LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 257: Outplayed
"Is it over?" I muttered to myself, while staying vigilant for anything.
My Aegis Projection focused on protecting both me and Kanon, while we hovered in the air after the floor below us collapsed.
The whole place had turned into a complete mess. The sprinklers were doing their job, but the fire had melted even the pipes, rendering them useless.
The corpse on the other hand had stopped exploding after it completely turned into nothingness , but the flames continued their relentless assault on everything in their path.
Given the height of this place, there was no way to extinguish a fire of this magnitude that easily .
'It's a good thing my life-saving skills kicked in, or I'd be a crispy chicken by now. I was careless," I mused, learning a valuable lesson from the experience.
The flames weren't exactly a threat to my life if I saw it coming, but I was caught off guard. It served as a stark reminder that, no matter how powerful I became, a momentary lapse in attention could cost me my life.
'Fuck it, my body hurts,' I whined, though my endurance was already working its magic. I wasn't regenerating like some mutant that could survive the impact of a nuclear blast.
At least the burn marks were slowly closing. Sure, there would be a scar, but I was confident I could just increase my attributes to heal the burned skin.
My primary concern shifted to Kanon. Unlike me, her endurance was pretty normal, and she lacked any type of self-healing. Any damage to her skin could potentially lead to a visit to the plastic surgery doctor.
Observing her, she seemed okay with just some minor burns. My Aegis Projection encircled us, and shielded her on time.
'There's no one?' I pondered to myself.
My crows scoured the area, searching for any sign of the attacker, but they found nothing. Confused by the lack of a threat, I cautiously floated toward the section of the building that hadn't succumbed to the flames yet.
'Who set off that explosion?' I muttered to myself, trying to steady my breathing and used my mind. The corpsed had exploded hours before Dong Ha died. So, logically, whoever did it must have known he died and came to this building to trigger the explosion.
Was it some kind of mechanism like my Mind-link, allowing the user to command a body to explode even after death? The mystery lingered, sparking my curiosity and temporarily diverting my attention from the discomfort I was currently experiencing.
"Please!, " A woman in her 50s, her face streaked with tears, approached us. "Please help me, My— My son is trap on our unit."she pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation.
'Come on, lady, can't you see I look like a burnt sausage right now?' I almost snapped. I get it, her son is in trouble, but I'm in no shape to help.
"Where's your room?" Kanon asked immediately, concern etched across her face.
'Stop meddling in other people's business; I'm the one who needs medical attention,' I thought to myself, watching the drama unfold in front of me.
"I— I left him in his room. He was watching something before the whole place started burning. Please, help me!" The lady's cries echoed, fear etched on her face as she trembled at the thought of her son's condition.
"What room is it?" Kanon asked.
"1073," she replied.
"He's dead," I cut through their drama and gave her the sad news directly. 1073 was the door next door; I was pretty sure that place burned down in that explosion.
"NO!!!" The lady started crying hysterically.
"Why did you say it like that?" Kanon looked at me with a dismayed expression.
"I'm just telling her the truth. There's no way that guy is alive if he was in room 1073," I explained bluntly, trying to convey the harsh reality of the situation.
She paused for a moment, then turned to the lady with a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but the whole block from that room caved in already. We need to get out of here," she said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to offer comfort.
"No! You're lying!" The lady started to act erratically. It became evident that she had completely broken down after hearing the truth from us. The harsh reality seemed to have shattered her mind, and she clung to denial as a coping mechanism.
"Just stick with us and get out of here," I use my ability, not really in the mood for any more drama. Honestly, I couldn't care less if she made it out alive, but I figured Kanon might have some thoughts on that.
So, we kicked off a sprint downstairs. The elevator was useless, and the lobby turned into a madhouse as everyone fought to escape. It was pure chaos, but it offered me a golden chance to merge into the crowd and play the part of just another person trying to survive.
While I was at it, I didn't forget to keep an eye on the surroundings. I scanned the whole area, on the lookout for anyone who seemed suspicious. At this point, I wouldn't hesitate to take down anyone who didn't appear concerned about a freaking building burning down.
'Nexus Legion, huh? I will fucking kill each and everyone of you,' I gritted my teeth in frustration as I descended the stairs.
What they did to me was beyond forgiveness. My heart raced back then, and for a moment, I contemplated unleashing the full-size of my Aegis Projection to show them the mistake they made. Fortunately, I managed to control in my impulses. Continue your adventure at m|v-l'e m,p| y- r
I didn't want to reveal too much of my abilities. Right now, I preferred to keep a low profile. Direct Confrontation wasn't my style, and it seemed the person behind all this chaos shared a similar cautious mindset.
To be honest, the real reason for my frustration was that I felt insulted and outsmarted.
'Well played, well played,' I thought sarcastically, acknowledging the clever tactics of the person who caused this chaos.
'I hope you're ready. I'll make sure to pay you back a hundredfold,' a sinister smile twisted on my burned face.