If there's anything different about today compared to usual, it's only the sudden appearance of this game console.

"'Could it be because of you?'"

The young girl looked at the black and white handheld game console in her hands and decided to conduct an experiment after a moment of thought.

The content of the experiment was simple; she would not consume any food or medication tonight.

This would normally be a very dangerous thing to do, as her body was genuinely weak to the point that even a slight discontinuation of medication or lack of nutrition would be difficult to endure.

However, at this point, if the current sense of stability was merely an illusion and the game console could not bring her vitality, it would only mean a few more days of lingering on.

With this thought in mind, Xu Zhi no longer took her medication as usual but instead took out the textbooks left by her younger brother and began to study.

It wasn't that she had a thirst for knowledge, she just didn't know what to do without reading.

Two hours passed quickly, and the scheduled alarm rang, causing Xu Zhi to lift her head from the books with a slight sense of surprise.

"...... So soon, it's time?"

Her expression was one of disbelief. She had never been able to focus for such a long time before. In the past, even when reading, she would constantly be interrupted by the discomfort in her body, making it impossible to concentrate for a significant period.

And, up until this moment, she still didn't feel hungry.

"I can't believe it actually changed ......"

As Xu Zhi muttered, his originally lifeless eyes gradually regained their luster.

In any case, since there was suddenly an extra chance of life, she naturally had to grab it, she didn't want to care about what this game console was and whether it would cause any danger to her future, she only knew that without this game console, she might not even have a future.

Xu Zhi was not afraid of death, but she didn't want to die.

With her excitement suppressed, she picked up the game console again. With the two-hour cooldown over, her next task was to continue playing the game.

Entering the game, she found that the cooldown had indeed ended, and the "Forward" option appeared on the screen again.

Xu Zhi controlled the small snake to wander around for a while. This time, her luck was good, and within half an hour, she had already gathered ten evolution points.

【Current Evolution Points: 10/10】

【Upgrade conditions have been met. Would you like to proceed with the upgrade?】

【Attention: The upgrade from Lv1 to Lv2 requires 10 seconds, During this time, the spirit pet will be unconscious.】

【Please choose: 1. Upgrade on the spot, 2. Find a concealed location and then upgrade】

"Ten seconds..."

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Zhi decided to find a concealed location first.

The brief respite offered by the game and the fleeting number of ten seconds did not lull Xu Zhi into complacency. She had not forgotten the warning she received when she first entered the game.

The small snake quickly found a tree hole and slithered inside. Then, the evolution began, and a ten-second progress bar appeared in the center of the screen.

Ten seconds, fleetingly passing.

【Evolution Complete】

【Snake: Lv2

Spirit: 3

Physical: 10

Attribute: None

Trait: Poison Lv1】

On the screen, the evolved snake emerged from the tree hole after shedding its skin. Xu Zhi could see that its size had noticeably increased, and its body was significantly longer than before. More importantly, when it opened its mouth, two venomous fangs glinted with a faint green light, seemingly showing off its new weapon to Xu Zhi.

Moreover, Xu Zhi couldn't help but feel that her own body had subtly become lighter, though she couldn't be sure if it was just an illusion.

Due to her heart condition, Xu Zhi often felt extremely tired, her body heavy, her breathing labored, her heartbeat irregular, and a constant sense of dizziness. However, after the snake completed its evolution, while the other symptoms remained, she felt as if her body wasn't as burdensome as before.

Xu Zhi's eyes flickered as she pondered. Given her previous experiments, she didn't believe this was a coincidence.

Perhaps... This game truly had the power to transform her body.

As a result, Xu Zhi's desire for upgrades became urgent, only, when her gaze moved to the lower left corner to see the number of points needed for the next upgrade, she was slightly distressed.

【Current Evolution Points: 0/50】

The requirement had quintupled.

It took her nearly three hours to earn ten evolution points. How long would it take her to earn fifty points?

The game seemed to sense her distress, and a line of text gradually appeared.

【As you level up, your spirit pet becomes more powerful than before, but that's only in comparison to itself; in this world, it's still a creature so small that it's not worth mentioning.】

【A nameless fear urges it on, and even though it has yet to be born with spiritual intelligence, it vaguely senses that it must speed up its evolution.】

【Please choose: 1. Continue hunting here, 2. Search for more powerful prey, but this also means that risks will accompany you.】

Xu Zhi had little experience playing games, so she wasn't familiar with the concept of a "newbie village." However, she had a vague sense that the previous hunting grounds were too safe, not at all like the dangerous world described in the game's text.

Remaining here might allow her to safely accumulate the fifty evolution points, but... As she gazed at the words on the screen, she felt a sense of urgency. Perhaps she had to take some risks.

"Let's choose 2."

With a press of the selection button, the snake on the screen seemed to receive some kind of command and began to crawl. Xu Zhi noticed that not only had its size increased, but also its field of vision had become wider.

If before its vision was limited to around 7 meters, now it extended to approximately 20 meters.

This time, the snake traveled for quite some time before finding a target.

【Your spirit pet has made a discovery.】

【It is an injured eagle, with a broken wing and seemingly injured eyes as well.】

【Even in this state, it remains a natural predator of snakes.】

【Injured eagles are rare, making this seem like an opportunity. However, it is accompanied by significant risks. If successful, it will yield a large amount of evolution points.】

【Please choose: 1. Hunt, 2. Leave】

This was the first time a risky hunt had appeared, causing Xu Zhi to hesitate and struggle with making a decision. She didn't know what to choose until another line of text appeared on the screen.

【You may need to make a decision soon. The injured eagle will attract more than one hunter, and its wounds are healing slowly.】

"Slow healing?"

Xu Zhi was surprised. Was it because she had never studied biology that she didn't understand?

Could such severe injuries really heal?

However, seeing the game's prompt urging her to make a decision, Xu Zhi gritted her teeth and made her choice. She opted to hunt, not to leave.

Although this seemed to contradict her previous cautious nature, it was not entirely the case. While she often appeared silent, small, and cautious, the fact that she had survived years of oppression in this fragile body without becoming a lamb, but instead maintained a strong sense of self and even held more stubborn beliefs than ordinary people, showed that Xu Zhi was not truly timid.

She had picked up the suspicious game console on the ground, and she was capable of making risky decisions. Her hesitation stemmed from the fact that she had only imagined making such choices before and had never actually had the opportunity to do so herself.

She took a moment to adjust.

The young girl stared intently at the snake on the screen. After receiving her command, the snake began to execute its plan without hesitation. It slowly and stealthily locked its gaze on the eagle, once its natural predator. Then, seizing an opportune moment, it lunged towards the eagle from the grass like a bolt of lightning.

With its venom, the snake didn't need to engage in a prolonged fight with the eagle. It only needed to find an opportunity to release its toxin, protecting itself from the eagle's sharp talons and beak while the eagle was paralyzed or killed by the venom.

However, even this task was exceedingly difficult for a small snake.

Xu Zhi watched in horror as the black snake on the screen was repeatedly torn apart by the eagle's sharp talons and beak, leaving several gaping wounds on its body. Its movements became sluggish, and it was chased and torn apart several times by the injured eagle. Yet, even as the eagle's movements gradually became stiff and it eventually fell to the ground, the snake managed to survive the fierce attack.

Seeing the eagle finally lifeless, the heavily injured snake greedily slithered towards its corpse. With its mouth wide open, it began to swallow the eagle's body, which was much larger than its own, piece by piece. As a result, its body visibly swelled up.

Seeing this scene, Xu Zhi finally let out a sigh of relief, realizing that she had been holding her breath in tension until the end.

Before she could marvel at the snake's bizarre "swallowing" ability, which was even more astonishing than what she had read in biology books, another message appeared on the game screen.

【Thanks to the enhanced body after upgrading, Your spirit pet was victorious., but it has also sustained significant injuries. It will likely be unable to hunt again until it has healed.】

【However, the good news is that evolution can accelerate the healing process of wounds.】

【Current Evolution Points: 100/50】

【Upgrade conditions have been met. Would you like to proceed with the upgrade?】

【Note: Lv2→Lv3 upgrade takes 30 seconds, and the spirit pet will lose consciousness within 30 seconds.】

【Please choose: 1. Upgrade on the spot, 2. Find a concealed location for the upgrade】

Without hesitation, Xu Zhi chose option 2.

The snake was already heavily injured, and if it encountered any creatures attracted by the commotion caused by the eagle or the struggle between the two during its evolution, it could easily be killed.

It took a bit of time to find a concealed location, but fortunately, the evolution process didn't require much time. Soon, Xu Zhi reaped the rewards of her bold choice.

【Evolution Complete】

【Snake: Lv3

Spirit: 5

Physical: 20

Attributes: None

Traits: Poison Lv2, Sharpness Lv1

On the screen, the black snake's body had grown larger again, and its teeth seemed even sharper. Its visual range had increased to about 50 meters, but Xu Zhi was more focused on the changes in her own body.

This time, she felt even more clearly that her physical condition was truly improving as the snake continued to evolve.

Her breathing was smoother, and the constant sensation of a "hand" gently squeezing her lungs, making it difficult to breathe, had disappeared.

She had never felt that breathing was such an effortless task before.

A joyful expression uncontrollably appeared on the young girl's face. If this continued, she was certain that she would become a healthy person.

No.

Xu Zhi's expression changed slightly, and her gaze became sharper. No, she wanted more than just a healthy body.

Perhaps it was the game that had nurtured her ambition, or perhaps it was the sense of crisis brought by this dead city. What she desired was not just an ordinary human body, but a powerful one that surpassed human limits, a body that would allow her to live freely in this world.

Xu Zhi exhaled slowly, realizing that in order to achieve her goal, she needed to be more rational and clear-headed when making decisions.

As Xu Zhi was preparing to continue playing the game, a sudden hollow knock on the door sent chills down her spine.

——Knock, knock, knock.

It was just an ordinary knock, but it was a sound that should not have been there!

The young girl's hand holding the game console stiffened, and she slowly turned her head to look at the door, her mind racing as she tried to figure out who could be knocking on her door at this hour.

The answer was: No one.

No one would do this, because all the neighbors had left, and she didn't know any friends who would come looking for her.

So, who was knocking on the door?