The mutated mantis’s head suddenly swiveled 180 degrees, and the once-hidden Zhuang Xiao was instantly exposed to its line of sight.

Zhuang Xiao could even feel the intense killing intent in its eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the mutated mantis twisted its body sharply. Its tail swung violently up and down, producing a loud buzzing sound. It rose up onto its hind legs and began waving its two sharp forelimbs at Zhuang Xiao.

A display of intimidation?

But Zhuang Xiao didn’t have the luxury of figuring out what it meant—today, it was either she died or it did.

Just like her fights with the previous two mutated mantises.

Holding her breath and focusing, Zhuang Xiao fired a wrist dart at the mutated mantis.

But the dart missed its mark, merely grazing the creature’s abdomen.

The sudden attack seemed to make the mutated mantis realize its intimidation tactics were completely useless against this two-legged creature.

Its green wings rapidly beat the air, emitting a high-pitched hum as it shot toward Zhuang Xiao like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Zhuang Xiao swiftly dodged and darted into the nearby shrubbery.

This would help protect her from the mantis’s direct attacks.

Having missed its target, the mutated mantis grew even more enraged. Its massive pincers swept through the bushes with lightning speed, slicing cleanly through the foliage above Zhuang Xiao’s head.

They were now very close—Zhuang Xiao could feel the breeze stirred by the mantis’s fluttering wings.

Timing her move, she fired a second wrist dart.

Thwip!

This time it struck true.

The dart embedded itself into the mantis’s soft abdomen. But instead of retreating, the creature’s attacks became more frenzied and erratic due to the injury.

Zhuang Xiao shrank back further into the shrubbery. She launched a third dart, but it was deflected by a branch and went off-course, hitting the mantis in the leg.

With one of its legs—the one supporting its weight—injured, the mutated mantis tilted to one side. Its flailing forelimbs changed direction with it.

Zhuang Xiao seized the chance. She lunged forward and slammed into the mantis, driving her dagger fiercely into its abdomen before releasing it and rolling away.

The entire move took place in a flash.

Pain shot through Zhuang Xiao’s arm—her left forearm had likely been slashed by one of the mantis’s claws.

But she didn’t stop to check. Agilely, she dove back into the bushes.

The buzzing grew fainter. When Zhuang Xiao turned to look, the mutated mantis was collapsing onto its side.

Its claws twitched slightly on the ground.

Until they finally stopped moving.

Only then did Zhuang Xiao dare to crawl out from the bushes. She marched over and kicked the corpse hard, venting her frustration. “Scare me, will you? Try to eat me? That’s what you get!”

Feeling the pain in her arm, she looked down and saw that her clothes had been torn open, and her radiation-proof suit had a gash in it, with blood seeping out from beneath.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“What kind of messed-up world is this? Ugh…”

She didn’t sign up to be some badass female lead—why was this happening to her?

Suddenly, she just wanted to go home.

She cut off a strip from her outer shirt and wrapped the wound as best she could while muttering to herself and crying.

Then she curled up alone and began sobbing loudly.

---

Ten minutes later…

Sniffling, Zhuang Xiao wiped away her tears and pulled her dagger from the mantis’s abdomen. She smeared its fluids on her wrist device.

Beep beep. Low-radiation mutant. Edible.

A hiccupped sob escaped her.

“It’s all meat… why do you have to be all meat…”

She whimpered again.

“How am I even supposed to carry this back?”

If only she had storage space!

Zhuang Xiao reached into the mantis’s body to search for a power crystal—but there was none. For something this big, it didn’t even have a single energy stone?

What a waste of size.

She checked the time on her wrist—still early.

She dragged the mutated mantis into the bushes, then returned to pick up the water hemlock she had painstakingly dug out. On the way, she passed the boulder and noticed the white foam had dried out.

Didn’t really look like mantis poop…

Using her dagger, she chipped off the now beige-colored mass and placed it with the mantis’s body.

Zhuang Xiao sat beside the corpse, took a photo, and sent it to Huo Xiao along with her location.

And waited for rescue.

When Huo Xiao arrived at the bushes, Zhuang Xiao had already composed herself and was sipping on a nutrient vial.

If it weren’t for the giant mutated mantis lying beside her and her red, puffy eyes—

He never would’ve guessed she had such guts.

Poisonous water hemlock wasn’t enough? She actually went toe-to-toe with a mutated mantis…

Hearing footsteps, Zhuang Xiao tensed and gripped her dagger. When she saw who it was, she finally relaxed.

This was the biggest piece of meat she’d gotten since arriving in the wasteland.

Anyone who tried to take it from her would have to fight her for it.

She had suffered enough!

This wasn’t just some mulberries—this was meat she nearly died for.

“You took so long!” she whined miserably, her voice soft and aggrieved. Huo Xiao’s heart softened instantly. He gently ruffled her hair.

Then he noticed the blood soaking through her arm and spoke gently, “I got delayed on the way. We’re going home now.”

He pulled out bandages and alcohol from his bag and carefully untied the strip she’d used earlier. Luckily the wound wasn’t too deep, or she’d have needed a hospital.

He washed the wound with clean water and disinfected it with alcohol.

The burning pain made Zhuang Xiao clench her jaw to avoid crying out.

Noticing her arm tensing, Huo Xiao worked faster. He applied medicine and wrapped the wound swiftly with gauze.

The quicker it ended, the less she had to suffer.

Zhuang Xiao stared at her bandaged arm, nose stinging, eyes once again filling with tears.

Home. She probably couldn’t go back anymore.

But when she saw Yan Ming and Yan Hu behind Huo Xiao, she forced the tears back down.

“You’re hurt?” Yan Ming pushed past Huo Xiao to kneel beside her.

Zhuang Xiao grunted, “I’m fine. Just a scratch, it’s not even bleeding.”

Like hell. It hurt like crazy!

Hurry up and get moving—I want to go home!

Then she led them to where the mantis corpse was.

Yan Ming and Yan Hu had only been told to bring a cart to help haul something.

Now seeing the mantis—taller than a grown man—they both fell silent.

Yan Ming: …

My sister’s amazing.

Yan Hu: …

Where did the boss find this insane little sister? I suddenly don’t want to be a younger brother anymore…

The three of them hoisted the mantis corpse onto the cart.

“What’s this thing? Do we need it?” Zhuang Xiao pointed to the strange, chunky mass she’d cut off the rock earlier.

All three turned to look.

She had even destroyed the mantis’s nest.

Seeing no one answer, Zhuang Xiao continued, “I’m not sure what it is—came out of its butt, I think? Doesn’t really look like mantis poop, so I cut it off. It didn’t look like this at first…”

Huo Xiao coughed lightly. “It’s not mantis poop. That’s its nest. It’s probably full of mutated mantis eggs.”

Zhuang Xiao: …

So…

“So… can you eat mantis eggs?” she asked seriously.

Mutated turtledove eggs were edible, right?

So wouldn’t mantis eggs be about the same?

Yan Ming quickly responded, “Just need to test them.”

So that means yes—they’re edible.

Zhuang Xiao nodded and gestured for Huo Xiao to hurry and load the thing onto the cart.

And don’t forget her water hemlock…