pipe hard at the man‘s manhood. The man didn’t expect this delicate beauty to fight back, much less hit so hard.
In that critical moment, he raised his arm to block.
“Bang!”
The steel pipe slammed solidly into his forearm. The man felt numbness and sharp pain in his arm, but the bone didn't break. His C-rank Strength Enhancement talent made his body far tougher than an ordinary person‘s. He had underestimated Clara’s ruthlessness.
“You fucking bitch!”
The man was completely enraged, and a mad killing intent flashed in his eyes. Enduring the pain, he grabbed Clara's hair with his other hand, yanked hard, and slammed her head against the cold car door.
“Thud!”
Clara's vision went black. The world spun. A tearing pain shot through her scalp, and blood started to trickle out. The man's foul breath hit her face, making her nauseous. He grinned savagely and raised his other ham-sized fist, aiming to smash it down on her face. The instant the man's fist was about to touch the tip of her nose...
Enchanting Gaze, activate. Clara's originally round purple pupils stretched outward, turning into two heart shapes. The man's fist froze in midair, less than half an inch from her face. Fanatical obsession replaced the savage look on his face.
His eyes went dull and dazed, as if he were seeing the most beautiful thing in the world.
“You... are so beautiful...”
The man murmured dazedly, and the hand gripping Clara's hair loosened, then moved to gently stroke her cheek. At the same time, Clara drove her knee up hard into the man's crotch.
“Augh~”
The man let out an inhuman howl, his body instantly curling up like a shrimp. Without a moment's hesitation, while the man was bent over, she took the sharp end of the steel pipe. She aimed for the back of his neck, exposed by the searing pain, and with every ounce of strength, rammed it in.
“Squelch!”
The front end of the steel pipe entered through the back of the man's neck and punched out through the front of his throat. Blood sprayed out instantly. The man's eyes bulged like saucers, full of disbelief. He tried to say something, but only a wet rasp came from his throat. His body twitched twice, then he slumped limply to the ground.
SystemNotice¦ Ding! Player killed. You will receive 50% of their supplies.ItemDetails🔩 Iron Ingot x5Common smelted metal. Used in crafting and vehicle upgrades.💧 Bottled Water x2Clean drinking water. Held dear in every trade.🍞 Bread x3Staple food. Fills the stomach.
The Survival Wristband on the man's wrist fell off on its own, and several items appeared on the ground. Iron Ingot x5, bottled water x2, bread x3. Clara leaned on the car door, gasping for breath, her chest heaving violently. Her face and body were splattered with blood.
Looking at the corpse on the ground, her stomach heaved, and she almost threw up.
“What's wrong with me? When did my mental game get so weak?”
Clara grumbled inwardly. Back then, she'd been a real man who could eat while watching hardcore horror movies. She forced down her discomfort, wiped the blood off her face, and walked over to collect everything on the ground into her inventory. Then she quickly got back in the car and locked the doors. Slumped in the driver's seat, Clara felt waves of weakness washing over her.
The aftereffects of the earlier blow to her head made her skull feel hollowed out and impossibly heavy. It was her first time killing someone. It was also the first time she realized just how badass her SS-rank talent was. Once she controlled someone with it, they could barely fight back.