"You're... from Huaxia Country?"
Kujo clutched the wound on her thigh, her gaze complicated as she looked at the bearded man before her.
In the Barbaric Realm, the power of its rules allowed everyone to understand one another.
Whether they spoke Huaxia or Cherry Blossom, their words automatically became their native language when they reached someone else's mind.
"That's right."
The man took a drag of his cigarette, its glow lighting up a face etched with stories.
"My name is Lu Shiyan."
"Or... you can call me by another name."
He blew out a ring of smoke, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Huaxia First Deep Affection."
At the sound of that ID, Kujo and Hoshino's pupils contracted at the same time.
Ninth on the Novice Ranking!
"Now, for safety's sake."
Lu Shiyan held out his hand, palm up, his tone turning firm.
"Hand over your guns first, cheaters."
"Okay... okay! I'll hand it over right now!"
Hoshino had always been timid. Hearing that the man was one of the top ten Big Bosses on the Rankings, how could she possibly dare resist?
She surrendered in a flash, fumbling to take the P90 submachine gun hanging around her neck and then tossing it over.
"Hoshino! You coward! I was blind to ever decide to save you!"
Kujo barked.
As the descendant of a prestigious family, her pride wouldn't let her bow her head to a Huaxia Person.
"All foreigners are enemies! Especially Huaxia People!"
Kujo's eyes blazed with madness. She raised her pistol and aimed it straight at Lu Shiyan!
"What if I don't hand it over?!"
Looking at the dark muzzle, Lu Shiyan's smile didn't change in the slightest. He didn't even blink.
"Heh..."
"Sure enough, old habits die hard."
Lu Shiyan took the cigarette from the corner of his mouth and gently flicked off the ash.
"Cherry Blossom Country People will never shake the treachery in their bones."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Bzz!
An invisible magnetic field erupted in an instant!
Kujo felt as though her pistol had suddenly come to life, emitting a metallic groan as it twisted.
"Crack!"
Right before everyone's eyes, an invisible force bent the barrel a full ninety degrees!
"What?!"
Kujo was aghast.
Before she could react, Lu Shiyan flicked his wrist.
Whoosh!
A scalpel flew from his hand, straight for the space between Kujo's eyebrows!
"Take responsibility for your stupidity."
The breath of death rushed over her. Kujo didn't even have time to close her eyes.
And yet—
Clang!
Just as the blade was about to pierce her skin, a slender, fair hand shot out of nowhere and caught it firmly.
The blade sliced through the glove, but didn't harm the hand at all.
"Lu, you can't kill her yet."
The white-haired girl from Su Country spoke calmly. "Otherwise, 'that guy' will come looking."
Lu Shiyan froze for a moment, then slapped his forehead. The killing intent on his face vanished at once, replaced by an exasperated look.
"Ah, my memory's going. I almost forgot about that bastard."
"Sorry about that, Yekaterina. Middle-aged men can be a little impulsive."
Watching the man who'd been so ruthless a moment ago turn around and apologize with a grin, Hoshino and Kujo were both dumbfounded.
That was one hell of a change of face!
Yekaterina answered with an elegant smile.
"No, Lu, you did nothing wrong."
"That woman brought it on herself."
With that, Yekaterina slowly crouched down and looked at Kujo, sprawled on the floor.
"If we can't kill her, then let's teach her a lesson."
She narrowed her eyes, then reached out and pressed a finger into the bloody hole in Kujo's thigh, blasted open by a Vacuum Bullet.
Then she twisted hard!
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
A shrill scream echoed down the hallway. Kujo's pain was so intense that sweat instantly soaked through the back of her clothes.
"So noisy."
Yekaterina frowned, then snapped a hand around Kujo's throat, choking her out.
Thud.
Peace and quiet returned.
Kujo lay unconscious, eyes rolled back.
Nearby, Hoshino cowered in the corner, trembling.
She knew she absolutely couldn't defy these two. Otherwise, she might not even live to see tomorrow.
What she feared soon came to pass.
After dealing with Kujo, Lu Shiyan turned and strode over to Hoshino.
He reached out and tapped the cross emblem on her Combat Suit.
"Little girl, what's your Supernatural Ability?"
"I... I..."
Hoshino stammered, tears welling in her eyes. "My Supernatural Ability is... B-rank Healing Light."
"Oh? A healer."
Lu Shiyan nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Come with me."
"Th-then what about Sister Kujo...?"
Hoshino pointed timidly at Kujo, unconscious on the floor.
Yekaterina stood up, wiped the blood off her glove, and said coldly,
"If you do something wrong, you should be punished."
"She stays here and leaves it to fate."
"If she's still alive tomorrow morning, then she'll be allowed to go up to the second floor."
Hoshino didn't dare refuse, but terrified of the monsters, she still asked in a trembling voice,
"Um... are there monsters on the first floor?"
Hearing this, Lu Shiyan deliberately lowered his voice to scare her.
"There are."
"And... they're no weaker than the one outside."
"If you want to stay here and feed the monsters with her, that can be arranged~"
"What?!"
Hoshino's little face turned deathly pale, and at last she couldn't hold back her tears.
"I... I understand! I'll go with you!"
"But tomorrow, you have to let Sister Kujo come up!"
As she said this, she seemed to be trying to work up her courage. To everyone's surprise, she managed to deliver the fiercest threat in the meekest voice.
"O-or else! I'll kill myself right alongside her and make you watch!!"
"Hmph!"
She even sniffed loudly.
Anyone who didn't know better would've thought she was acting spoiled with an elder.
"Pfft... hahaha!"
Lu Shiyan burst out laughing at how adorably timid she was, and couldn't help reaching out to ruffle her hair.
"You're quite a character. You don't look like a soldier at all."
"Threatening people with suicide? Does Sister Kujo know she's supposed to die with you?"
Nearby, Yekaterina lifted a hand to her forehead in helpless exasperation.
"All right, Lu, stop teasing her."
"The first floor is a 'Safe Zone' for now. This foolish Cherry Blossom Country woman shouldn't die."
"Mm..."
Hoshino puffed out her cheeks, only then realizing they'd been teasing her for fun.
Still, she breathed a sigh of relief, and also recalled the information the two had let slip earlier.
For some unknown reason, some sort of rule seemed to exist here: people couldn't die just anywhere, or something terrifying would come.
"Hmph!"
Hoshino gave an indignant little huff and followed behind the two with her head lowered.
The three of them walked up the dim staircase to the second floor.
The air here was thick with the musty smell of books and the stale stench of blood.
Lu Shiyan pushed open the door to a classroom with a sign that read Class 3-2.
"Go on in, new school nurse."
When Hoshino stepped into the classroom, trembling with fear, the sight before her left her utterly stunned.
In this strange middle school, surrounded by monsters, there were actually so many people!
Eleven in all!
And...
They all looked young, wearing tattered Black Stand-up Collar School Uniforms or sailor uniforms. They were clearly students!
To be precise, they were student transmigrators from the Cherry Blossom Country!
Five girls and six boys, each huddled in a corner of the classroom.
They all had injuries of varying severity. Some had wrapped them in strips of torn cloth, while others were still bleeding.
Every one of them looked utterly awful, their eyes full of numbness and despair.
Looking at these compatriots who shared her language and heritage,
Hoshino's mind flashed to the bones outside the school gate, and to the gruesome deaths of Sato and Ikeda just moments ago.
Could it be...
Those people had only died recently?
"Ugh!"
The tremendous psychological shock sent her stomach rolling. She bent over and retched.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Lu Shiyan pinched his nose in disgust and waved his hand.
"Don't throw up in here! If you're going to puke, go outside!"
Just then,
The students in the classroom noticed Hoshino.
More accurately, they noticed the Cherry Blossom Country Combat Suit she was wearing.
It was their country's military uniform!
The next moment,
There was none of the "two countrymen meet, and tears fill their eyes" that Hoshino had imagined.
"It's you!!"
A boy with a bandage wrapped around his head shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with hatred and rage that had sunk into his bones.
He frantically seized a rusty metal stool beside him and charged at Hoshino without hesitation!
"You damned murderers!!"
"You actually dare come back!!"
"I'll kill you!!"
"W-why?"
Hoshino was completely stunned. She stood frozen in place, too frightened even to dodge.
Compared with these two foreigners, she was the one who belonged with them. Why were they calling her a murderer?
Just as the stool was about to smash into Hoshino's head,
A large hand seized the boy's wrist.
Lu Shiyan stopped the frenzied student with one hand, his brows drawing together slightly.
"Let go of me!! Mr. Lu! Don't stop me!!"
The boy struggled with all his might, tears spilling from his eyes.
"I'm going to get revenge!! I'm going to kill those damned liars! Murderers!"
"It's all their fault!!"
"It's all because of those bastards..."
"My little sister died!!!"