Chapter 187

Chapter 187: Ambush

“Clang!”

Accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, a glinting kn*fe was thrown into room 23, flying straight towards Nephnis, who had just spoken that name. She was still in shock from the broken window and had not reacted at all.

“Watch out!”

At that moment, Brandon shouted loudly and lunged towards Nephnis, pushing her aside just in time. The flying kn*fe struck his chest.

“Ah!”

Brandon let out a terrible scream, and in an instant, bl**d stained his shirt. With wide eyes, he clutched at his wound and collapsed, gasping for breath before lying still on the ground. Nephnis, who had just settled down again, was startled once more.

“Mr. Brandon! Mr. Brandon, what’s wrong? Pull yourself together, Mr. Brandon!”

Nephnis hurriedly knelt down on the floor to check Brandon’s condition. After testing for a pulse under his nose and finding none, her face turned pale.

“Dead, dead…” Nephnis’s heart tightened, filled with immense panic and guilt.

‘Mr. Brandon is dead… because I spoke that name… I caused Mr. Brandon’s d*ath. I shouldn’t have told him about the secret…

‘And those guys… they’re right nearby, watching us from outside…’

Realizing that she was in danger, Nephnis quickly stood up, grabbed her books, and rushed towards the door, desperate to escape this place of trouble.

Just as she reached the door, it suddenly swung open, and a middle-aged stranger with a serious expression stepped inside. Upon seeing Nephnis, he waved his hand, knocking her to the ground as her books scattered everywhere.

“Ugh!”

Before Nephnis could react, the middle-aged man closed the door behind him, approached her, and grabbed her by the neck with one hand, silencing her and causing her to struggle in panic, her face turning red as she choked. It seemed he intended to strangle Nephnis.

“Don’t k*ll her yet. Ask her where she heard the name!”

At that moment, another young man jumped through the shattered window, breaking a piece of glass to enter. He directed his words at the man about to k*ll Nephnis.

Their initial task was merely to investigate the owner of room 23 and uncover his background, but they hadn’t expected to encounter such a situation. Because of this unexpected turn of events, they had no choice but to switch from investigation to ambush.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man loosened his grip slightly, allowing Nephnis to gasp for breath again. He then spoke viciously.

“Don’t scream! Honestly confess! How did you learn that name? Speak, and you might live!”

As Nephnis, still caught by his grip, struggled to breathe, she was about to say something when another twist of fate occurred.

In room 23, from behind the curtains, from under the sofa, and from inside the cabinet… suddenly, three figures emerged, each dressed differently and holding a handgun, all aimed at the intruders, one of whom just happened to be beside Nephnis’s captor. These were the zombie puppets that Dorothy had prepared in case of emergencies within room 23.

Seeing the enemy had suddenly abandoned stealth for direct action, Dorothy had no time to hesitate. Based on Nephnis’s previous behavior, she was worried about Brandon’s safety and believed that an ordinary person’s involvement with extraordinary items could endanger him. Thus, she intended to retrieve the items. After failing to do so, she even advised Brandon to dispose of them. This made a good impression on Dorothy. Furthermore, since Nephnis was someone with insights into the school’s secrets, Dorothy decided to help her.

As the three zombie puppets appeared, they all opened fire simultaneously. The gunshots resonated through the street, and before the man holding Nephnis could react, he was shot in the head and fell to the ground.

The young man’s response was unusually quick. The moment he saw the zombies, he immediately assessed their positions and the bullets’ trajectories, starting to dodge in advance. With remarkable speed, he evaded both bullets, moving as if he had anticipated their paths.

‘Is this… an extraordinary being? And that reaction speed—could it be the “Shadow”?’

Watching the scene from afar, Dorothy thought to herself. Back at room 23, the young man who had evaded two bullets rolled forward and swiftly approached one of the zombie puppets. During this process, he drew a kn*fe from his waist, which gleamed coldly.

‘An ambush… Hmph, surely, this so-called lost property retrieval is suspicious!’

Silently scoffing, the young man sprang into action, wielding the kn*fe against a g*n-wielding zombie puppet. Effortlessly, he used the kn*fe, infused with “Shadow,” to sever the zombie puppet’s head. The ability to enhance the sharpness of blades is a unique skill of “Shadow,” and even a novice like him could accomplish this.

“Bang!”

After the young man took down the first zombie puppet, the remaining two immediately targeted him for a second wave of gunfire. Unfortunately, he had already memorized their positions and anticipated their next attack; he dodged once more, causing their shots to miss.

In confrontation, “Cup” can take hits, “Stone” can shield against damage, while “Shadow” can rely on high mobility to evade. Thus, in low-tier engagements, all three types of extraordinary beings have advantages in close-quarters combat, unlike “Lamp,” “Silence,” and “Enlightenment,” which lean towards ranged attack and strategy.

Having dodged yet another round of fire, the young man set his eyes on the remaining two zombie puppets, his gaze predatory as if seeking prey. He then charged forward towards his next target.

Even when surrounded in a small space by three adults wielding firearms, he was confident he could take them all out.

Yet, just as he lunged towards his next enemy, he suddenly felt one of his legs sink as if something was dragging him down, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

“What!?”

The fallen man was bewildered; he had checked the terrain and should not have made such a mistake. He looked back.

What he saw was Brandon’s corpse, which he had killed with a throwing kn*fe at the start, now clinging desperately to his foot. The sudden movement from the “dead” Brandon had tripped him.

‘What’s happening? Isn’t this guy already dead?!’

The young man was shocked, but the two standing zombie puppets didn’t give him the chance to express his surprise, immediately firing two shots that hit him while he was down, killing him outright.

With all intruders dead, the whole room fell silent. Nephnis, who witnessed everything from the ground, sat wide-eyed and mouth agape in astonishment until she saw those who had saved her put away their handguns. The man she had thought was dead approached her and said,

“Miss Boyle, this place is no longer safe. I believe the police will arrive shortly. Before we get into further trouble, we should leave through the back door and find another secure place to discuss slowly.

“I think this time, we can both be more frank.”

As Brandon extended his bloodied hand towards the still startled Nephnis on the ground, she swallowed hard and slowly spoke.

“You… you’re not dead?”

Hearing Nephnis’s words, Brandon smiled slightly in response.

“Ah… d*ath, yes, I have died, but in this secret world, sometimes d*ath is far from the end.

“You do not yet understand enough about the inner workings of this world, Miss Boyle. Perhaps… we can help you.”