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Fleeing and Awakening
“My goal?” Leylin stood on the stage. Although he was the focus of attention of thousands of people, his mind still wandered off.
“Is it to live my life ordinarily and peacefully? Yes! With time, money, and a wife who loves you, what’s there to hesitate?”
‘But why, why do I still feel a little indignant deep in my heart?’ Leylin touched his chest, ‘If everyone is like that, then fine. But if there is a path leading to eternal life, and I don’t try and pursue it, how could I face myself?
Eternity? Eternity! Yes, pursuing the ultimate of everything and obtaining eternal life, that is my pursuit!’
Leylin’s pupils instantly grew resolute. Grabbing Carol’s hand, he gently said, “Sister Carol… S–Sorry…”
Right at this moment, an intense rumbling explosion echoed, engulfing the place in crimson flames. The crowd screamed and dispersed as a black, armoured car barged recklessly into the campus, stopping at the side of the stage.
Numerous figures in steel armour jumped out in an orderly manner. Clearly, they were well-trained.
”External armour? And nuclear-powered laser guns?” As Leylin looked at the metal skeleton in their appearances and the oddly shaped gun barrels, he could not help but show a shocked expression, his pupils narrowing rapidly.
“Seize her!” These armoured men did not even notice the other students running about, as if all of them were ants in their eyes. They lunged towards the centre of the stage directly with cold expressions in their eyes. This was the disregard one developed for life through years of bloody warfare.
“Carol! Their target is Carol!” Leylin was surprised.
“Brother Leylin!” The girl shrieked, holding Leylin’s hand. Given that she was a celebrity, she naturally had a few bodyguards by her side, but they’d been burnt to ashes by the lasers before they could even pull out their weapons, becoming what seemed like piles of charcoal.
In an instant, the screams of the crowd grew more intense. Those armed soldiers looked like steel mountains. All obstructions they encountered on their way, be it furniture or even human life, were ruthlessly destroyed.
‘These people… they’re definitely not normal soldiers or mercenaries…’ Leylin’s pupils narrowed and every muscle on his body stiffened. And yet, the moment he looked at the pathetic Carol beside him, her face full of panic as she nearly fell limp to the floor, he suddenly started running.
“Go!” He shrieked, pulling her along. Using the obstruction from the crowd, he successfully brought her off stage and headed in the direction of a teaching block.
“Seize her, we don’t need that boy alive!” A person who seemed like the leader of the soldiers commanded. Immediately, Leylin saw many laser guns aimed at him.
“Get down!” He suddenly pressed Carol’s head down, pinning her to the ground.
A dazzling radiance shot out as laser blasts sounded everywhere. When they stopped, the stage behind him had already become flat ground. A broken, burnt arm fell in front of him.
“Leylin!” Carol’s eyes turned white, her fingernails tearing into Leylin’s hand and causing it to bleed.
“I know! Go quickly!” For some unknown reason, Leylin felt very used to such bloody scenes and did not feel the slightest bit of discomfort. He was still able to think calmly in this situation.
‘The opponent’s target is Carol… At a crucial time, if I abandon her it’ll give me the chance to survive!’ He then glanced at Carol, ‘Still, we’re neighbours and lovers after all. I’ll escape with her for a while, but if we’re unable to pull away from the enemy even with our best efforts, I can only give up…’
Although a bad thought stirred in his heart, a determined look emerged in Leylin’s face as he grabbed Carol and ran. At a corner, he glanced at the entrance where many students had gathered in a crowd, no longer daring to look at the figures in black. It was like they were some sort of monsters.
He caught a glimpse of Serway’s eye-catching blonde hair and the small girl beside him.
‘Hmm… Serway and Gail are both there, I can’t draw fire to the place…’ Immediately giving up on the entrance where the students were, he brought Carol along as he ran into another crowd.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Large amounts of flesh flew into the sky. With Leylin and Carol drawing the enemy’s firepower to this place, these people were instantly met with annihilation.
With the bombardment of laser guns, these students grew more panicked in their frantic running, Under the bombardment of the laser guns, these students ran around in an even more panicky way, making it difficult for the enemy to recognise people.
And with this as a cover, Leylin successfully brought Carol and escaped to the teaching block.
“Stay here! Don’t run!” Leylin shoved Carol into the changing room’s cabinet as he chose another ventilation duct for himself and crawled in.
‘There’s another way out here. I should be able to escape through this duct if Carol gets caught…’ Leylin’s eyes glowed from their depths. His relationship with Carol only consisted of fragmented memories. Although both Serway and Gail said that Carol was his girlfriend, Leylin still felt a strong sense of disconnect. The weight of these ‘feelings’ in his heart had dissipated completely during their escape. Or, put in other words, this relationship was only worth so much to him.
After this, she would have to rely on her own luck. If she faced the fate of being captured, Leylin would not rescue her, as in doubt as he was right now.
Furthermore, the enemy evidently wanted to capture Carol alive and did not care about others’ lives. Leylin would certainly not risk so much for her. Carol would still have a chance of survival after falling into the enemy’s hands, but for him, it would be game over. Thus, he naturally knew his choice.
“Close this place off! I saw them escaping into the building and they never came out!!” A large boom echoed, accompanied by footsteps. They were heavy footsteps, every thud beating right into his heart like the steps of Death itself.
“Search every room. Don’t miss even a single corner” the enemy’s cold voice echoed over again.
Now, Leylin could only smile bitterly and pray. How could he and a small girl outrun such elites? It was only because of the cannon fodder that he’d managed to get here successfully. If he’d left the shelter of the building, he would be a sitting duck.
Moreover, this was a school! With something like this happening, as long as they waited for a period of time there would definitely be some sort of response from the authorities.
As the seconds ticked by, the rummaging sounds coming from the surroundings echoed out without end, drawing closer and closer to the changing room. It made Leylin feel a little suffocated.
“Dammit! The government is useless in this area, I’ll never vote for them again!” Leylin scolded hatefully.
Right at this moment. the changing room’s door was pushed open violently and numerous footsteps invaded the place violently. The rummaging sounds continued for a moment, followed by a girl’s alarmed cry. Leylin’s heart stopped, knowing that Carol had already been captured by the enemy. His body slowly moved backwards, already prepared to retreat at any time.
“And the other student? Where has he gone to?” A buff man asked.
“I’m not saying!” Carol’s stubborn yet airy voice echoed, but it made Leylin roll his eyes instead. Two crisp slaps sounded in reply to it.
“Not saying instead of not knowing, which means he’s nearby. But we don’t have anymore time! Let’s go!” That hefty man waved his hand, taking Carol out with him.
Through the blinds, Leylin saw a member of the troop throw a round metal object on the ground as they left, the thing shining with light.
Leylin cursed. “Damn it! A High-explosive magnetic grenade!” His entire body suddenly moved backwards as he began crawling desperately.
A blue glow suddenly swept across behind him, followed by many blazing flames. The sound wave caused even Leylin’s ears and nose to bleed.
A blind was kicked opened with a bang, and Leylin suddenly fell down along with large amounts of dust and rubbish.
“Finally out!” Leylin heaved deep breaths and patted his chest. However, when he looked at the surrounding scene, his expression changed.
Dozens of soldiers in steel armoured were walking over with a girl in tow, their faces growing dazed for a moment when they saw Leylin.
“Brother Leylin, I knew that you’d be back to rescue me!” Carol, who was being escorted by them, began cheering instead.
“I…” Leylin rolled his eyes speechlessly. It was like the saying went: Man proposes, but God disposes.
“We meet again, you rascal. What a lucky life you have!” A man wearing a steel skeletal mask came out, eyes shining with a vicious red radiance, “Kill him!” The opponent looked at Leylin as if he was looking at a piece of garbage.
The dazed Carol then realised something and immediately began begging, “No! Let Brother Leylin go! I’ll go with you!”
However, she seemed unable to change these men’s attitudes even slightly, and a dazzling white light shot out from a cannon. Leylin’s vision went black.
Suddenly, time seemed to stop at the moment, and a voice echoed out of nowhere, “Between Carol and yourself, who do you choose?” Confusion emerged in Leylin’s eyes.
“Of course I choose…” Leylin glanced at Carol, whose face was frozen in a panicked expression.
“Neither, you idiot!” A hint of calmness appeared in Leylin’s eyes once more, “I finally regained a portion of my memories… Trying to trick me into signing a contract?” The stagnated time shattered apart with a crash, as numerous lasers shot to him once more…
“Fire!” Once again, Leylin read out a word from the ancient Byron language. Only this time, the moment the rune syllable was heard, space itself seemed to be mobilised. A large amount of an unknown energy gathered together, combining to result in an amazing transformation.