NOVEL NEXT VIII – The Hungry Ye Lan
"Pathetic weaklings?"
The two men paused, looking at Ye Lan in confusion. Her furry ears stood out, instantly catching their attention.
"Animal ears? Is that cosplay?"
"What's your deal? Are you into lolis? Pervert!"
"Ha! You're the pervert!"
Their conversation veered completely off-topic as they argued right in front of Ye Lan. She gave a cold smile, lowering her head.
"You dare ignore me?! Even if I’m a cat, I’m still a tiger!" she shouted, charging toward them.
She was a level 2 boss now, taking down these two weaklings shouldn’t be hard!
Before they could react, Ye Lan landed a punch to each of their chins. The men felt the impact and dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Ha~!"
Their bodies disintegrated into glowing fragments, disappearing into the air, and Ye Lan’s level rose from 2 to 3.
Ye Lan clenched her fist and exhaled sharply through her nose. "Even if I don’t show my power, do you really think I’m just a sick cat? Meow!"
Huh? Meow?
She blinked, confused. Did she really just say 'meow'? Was she actually turning into a real cat?
Ye Lan coughed a few times to compose herself, then returned to the room, opened the window, and looked outside. The breeze brushed her face as she watched groups of people running around, chasing each other like rival gangs. It was hard to believe this was still the 21st century. If it weren’t for her beastkin girl body, she might have thought she’d stumbled onto an action movie set.
Luckily, the special event had clarified that deaths here weren’t permanent. Otherwise, adapting this quickly would have been impossible, even for someone with the resilience of those novel protagonists.
Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she murmured "First, I’ll find a way to get my male body back. Until then, I’ll survive however I can!"
After muttering a few words of encouragement to herself, Ye Lan stepped back into the empty hallway. Aside from her and the two she’d encountered before, it seemed no one else was around.
She picked a random direction and had barely taken a few steps when a strange noise came from her stomach.
Guuugruuuuum...
Ye Lan quickly clutched her stomach, feeling her strength drain away in an instant.
"Not good... I forgot to eat. I’m starving… and I can’t take it anymore," she muttered, leaning against the wall as she took small, shaky steps. She barely made it to the stairs before collapsing onto the floor.
Slumped against a door, she looked up at the ceiling, opening her mouth as if she could somehow devour the very air itself.
“So hungry… Is there some kind of hunger bar around here? Am I really about to become the first person to die of hunger in this new world?” she mumbled in despair.
Suddenly, a mouthwatering aroma wafted from behind her. Instinctively, she instantly recognized it as the legendary 'Couch Brothers’ Elixir and the divine snack of the 'Gamer Gods'.
Chips and soda!
Hunger took over, and her eyes glinted with newfound determination. Without thinking twice, she sprang into a battle stance. With a quick slap, she pushed the door open, which swung wide with a dramatic crash.
Before her stood a girl with silver hair, happily munching on a bag of chips. Startled by the sudden entrance, the girl turned to meet Ye Lan’s gaze. Her wide eyes began to fill with tears, glistening like tiny pearls, sliding down her face.
"Uuuuh… aaaah…"
The silver-haired girl started crying intensely, and Ye Lan took a step back, blinking in surprise as she nervously licked her lips.
Darn it! It’s a girl! What do I do now? How do I make her stop crying?!
Gruuuum…
Ye Lan’s stomach growled loudly, her face turning pale. Clutching her abdomen, she took a step forward and… collapsed to the ground.
Thud!
"I… I can’t… I need food… something… to eat…” she murmured faintly. The silver-haired girl froze, stopping her tears. After a couple of sniffles and a scrunched-up nose, she cautiously leaned over Ye Lan, inching closer.
She poked Ye Lan a couple of times, but got no response…
Alarmed, the girl quickly turned Ye Lan over, then looked around anxiously before holding up her half-eaten bag of chips.
As the delicious aroma wafted over her, Ye Lan’s nose twitched instinctively, and her mouth opened of its own accord.
With some effort, the silver-haired girl poured all the chips into Ye Lan’s mouth. Ye Lan’s eyes suddenly sprang open, filled with a spark of life, almost as if they were radiating beams of light.
Resurrection on the spot!1I couldn't find a way to translate this part correctly... here 原地复活
“I’m… alive again!” Ye Lan exclaimed, leaping up from the ground. The silver-haired girl gasped, stepping back and hiding behind the bed, watching her with wide, fearful eyes.
“W-Who… who are you?” the girl stammered.
“I’m not dangerous, okay? My name’s Ye Lan. What’s yours?” she asked, scratching her head a little sheepishly.
If she’d tried saying that in her former appearance, they probably would’ve pegged her as some kind of creep. But now, she realized that appearances really mattered… Sweetness held a lot of sway in this world, she thought with resignation.
The silver-haired girl hesitated, biting her lip, then finally answered softly “Ling”
“Ling? That’s your name?” Ye Lan asked, blinking in surprise. The girl nodded, her sincerity clear.
One syllable? Ling was certainly unique—a shy girl with such a brief name… And what a dilemma this was! According to the rules of the event, Ye Lan was supposed to 'eliminate' her, right?
But Ling was her “savior” and, on top of that, a silver-haired girl! No way—she just couldn’t do it!
Ye Lan clenched her fists, which trembled slightly, biting her lip as she lowered her head, locked in an internal struggle.
The silver-haired girl, Ling, seeing that Ye Lan seemed harmless, slowly approached and offered her an unopened bottle of soda.
“Here, this is a cola…”
Wow, up close, Ling looked absolutely adorable! Without any suspicion, Ye Lan took the bottle gratefully and started twisting the cap to open it. But then, something very embarrassing happened—she couldn’t open it… She simply didn’t have the strength!
The passive effect of [Loli Sanhao] was working against her. In a non-combat state, her strength was only one percent of normal.
Damn it!
With one hand on the cap and her face red with embarrassment, Ye Lan watched as the cute Ling opened her own bottle effortlessly in front of her…
“Why aren’t you drinking? It’s delicious,” Ling said, holding her bottle with both hands and drinking happily. Meanwhile, Ye Lan looked on enviously, her eyes wide as if they were about to pop out.
“I… I can’t open it…”
“Huh?”
“I can’t open it…”
“I didn’t quite hear you.”
“I CAN’T OPEN IT!” Ye Lan shouted, her face completely red with embarrassment. Aaaah, how humiliating!
