Knock knock knock!

Lulia Smith's door was pounded on urgently.

"Professor Smith! Professor Smith! Open the door!" "Professor Jones is dying! Please save him!"

Panicking, Lulia rushed to open the door. A group of people carried in a blood-soaked male professor—it was Leo Jones, a biology professor.

Leo's face was deathly pale, and he was already unconscious. A large insect pincer was embedded in his chest, and blood was gushing out.

Lulia was horrified. "What happened?!"

One person quickly explained, "He was ambushed by a giant beetle-like creature! That thing was at least a meter tall and could fly. We were lucky to escape; otherwise..."

Before he could finish, he was shoved aside roughly from behind.

"Out of the way! Can't you see I'm injured?!"

A short, stocky woman barged forward, her thick brows furrowed in anger.

"What are you all looking at?! Have some sense!"

The crowd grumbled inwardly but didn't dare say anything aloud.

The woman was Doris García, the wife of Fjall García, the school principal. She was also the most powerful ability user among the survivors at the New York Film Academy.

Unlike Lulia Smith's healing ability, Doris García's power was combat-oriented.

In battle, she could transform her body fat into muscle, and her skin would harden to the texture of pigskin, making her incredibly tough and strong.

With this ability, Doris and her husband, Fjall García, firmly controlled leadership over the school's survivors.

Doris plopped herself down in front of Lulia, flaunting her thick, trunk-like arm. A small, inch-long cut on her arm barely bled.

She impatiently demanded, "Lulia Smith! Heal me now! This hurts like hell!"

Lulia glanced at her wound and couldn't help but feel exasperated. If you waited a little longer, the wound would heal on its own!

However, Doris was notoriously domineering. Lulia didn't dare refuse and timidly whispered, "Um, Mrs. García, could you wait a moment? Let me treat Professor Jones first—he's in critical condition."

A male teacher stepped forward to support her. "Yeah, let Professor Smith treat Jones first. Mrs. García, your injury isn't serious. You can wait a bit."

"What do you mean it's not serious?!" Doris shouted, glaring at him with her bull-like eyes. Her scarred face twisted into a grotesque expression.

"What if it gets infected?! Do you know how dangerous infections are nowadays? Easy for you to say when it's not your arm! Wait? Wait for what? Treat me first!"

She slammed the table hard.

Bang!

Lulia flinched in fear, shrinking back as she stammered, "O-okay, I'll treat you first."

Doris smugly held out her arm.

She knew full well that Lulia's stamina wouldn't last through treating both her and Leo Jones. If Jones was treated first, there was no telling when it would be her turn.

Why should she take any risks? She didn't care if Leo Jones lived or died.

The rest of the group seethed with anger but didn't dare voice their frustration.

Doris and Fjall had always ruled with an iron fist. While Doris was powerful in combat, she was also cowardly. She was usually the first to flee when danger arose, leaving others behind to fend for themselves.

Yet whenever food was scavenged, Doris would use her abilities as leverage, claiming credit for their protection and snatching the best supplies for herself.

Her behavior infuriated everyone, but no one dared confront her. When Doris activated her powers, she was as strong as an ox, and even the other ability users couldn't stand up to her.

At that moment, a cold voice rang out. "Make way."

The group turned to see a tall, slim man in black stepping into the room—it was Fjall García.

Feigning concern, Fjall glanced at Leo Jones before saying, "Professor Smith, treat Mrs. García first. She was injured while protecting Jones. Besides, Mrs. García is our strongest fighter. If we face more danger, we'll need her strength to protect us. Right?"

The crowd silently sneered.

Protect us? What a joke! She's always the first to run!

But under Fjall's cold gaze, no one dared refute him.

Lulia nodded reluctantly. "Alright..."

She didn't want to argue and just wanted to get this over with.

Leo Jones's face was growing paler by the second; he didn't have much time left.

Lulia placed her hand on Doris García's arm. A soft green glow emanated from her palm, and the wound quickly healed.

Within seconds, Doris's arm was as good as new, with no trace of a scar.

Satisfied, Doris wiped away the blood and moved aside.

But Lulia was now visibly fatigued. Her face had turned pale, and she was breathing heavily.

The others couldn't help but envy Lulia's healing ability—it was truly incredible.

Fjall immediately switched to a concerned tone and urged her, "Professor Smith, quickly, treat Professor Jones. He's barely hanging on."

Lulia took several deep breaths, feeling dizzy and weak. "Give me a moment to recover..."

Healing consumed a tremendous amount of stamina, and with the poor diet she'd endured lately, she could barely handle consecutive treatments.

The crowd offered her words of encouragement. "Rest for a bit, Professor Smith. You've done a lot." "Here, have a candy. I just found it outside."

Everyone wanted to stay on Lulia's good side. After all, no one knew when they might need her help to save their own lives.

Fjall, however, maintained a self-righteous tone. "Professor Smith, please hang in there. You're our only doctor. If Professor Jones doesn't make it, think of his wife—she'll..."

Lulia felt wronged. Weren't you the one who insisted I treat Doris first? Now you're blaming me?

Still, she didn't want to see Leo Jones die. He was a kind colleague, after all.

Lulia gritted her teeth and pushed herself up, though her legs wobbled beneath her. A female teacher quickly reached out to steady her.

Doris snorted disdainfully. "Hmph! Stop acting so delicate, like you're some fragile little flower."

Anger flared in Lulia's heart, but she bit her lip and said nothing. She steadied her breathing and placed her hand on Leo's chest.

At that moment, Leo Jones's breathing stopped.

Panicked, Lulia checked his pulse, but it was too late. She shook her head sadly.

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Doris's face darkened. Damn it! Leo Jones actually died!

She wasn't stupid—she knew everyone would blame her for this.

Sure enough, the crowd turned toward her, their gazes filled with resentment.

Doris panicked. "Why are you all looking at me?! It's not my fault! It's Lulia Smith—she was too slow to treat him!"

The crowd's disdain deepened.

They weren't idiots. They'd all seen what happened.

Fjall's expression shifted. Thinking quickly, he said, "Alas, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Professor Smith, don't blame yourself..."

While subtly shifting the blame onto Lulia, his tone feigned consolation.

Lulia felt even more aggrieved, but her timid nature kept her from speaking up.

Clap, clap, clap.

"Well, wasn't that a spectacular performance!"

The group turned to see a handsome young man applauding as he walked in with a grin—it was James Lone.

As he entered, he chuckled. "Principal García, that was a masterful display of shifting blame."

Fjall's face darkened as he growled, "Who are you? Which department are you from? I've never seen you before!"

Doris glared at James with hostility, her thick, carrot-like fingers curling into fists.

But James ignored her completely. He had been observing Doris from underground and knew she had used her powers to flee during the earlier attack. Her combat strength was nothing to be afraid of.

Calmly, James walked up to Lulia.

The professor was stunningly beautiful, with an aura of elegance. Likely due to years of practicing dance and posture training, she stood tall and graceful, her swan-like neck and delicate features adding to her refined appearance.

James smiled. "Professor Lulia Smith?"

"Yes, that's me. And you are?" she asked, still dazed.

James grinned. "Come with me. I have plenty of food."

He had taken an interest in Lulia's healing ability—an invaluable power that he had to bring under his control.

Before Lulia could respond, Doris leapt up, yelling angrily, "No way! Lulia Smith isn't going anywhere!"

To Doris, Lulia was a vital resource for survival. She couldn't allow anyone to take her away.

Hearing this, Lulia felt even more displeased. Who are you to decide where I can or can't go?