The instant the alarm rang, Tang Qi heard a blade scrape past his ear, releasing a piercing shriek.
It was fast, and vicious, nearly tearing through the air. It seemed to burst from the pitch-black shadows, revealing a flash of bright silver in the light.
Tang Qi had no time to draw his blade and block it.
[Alertness] urged him to dive forward, so he tackled Anbi and rolled with her through the mushroom patch.
When he scrambled to his feet, he raised a hand high, shining the light from his ring onto the wall as he tried to pinpoint the source of that silver blade—
"Nothing!?"
The throwing knife that should have been embedded in the stone wall had vanished, leaving only a deep mark.
"Brother Tang Qi, your ear!"
Anbi spotted the crimson at the base of Tang Qi's ear. Warm blood dripped onto the mushrooms, making them sway wildly, while the song echoing throughout the cellar grew agitated.
But it wasn't over yet.
"Vmm—"
There was no time to feel the pain. The sense of urgency, like countless sharp needles piercing his pores, struck again, and Tang Qi quickly judged the path of danger.
But his intuition told him the danger came from every direction—
Six throwing knives, like assassins lurking in the shadows, had waited for the perfect moment, poised to strike.
They pierced the air almost simultaneously, turning into razor-cold flashes that converged in intersecting lines.
And at the end of those cold glints was Tang Qi's chest—
Or the Anbi he held in his arms!
The throwing knives were treacherous and unpredictable, each at a different height.
It seemed the attacker had already anticipated which way Tang Qi would dodge.
Whether he lifted a leg, turned aside, or rolled, his keen [Alertness] warned him