Chapter 122

The man turned his attention to the apartment building that was engulfed in flames.

This location was carefully chosen; it's situated in the middle of the Slums, so anyone who isn't deaf or blind can definitely see it, and there must be some noise coming from the Lungmen city area as well.

The goal was simple: to lure out another group of people who were investigating them.

Although some grass may be deadly... those people were just infected.

What he couldn't understand was why the BOSS had to create such a commotion.

However, the effect is quite good; at least the red guy on top looks like something special.

Not only him, but all the onlookers witnessed a guy in a red coat leap into the fire.

Watching the red figure rush into the fire, and then looking at the detonator in his hand, the man thought for a moment and then crushed it.

Although they were just a group of infected people and self-righteous individuals, he wouldn't do anything meaningless; achieving his goal was considered a success.

As for how much is achieved, that's none of his business.

"Sigh... What is the boss thinking? I can't figure it out."

The man sighed inwardly, pulled his hat down, and walked out of the crowd.

His work is done, and the rest is none of his business. He just hopes that the madman can handle things properly and not cause too much trouble.

On the other side, Shirou, whose body had been enhanced, was running through the fire.

Once they found the person, they Projection a grappling hook and belt and threw the person down. The situation was critical, and Shirou didn't care whether the person being rescued was afraid of heights or not.

With all the safety measures in place, it's much better to experience bungee jumping than to end up like a BBQ.

The temperature inside the fire was very high, and the thick smoke was very pungent.

The building was engulfed in flames, which made a constant, piercing sound.

Shirou was already used to this.

The high temperatures and acrid smoke posed no threat to him as he performed Magecraft.

He had also seen fires that burned even more fiercely than this one in his dreams several times.

So there's nothing to be afraid of.

While using Magecraft to search the floor for any survivors, Shirou pondered his next move.

Compared to gathering clues and piecing together the truth, he was indeed better suited to this more direct kind of work.

"Shirou, there seems to be some trouble on the top floor."

Through the earpiece, Isv calmly reported the situation on the scene to Shirou.

At this point, he was no longer in the mood for teasing. After all, Shirou was so serious, and it wouldn't be good for him to ruin the atmosphere.

"Understood. There's no one below the third floor. I'm already on the fourth floor."

Shirou responded, using Magecraft to probe the situation on the fourth floor.

Although he could use Magecraft to scan the entire building at once, it would consume a lot of magic and energy, and there might be parts that were missed.

So although this method is a bit more troublesome, it's still quite efficient.

"Take it easy on yourself, the fire department and the Knights of the Round Table are here."

"I'll figure out how to leave later, don't worry."

"Is that what I meant? I meant you shouldn't shoulder everything yourself; there are more professional people coming!"

"Understood, have them arrange for cushioning airbags."

"What do you even know? You don't know anything at all! Sigh... Forget it, I'd rather advise the boss to sing ballads than talk to you about this."

"Ha, I can't even imagine that scene."

"If you could just imagine it anytime, what's the fun in it?"

Just as Is was trying not to spoil the atmosphere, Isv immediately broke her Shirou.

After explaining the situation to the arriving firefighters while operating the drone, Isv immediately moved the drone away.

Although there are no Penguin Logistics- related logos on its exterior, it would be a different story if it were shot down and retrieved for investigation.

Although Chen will likely protect them, he still needs to avoid suspicion; it's always good to have less leverage over others.

"... The top floor?"

With a cushioning pad on the first floor, the pressure when Shirou threw the person out was not as great, and the speed was much faster.

Fortunately, there weren't many people trapped in the fire. Otherwise, with this amount of training, Shirou was afraid that if Exusiai and Croissant did something, he would just Projection a grappling hook and let the two of them experience a high-altitude bungee jump.

After throwing everyone from the fifth floor and below out, Shirou remembered Isv Is had just warned him about: there seemed to be something going on on the top floor.

It seems someone has taken control of the scene?

At this point, the person responsible for the explosion will be brought under control...?

Why do this?

Without a second thought, Shirou kicked open the iron door leading to the top floor.

After extensive use of enhancements and his grappling hook and belt for searching and Projection, he had very little magic left.

Shirou, reflecting on the scarcity of his magical energy after a long absence, stood on the top floor of the building.

Because the detonation point was in the lower and middle floors, there was actually not much fire on the fifth floor and above, only more thick smoke.

The top floor is open-air and more ventilated, so there wasn't much smoke.

Apart from the slightly higher temperature, it's actually quite safe here.

Of course, that would be if it weren't for the guy dressed all in black and carrying a staff in front of me.

"Wow, that's really fast! I thought it would be slower!"

The man held a staff in one hand and a rope in the other, with two small children tied to the other end of the rope, who were hanging on the edge.

Countless Knights of the Round Table drones surrounded the area.

Judging from their expressions, they seemed to be waiting for Shirou to arrive.

"This is a warning. If you continue to get involved, I don't know where the next fire will start."

The man warned Shirou in a somewhat deranged voice.

This is a matter between them, the Knights of the Round Table, and Lungmen; no one else should or is allowed to get involved.

"..."

Judging from the other person's appearance, Shirou had no intention of talking to him.

The situation is easy to understand: the man in front of them is the perpetrator of the explosion, the Knights of the Round Table drone has locked onto him, and the two children on the rope are his hostages.

If he or the drone dares to take direct action, the two children will fall straight down.

Although there was a cushioning pad on the first floor, no one could guarantee that the two children wouldn't hit something or get burned during their fall.

It's too close to the building.

Although he could simply rush forward and grab the rope to launch the drone attack, the other side still had weapons, and rushing in recklessly would only be suicide.

"Don't want to talk? Well, whatever."

Seeing that Shirou didn't want to talk to him, the man didn't care. He simply waved the staff in his right hand, and a large amount of flames shot out, destroying a large number of drones in one go.

The exploding drone produced a large amount of smoke, instantly obscuring the man's figure.

"I hope you will heed my warning and choose between arresting me or saving the child."

After saying that, the man released his grip on the rope, then leaped to the other side. The jetpack hidden on his back activated, carrying him away on a glider.

This was his escape route, although he had other, more sophisticated and secure plans, but he didn't want to use them.

That would be so boring!

Isn't it most interesting to force people to choose between arresting him and rescuing the hostages?

"Trace on─"

Without hesitation, Shirou ran towards the direction where the hostage had fallen.

But he was not willing to let the other side escape, so Projection a longbow and arrows, took a quick aim, and shot them.

Where did this bow come from?

Just as the man was about to enjoy watching the other person's conflicted expression, the sudden appearance of a red arrow made him pause for a moment.

He clearly saw that the other person's hands were empty.

But the man quickly began adjusting his jetpack, trying to change his flight path.

So what if there are arrows? As long as you can see them and have a good position, you can dodge them, right?

But things didn't go as planned. After the man adjusted his flight path, the arrow, trailing a red light, drew an arc in the air and pierced through the man's abdomen.

The man looked at Shirou, who was pulling the rope to try to rescue the person, with an incredulous expression, and then at the arrow stuck in his abdomen.

"A red... arrow that can turn?"

Despite the pain, the man quickly maneuvered the jetpack away.

The arrogant look on his face was gone.

If it's the guy he knows, then he'll have to find a way to escape to a blind spot.

He was an Ursus, so he naturally understood the meaning of the arrow.

The Red Demon... I thought he was dead, but I didn't expect him to still be alive?

And the person actually managed to get to Lungmen?

The situation is dire; the Knights of the Round Table's drones have caught up with him, and he doesn't have the resources to use magic to destroy them.

"Sigh... I told you to stick to the plan, why wouldn't you listen?"

A sigh came from the walkie-talkie, and then, to the man's horrified gaze, the walkie-talkie exploded.

They blew him up too.

Compared to the burning building, the explosion seemed insignificant, and few people even noticed it.

Shirou, of course, did not notice that he was currently focused entirely on the two hostages in his hands.

Both children were injured and could not be thrown down directly like before.

After thinking for a moment, Shirou Projection a large piece of cloth and wrapped the two children inside.

"Taking someone on a high-altitude jump... this is the first time ever!"

The fire that the man had just lit was still burning on the rooftop, and the two children were injured and needed treatment. At this moment, Shirou didn't have many options.

He had jumped from higher floors before, but this was the first time he had taken someone with him.

And there were two of them.

After briefly preparing himself mentally, Shirou jumped off to the other side.

There were too many people in front, and there was no place to land. Plus, if I jumped down from that side, I would just fall into the hands of the Knights of the Round Table.

Therefore, Shirou chose a place with fewer people.

There were no fancy special effects or cool landing poses.

Some people only have the familiar old friend, the toilet squatting, for simple cushioning.

Even with magic strengthening his legs, the tingling and numb sensation that shot from his feet to his head still made Shirou feel for a moment that his body wasn't his own.

It was only for a moment. Seeing the crowd surging towards him, Shirou gently put down the two people he was carrying and ran towards the low house not far away.

"... Is this guy Superman?"

Chen watched as Shirou busied himself with various tasks, and seeing that the other still had the strength to escape, he stared blankly at the departing figure.

Although the person had long since disappeared.

After a quick calculation of what Shirou had done during this time, she realized that when she arrived at the scene, the Shirou people were already rescuing the residents.

When the drones were sent up to check the situation, they also saw the man dressed in all black, holding a rope and tying up the hostage.

The other party is definitely involved in the explosion, but they cannot act arbitrarily because they have hostages in their hands.