Kidnapping
“Alilux, Jar Spectre, as well as a guardian of the mermaid clan, the prophet Kalle...” The Snake Dowager’s eyes held a trace of sadness, “You should have chosen me from the beginning…”
She walked directly into the ancient castle, but the dozing security guard did not notice her at all. Intensely familiar with everything in the castle, she continued on her way and walked into the basement. She finally arrived in front of a wall.
The dirt yellow manson stones were covered with the mottled marks of history. The likeness of a two-handle vase had been carved in there with simple skill.
“In Allsnake’s name…” the Snake Dowager bit her lip, a trace of blood appearing and piercing into the body of the wall. The entire wall seemed to collapse, revealing a pitch-black passageway.
In the end, she arrived in front of a simple altar. There she saw fragments of ceramic, radiating an atmosphere of chilling horror with concentrated resentment. The grudge had materialised even after thousands of years.
“Jar Spectre, so this is what became of your body?” The Snake Dowager picked up a dirt-yellow fragment of the vase, traces of black patterns wandering on the surface as they let out hissing sounds. It seemed like a thousand snakes were flowing over each other.
Having gotten what she wanted, the Snake Dowager quickly left. The passageway was discovered by a cleaner later, becoming a popular tourist destination.
……
Another bright and beautiful day dawned in Thousand Bears City.
“Ah…” Xavier stretched lazily and sat up in bed.
“Oh dear, I didn’t manage to get my license again. I still have to ask for money from my parents at this age… Shouldn’t I hurry up and find some odd jobs to do?” He kneaded his temples in worry as he put his clothes on.
The imperial university was expensive to go to, and normal families could not afford it. Xavier had grown a bit of pride over his life, and he didn’t want to use up his parents’ money after he grew to adulthood.
‘Tiring jobs like waiting tables don’t have high salaries. I should become a bodyguard instead! My physique was crafted well by the Snakebite Fist, giving me great attack power. I can earn in excess of ten Thousand Seres a month…’ His self-confidence was greatly bolstered by his sturdy physique and willpower from training in martial arts.
Several minutes later, he walked into the living room with toothbrush in mouth. He saw fried eggs, bread, and milk on the table, with a note stuffed under the plate.
“Jill’s already gone to school?” The scene of a little girl cooking breakfast from atop a stool appeared in his mind, and a smile blossomed on Xavier’s face. Washing his face and rinsing his mouth, he sat down to eat breakfast and turned on the television.
The television screen appeared in midair, broadcasting the clear and simple voice of a female anchor, “Welcome to the morning news. Let’s begin with economy. A few days ago the Imperial Corporation declared that…”
Suddenly, the expression of the female anchor changed.
“Breaking news! Thousand Bears City’s Golden Flower Primary School was attacked by an unknown party this morning. The casualties are currently unknown, and the police department and firefighters have hurried to the scene. Five different organisations have presently taken responsibility for this attack…”
A sudden scene of dense fireworks appeared behind the anchor, showing a primary school. The police had erected a perimeter of warning tape, and faint weeping sounds could be heard from within.
*Bang!* Xavier’s expression turned blank, the cup of milk in his hand shattering on the floor.
‘That’s Jill’s school!’ He immediately rushed out, pulling out the door with so much force that a hole the size of a fist was formed where the handle used to be.
“Mm, has it begun?” Next door to Xavier, Leylin also walked out from his residence. He saw Xavier rushing hot-bloodedly to Golden Flower Primary School, strolling behind him calmly with his own breakfast in hand.
‘Jill! Jill! You must be alright!’ Xavier looked into the distant horizon. He could already see the dense black smoke over the school building, an ominous sign. Sirens could be heard in the distance.
The closer he got, the worse the traffic jam became. There seemed to be a long queue of maglev trains on the tracks, with numerous traffic policemen maintaining order.
“Damn!” Xavier ferociously slammed his taxi’s door open and fled. In a few moments, he had disappeared to the end of the street, with money left carelessly on the seat. The driver’s mouth gaped as if he had seen a ghost.
With his agility and the fact that he was not all that far from the primary school in the first place, Xavier very quickly reached the location.
“Stop! What are you doing?” An armoured policeman blocked him from going ahead, examining him closely.
“I… I’m the brother of a student here, her name’s Jill. How is she?!” Xavier asked in a panicked voice.
“The robbers have taken hostages, we are currently working hard to rescue them,” the policeman’s gaze turned into a pity, “I promise you that we will do our absolute best to rescue them. Now please, go over there to register and wait…”
He pointed at an empty space where a group of parents had gathered. Many mothers were weeping openly.
“Damn… I want to go in!” Xavier’s face flushed with rage.
“I’m sorry, that is impossible!” The policeman’s expression changed, “Don’t make things difficult for us…”
Seeing a gun’s black muzzle, Xavier rolled his eyes, “Fine, I’ll leave. I’m leaving…” As he slowly left and walked around the school, he arrived outside an enclosed wall. There were policemen here as well, but it wasn’t as densely protected as the last area.
“Okay, now!” Xavier deeply breathed in and emitted a serpent’s hiss, suddenly becoming a shadow which rushed forward.
“Stand still!” “Shoot!”
A cacophony of voices could be heard, as well as dangerous gunshots. However, Xavier had displayed his extraordinary power here, bending into an S as if he was a snake to dodge all the gunshots. He barely flipped over the wall into the campus, and exasperated howls sounded behind him.
“Jill! Jill!” Xavier was extremely panicked in his heart, but his thoughts were eerily calm. He began to stealthily make his way towards Jill’s classroom.
The once happy campus had now become hell. The corpses of several students and teachers littered the hallway, the fresh red blood unpleasant to the eyes.
‘It’s impossible, Jill would not have fallen here…’ Xavier encouraged himself to move onwards, silently drawing closer to Jill’s class.
The robbers had evidently based themselves here, congregating together. However, their attire was extremely strange. They were wearing black wind jackets with sunglasses.
‘They don’t look like robbers…’ A faint thought arose in Xavier’s heart. However, at this point he already had no choice. After seeing the crowded figures and their firepower, he began to feel a little anxious.
‘Right, the ventilation ducts… If I can restrain my life undulations, I can hide.’ Xavier’s eyes brightened. He used Snakebite Fist to control his entire body’s muscles and blood flow. Under the mysterious force, his blood slowly grew cold. His life undulations also became increasingly weak, until he resembled a rock on the ground.
*Bang!* A ventilation duct was kicked open, and Xavier slowly climbed towards the school building.
“Why do we have to act like robbers, boss? Can’t we just act directly?” Nobody was alerted to Xavier’s presence, exchanging words which made his heart beat faster.
“It’s the mayor’s fault, he said it would be bad influence. Well, someone else will take his position after this, that’s the price for provoking the Special Forces…”
‘The empire’s Special Forces Division?’ Xavier’s heart turned cold. He felt like he had interfered with some disastrous affair.
“Ah…” Just at this moment, the sound of a girl crying out in alarm could be heard. Xavier’s eyes widened in response, ‘It’s Jill’s voice!’
He crawled across at lightning speed. Looking through the opening in the ventilation shaft, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the scene he witnessed. Within the classroom, a teacher’s body had slumped over the desk. Many little girls were crouched on the ground crying, with a huge man dragging Jill up.
“So annoying!” He pinched a nerve behind Jill’s head, which made her immediately faint.
“Let go of my sister!” Seeing this scene, Xavier couldn’t hold back anymore. He jumped down from the ventilation shaft directly.
“Oh, so there was one left?” The man in the wind jacket looked at Xavier and at the black apparatus in his hand, “It’s a shame he’s too old. There’s no value in nurturing and brainwashing him…”
“Let go of my sister!” Xavier roared as he charged ahead. However, he was blocked by a slanted-eyed youth with a pallid face.
Heavy makeup was smeared on his face in thick layers, and he swiped his tongue across his brightly coloured lips, “Give this one to me, he seems rather amusing,” he said with an evil expression.
A Rapid Shadow wristwatch flashed with light, and a wall of shadows stopped Xavier in his tracks.
“Alright, but pay attention to the time,” the middle-aged man nodded. He threw Jill and two other girls over his shoulder and left.
“Damn it, DAMN IT!” Xavier’s expression flushed a deep red. His arm suddenly softened, and like a snake with sharp fangs he shattered the shadow wall into pieces.
“Oh, a martial artist? I like it!” Slant Eyes seemed to brighten, “I know from experience that trash like you can last a little longer, so don’t disappoint me…
“Don’t even think about stubbornly resisting. I’ve already surpassed high-ranked mechanics and can directly connect to the highest layer of the Shadow Weave. Your martial skills are just a joke compared to high-ranked spells.”
“Sss…” A black shadow flashed past. Xavier reappeared in front of Slant Eyes, his fingers stabbing directly into his throat.