by N. Heller
After a few successive waves of hallucination, she felt as if many years had passed, or was it only a split second? When Lin Sanjiu suddenly snapped out and became sober again, she realized that she was lying on top of a bookshelf. The fight between Silvan and the west wing team had already ended at some point in time.
The faint light from the windows downstairs had been almost fully blocked by a crouching figure, casting a long shadow. In the dim light, the man's dark golden hair almost melted into the darkness behind him
Lin Sanjiu was so startled that she immediately leaped up. While she opened the book in her hands, she had also mentally prepared herself for a tough battle. Surprisingly, Silvan remained in his crouching position and only looked up at her when she stood up.
"You? Who are you?" This was the first time there was actually an uncertainty in his mellow voice. He sounded like he was murmuring as his voice wavered. He stared at Lin Sanjiu's face with his dark green eyes, which were like the lakes in a forest.
"I've never seen you before? What's your name?" he asked.
Lin Sanjiu stared at him blankly for a short moment before she immediately reacted by touching her face. Only then did she realize that her skin and hair on her upper body had all developed. Even though her leg was still reddish and skinless, they were hidden in the dark, but Silvan did not notice them at all.
"Look…" Mrs. Manas spoke to her softly. Lin Sanjiu looked up and noticed a stiff corner of a book sticking out from the back pocket of Silvan's uniform trousers. It looked as if the book had been rolled up and stuffed there...
"I'll tell you," Lin Sanjiu said with her cool, crystal voice before even thinking, "if you come closer."
After that, she bent down slightly. Her hair flowed down her shoulders like water.
Silvan's eyes did not leave her face even for one second. When he heard what she said, he shifted closer to her without even hesitating. Lin Sanjiu smiled faintly and exhaled, as if preparing to say something…
The next second, she attacked the back of Silvan's waist with a violent punch. She actually managed to strike her target.
As it was a sneak attack, Silvan only managed to divert a part of the impact as he dodged slightly but he received most of the impact from that punch. Lin Sanjiu didn't think too much, she reached for his back pocket and quickly pulled the book out. Then, she immediately flipped over to the bookshelf beside them. She was eager to look at the cover of the book.
Chapter 264 - The Pitch-Black South Wing Behind Her
If someone told Lin Sanjiu that she had "feminine charms" half an hour before, she might laugh coldy to express her disbelief. However, considering the current situation...
Lin Sanjiu exhaled. She glanced at the book cover once more reluctant to accept the facts before she casually tossed the book back to Silvan.
Just moments before, when Lin Sanjiu held the rolled-up book in her slender hands, her heart nearly missed a beat when she caught a glimpse of the title on the book: "A World History of Asian Art".
"Well, as expected, it isn't the right book." Lin Sanjiu felt a little disappointed. At the same time, she fixed her gaze on the enigmatic man in front of her, "But, it would be rather careless of him if he'd just keep a target book in his back pocket."
Right now, Lin Sanjiu was standing on top of a bookshelf, and the dim sunlight from the window shone on the exposed muscles and blood vessels which belong to her pair of skinless legs. Connecting this to her unique, refreshing voice, Silvan finally realized who the woman in front of him was. He held the side of his waist which bore the brunt of Lin Sanjiu's powerful attack and lowered his head. He took a breath, almost as if laughing or sighing, before he spoke slowly, "So, you are that person from the central hall."
Even though the woman, in front of him, had already showed her open hostility toward him with her surprise attack and stole his item, that did not seem to bother Silvan. His expression mellowed quite a bit but he continued looking at Lin Sanjiu with a glimmer in his eyes.
"This might sound a little offensive," he was almost murmuring his words, "but, would you be willing to join my team?"
"Of course not!" Lin Sanjiu never felt that she had any sort of feminine charm, much less captivate such an attractive-looking man like Silvan. She firmly believed that the man had something up his sleeves so she let out a dry laugh, "Why can't you join my team instead? The first target book must be with that woman called Peach. If you hand her over to me, there is room for negotiation."
"Regarding that matter," Silvan shook his head, seeming to show his disappointment, "I can't do that even if it is a request from you."
The bizarre expression and reaction he had when he first saw Lin Sanjiu had faded fully from his face. Silvan put both his hands in his back pockets and leaned against the bookshelf behind him. He regained his usual laid-back, lazy demeanor. Lin Sanjiu only felt a sense of "normality" when he reverted back to his usual attitude. She scanned her surroundings quickly.
That group of mushroom-like people from the West Wing team had disappeared. There was a black figure on the ground, and that person was clearly not breathing. From the looks of things, the remaining members from that team must have retreated back to the west wing. She had scanned the second floor of the east wing multiple times but she still couldn't find any sign of Peach. She figured that the woman was probably hiding on the first floor.
If she wanted to go to the first floor, she had to bypass Sivan, who was right in front of her. However, she knew that it wasn't going to be easy. The man had just fought off five people from the West wing single handedly, but appeared unharmed. He even killed the person lying on the ground. Not only was he going to be difficult to deal with, Silvan's current number of lives would certainly be dauntingly high. Once the disparity in the number of lives between two parties reach a certain threshold, it would be almost impossible for the person with the lower number to defeat his/her opponent.
Without warning, a "boom" suddenly came from the other end of the library. It wasn't loud, but the light from the red fiery flames which suddenly appeared quickly drove away the darkness from half the library.
As the blaze raged, a sharp screech pierced the air. A black figure of a humongous creature was thrashing around violently in the fire. However, no matter how hard it struggled, it could not escape the fire. The creature shrieked and tossed its body, flinging countless flickering embers in the air. Soon, the fire spread to the handrails of the stairs and then to the bookshelves in the central hall.
The flames that suddenly erupted from the second floor of the north wing had also lit up a small figure hiding near the banisters on the second floor. Lin Sanjiu was startled because she noticed that the small figure hugging a book was Rena.
Almost simultaneously, the members from the North Wing team, who were in the central hall, howled when they realized that their wing was on fire. A few black shadows immediately rushed up the stairs to the second floor of the north wing. Rena was aware that she was in a very bad situation. She immediately stood up and wanted to escape, but the fire around her was too big. She tried a few times to get away but the burning black shadow blocked her and trapped her back into a corner.
When Lin Sanjiu saw that the north wing members had already rushed over to Rena, she couldn't care less about the book that Silvan found. Lin Sanjiu leaped up and immediately lunged herself toward where Rena was. Silvan reacted and chased after her but he wasn't fast enough because seeing Lin Sanjiu fly off the second floor was beyond anything he could expect. He held the banisters tightly and stared motionless in the direction of the north wing. The flickering light from the flames shone on his face, revealing his stunned expression.
Lin Sanjiu didn't have time to consider what was happening behind her. When she reached the banisters at the north wing, all the flames suddenly extinguished. The library was once again plunged into darkness. As the flames were the special effect from a book, there was a time limit. Once the time was up, the effect naturally disappe
ared. However, those short 30 seconds were enough to save Rena's life. A few seconds after the fire disappeared, the large earthworm-like creature fell to the ground with a loud bang. It crumbled into large segmented columns of soot.
Even though the creature had been burnt beyond recognition, the people who had rushed up to the north wing to surround Rena were shocked by the sight.
"What's that?" the man in the top hat asked in a mumble as he threw a glance at Rena, who was covered in wounds. "How did you and that thing reach this place?"
After getting rid of one enemy, Rena found herself facing another group of enemies. Using her knees, she supported herself up. She glared at the faces of all the people surrounding her and panted as she replied, "Isn't that thing something you guys left there?"
"Little girl, this thing has nothing to do with us. I hope you have enough lives…"
The location Lin Sanjiu landed wasn't that good. She found herself some distance behind the group of people from the north wing. When the man in the top hat said that, Lin Sanjiu had just climbed over the banisters. Unfortunately, a member from the team spotted her.
However, she did not anticipate the following words said to her.
"Ah, seeing that we caught someone, you guys are finally willing to help?" the person scowled, "We already made an agreement yet they only sent you?"
Lin Sanjiu froze. The other party had probably mistaken her for someone else.
"Who? It must be someone they haven't seen before…" As she considered the situation, she answered the person vaguely. She walked over to the person and suddenly realized something. From where the person was facing, Lin Sanjiu realized that the pitch-black south wing was behind her.
Chapter 265 - Don’t Offend Someone You Can’t Afford to Offend
"It is too... too dark.."
When Rena sensed that she had shaken off the group of people chasing her, she couldn't help stopping and hiding behind one of the bookshelves nearby. She exhaled from her nose very slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. She gripped the book in her hand tightly. Ever since she got it, she didn't have a chance to look at it, neither did she dare to look at it.
Hearing the shouting sounds not far from her, her limbs felt so weak they started trembling. When she was surrounded by the members from the north wing, Rena had no choice. Losing a couple of lives as she escaped from the people encircling her, she rushed into the bookshelves section but now she was experiencing the cost of her decision. Her hands and legs felt weak, she definitely wasn't in a condition to fight. She was totally exhausted after fleeing from her pursuers.
"I think I only have 2 lives now?" Rena was in dismay when she thought about the number of lives she had left. She knew that if she was hit by another strong attack, that might be it for her.
Reno, who had been communicating to his sister through his communicator, was extremely anxious and worried, "Just hold on for a bit more, I will be there soon…"
Right now, he was at a spot which could be easily seen by the South, West and East wing. If someone spotted a black shadow suddenly standing up, in front of Siri's desk, Reno knew that he would immediately become everybody's target. "I can only move slowly while I press myself against the walls. Where are you now? Are you hurt?"
Rena surveyed her surroundings. After confirming that there wasn't any sign of her pursuers hiding between the bookshelves near her, she replied softly, "No. Don't come here!"
As she said that, she wiped off the blood trickling from her face. Even if she couldn't escape, she wasn't going to endanger her brother like this. Even though she had already made such a decision, Rena felt a warm feeling around her eyes. She felt a small urge to cry. Afterall, she was just 14 and a half. She sniffed and gritted her teeth. Then, she crouched down and ran stealthily to the bookshelf on her diagonally right.
" This spot is quiet. There is no one and I can hide here." Just as Rena thought of this, her wrist was caught by a black shadow standing behind her. Feeling the slight pain on her wrist, Rena was overwhelmed with a wave of fear. She bit down on the hand, almost irrationally.
Rena didn't expect that the skin of a person's hand could be this hard. She felt as if she had bitten a diamond. Rena's gums were sore when she suddenly heard a familiar voice chiding her softly, "Are you born in the year of the dog?"
Rena immediately looked up and saw an unfamiliar face. Even though the woman's facial features looked gentle and exquisite, their combination created an inexplicable air of iciness. Rena remembered that she had seen this face amongst the people surrounding her just moments before. Staring at the woman at close proximity, Rena noticed that the woman had a pair of intense, amber cat-like eyes. She found them oddly familiar.
"Stop staring, it's me," Lin Sanjiu grumbled. "My skin finally appeared."
This time, not only Rena, but even Reno let out a long gasp over the communicator. The girl threw herself at Lin Sanjiu with her tear-glistened eyes as she protested quietly, "Why did you come? Why didn't you help me before!"
Lin Sanjiu patted her hair and did not reply. Instead, she signaled for Rena to keep quiet because she could sense from her higher consciousness scan that someone was approaching.
"You can act as bait here." Lin Sanjiu whispered to Rena before she disappeared in a flash, standing at the border of the book section. Obviously, the pursuer had some heat vision equipment. When he was near Rena, he quickly slowed down and raised the long stick-like item in his hand, then crept soundlessly toward Rena's hiding spot.
He was very sure of what he saw. The girl was alone, so he had no reason to call his teammates to share the number of lives he could obtain from the girl. Eyeing his prey just in front of him, he felt his throat tighten the next second. Crack. Before he was even aware of it, him neck had been snapped. He tried his best to turn his budging eyes behind, trying to see his killer...
Rena heard that sound and stuck her head out. She saw Lin Sanjiu standing pencil-straight behind the pursuer from the north wing. Lin Sanjiu's crushed the person's throat with her left hand so hard that he couldn't even muster a bit of strength. Lin Sanjiu watched emotionlessly as the man's lives slipped away. He became weaker and weaker until his body grew limp. Lin Sanjiu did not release her grip immediately. Instead, she held his throat and waited for another ten seconds before she withdrew her hand.
Thud. The lifeless body fell to the ground.
Without using any of her special abilities, or any special items, she killed a Posthuman, with considerable combat skills and seven lives, by her pure physical grip strength. Lin Sanjiu looked down at him as she flexed her fingers unconsciously, as if brushing away the feelings she had when she strangled that man.
"Let's go. You can handle the next person," Lin Sanjiu said to Rena softly, facing the girl in the darkness.
Rena finally started breathing normally—when she saw what had happened, if felt as though she was being strangled as well—and quickly followed Lin Sanjiu.
"How many lives do you have now?" Lin Sanjiu asked abruptly as they slipped into another aisle between the bookshelves.
"I don't know. Two, maybe," Rena felt a weight in her heart.
"Let me see." Lin Sanjiu gestured for the girl to lift her clothes. Then, she peered at the teenage girl's back. Even though it was dark, Lin Sanjiu's higher consciousness was somewhat better than a person's n.a.k.e.d eyes. She spotted a small "14" on Rena's fair, white skin.
"Huh?" Rena could believe her ears when she heard that unexpected number. She looked at Lin Sanjiu doubtfully, "I only had a 3 before this, and I even died once…"
"Ah!" Reno suddenly exclaimed through the communicator as he listened to their conversation. "That weird creature also had multiple lives!"
"That's strange. It definitely wasn't human. How could he also be a pocket dimension participant?" Rena asked with a mixture of surprise, delight, and curiosity, while she touched her own waist.
Lin Sanjiu thought about it for some time, but, momentarily, she couldn't make
sense of it.
They could discuss this later because right now she wanted to teach those people from the north wing a lesson. When Lin Sanjiu fully exploited her current advantage, her combat capabilities were extremely high. She did not have body heat, so she wouldn't appear even if the person had thermal vision equipment. She could also make use of the corpse, which had not died long ago, as a bait. On top of that, Rena had gradually regained her fighting strength. Within the following five to six minutes, Rena and Lin Sanjiu had dispatched two people.
However, mishaps were bound to occur.
The third person that they attacked wore some sort of protective Special Item. When Lin Sanjiu attacked him, not only did she miss, but he also managed to escape. While he ran away, he warned loudly, "Boss! Flinch and the rest are dead! Let's retreat!"
"Damn it!" Lin Sanjiu cursed as she chased closely behind him.
Chapter 266 - South Wing
The second time Lin Sanjiu and the man in the top hat confronted each other, the positions were reversed. There were only three members left in Top Hat's team, and one of them was injured. On the other hand, Lin Sanjiu's body was nearly completed, so her strength had reached an unprecedented level. After that escapee yelled and revealed where Lin Sanjiu and Rena were, Lin Sanjiu simply gave up ambushing. She jumped to the top of a bookshelf without hesitation and sprinted toward Top Hat's group.
Even though her feet did not really touch the surface of the bookshelf, she moved so quickly that when she stopped abruptly, the draft she created over the wooden surface actually created a faint bit of white smoke. At the same time, the last syllabus from the escapee's words just faded.
Top Hat stared at the white smoke rising from Lin Sanjiu's feet. Even though he didn't make a sound, it was apparent to everyone that he had a terrible expression on his face now.