Can I Kill the Female Lead?

Song Weishi woke with a throbbing headache, her body feeling nearly numb. She opened her eyes but didn't move; in front of her was utter darkness.

It was unknown how long passed before she regained some sensation. Heavy snow had sealed the mouth of the cave, and she found herself leaning against Xie Yi, who hadn't stirred—whether unconscious or not, she couldn't tell.

Despite the pitch-black surroundings, it wasn't cold. Song Weishi's mind was unusually clear.

An avalanche had just occurred, and with her limited mobility, Xie Yi had pulled her in here.

But all of this felt too coincidental. Since yesterday, something had felt off. Why had everything started going wrong the moment they entered that building?

She hadn't been this unlucky before, had she?

Could it be that gaining a companion with extraordinary combat skills meant she had to endure these disasters?

She couldn't help but ask the System, even though it probably wouldn't give her an answer.

"Is this normal?"

The System seemed taken aback that the first thing Song Weishi said upon waking was directed at it. After a two-second pause, it replied, "What are you asking about?"

Song Weishi kept her tone as steady as possible. "I mean, is this normal? Am I just that unlucky?"

The carefully chosen building had turned out to be filled with vicious thugs they couldn't beat. She'd gained plenty from it, but she'd also nearly died.

Now there was an avalanche. Was this the world's default setting, or some kind of punishment? The string of misfortunes was just too dense.

The System fell silent again. Song Weishi could keenly sense its mood—whenever it didn't want to say something but couldn't lie, it would clam up like this.

Song Weishi didn't mock it. She asked calmly, "Actually, I want to ask you: do you want a stable host, or are you content with constantly hopping between worlds, scraping by on minimal energy? My abilities aren't bad, right? Have you ever considered what would happen if the next host you get is like I mentioned before—living forever in this world and draining you dry?"

The System didn't stay silent this time. "Of course. As you said, I was just organizing all the information to share with you."

Song Weishi was pleasantly surprised by the System's words. She'd grown used to it saying nothing and having to pry every answer out.

"Really? You're not messing with me, System? You've changed your tune?"

Predictably, the System fell silent again. When it next spoke, Song Weishi could hear a hint of delight in its tone. "Your performance has been outstanding. My apologies, Host. This is my first mission. Though my earlier views differed from yours, I've come to see things differently now. I sincerely hope to work with you."

Listening to its sentimental words, Song Weishi blinked back emotion. "So what did you want to tell me? Go ahead, I'm ready."

System: ...

System: "Host, the person beside you is the original female lead of this book. This is a post-apocalyptic novel aimed at women. Your instincts were right—the disasters targeting you have indeed intensified lately."

Song Weishi had an epiphany. That made sense. The story had started right by her side, so it was perfectly reasonable for the female lead to be nearby.

No wonder Xie Yi was so formidable. As the female lead, having some extraordinary talents was hardly surprising for a plot-armored protagonist.

She usually read novels without romance or with sapphic themes. This female lead was definitely a powerhouse of a heroine. Perhaps even without her, Xie Yi would have found another way to survive and escape this snowy region.

According to the System, being near her meant the world's difficulty would multiply. No wonder she'd felt like she was about to die—she'd stepped right into protagonist-level peril.

The female lead, too, had been adapting to this harsh world early because of her. And honestly, Xie Yi was pretty easy to get along with. If not for the brutal environment, Song Weishi might really consider traveling together.

The problems she couldn't handle did fit her cannon-fodder identity perfectly.

After discussing matters for a while, the System added, "Host, if you stay by her side, you may indeed leave this snowy region faster, but it will also increase your odds of dying."

Song Weishi said she'd rather take things slower than die. She had no interest in whatever unknown world came next, and the System wasn't eager to lose her as a host either.

The two reached a consensus: first, keep distance from this person, then plan from the long term. Perhaps that was the best option for now.

"Anything else you can add? Like other settings of this world?"

Song Weishi looked at the System's interface with hope in her eyes.

But the outcome was destined to disappoint her: "Apologies. This information was compiled from the brief synopsis you saw earlier."

Song Weishi had clicked right into the story without reading the description carefully; she didn't even remember it herself. It was only because the System had scanned her memories of the interface that it had been able to summarize this much.

Well, unsatisfying as it was, at least she had a clear direction now. She wouldn't continue traveling with the female lead; she had to set out on her own.

She didn't know the current time, but the little cart had refreshed, so she guessed it was past midnight. The two had set out in the morning, walked for two hours, and she'd been unconscious for a few hours more. She just hoped she hadn't been out too long.

Still leaning against Xie Yi, Song Weishi felt sensation return to her limbs. Just as she was about to move, a question popped into her mind.

"System, if the original female lead of this world dies, will the world collapse?"

The System's usually steady voice trembled slightly. "What are you saying? You're not planning to kill her, are you?"

Not that the System was wrong to ask—the thought had genuinely crossed Song Weishi's mind. But Xie Yi had done nothing wrong; in fact, she'd saved her twice. True, the disasters were tied to her presence, but they might not be. After all, this was the apocalypse; disasters struck indiscriminately. Would those people in the building have survived if Xie Yi weren't there?

Song Weishi had merely been caught in the crossfire, and she'd gained Points from it. Otherwise, she'd have died in that office building yesterday.

Once she reasoned it through, Song Weishi felt much lighter.

She'd unconsciously taken the knife out of her space and held it in her hand, and she'd been keeping that position so long her arm had gone numb.

She couldn't help but shift. Her posture was stiff, and she instinctively braced herself with her hand. A sliver of light leaked in through the snow pile. Song Weishi squinted and raised the knife to shield her eyes.

From beside her came Xie Yi's voice: "You're awake."

Song Weishi was holding the knife up beside her, looking like she was about to stab her. The two locked eyes. Xie Yi's gaze dropped to the hand gripping the knife, and her bewildered expression instantly filled with suspicion. Song Weishi heard her clench her fists.

Song Weishi was startled, unsure whether to put the knife away—if she did, the other woman might punch her; if she didn't, she might still get punched.

"Uh, let me explain—"