I Don't Dislike People Like You

"Hurry!"

"Run!"

"The Kabane are coming!"

The crowd of commoners completely panicked, no longer caring about the deterrent Fang Li had provided moments ago. They lost all composure, scrambling and shoving toward the direction of the Iron Fortress.

At this point, Fang Li naturally couldn't maintain any order anymore. He could only grip his dagger and sigh silently in his heart.

He had done so much, all to increase the number of surviving commoners and gain more rewards for himself.

He had already done everything he could. Now, Fang Li truly couldn't look after these ordinary people anymore.

After all, the one Fang Li really needed to protect was Yomogawa Ayame, not these commoners of Aragane Station.

With that, Fang Li turned to Yomogawa Ayame and said, "Miss Ayame, please board first."

"B-But..." Yomogawa Ayame seemed to want to share the hardships with everyone, unwilling to abandon those around her.

But Fang Li said directly, "I understand how you feel, but the Iron Fortress is a precious Hayajiro. Only you, as the eldest daughter of the Yotsuyu Clan, carry the master key. If you don't board, the Iron Fortress can't start, no one can leave, and everyone will die."

"This guy is right, Lady Ayame." Kurusu Kunoichi looked at Yomogawa Ayame with extreme seriousness and said, "Please board first. Leave this place to us."

"...Understood." Yomogawa Ayame was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"You few!" Kibito Aragane finally spoke up again, pointing at several samurai and commanding, "Escort Lady Ayame aboard first!"

"Yes, sir!" The samurai responded in unison, surrounding Yomogawa Ayame.

"Everyone..." Yomogawa Ayame glanced at Fang Li, then at Kurusu Kunoichi and the other samurai, and finally moved toward the Iron Fortress under the escort of several samurai.

"Form a line!" Kurusu Kunoichi immediately ordered, shouting loudly, "Don't let a single Kabane through!"

The samurai immediately spread out into a defensive line, raising their Steam Guns, aiming at the approaching Kabane horde, and continuously pulling the triggers.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!"

A chaotic barrage of gunfire rang out endlessly.

Each Steam Gun fired at full power, sweeping across the Kabane horde ahead.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—!"

The bullets from the Steam Guns struck the Kabane one after another, producing sounds like hitting steel and sending sparks flying, knocking the Kabane down.

But before long, those Kabane got right back up and charged again.

At this point, even Kurusu Kunoichi couldn't spare any words. Together with Kibito Aragane, he raised his Steam Gun and kept firing, the gunfire never ceasing.

Among those present, aside from the samurai firing their guns, only Fang Li, Mumei, and Ikoma remained.

"Damn it!" Ikoma cursed under his breath and tried to charge forward.

But before he could, Mumei suddenly spun around and swept her leg hard at Ikoma's lower body.

"Thud—!"

As a dull impact sounded, Ikoma cried out in pain and was knocked to the ground, slamming hard onto the floor.

"You..." Ikoma glared at Mumei. "What are you doing?!"

"That's what we should be asking you, isn't it?" Fang Li said helplessly to Ikoma. "What were you planning to do just now?"

"Fight, of course!" Ikoma said without hesitation. "Steam Guns can't defeat the Kabane. Only my Tsuranuki-zutsu can pierce their heart membrane. So I have to fight!"

"Are you stupid?" Fang Li rolled his eyes and said bluntly, "Never mind that after what just happened, you're still willing to step up. But your identity as a non-human is already exposed. If you charge in like this, do you think those cowardly samurai won't shoot you along with the Kabane and send you straight to hell with one bullet?"

Ikoma was left speechless. Staring at the Kabane horde advancing relentlessly through the hail of bullets, he said shakily, "But if this keeps up..."

"If this keeps up, the Kabane will reach us sooner or later." Fang Li also gazed ahead and said, "But all we need to do is buy time to start the Iron Fortress, not fight the Kabane. As long as the Iron Fortress gets moving before the Kabane arrive, we win. We don't have to kill every single Kabane to win. Get the premise straight."

This time, Ikoma had nothing to say.

"Anyway, if you want to live, you'd better get on the train obediently. Otherwise, even if you're a Kabaneri now, getting swarmed by the Kabane horde will mean certain death." Fang Li said directly, "Once aboard, stay in the last car and don't interact with anyone."

"Th-Then what about you?" Ikoma asked almost instinctively. "Aren't you coming up? That's too dangerous!"

Fang Li was speechless, just staring straight at Ikoma until the latter grew uncomfortable.

After a moment, Fang Li smiled and said, "You were confronting me just a moment ago, and now you're worried about my safety. As expected, so-called protagonists are all soft-hearted goody-two-shoes."

"Huh?" Ikoma was stunned.

Protagonist?

What did that mean?

"Alright, you should get on now." Fang Li didn't give Ikoma time to react, his gaze fixed ahead.

"I don't dislike people like you. So don't die, goody-two-shoes."

With that, Fang Li suddenly stomped the ground, leaping straight past the samurai's defensive line and charging toward the Kabane horde.

"Wh-What?!" Ikoma was shocked.

Kurusu Kunoichi, Kibito Aragane, and the other samurai were equally stunned.

But Fang Li acted as if he noticed nothing, staring at the Kabane horde struggling forward through the rain of bullets, completely unafraid of the samurai's bullets hitting him. His eyes suddenly transformed into Ice-Blue Demon Eyes.

Watching Fang Li charge forward as if no one else existed, the nearest Kabane let out a roar.

Bang!

Just then, a gunshot rang out.

The roaring Kabane was struck directly, its body shuddering as sparks burst from its chest, its momentum abruptly halted.

Fang Li didn't even need to turn around to know who had fired.

"Honestly."

The girl named Mumei raised her red Steam Gun, slowly unclasping the shackle around her neck.

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