Awakened, It Was Time to Hunt
"Can we have an open and honest talk now?"
Xingsu remained seated in her chair, quietly gazing at Valerius standing opposite her.
Valerius stared blankly at his frozen subordinates, everything that was happening was far beyond his expectations, and he was somewhat dazed, mechanically responding, "Ah, yes... yes..."
"I'll talk to you about your mom!"
Before he could finish speaking, Xingsu suddenly stood up and slammed his heavy fist into Valerius's face.
With a muffled thud, Valerius lost his balance and, before he could even let out a complete scream, crashed heavily onto the cold ground.
He struggled to sit up, his vision blurring, and looked up at Xingsu in disbelief.
Xingsu casually pulled out a dagger hidden in her sleeve and looked down at him. "There are some scores we should settle. I can generously allow you to choose a dignified way to die. Or, is there anything else you want to ask before you die?"
It feels so good to hit someone with a boomerang!
"Who... who are you...?" Valerius trembled violently, collapsed to the ground, his back pressed tightly against the cold wall, his pupils filled with extreme fear.
"Oh, you really want to ask?"
Before the words were even finished, a cold light suddenly descended!
Pfft--
Without warning, the sharp dagger plunged deep into Valerius's thigh, piercing through his clothes and sinking into his flesh. Blood instantly soaked the luxurious fabric, trickling down his leg and onto the cold floor tiles.
"Ah--!!"
A piercing scream suddenly pierced his throat, Valerius convulsed, cold sweat instantly soaked his entire body, his body curled up and trembled uncontrollably, his eyes instantly turned red.
Xingsu leaned down slightly, looking at him with a playful expression.
Shh... Be quiet, you don't want to wake others.
The moment the words left his mouth, another flash of cold light suddenly pierced the air.
The ropes binding her were cut by a sharp dagger. Lynette moved her stiff limbs, her cold eyes quickly scanning the entire cell.
The dim wall lamp cast a faint, yellowish light, illuminating the heavy iron door and the old lock. The surroundings were quiet and deserted; it seemed that all the guards had been transferred away.
After a brief observation, a calm and composed glint flashed in Lynette's eyes.
"Status confirmed, operation commences, escape magic, begin the performance."
She deftly put away the small knife in her palm, raised her hand to remove the delicate metal hairpin from her hair, bent the hairpin into a suitable arc, and then approached the heavy iron door lock cylinder, quickly prying it open.
The faint, intermittent metallic scraping sound vanished in the deathly silence of the dungeon, without disturbing anyone.
In just a few seconds, a soft "click" sounded.
The tightly locked iron gate unlocked with a click, the heavy lock loosened completely, and the heavy iron gate was gently pushed open, letting in a cool, chilly dungeon breeze.
Lynette walked slowly out of her cell and forward, her cold gaze sweeping over the locked cells on both sides of the corridor. In each small, dimly lit cell, two to four young children were huddled together.
Their clothes were thin and dirty, their faces were sallow and haggard; long-term imprisonment had long since worn away the vibrancy and liveliness that children should have.
Sensing the movement outside the door, the children numbly raised their eyelids, their empty gazes sweeping indifferently over Lynette as she passed by, before they listlessly lowered their heads again, curling up in the cold, dark corner like lifeless, withered trees.
A flicker of suppressed anger flashed across Lynette's clear eyes, but she quickly suppressed her surging emotions and maintained her composure.
Her mission was to gather evidence, and she couldn't afford to act impulsively and cause unforeseen complications that would jeopardize the entire plan. Lynette moved quietly, her fingertips discreetly drawing out a miniature Kamera she carried with her. She slowly walked through each cell, recording the environment of the prison, the imprisoned children, and the dilapidated and oppressive layout of the dungeon, preserving every inch of this unknown prison of evil as irrefutable evidence.
Having confirmed that all the evidence in the dungeon had been fully recorded and archived, Lynette put away the miniature Kamera and lingered without a trace. She moved nimbly and silently out of the dark cell corridor, stealthily ascending the mansion's hidden staircase.
Most of the guards for the entire cliffside mansion were transferred to the main building to guard Valerius, with only two or three idle guards scattered along the way.
With her skillful stealth techniques and the agility that cats possess, Lynette moved with surprising agility, perfectly avoiding all patrols' sight and making no sound as she successfully reached the high wall surrounding the mansion.
He bent down and leaped, quickly climbing upwards and landing steadily on the ground outside the wall.
"Next, I'll reunite with my brother..."
A sharp, piercing electronic alarm suddenly blared behind her!
The piercing alarm tore through the silence of the night, echoing across the entire cliff face with a particularly jarring sound.
Lynette froze, her eyes wide with astonishment. She instinctively reached behind her, her fingertips touching the small, cold alarm hidden behind her short skirt.
"The alarm...? When is it...?"
She murmured softly, her heart sinking suddenly.
The piercing sound pierced the night, instantly alerting all the guards on the outer perimeter.
The patrol team nearby stopped immediately upon hearing the noise, and a rough shout rang out, "Huh? A lamb has run away! Go after it!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a large number of guards armed with weapons quickly assembled and, following the sound of the alarm, rapidly approached and surrounded the wall.
The lights followed the running figures rapidly, the footsteps echoing in layers, growing ever closer.
The situation is unclear, we can't linger, run!
Lynette made a decision instantly, a faint blue Anemo Element light emanating from her fingertips. A gentle yet powerful wind surrounded her, supporting her figure. She lowered her body and sped off towards the pre-arranged meeting point in her memory.
Guards kept emerging from behind and on both sides, and the encirclement was rapidly tightening, gradually blocking any viable routes.
Several gunshots rang out, hot bullets whistling past her shoulders and ears, scattering pebbles as they hit her. Using the wind to propel her forward, Lynette constantly changed her running trajectory, skillfully dodging the hail of bullets, not daring to stop for a moment.
Lyney, who had been keeping a close eye on the mansion, caught the piercing alarm in the distance, followed by chaotic gunfire and the shouts of pursuers.
His expression hardened, and he instantly tensed every nerve in his body, darting out of the shadows. "Something's happened... I'm going to get Lynette!"
He moved with incredible speed, running against the wind towards the direction of the gunshot.
As Lynette fled ahead, her Anemo Element swirled at full speed, yet she still couldn't escape the dense barrage of fire. Pursuers from all sides closed in relentlessly, their guns locked on her fleeing figure.
Just as she gritted her teeth, accelerated, and tried to rush out of the dense forest—
Puff!
With a muffled thud, the scalding hot bullet pierced her slender calf with pinpoint accuracy!
A sharp pain exploded within her, abruptly dissipating all her momentum. Lynette staggered violently, her legs buckled, she lost her balance, and fell heavily onto the overgrown ground.
The rough ground chafed her skin, and the blood from the wounds instantly soaked through her clothes.
The pursuers behind them instantly became excited, with one shouting, "We hit him! Go and grab him..."
Call out--!
A sharp, hidden arrow pierced the night, striking the pursuer's throat with deadly accuracy.
Lying on the ground, Lynette's pupils trembled slightly as she endured the tearing pain and looked at the person approaching.
"Elder brother..."
Without the slightest hesitation, Lyney raised his hand and threw a specially made magic prop, accurately knocking down the swarming pursuers right in the center.
BOOM!
A violent burst of white light erupted instantly, blinding the entire area and causing all the pursuers to lose their sight. This was followed by a series of deafening explosions that left everyone deafened, dizzy, and thrown into complete chaos.
Lyney didn't dare to waste a second. She bent down and grabbed the injured and exhausted Lynette, carrying her steadily on her shoulder.
Lynette bit her lip, enduring the excruciating pain in her legs, letting her brother protect her, her faint breath falling into the wind.
The next second, Lyney raised his hand and threw out several smoke grenades.
Thick white smoke plumes landed and exploded instantly, the billowing smoke quickly enveloping the entire open space, completely trapping the chaotic pursuers in the fog. The sounds of gunfire and shouts of battle instantly became blurred, and their vision was completely blocked by layers of smoke.
Thick smoke billowed behind them, and the shouts of the pursuers rose and fell through the white mist. Lyney carried Lynette to the edge of the cliff, where a bottomless abyss lay below.
A biting sea breeze swept over her, and the scene before her suddenly overlapped with that of many years ago—the night when Lynette awakened her power and broke free from her fate; and this time, it was Lyney's turn to reverse the crisis and protect her only family.
He quickly took out his emergency paraglider, scooped up the injured Lynette in his arms, and leaped off the cliff!
But just as the two were airborne, the pursuers who broke through the smoke reached the edge of the cliff. Everyone raised their guns, and a dense barrage of bullets whistled through the night.
Lyney pulled hard on the parachute lines, constantly adjusting the direction of the glide, and desperately trying to dodge the oncoming bullets. However, the metal bullets still hit the parachute's fabric, tearing several holes in the canopy. The air lost control, the parachute shook violently, and it could no longer maintain its balance. The two of them plummeted uncontrollably downwards.
Lyney clenched his teeth.
Lynette... this time, it's your brother's turn to protect you!
Even if fate tries to take away the family he protects again, I will fight to the very end!
Suddenly, a blazing fire ignited in the night sky!
The surging force of the Pyro Element slammed into the damaged paraglider, abruptly altering their descent and pushing the two towards the swiftly flowing river not far away.
The flames reversed direction, and a gentle breeze softly enveloped their bodies, cushioning the impact of their fall and protecting them from severe injury. Under the moonlight, the two beams of light, fire and wind, intertwined and slowly dispersed, like the final act of a grand magic show, gradually fading into the night.
Finally, the two fell into the icy river and drifted away with the swift current, temporarily escaping their pursuers.
Lyney looked down at the Vision that was quietly glowing in his palm.
Looking at the Pyro Element patterns on the Vision, what was Lyney thinking, having yearned for it for so many years?
Perhaps it's no longer important.
He successfully protected Lynette, and that was enough.
"Boss, what do we do now?"
The group of pursuers on the cliff edge looked at the dark, rushing river below, exchanging bewildered glances.
The leader gritted his teeth and barked, "What do we do? Go down and chase them along the river! That catwoman is injured; they can't have gone far!"
The words had barely left his lips when a clear, crisp sound suddenly rang out from the silent cliff edge—
Tap, tap, tap.
It was the sound of high heels tapping on the stone surface, unhurried and clear, penetrating the night wind and standing out distinctly on the empty cliff.
Everyone froze, turning sharply to look at the shadowy spot from which the sound had come. Someone's voice trembled as they asked, "Who? Who's there?"
Night slowly emerged from the shadows, and a tall figure stood silently, a heavy, cold-gleaming scythe hanging diagonally on the ground in his hand.
Before they could even utter a terrified scream, this was the last thing these pursuers saw in their lives.
"Ugh~"