SALOK Chapter 4

When Zhao Yan was knocked flat on his back in the damp earth, the first thing he saw was Li Jian turning tail and running.

And for the first time in his life, Zhao Yan desperately hoped Li Jian would make it out alive.

Not because Zhao Yan was some saint, or brimming with selfless love.

It was because at this moment he already knew—he was dead for sure. But he didn’t want to die in vain.

If Li Jian could escape, find others, and then come back to kill this woman, that would at least count as revenge.

But what he never expected was that the woman pinning him down only spared Li Jian a single glance as he fled.

And in the very next instant—

The stone axe that should have been clutched in his own hand was gone.

It appeared where it absolutely should not have been.

The gray-white stone axe traced a perfect arc in the night, burying itself in the back of Li Jian’s skull.

Li Jian dropped without a sound, his body collapsing into a beam of green light that lit up the night sky.

What does it feel like to have your last hope shatter in an instant?

Zhao Yan knew that feeling now.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly. His last bit of light winked out, swallowed by a darkness deeper than the endless night itself.

Tears poured down his face unchecked as he stared up at the woman on top of him.

Thin, frail, her body weak. But her face—

That smile was dazzling.

“Please… let me go…”

He knew it was useless, but still his lips trembled, shaping one final plea.

But before he could finish, that brilliant smile vanished into the boundless blackness that consumed his world.

[You have successfully killed player Zhao Yan. Sin value +1. For the next seventy-two hours, you may be killed by any player without penalty.]

The cold system chime rang in He Huan’s ears for the third time. Her sin value had reached three. The penalty window had stretched from twenty-four hours to seventy-two.

But none of that mattered to her right now.

Because standing before her was a sturdy, beautiful little wooden cabin.

And her heart brimmed with joy so intense it felt like it would burst free from her chest.

Even the harsh system tone sounded like music.

[Detected: You have obtained the access card for this building. Do you wish to inherit all of “Yang Jianhua’s” property now?]

He Huan’s smile nearly split her face in two. This was the moment she had fought for!

Oh, the taste of success—how intoxicating it was.

“Yes, yes!”

And then her grin froze solid.

For the instant she confirmed, that pretty, sturdy cabin began to glow with a faint silver radiance.

And as the glow faded, the cabin itself faded too—

Gone.

At the same time, the system’s voice rattled off a stream of messages:

[Obtained: Wood ×373]
[Obtained: Stone ×89]
[Obtained: Dark Soil ×2]
[Obtained: Straw ×31]
[Obtained: Fur ×9]
[Obtained: White Bread ×11]
[Obtained: Drinking Water 500ml ×4]
……

He Huan’s eyes went wide.

All that was left in front of her was a bare patch of earth. From the traces on the ground it was easy to tell that a beautiful, solid cabin had once stood there.

But it was gone.

Her cabin. Gone!

Her mood at that moment was no different from when she had lost her retirement pension.

No—worse.

Only three access cards and three little pouches remained on the ground, proof that the house had truly existed and wasn’t just her imagination.

She had no idea that “inheritance” in this world meant only inheriting the materials—not the building itself.

Which meant she still only had that miserable shack with no roof back home.

The crushing disappointment nearly brought tears to her eyes.

And then, as if to salt the wound, another system announcement rang out:

[One hour until the arrival of Silent Midnight. All residents not yet inside their shelters must return at once.]

It repeated three times for emphasis.

From the host body’s memory, He Huan knew what that meant.

This world had four hours of daylight, eight hours of nightfall, and twelve hours of Silent Midnight.

Daytime was relatively safe—time for exploration and gathering supplies.

Nightfall was dangerous, full of hidden threats, but bold survivors could still move about.

Robbery and murder—like what had just happened—almost always occurred during nightfall.

But Silent Midnight? That was another matter entirely.

It was lethal.

At least for residents right now. Only inside one’s shelter could safety be guaranteed.

And as days passed, Silent Midnight grew more perilous. Only by upgrading shelters could one hope to endure.

The original body had never once risked staying outside at that time. Always, without fail, she had hidden in her shack before midnight.

Though He Huan’s heart screamed with rage at the cruel twist of inheritance, her last shred of reason forced her to swallow it down.

It had taken her over forty minutes to get here. Returning would take at least as long.

And she hadn’t forgotten how many warning signs she’d passed on the way, how many were tied to roaming creatures.

If even one of them crossed her path now, she might not make it back in time.

Yes, she had joked about dying with her “pension,” but that was just venting.

He Huan valued her life too much to throw it away.

So, grinding her teeth, she snatched up the three cards and three pouches and bolted toward her shelter.

The night was dark, but her enhanced vision guided her well. She remembered the path clearly.

As long as nothing went wrong, she could make it home.

But life never goes as hoped.

The closer she drew to her shelter, the louder became the sound of footsteps in the forest.

And then, just as her shack came into view, those footsteps suddenly vanished.

That didn’t mean the stalker was gone.

It meant the hunter had begun its final approach.

Whipping her head toward the sound, He Huan’s vision filled with scrolling golden alerts:

[You have been targeted by a Night Leopard. Distance: 12 meters. Danger. Engage with caution.]
[You have been targeted by a Night Leopard. Distance: 11 meters. Danger. Engage with caution.]
[You have been targeted by a Night Leopard. Distance: 10 meters. Danger. Engage with caution.]
……

With her Insight Eye and Dark Creature abilities, He Huan spotted the predator instantly.

The night leopard crouched low in the grass, muscles taut as it crept closer.

At five meters, she knew it would pounce and tear her throat out.

Above its head, glowing text displayed:

Night Leopard – Level 4 – Combat Power: 30.

He Huan: Level 2. Combat Power: 11.

For an ordinary human, facing such a beast meant certain death.

But He Huan wasn’t ordinary.

In her right hand she hefted the stone axe she had taken earlier. In the darkness, she subtly shifted her stance, angling herself to meet the leopard’s charge.

Her left hand stayed tucked in her pocket, as though she planned to fight one-handed.

The alerts ticked down: seven meters, six, five—

And then the leopard exploded from the brush, black lightning in the night, hurtling straight for her throat.